50+ Pizza Recipes That Are Way Better than Takeout

updated Sep 2, 2020

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Credit: Joe Lingeman

As much as I love my local pizza joint, making pizza at home is one of my favorite weekly traditions. Pizzas tend to come together and cook quickly, and it’s incredibly fun to make a little bit of a mess, get creative with the toppings, and be rewarded with something so satisfying.

Once you learn the basics of prepping ingredients and baking off pies, the sky really is the limit. You can mix and match cheeses, meats, and veggies to make pizza combos the whole family will love. Use the basic lessons below as starting points, then tap into the extensive list of more than 50 recipes for both classic and unconventional ways to make awesome pizza at home.

Kitchy Pizza Cutter Wheel

Basic Pizza Recipes

First time cooking pizza at home? Need a refresher on exactly how long to cook your thin-crust pizza or how to make a really good sheet pan pizza? Here’s your rundown of all the pizza basics.

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How To Make Pizza at Home

Consider this your playbook for making really great pizza at home. It's easier than you think - even making the dough.

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Homemade Thin-Crust Pizza

By cutting a corner and skipping the rise, this oven-baked crust straddles the line between crisp and chewy. This thin crust is deceivingly sturdy and quick to pull off.

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How To Make Classic Sheet Pan Pizza

That’s because sheet pan pizzas are all about the heavy lifting. They quickly and efficiently feed a crowd. The crust is sturdy enough to hold everything you throw on it, so don’t be shy. Load it up!

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How To Make Skillet Pizza on the Stovetop

Besides eliminating the need for a hot oven, stovetop pizzas are super fast and perfect for making just one or two personal pizzas.

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How To Make the Best Grilled Pizza

This method is not hard, once you get the hang of it, and thanks to the extra-high heat of the grill, it makes some of the best pizza you'll ever eat!

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How To Make Homemade Frozen Pizza

With just two little tricks you can fill your freezer with all the made-ahead frozen pizzas you could ever want.

Pizza Dough, Crust, and Sauce

Sure there’s an ever-growing selection of store-bought doughs and pizza crusts, but it’s actually easier than you might think to make your own at home — no matter what your schedule looks like.

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How To Make the Best Basic Pizza Dough

This is the dough for your weeknight pizza. It comes together with just four ingredients and works with any schedule.

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How To Make Gluten-Free Pizza Dough

There’s no hard-to-find ingredients or overnight rises — just a crust that delivers that satisfying combination of chewy, crispy, savory crust that we all know and love.

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No-Yeast, No-Rise Pizza Dough

Even if you're out of yeast or can't get your hands on any, you can still make a great pizza crust. Here's how.

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The Best Pizza Dough for Grilling

Save the delicate dough for indoors. This recipes makes a hearty dough that can easily stand up to your grill.

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Zucchini Pizza Crust

This gluten-free zucchini pizza crust is a simple combination of zucchini, egg, and mozzarella cheese, plus a little Italian seasoning and of course some salt and pepper. And thanks to a few smart tricks, it's the crispiest version there is.

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Polenta Crust Pizza

In addition to being gluten-free, this polenta crust is downright delicious.

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How to Make Fathead Pizza Crust

Fathead pizza crust is a high-protein, keto, and gluten-free alternative to traditional pizza crust — and it's absolutely delicious.

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Cauliflower Pizza

Starting with a bag of cauliflower rice makes this the easiest-ever cauliflower pizza crust. Plus, a few smart tricks ensure it's extra crispy.

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How To Make Homemade Pizza Sauce

Tomato sauce for topping homemade pizzas is an easy DIY. It's just three ingredients and a quick blitz in the blender. Here's what to do.

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Super Quick 3-Ingredient Pizza Sauce

This fast and easy pizza sauce is made from tomato purée, garlic, and red wine vinegar.

Meaty Pizzas

From a classic pepperoni topping to BBQ chicken to salty slices of proscuitto, this lineup is sure to please all the meat-lovers around the table.

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BBQ Chicken Pizza

Topped with leftover chicken, your favorite BBQ sauce, red onion, and cilantro, this weeknight pizza is savory, sweet, tangy, and it only takes 15 minutes of oven time.

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Pepperoni Pizza

This homemade pizza is even faster, easier, and more delicious than delivery.

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French Bread Pesto Chicken Pizza

Start with leftover chicken plus store-bought shortcuts like ready-made pesto, shredded mozzarella, and you'll be digging into to your pizza in 20 minutes time.

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Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza

This simple weeknight-friendly pizza is topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, prosciutto, and arugula.

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Deep-Dish Chicago-Style Sausage and Mushroom Skillet Pizza

This modern deep-dish interpretation pays serious homage to the classic version and a crust that is worth every minute of your time.

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Sausage Pizza Topped with Crispy Kale

Trust me when I tell you that a crispy kale is the pizza topper you didn't know you really need in your life.

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Sausage & Sauerkraut Pizza

Yes, sauerkraut does that have a place on your pizza, and this recipe will make you a believer.

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Pizza with Crispy Kale, Butternut Squash, Bacon & Smoked Mozzarella

You'll never regret keeping this pie in regular rotation all throughout fall and winter.

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Pizza with Roasted Red Peppers, Sausage & Jack Cheese

This pizza will convince you that Monterey Jack cheese totally deserves to be on your pie.

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Pepperoni Skillet Pizza

This deep skillet pizza starts off with a hack for turning thin crust dough into one with irresistible buttery, flaky layers.

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Chicken Caesar Pizza

When the flavors of Caesar salad and pizza team up and join forces dinner is bound to be delicious.

Vegetarian Pizzas

When it comes to topping your pie with veggies, these recipes have so much inspiration to offer. Spoiler alert: Avocados make a great pizza topping.

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Veggie Supreme Pizza

With a pesto-meets-ricotta white sauce and just enough mozzarella and Parmesan to hold the veggies in place, this pizza also hits all the right notes for a delicious, veggie-packed dinner in every single bite.

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Bruschetta Pizza

All the flavors of bruschetta, transformed into a simple, flavorful grilled pizza.

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Classic Margherita PIzza

Sometimes the simplest ingredients, combined in the simplest of ways, have the power to stop time, erase your woes, and transport you to a place of nirvana-like bliss. Such is the power of the margherita pizza.

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Farmers Market Pizza

This made-for-summer pizza is cheesy and indulgent, thanks to a layer of herby ricotta and stringy mozzarella, and balanced with a mess of fresh toppings.

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This colorful pie, loaded with every color of the rainbow, takes veggie pizza to a whole new level.

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White Pizza with Avocado, Spinach & Mozzarella

Here's what to cook up when you're craving white pizza but want to step away from the norm.

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Cherry Tomato, Corn, and Goat Cheese Pizza

Simply put, this pizza tastes like late summer.

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Spinach, White Bean, and Taleggio Pizza

Taleggio is a nice, melty cheese that works well on pizza, but adds a more grown-up flavor than mozzarella.

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Southwestern Pizza with Black Beans and Corn

Spicy black bean "hummus" takes the place of tomato sauce in this Southwest-inspired pie.

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Roasted Asparagus & Ricotta Pizza

Thin asparagus spears are best for this pizza. If you're working with thick spears, cut them in half lengthwise before layering them on top.

Flatbreads and Other Pizzas

No matter how you top them, the beauty of flatbread pizzas is that they totally work as both appetizer and main course.

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Individual BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Flatbread Pizzas

Thanks to store-bought shortcuts, these personal pizzas are in and out of the oven in just 20 minutes.

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Caramelized Mushroom Flatbread Pizza

Rather than simply sautéing the mushrooms here, you’ll sear them on one side first until they develop a deep, golden-brown crust. This technique draws out the savory, umami-rich flavor of the mushrooms, which really makes these flatbreads stand out.

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Trader Joe's Garlic Naan Flatbread Pizza

These easy naan flatbread pizzas come together with just three Trader Joe's ingredients.

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Trader Joe's Flatbread Pizza

This just might be our favorite TJ's flatbread combo yet.

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Easy Fig & Prosciutto Flatbreads

Fancy enough for dinner party appetizer but easy enough for a date-night in, these fig and prosciutto flatbreads are easy decadence.

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Grilled Pesto Chicken Flatbreads

Harness the flavorful power of pesto in these easy grilled chicken and cheese flatbreads.

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Breakfast Pizza

Our favorite breakfast pizza boasts a handful of fresh herbs (or whatever greens you have in the crisper), scoops of soft ricotta cheese, and runny-yolked eggs.

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Socca Pizza with Ricotta and Spring Veggies

This simple gluten-free flatbread made is with chickpea flour and topped with ricotta, radishes, and arugula.

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Saag Paneer Pizza

Creamy saag paneer is the inspiration for this easy naan flatbread pizza.

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Sweet Potato, Ricotta & Arugula Flatbread

Whether you serve this flatbread as an appetizer or the main course, you can't go wrong.

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Muffin Pan Deep-Dish Pizzas

Just like the original deep-dish pizza, these mini versions also have a soft, doughy crust piled high with a thick layer of melted cheese, sauce, and your toppings of choice.

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Pizza Bites for a Crowd

What's not to love about bite-size balls of pizza dough swimming in sauce with lots of melty cheese?!

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Flatbreads with Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onions, and Basil

Get a head start by making a big batch of caramelized onions in advance (stash the leftovers in the freezer), and these impressive flatbreads come together in a flash.

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Grape and Taleggio Flatbread

The sweet and savory combination of grapes and Taleggio will keep you coming back to this recipe again and again.

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Truffled Potato & Goat Cheese Flatbread

You may not have considered potatoes as a flatbread topping, but trust me, this will make you change that forever.

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Strawberry Pizza

This dessert pizza treats you to a simple shortbread crust, cream cheese custard and sweet berry topping.

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Fruit Pizza with Sugar Cookie Crust

The premise is simple: Bake a giant sugar cookie, slather with cream cheese frosting, and pile sliced fruit on top.

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