Spinach Pizza Recipe
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Spinach pizza is what I make when I want pizza night but also want to feel like I got a real serving of greens into dinner. This one folds the spinach into a ricotta base with artichoke hearts, so it eats like a spinach and artichoke dip that someone turned into a pizza, not like a salad sitting on top of dough.
The thing I’ve learned over years of vegetarian cooking is that wet spinach is what ruins this pizza, so I cook it down and get the water out before it ever touches the crust. Do that one step and you get a creamy, golden slice with a base that stays crisp underneath.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The spinach gets cooked down and squeezed dry first, so the crust bakes up crisp instead of going soft under the toppings.
- It’s built on a ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan base instead of red sauce, and that’s what makes it creamy rather than watery.
- Halved artichoke hearts add a little tang that keeps three cheeses from tasting flat.
- It comes together in about 25 minutes with store-bought dough, so it holds up as a weeknight dinner.
- Leftovers reheat well, and you can freeze individual slices for later.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.
- Fresh spinach. You’ll cook down 5 cups, which looks like far too much until it wilts to almost nothing. Cooking it first is what lets you squeeze out the water that would otherwise soak the crust.
- Ricotta cheese. This is the base in place of tomato sauce. If yours looks watery, let it drain in a fine-mesh sieve first so the topping isn’t loose.
- Mozzarella cheese. Grated and split in half. Half goes into the cheese mixture and half over the top, so you get creaminess underneath and browning above.
- Parmesan cheese. A quarter cup sharpens the ricotta so the base doesn’t taste flat.
- Artichoke hearts. Halved and scattered on top. They bring a little acidity that cuts the richness of the cheese. If the artichokes are the part you’re here for, my artichoke pizza makes them the main event.
- Italian seasoning. Stirred into the cheese so the herbs season the filling from the inside rather than just sitting on top.
- Store-bought pizza dough. Let it come to room temperature before you roll it, or it fights back and tears. If you’d rather make your own, my simple pizza dough works here and freezes for up to three months.
How to Make Spinach Pizza
A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
Cook the spinach and garlic
Warm a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the minced garlic for a minute or two, just until it smells fragrant.
Add the spinach in batches, stirring as each handful wilts down. Once it has all collapsed, take it off the heat.
This is the step that decides whether your crust stays crisp, because spinach is over ninety percent water, and cooking it now lets that water escape in the pan instead of into your dough later. Let it cool, then press it against the side of the pan or in a sieve to squeeze out what’s left.
Mix the cheese filling
In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, half of the mozzarella, the Parmesan, and the Italian seasoning, then season with salt and pepper.
Let the cooked spinach cool before you fold it in. If you add it warm, it loosens the cheese and the mixture turns hard to spread.
Roll and prep the dough
Heat your oven to 475°F (245°C). Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface and move it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet or a pizza stone. Brush the edges with a little olive oil so the crust turns golden.
If the dough springs back and tears, it’s too cold, so let it rest at room temperature for a bit and try again.
Assemble and bake
Spread the spinach and ricotta mixture over the dough, leaving a small border for the crust. Scatter the artichoke hearts across the top, then sprinkle over the remaining mozzarella so it browns above the filling.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and crisp and the cheese is bubbling. Slice it and serve while it’s warm.
Recipe Notes and Expert Tips
- Squeeze the spinach dry. Wilting on its own isn’t enough, so press it in a sieve or against the pan until no more liquid runs out. Wet spinach is the single most common reason a spinach pizza turns soggy.
- Drain watery ricotta. If your ricotta pools liquid in the tub, let it sit in a fine-mesh sieve while you prep everything else.
- Bring the dough to room temperature. Cold dough tears and shrinks back on you, while rested dough rolls out and holds its shape.
- Season as you go. A little salt in the cheese mixture and a final crack of black pepper over the top does more than seasoning only at the end.
Recipe Variations
- For a red and white version, spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce onto the dough before the filling goes on. I’ve tested it both ways, and it holds up in either direction.
- Torn fresh basil over the top after baking brightens the whole thing, a tested finish I go back to in summer when basil is good.
- A pinch of red pepper flakes scattered on before baking adds gentle heat against the creamy cheese, a tested addition for when I want a little kick.
- To push it toward a fully loaded pie, my veggie pizza builds on the same idea with more vegetables on top. Piling extra roasted vegetables onto this exact recipe is untested, so watch the moisture if you try it.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Get them chilled within two hours of baking rather than leaving them out on the counter to cool. To reheat, warm slices in a hot oven or a skillet until the cheese is bubbling and the pizza is hot all the way through, to 165°F (74°C).
To freeze, wrap cooled slices individually and freeze them for up to 3 months for the best quality. They stay safe longer than that, but the crust dries out. Reheat straight from frozen the same way, in the oven.
What to Serve With Spinach Pizza
This is a rich, cheesy pizza, so I serve it with something sharp and green alongside. A crisp salad with a lemony or vinegary dressing cuts through the cheese better than anything else, and a bowl of simple tomato or vegetable soup rounds it into a full dinner on a cooler night.
For a larger spread when you’re cooking for a group, my vegetarian lasagna works as a hearty second main alongside it.
FAQs
I cook it first for this recipe. Raw spinach sheds a lot of water as it bakes, which steams the crust from above and leaves it soft. Cooking and squeezing the spinach gets that water out in the pan instead. Raw baby spinach can work on a creamy white pizza where the ricotta soaks up the moisture, but for a reliably crisp base, cook it down first.
It goes into the cheese mixture before the pizza is assembled, not scattered on raw at the end. That way it’s already cooked and drained, and the cheese holds it in place under the top layer of mozzarella.
Yes. Thaw it completely and squeeze it dry in a clean towel until it’s crumbly, then use it in place of the cooked fresh spinach. Frozen spinach holds even more water than fresh, so the squeezing matters even more here.
It is, especially in this recipe, where it’s cooked down with garlic and folded into ricotta rather than sitting on top in raw handfuls. That’s what turns it into a creamy topping instead of a wet one.
More Vegetarian Pizzas to Try
If pizza night has become a regular thing at your place, here’s where I’d go next.
- White Pizza. When I want the creamy, no-red-sauce idea taken all the way, this is the one, built on ricotta and garlic with nothing to compete with it.
- Margherita Pizza. For the nights you want the plain classic instead, this keeps it to tomato, mozzarella, and basil.
- Mushroom Pizza. This is the savory, earthy one, finished with arugula that wilts as it hits the hot crust.
- Caprese Pizza. Best in summer, when the tomatoes are good and you want fresh mozzarella and basil doing the work.
Ingredients
- 1 store-bought pizza dough
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 5 cups fresh spinach
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1½ cups mozzarella cheese grated (divided)
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ cup artichoke hearts halved
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for brushing crust
- Additional freshly cracked black pepper for topping
Video
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add the spinach in batches, stirring until fully wilted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 5 cups fresh spinach
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, half of the mozzarella, the Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked spinach to the mixture and stir until well combined.1 cup ricotta cheese, 1½ cups mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C). Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface and transfer it to a pizza stone or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the edges lightly with olive oil for a golden crust.1 store-bought pizza dough, 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Spread the spinach-ricotta mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges. Arrange the artichoke hearts on top, then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the entire pizza. Add a touch of freshly cracked black pepper if desired.½ cup artichoke hearts, Additional freshly cracked black pepper
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12–15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and crisp and the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven, slice, and serve warm. Enjoy your delicious spinach and artichoke pizza!
Notes
Nutrition
