This homemade cheese pizza recipe has a chewy crust, bubbling mozzarella, and a bold 5-minute sauce. It’s easy to make and better than delivery.
There’s a reason cheese pizza never goes out of style. There’s something about a punchy tomato sauce and a load of gooey, melty mozzarella that makes everyone happy (especially kids, of course!).
As a homemade pizza afficionado who’s perfected everything from Margherita pizza to taco pizza, I’ve actually made this cheese pizza recipe more times than I can count. It tastes like your favorite delivery cheese pizza, but approximately 1 million times better. The sauce is extra tomato-y, the cheese is extra cheesy, and the crust is perfectly chewy. Want to know my secrets?
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Chewy, crispy crust: The homemade pizza dough recipe I use has been tested and refined over a decade of home baking and has loads of positive reader reviews.
- Just the amount of cheesy: Using both fresh mozzarella and shredded mozzarella makes the best stretchy, melty layer
- Kid-friendly crowd pleaser: There aren’t many people who will turn this one down
- Customizable: Start classic, then branch out into variations with different cheeses or crust styles
What You’ll Need
For the Pizza
- Tipo 00 flour, bread flour, or all purpose flour: The Italian Tipo 00 flour is the key to the best pizza dough, in my opinion! But bread flour pizza dough is also delicious, with a chewier crust. All-purpose flour works too: the texture is not as fluffy and chewy but it is still good.
- Yeast, olive oil, and salt: These round out the crust ingredients.
- Canned fire-roasted crushed tomatoes: Fire-roasted tomatoes bring a sweet, slightly smoky flavor that regular crushed tomatoes don’t have.
- Garlic and dried oregano: Rounds out the sauce ingredients, along with olive oil.
- Fresh mozzarella cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese: The combination of gooey fresh mozzarella and stretchy shredded mozzarella make magic here.
- Parmesan cheese: Optional but recommended; a light sprinkle adds a salty depth.
Tools
- Pizza stone (highly recommended): This is the key to getting a crispy crust in a home oven. See my guide to how to use a pizza stone.
- Pizza peel (recommended): This tool lets you slide the pizza onto the hot stone safely. I recommend this standard pizza peel as a good starter option. If you make a lot of pizza like I do, this conveyor pizza peel makes things even easier (though it’s a bit more pricey).
- Stand mixer: It’s easiest to make the pizza dough using a stand mixer, but you can also knead it by hand.
Watch Alex stretch and shape the dough from start to finish! It’s about 90 seconds and one of the best ways to get comfortable with the process before you start.
How to Make This Cheese Pizza Recipe
Here are the basic steps for this pizza recipe (if you’re ready to get started, jump to the recipe):
- Step 1: Make the pizza dough. Follow my Best Pizza Dough recipe. it takes about 15 minutes to mix and knead, then 45 minutes to rest. Or, see the variations below for some easier options.
- Step 2: Preheat. Place a pizza stone on the center rack and preheat oven to 500°F. It’s best to preheat for about 30 minutes.
- Step 3: Make the pizza sauce. Blend canned fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, dried oregano, and salt until smooth. Full instructions in my Easy Pizza Sauce recipe!
- Step 4: Stretch the dough. Dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina. Stretch the dough into a rough circle. See my guide on How to Stretch Pizza Dough.
- Step 5: Assemble. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce over the dough, then add pieces of fresh mozzarella and the shredded mozzarella. Sprinkle with garlic powder, dried oregano, a pinch of parmesan cheese, and a few pinches of kosher salt.
- Step 6: Bake. Use the peel to slide the pizza directly onto the hot pizza stone. Bake about 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown. You can also make it in a pizza oven: see my Ooni pizza guide for more.
Tips for Perfect Pizza
Here are a few common questions when it comes to homemade pizza:
- Follow the recipe directions for crust that’s not too soggy or dense. Make sure to preheat the pizza stone properly, and add only a thin layer of sauce to prevent soggy cryst. Make sure the water is warm (not hot) when you mix the dough, and let it rest the full 45 minutes to make sure it’s airy and not dense.
- Use a pizza stone if you can, or make pan pizza. You can bake this pizza on a baking sheet: it won’t be as crispy, but it will still taste good. Or, make Sheet Pan Pizza instead!
- Let refrigerated dough come to room temperature. Make sure to let refrigerated pizza dough come to room temperature before stretching. Cold dough is stiff and hard to work with. If it keeps shrinking, cover it and let it rest for another 10 minutes.
Simple Variations to Try
For the pizza dough for this cheese pizza, here are a few dough recipe options:
- Thin crust: My Thin Crust Pizza Dough makes a thinner dough that you roll out: it’s easier to work with and makes a lighter pizza.
- Pan pizza: My Sheet Pan Pizza is even easier and doesn’t require a pizza stone! It makes the equivalent of 3 medium pizzas at once. You can also make a Pan Pizza in a cast iron skillet.
- All shredded mozzarella: Skip the fresh and add a bit more shredded mozzarella for a more New York–style pizza with an evenly melted, golden top.
- Cheese blend: Mix in a little provolone or fontina, or Pecorino romano and gorgonzola for a Quattro Formaggi pizza effect.
- Burrata cheese: Use the popular cream filled mozzarella on pizza for a next level experience! Try my Classic Burrata Pizza.
How to Serve It
The first time I made this pizza recipe, I served to my nephews and son for a sleepover with carrot sticks and healthy ranch dressing (and Strawberry Daiquiris for the adults!). Here are a few great sides to go with pizza:
- Easy Arugula Salad: The simplest salad you’ll ever make! It’s fool-proof: you don’t even need to make dressing.
- Spinach Apple Salad: This stars a creamy balsamic dressing, glazed pecans, and apple and pear slices. No one will believe it took minutes to put together.
- Healthy Ranch Dressing: Serve it with veggie sticks! This homemade ranch is seriously tasty and takes just 5 minutes.
- Favorite Chopped Salad: Homemade Italian dressing, crisp veggies and Parmesan cheese combine into one extraordinary salad.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover cheese pizza refrigerated for up to 3 days.
To reheat, place slices in a dry skillet over medium-low heat with a lid on top for 3 to 4 minutes. The bottom crisps up while the steam from the lid melts the cheese. If you have an air fryer, it also works great for reheating pizza.
Dietary Notes
This cheese pizza recipe is vegetarian.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whole milk shredded mozzarella is the gold standard for melting and browning. I like to combine it with fresh mozzarella for an even cheesier result. You can also use a cheese blend: provolone, fontina, or a light sprinkle of parmesan cheese all work well.
Always sauce first. Spread the pizza sauce in a thin, even layer before adding any cheese.
Use a preheated pizza stone (45 minutes minimum at 500°F) and a thin layer of sauce. Using Tipo 00 or bread flour in your pizza dough also contributes to a chewier, crispier pizza crust. If you want a thin crispy crust, try my Thin Crust Pizza Dough.
At 500°F on a preheated pizza stone, a homemade cheese pizza takes about 5 to 7 minutes to bake.
Homemade Cheese Pizza
Pin RecipeWhy order out when you can make a stellar cheese pizza at home? This one is like your favorite delivery pizza, but infinitely tastier.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 7 minutes
- Yield: 1 pizza (8 slices) 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 ball Best Pizza Dough (or Thin Crust Dough or Sheet Pan Pizza)
- ⅓ cup Easy Pizza Sauce
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
- 4 ounces (1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese (whole milk preferred)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Kosher salt
- Semolina flour or cornmeal, for dusting the pizza peel
Instructions
- Make the pizza dough: Follow the Best Pizza Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)
- Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (here’s the pizza oven we use).
- Make the pizza sauce: Make the Easy Pizza Sauce.
- Prepare the toppings: Slice or tear the fresh mozzarella into small pieces.
- Bake the pizza: When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel.
- Spread the pizza sauce over the dough using the back of a spoon to create a thin layer. Add the pieces of fresh mozzarella cheese evenly across the dough, then top with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle evenly with the garlic powder, dried oregano, and a few pinches of kosher salt.
- Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven). Slice into pieces and serve immediately.
Notes
- No pizza stone? Use a baking sheet and if you can, preheat it before using (be careful when transferring the pizza to and from the sheet). Or, use my Sheet Pan Pizza recipe.
- Store-bought dough: This works too! Let it come fully to room temperature before stretching (allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes).
- Make-ahead: Both the dough and sauce keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More Pizza Recipes You’ll Love
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