Margherita pizza stars fresh basil, mozzarella cheese, and the best ripe tomatoes. It’s simple, delicious, and light.
This pizza has a similar flavor profile and ingredients to Caprese Pizza. Make sure to try the bite-sized version: Mini Margherita Pizzas.
What is Margherita Pizza?
The traditional margherita pizza ingredients are mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, and basil. It is simple and fresh. The sauce is sweet and tangy, more of a marinara/pasta sauce flavor. The crust is tasty, filled with those Neapolitan-esque burnt bubbles – definitely a fav!
Fresh tomato sauce, chewy mozzarella cheese, a sprinkling of basil on a crispy crust? Yes please! We love this simple classic. The fresh mozzarella is a must!
This homemade pizza looks like a fancy restaurant quality slice, but is effortless to make. It is by far one of my faves, so be sure to give it a go!
How to Make Margherita Pizza
PREP. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. We like to use a pizza stone and throw this in while the oven is preheating for at least 15 minutes.
SAUCE & DOUGH. Make the sauce if going homemade. Also, make the homemade pizza dough if going homemade. If you are using store bought for both, you can skip this step.
ROLL. Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to about 14-15 inches in diameter. **If you want more of a crust, be sure to fold in the outside edges of the pizza dough before adding sauce and toppings.
PIZZA STONE: If using a pizza stone, quickly and carefully transfer the dough to your stone, add the sauce (leaving a little around the edges for a crust), cheese slices, tomatoes and pizza seasonings and put in the oven.
SHEET PAN: If not using a stone, you can add the rolled out dough to a lightly greased baking sheet. Then, add sauce, cheese, toppings and bake.
BAKE. Bake for about 5 minutes, then rotate the pizza and bake an additional 7-8 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh basil.
Serve your pizza with sides such as:
Recipe Tips
Pizza Pan: Using a pizza stone is my first choice, but any pizza pan will work. Just be sure to cook in a very hot oven and consider blind baking the crust.
Blind baking is great in making sure that the center of the crust cooks and doesn’t get soggy. This is especially helpful when using ingredients that tend to weep like mozzarella and tomatoes. Shape the dough and bake it for about 6 minutes without topping it. Remove the dough from the oven, add the toppings, then continue baking until the pizza is cooked.
Cheese: when using fresh mozzarella try to drawout as much moisture as you can before topping the pizza
Sauce: Using a lighter layer of sauce will help keep the pizza more crisp.
Storage Tips
Freezer Pizza: There are a lot of great things about pizza and one of them is that you can put it in the freezer to be baked later.
Blind bake a plain pizza crust for 6-8 minutes. Allow the pizza to cool a little and add the toppings and then place it into the freezer. Once frozen solid, wrap the pizza with plastic wrap and then again with aluminum foil.
Freeze for 4-5 months. Remove packaging and thaw for about 30 minutes before baking.
Leftovers: Store leftover pizza in foil in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can also freeze it for 1-2 months. Simply wrap each piece with plastic wrap and again with foil for 1-2 months. Reheat in the microwave or oven.
For more pizza:
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza
- Artichoke Pizza
- BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Homemade Taco Pizza
- Lightened Up Flatbread Pizza
Margherita Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 oz pizza dough store bought or homemade dough
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce store bought or homemade sauce
- 6 slices fresh mozzarella
- 2-3 tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp pizza seasoning
- fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. We like to use a pizza stone and throw this in while the oven is preheating for at least 15 minutes.
- Make the sauce if going homemade. Also, make the homemade pizza dough if going homemade. If you are using store bought for both, you can skip this step.
- Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to about 14-15 inches in diameter. **If you want more of a crust, be sure to fold in the outside edges of the pizza dough before adding sauce and toppings.
- If using a pizza stone, quickly and carefully transfer the dough to your stone, add the sauce (leaving a little around the edges for a crust), cheese slices, tomatoes and pizza seasonings and put in the oven.
- If not using a stone, you can add the rolled out dough to a lightly greased baking sheet. Then, add sauce, cheese, toppings and bake.
- Bake for about 5 minutes, then rotate the pizza and bake an additional 7-8 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh basil.
This is my favorite pizza to order anywhere! It tastes even better at home!
Margherita pizza – is the best great recipe! Easy to make and one of our favorites!
This Margherita pizza recipe is AMAZING! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe, the whole family loves this homemade pizza.
I’m so glad your family loves it as much as mine does!
Wow! So good! Everyone wanted more.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for trying it!
By cutting the pizza into squares it makes a really good appetizer at a party too.
A very flavorful pizza that your family will enjoy and devour!