Pesto Pizza Recipe

Looking for an easy and delicious way to step up your pizza night? This homemade pesto pizza recipe is your answer! Ready in under 10 minutes, it’s packed with flavor and is a real crowd pleaser!

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It would be an understatement to say we love pizzas, Greek pizza, Caprese pizza, Margharita pizza, you name them, we LOVE them.

And we think you’ll love this pesto pizza – let us know!

The moment you bite into that crispy crust and taste the delicious cheesy herby flavor of pesto, you’ll know, and when you know, you know.

How to make our pesto pizza recipe with step by step instructions

It’s easy to make pesto pizza recipe is easy if you follow our simple instructions.

If using a pizza oven

Preheat your pizza oven to 650°F/340°C.

Lightly dust your pizza paddle with flour and place your pizza crust.

Spread pesto over your pizza crust, leaving ½ inch border, then add mozzarella cheese, vegetarian Parmesan cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper.

Place your pizza in the oven and cook for approximately 2 – 3 minutes, use a pizza turning peel to turn the pizza every 20 seconds to ensure an even cook.

When cooked, your pizza crust should look charred and the pizza toppings perfectly cook.

Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Preheat your oven to 500°F/260°260C.

If you are using a pizza stone, put it in the oven so it heats up.

Place your pizza crust on a lightly floured surface or on your pizza pan, and spread pesto over your pizza crust, leaving ½ inch border, then add mozzarella cheese, vegetarian Parmesan cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper.

Place your pizza in the oven and cook for approximately 8 – 10 minutes, turning halfway to ensure an even cook.

When your pizza is ready, the crust will be a lovely golden brown, and the toppings perfectly cooked.

Remove from the oven, garnish with chopped fresh basil leaves and serve immediately – enjoy!

We hope that you enjoy making and eating our pesto pizza and would love to hear how you got on with making it.

Please leave a comment below and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

What do you serve with pesto pizza?

You don’t always have to serve it with something as it’s great on its own but you could dip it in pizza aioli, garlic dip, or max out on pesto with pesto aioli.

It would make a great sharer starter for pasta dishes such as penne arrabiata, spaghetti Aglio e olio, or penne alla vodka.

What is pesto?

Pesto is a sauce made from crushed basil leaves, garlic, Parmesan cheese (we use a vegetarian version), pine nuts, and olive oil, we love to make pesto pasta with it.

Pesto sauce is traditionally used as a pasta sauce, but can also be used on pizzas, in soups, or as a dip.

Basil is the key ingredient in pesto and gives it its signature flavor. The other ingredients simply enhance the taste of the basil and complement its earthy notes.

Homemade pesto or store bought?

There really is nothing like homemade pesto, the flavor is nothing like you can buy in a store.

We definitely recommend making it, it’ll take you just 15 minutes to make this classic basil pesto recipe and it freezes too, so make a batch for next time.

But we realize not everyone wants to make their own, so when shopping for pesto, look for a sauce that has a bright green color and a pungent aroma. Avoid sauces that are dull in color or have an overly sweet taste.

Do I have to make my own pizza dough?

No you don’t have to make your own pizza dough, naturally homemade pizza dough is going to be better, so if you have time, make it (dough recipe coming soon)

You can buy store bought pizza dough and use that or buy a good quality pizza crust, the choice is yours!

What’s the best way to cook pizza?

There are three ways to cook a pizza.

In a pizza oven, on a pizza stone, and on a pizza pan.

Pizza ovens get our vote every time, the pizza oven we use cooks in as little as 60 seconds – it’s phenomenal and you get that classic charred crust.

After a pizza oven, a pizza stone is your next best bet. It’s cost efficient and you can fit it in your kitchen oven and the heat ensures that you get a good crispy crust.

Our final recommendation would be a pizza pan, this is a round pan but it has holes in the bottom which allows some of the heat to reach the crust, and will give you a better pizza than using a baking sheet.

Recipe variations

One of the best things about making homemade pizza is that you get to choose what goes on it.

We’ve used grated mozzarella cheese, but you could use fresh mozzarella cheese instead if you prefer.

Just make sure the fresh mozzarella is drained from any water it comes in or it’ll make the pizza soggy.

Add fresh tomatoes, cherry tomatoes are a good choice.

Trying to cut down on meat but love chicken pesto pizza? Simply sub the chicken for vegetarian chicken!

How to store leftover pesto pizza

Our pesto pizza will store for up to 3 days when kept in the fridge in an airtight container.

You can either choose to reheat it or eat it cold.

You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.

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