Try this easy homemade pesto pizza recipe. It’s baked in the oven and is vegetarian, but you could add grilled chicken, too. Let’s make pizza with pesto and a few other toppings…
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Table of Contents
Why is this pizza with pesto recipe so good?
- Quick and easy.
- Elevated… Pesto sauce pizza is a bit fancy. It’s a step up from pepperoni pizza.
- My method for working with the pizza dough makes a light, fluffy pizza crust that’s golden brown.
- Includes my tasty tip for adding tomato as a base layer to add depth to the gourmet flavor profile.
- New to baking pizza on a pizza stone? See my step by step video for beginners (scroll to bottom of page).
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make it.
- Pizza dough (see this Trader Joe’s pizza dough post)
- Flour
- Olive oil
- Pizza sauce (learn about substituting pasta sauce on pizza)
- Tomato
- Mozzarella cheese
- Pesto
- Parmesan cheese
More pesto pizza toppings to try
To give you an idea of what else goes well with pesto, here are some ingredients you can add to this pizza to make it your own…
- Sauteed mushrooms
- Caramelized onions
- Pan grilled chicken
- Pine nuts
- Balsamic glaze
- Sun dried tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes
- Fresh basil leaves (don’t bake them in the oven, instead add herbs right before serving)
How to make pizza with pesto
Now I’ll walk you through – from start to finish – exactly how to make tomato pesto pizza on a pizza stone.
Quick look at recipe
- Stretch dough and par bake crust on a pizza stone (or baking sheet).
- Add sauce, then cheese, tomatoes, and spoonfuls of pesto.
- Bake pesto pizza for about 10 minutes until done.
- Serve when ready and enjoy.
Detailed steps for this pizza
- Rise dough for hours ahead of time. I personally set pizza dough on the counter to rise during the day for 4-8 hours.
- Preheat the oven (with a pizza stone in it) to 475 degrees F. Note: check this temperature is safe for your pizza stone. Adding the pizza stone to the oven at this time allows it to come up to temperature slowly.
- Stretch pizza dough. (Beginners to homemade pizza, watch this pizza dough stretching tutorial on Sip Bite Go for extra guidance on this step.) I always add a little extra flour as the dough stretches, so it holds a bigger circle shape and doesn’t shrink back together. I sometimes use a rolling pin to help stretch the dough.
- Par bake pizza crust first. Carefully remove pizza stone from the oven – leave the oven on – and brush half the olive oil on the top of the pizza stone. Add pizza dough to the oiled pizza stone. Brush the rest of the olive oil on the outside inch of the pizza dough (the crust) and bake pizza dough “naked” for 8 minutes on the middle or top oven rack. Remove parbaked pizza from the oven and leave the oven on.
- Add pesto pizza toppings. Leave an inch around the outside of the dough for the crust while adding toppings. First, add spoonfuls of tomato sauce to the parbaked dough and spread it around in a thin layer. Add a layer of mozzarella cheese and place sliced tomatoes on top. Finally, add spoonfuls of pesto over the tomatoes. If desired, add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake pesto pizza in the oven at 475°F for 8-12 minutes. Pizza is done with the cheese has melted and starts to bubble. The bottom crust on the pizza will be golden brown.
- Cool pizza and serve it. Transfer pesto tomato pizza to a cutting board to slice. Enjoy when pizza is cool enough to eat. Serve with an extra pesto drizzle if desired.
More easy recipes that use pesto…
- Pesto pasta
- Grilled romaine salad
- Tomato pesto pasta salad
- Spinach pesto pasta
- Spinach pesto lasagna
- Pesto pizza
FAQs
Basil pesto is one of the more artisan pizza topping ideas. But it’s so easy to find premade. There are plenty of great store bought pestos like the ones you’ll find on my Trader Joe’s must haves list and my monthly Costco shopping list. Don’t be afraid to make your own pesto pizza sauce, too. See my recipe for spinach basil pesto.
Yes, I have a tutorial on homemade pizzas which will provide directions for par baking pizza dough and baking it in the oven on a sheet pan.
Yes, you can take out your pizza dough early in the day, to help it get nice and fluffy for baking later in the day. I put mine on a sunny counter and it usually is about to explode out of the bag because it’s so fluffy and ready to bake when it’s time to make dinner for the family.
It’s really worth picking up a ceramic pizza stone like the one used in my Sip Bite Go recipe demonstration. The quality of the crust, with a few tricks and the use of a high-quality pizza stone, is superb. It will turn out light and fluffy, with a little bit of crispy crunch on the bottom. Perfection in pizza!! Shop my (gifted to me) Emile Henry 14″ Pizza Stone.
The Perfect Pizza Setup
Want to make restaurant style pizza at home? I’ve got you covered! Here are some of my top tips, tricks, secret ingredients and tools for a pizza night everyone will look forward to, again and again.
- NEVER do this… Contrary to what most people believe, when baking pizza on a sheet pan, never add toppings to raw pizza dough. Instead, follow my recipe for making homemade pizza with ready made dough, which will teach you how to par bake pizza dough first.
- Get help from secret ingredients…
– This dough seasoning is the secret to real Italian-tasting homemade pizza dough.
– Add pizza seasoning to store bought pizza sauce. This makes the pizza taste really fresh! - Herbs are for after… In my weekly pizza making practice, I’ve found that fresh herbs, like basil, need to be added to pizza after the pizza is done baking (so the herbs don’t wilt).
- Buy fresh dough and get amazing results. Yup, fresh dough from grocery stores is one of my favorite short-cuts. Learn how to use fresh Trader Joe’s pizza dough and Whole Foods pizza dough with my tutorials.
- Frozen pizza can taste amazing, too!! Learn how to spruce it up with this recipe for pizza using frozen crust.
- Slice pizza pies like a chef with just a few swipes, using big ol’ pizza cutters.
- Want to grill pizza? Here are some pizza grilling tools to check out.
- Do you really need to cook pizza on the rack? Nope! I basically never do. Here are tools you see me using in my tutorials on cooking pizza in the oven…
– Bake pizza on a rimmed baking pan set to get a beautiful golden brown crust.
– Love crispy crust? Let the air flow with this dishwasher safe pizza pan.
– Get personal – let your fam / friends top their own pies with this set of personal pizza pans.
More pizza recipes from Sip Bite Go
- Philly cheese steak pizza
- Smoked Traeger pizza
- Chicken spinach pizza with bacon
- Homemade pizza dough
- Pizza sauce recipe
- White pizza sauce
- See tips for stretching pizza dough by hand
- Learn how to make frozen premade pizza crust taste better
- GUIDE: how to cook chicken breast for pizza
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about adding pesto into your repertoire of creative pizza topping ideas.
A few of my other go-to homemade pizza toppings include this white pizza sauce and sauteed onions and peppers. I also just posted this unbelievable ground beef pizza recipe that’s loaded with taco flavors. It’s not to be missed!
If you don’t follow me on instagram you totally should @sipbitego. And for more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel and see the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.
Baked Pesto Pizza With Tomatoes And Mozzarella Cheese Recipe | Sip Bite Go
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ball pizza dough store bought or homemade (rise on a counter 2-6 hours in advance for best fluffy pizza crust results)
- 1 tbsp flour all-purpose
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1.5 cup pizza sauce substitute pasta sauce
- 1 medium tomato beef steak, sliced in discs
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- ¼ cup pesto basil
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Rise dough for hours ahead of time. I personally set pizza dough on the counter to rise during the day for 4-8 hours.
- Preheat the oven (with a pizza stone in it) to 475 degrees F. Note: check this temperature is safe for your pizza stone. Adding the pizza stone to the oven at this time allows it to come up to temperature slowly.
- Stretch pizza dough. Sprinkle half the flour on a large cutting board or another work surface. Put half the flour to the side of the board to pick up here and there as you stretch the dough. (Beginners to homemade pizza, watch my pizza dough stretching tutorial on Sip Bite Go for extra guidance on this step.) Here’s an overview of how to stretch dough: I first push the pizza dough ball against the floured cutting board, turning it to cover it in flour. Then I pinch the outside 1” of pizza dough, to make a clear area for the pizza crust and to start forming a round pizza shape. (I don’t recommend forcing a perfect circle, which may lead to holes forming. If holes form, just patch them up with an extra layer of dough). At this point I press the center of the dough against the cutting board, and begin using the back of my knuckles to stretch the dough from underneath to expand the size. I always add a little extra flour as the dough stretches, so it holds a bigger circle shape and doesn’t shrink back together. I sometimes use a rolling pin to help stretch the dough.1 tbsp flour, 1 ball pizza dough
- Par bake pizza crust first. Carefully remove pizza stone from the oven – leave the oven on – and brush half the olive oil on the top of the pizza stone. Add pizza dough to the oiled pizza stone. Brush the rest of the olive oil on the outside inch of the pizza dough (the crust) and bake pizza dough “naked” for 8 minutes on the middle or top oven rack. This step will help the dough fluff up, and will help the pizza cook evenly. Remove par-baked pizza from the oven and leave the oven on.
- Add pesto pizza toppings. Leave an inch around the outside of the dough for the crust while adding toppings. First, add spoonfuls of tomato sauce to the parbaked dough and spread it around in a thin layer. Add a layer of mozzarella cheese and place sliced tomatoes on top. Finally, add spoonfuls of pesto over the tomatoes. If desired, add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.1 tsp olive oil, 1.5 cup pizza sauce, 1 medium tomato, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup pesto, ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- Bake pesto pizza in the oven at 475°F for 8-12 minutes. Pizza is done with the cheese has melted and starts to bubble. The bottom crust on the pizza will be golden brown.
- Cool pizza and serve it. Transfer pesto tomato pizza to a cutting board to slice. Enjoy when pizza is cool enough to eat.
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