26 Best Homemade Pizza Recipes

With the skilled dough spinning and wood-fired pizza ovens we’re all used to seeing expert pizza makers master, you’d be forgiven for finding the idea of making a pizza from scratch slightly intimidating.

Luckily, you don’t have to have either of those things mastered to be able to create delicious and restaurant-worthy pizzas in the comfort of your own home.

So, for your next pizza night, scroll through the best of the homemade pizza recipes the internet has to offer below and save the ones you love the look of (spoiler: it will likely be all of them) because these original toppings combinations are sure to impress any guest!

Do you enjoy making homemade pizzas, or does the idea daunt you?

1. Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

Although pepperoni pizza is America’s most popular pizza offering, it was only first introduced in New York City in 1919, and most surprisingly, if you were to order it in Italy, you would probably be served a pizza topped with sliced bell peppers as ‘pepperoni’ in Italian translates to ‘peppers!’

We had to start this list with this classic, and this recipe is laced with handy tips for achieving the perfect American pepperoni pizza.

2. Pizza Dough Recipe

This fail-safe pizza dough recipe is well worth printing out and sticking to the inside of your baking cupboard because once you try it, you’ll be revisiting it time and time again.

Best of all? It doesn’t take hours to prove – you’ll need to leave it for just 30 minutes to rise, going you enough time to prep your toppings.

Be sure to give your oven sufficient time to heat up – you want your oven to be its top temperature!

3. Margherita Pizza

Taking just 15 minutes to bake is one of the best pizza recipes out there for busy days where you don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen but don’t want to compromise with anything less than delicious.

The reason it takes just 15 minutes and the secret ingredient? Naan is used for the base! Our top tip would be to use a garlic-flavored stone-fired shop-bought naan for extra flavor.

4. Easy BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe

Topped with pulled chicken, cilantro, finely sliced red onions, mozzarella, and BBQ sauce, this pizza is rich in flavor and easy to put together if store-bought BBQ sauce and rotisserie chicken are used to cut back on time.

This recipe is delicious as it is, but for extra flavor and to cut through the richness of the sauce and cheese, drizzle over your favorite ranch dressing.

5. Roasted Garlic, Chicken, and Spinach White Pizza

This is, essentially, a past alfredo sauce meets pizza Bianca kind of situation.

It makes a nice change from the classic, rich tomato sauce and is a cheese lover’s delight.

Garlic-infused ricotta covers the base and is topped with mozzarella, while the fresh-tasting additions of spinach and herbs help lift and lighten the finished pizza.

1 head of garlic is roasted for the base, and if you don’t end up using all of it, don’t throw it away! Use it for salad dressings or hummus for added flavor.

6. Mexican Pizza Recipe

If you’re ever fancying Taco Bell and a takeout pizza at the same time, make this!

Essentially, it’s a giant taco, and if you’re upset at Taco Bell’s decision to pull their Mexican pizza menu offering (aren’t we all), you’ll be pleased to know that this recipe perfectly recreates the flavors and textures.

And with shredded Jack cheese, taco seasoning, refried beans, olives, sour cream, and green onions, the flavor is not lacking here.

7. Cheesesteak Pizza

This Philly Cheese Steak-inspired pizza starts with white garlic and olive-based creamy sauce and is topped with beef crumbles, peppers, provolone, and mozzarella cheese for that classic Philly flavor profile.

This recipe is a real winner for cozying up on the sofa in the colder weather with a good movie.

If you or anyone you’re serving is vegetarian, replace the ground beef with vegetarian mince, and the pizza is just as delicious.

8. Taco Pizza

Salsa and refried beans are used as the base in place of a classic tomato pizza sauce here to create the flavor profile of the tacos we all know and love, but rather than a thin corn tortilla, a pillowy and crusty pizza dough base is used.

Shredded cheddar cheese is recommended here, but Jack cheese or any spicy Mexican cheese blend would work well.

9. Three Cheese Pesto Spinach Flatbread Pizza

For a quick and easy weeknight dinner option, this pizza is great as the base comes from a store-bought flatbread.

And yes, we know a mound of a blend of three kinds of cheese isn’t the most nutritious thing out there. A whole heap (5oz to be precise) of spinach is used, which we like to pretend balances things out.

You could, of course, make your pesto, but store-bought is just fine to use here.

10. Cast Iron Skillet Pepperoni Pizza

If you’re a lover of deep dish-style pizza with a pillowy crust, this is the recipe for you!

A cast-iron skillet is essential here as the heat is dispersed so evenly, meaning that you get a crusty base that is perfectly even in color and texture.

You can switch out the pepperoni for any toppings you’d prefer or have to hand – the key thing with this recipe is the use of the iron skillet.

11. Barbeque Chicken Pizza

The addition of Colby Jack cheese makes all the difference here with its slightly sweet flavor, which contrasts perfectly with the sweetness of the barbeque sauce.

For heat and spice lovers, try sprinkling over some chopped jalapeños once the pizza is out of the oven.

The secret here is to toss your chicken in barbeque sauce before adding it to the pizza base – this way, the flavor better penetrates the meat, and you’ll end up with a far more delicious pizza.

12. Spinach Artichoke Pizza

If you don’t follow a vegan lifestyle, don’t let the ‘vegan’ element in the title here make you skip past this delicious and nutritious pizza recipe – trust us, you’ll be missing out.

So, how do you create the all-important cheesiness of a pizza without traditional cheese?

With cashews, white beans, and nutritional yeast, of course. It sounds like an impossible feat, but those three ingredients together really do create a cheesy, creamy texture and flavor that rivals those of classic cheese.

13. Roasted Tomato Flatbread Pizza

The secret with this recipe is roasting the tomatoes, as opposed to the typical blended and then gently simmered tomatoes we typically see in a traditional Marinara sauce.

Through being roasted at a high temperature, the sugars from the tomatoes are released, leaving you with caramelized and slightly smoky tomato slices that act similarly to smoky and sweet pepperoni slices.

14. BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza

Smothered with barbeque sauce and topped with shredded chicken and cheese, this smoky and sweet pizza is perfect for games night and is great for families as children and adults universally love barbeque sauce.

Cilantro is sprinkled over the pizza at the end for added freshness and vibrancy, but parsley would work just as well.

You could also add in any other toppings so that your children can get involved! Peppers, sweetcorn, and chopped bell peppers would work great as toppings.

15. Grilled Honey Goat Cheese Pizza

Pecans and honey are used to contrast with the tangy, savory notes of the goat’s cheese and make for an original pizza.

These have to be some of the most original homemade pizza topping ideas.

And in place of the typical basil you’d expect to see on pizza, sage is used here, which adds a nice musky taste that again balances the sweetness of the honey.

16. Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

This flavor combination is truly irresistible, and while bacon, ranch dressing, and a mound of cheese aren’t the healthiest of toppings, they do make for a delicious combination.

To add freshness and act as a respite from the richness of the cheese, bacon, and ranch, try topping the pizza with a bunch of arugulas.

As a shortcut for the bacon, you can buy store-bought cooked bacon rashers or cook your bacon in the microwave for extra crispy pieces.

17. Mediterranean Pizza

For a fresh and yummy pizza that tastes like vacation, try this vegetable-laden pizza inspired by the beautiful fresh produce of the Mediterranean.

This is also a great veggie-friendly recipe that goes beyond the standard Margherita offering.

Sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, artichokes, and kalamata olives offer great flavor contrasts, but you could also switch this up with other toppings such as roasted peppers, feta, or mushrooms.

18. 3-Cheese White Pizza

The three kinds of cheese in question here are mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta cheese, flavored with dried Italian herbs.

The traditional name for this is pizza Bianca, and the secret to a great pizza Bianca is to freshly grate or tear your mozzarella rather than pre-shredded mozzarella.

Freshly torn or shredded mozzarella retains a lot more moisture and so is much easier to melt and much better for a gooier pizza, which is what we all want, right!?

19. Dominos Copycat Pizza

What’s your favorite takeout pizza chain?

Dominos has to be up there with the most popular, and for a good reason!

So, if you’re craving dominos but don’t want to splash out with their ever-increasing price tags, make this pizza dough instead, which is virtually identical to the real thing.

The secret to this dough is to leave it for a minimum of 24 hours to ferment to develop the flavor of the classic Domino’s pizza crust.

20. Cinnamon Crumb Dessert Pizza

Inspired by the cookie dough style dessert pizzas served in most pizzeria chains, this dessert pizza is topped with a crunchy, sugary cinnamon crumb and drizzled with an iced sugar glaze.

It sits somewhere between a cinnamon roll and a cookie with a brown sugar crust.

For extra freshness and texture, why not try topping this with caramelized crisped apples, too?

21. Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

This is of the heartiest and most comforting homemade pizza ideas out there.

Loaded with onions, bell peppers, steak, and cheese, this is a surprisingly un-greasy pizza that gives all the flavor of a classic Philly cheesesteak but with all the carby goodness of a pizza.

The secret ingredient here is the mayonnaise, which acts as the pizza sauce here. It helps keep the dough soft and moist and allows the flavor of the cheese and steak to shine.

22. Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Pizza

This slightly fancier, restaurant-style pizza is great for serving at dinner parties or for when you have a nice glass of red wine you want to pair with a beautiful, rich and flavorsome meal.

The onions take longer than you’d probably expect to cook down into their ideal sticky form (around 20 minutes), but they’re well worth the time and effort.

Sweet and sticky, the onions contrast so well with the tangy, sharp flavor of the goat cheese and make for delicious homemade pizza toppings.

23. Chicago Style Pizza

This is a really authentic tasting take on the classic and universally loved deep-pan Chicago pizza.

The crust is super buttery and very flaky, which gives it the classic Chicago texture.

The secret ingredient that transforms the crust into the super crunchy thing it becomes? Cornmeal. It’s something you really can’t afford to skip here, so it’s well worth sourcing if you can.

The cornmeal also makes for the best way to reheat pizza, preventing the base from becoming soggy.

Have you ever made a Chicago-style pan pizza before?

24. Cheeseburger Pizza

Topped with dill pickles, Roma tomatoes, bacon, ground beef, and a special cheeseburger-style sauce, this pizza is the perfect mix of a classic American cheeseburger and a pizza.

The chopped-up dill pickles sound like an odd addition, but the sharpness and sweetness help to cut through the richness of the meat, cheese, and cheeseburger sauce.

Cheeseburger sauce has so many variations and can be super complicated, but this one is really easy and requires just two ingredients: ketchup and yellow mustard.

25. Pizza Hut Pizza

This is a homemade version of the classic Pizza Hut pizzas we all know and love and is just as good!

For easy pizza nights, you can also roll this dough into a ball and freeze it for up to 3 months. Just let it sit in the fridge overnight before using it the next day to give it enough time to thaw out gently.

Top with your usual go-to toppings you tend to go for when you visit Pizza Hut!

26. Grilled Pizzas

Why cook pizza on the grill? It creates much more of a char than cooking in a regular oven and cooks the dough much more quickly, making this one of the best pizza recipes for weeknights when you’re short on time.

They’re also really pretty for serving as the grill creates those beautiful horizontal char marks on the dough.

Tip: Ensure your grill is clean and well oiled to prevent the dough from sticking to the grill bars.