The Best Grilled Pizza Recipe Ever

Honestly, we make pizza on the grill at least once a week. It’s become our new favorite on a Friday night. I personally like it with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon … because it’s my “reward” after a long week plus it’s perfect with pizza.

So why pizza on the grill? Why not!? Pizza made on the grill goes pretty fast, it’s 100% homemade and you get the smoky flavor from the grill that just takes it over the top. If you haven’t made it yet, you are so in for a treat and I guarantee it will be your new Friday night dinner… just like us.

Can you grill a pizza?

If you use a grill to make pizza, you can keep the heat outside where it belongs. … No, the pizza dough does not fall through the grill grates. Assuming you’ve properly heated the grill, your dough will form a lovely lightly browned crust. The trick is that you cook the plain dough first, on one side, on the grill.

Do you need a pizza stone to grill pizza?

When the grill is super hot—a thermometer should register around 500°, about 10 minutes—remove the lid, place an 8-oz. ball of dough stretched to a 12″–14″ oval on the stone, add your toppings, and brush the crust with a little olive oil. … You don’t need a pizza stone to grill pizza this summer. Just follow our lead

Can I grill a frozen pizza?

Yes, you can definitely grill a frozen pizza. But honestly, why would you want to when you can have a fresh homemade one?

However, you really want to know how to grill a frozen pizza. Here are the deets. Pre-heat your grill to 400°-450°F. Open frozen pizza and remove all the packaging then place frozen pizza directly in the center of the grill and close the lid. Grill for 15-20 minutes, checking throughout for doneness. Pizza is done with crust is crispy and cheese is melted.

Ingredients you’ll need for this pizza recipe:

The great thing about pizza is you can change up the flavors based on the mood your in. This recipe is just a classic margherita pizza, but if you would like something else I have tons of ideas below, so be sure to scroll down!

Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Dough: My go to pizza dough recipe, it’s a mix of whole wheat and all purpose flour so you get that nice “rise.” Takes about 1 hour for the dough to rise, unless you use pizza dough yeast and then it’s 30 minutes.
Tomato Sauce: I like to use my homemade tomato sauce, however if I’m in a bind my go to is Muir Glen Organic Tomato Basil Sauce.
Fresh Mozzarella: I like to use a fresh mozzarella ball and slice it, I love the look it gives the pizza instead of just shredded mozzarella cheese.
Tomato: For this recipe I used beef steak tomato, however, any tomato will honestly do – even cherry tomatoes if that’s what you have. Just make sure they are thinly sliced.
Fresh Basil Leaves: I place the basil leaves on top of my finished pizza because I don’t want the grill to cook the basil, I want a pop of flavor at the end. You can put them on in whole form or shredded.

How hot should grill be for pizza?

Think of your grill like an oven. Most pizzas are baked at 350°-400°F, that is the temperature you want your grill to be. I also like to make sure I have a side with direct heat and then a side with indirect heat so I can move my people just in case it starts to get too brown.

How to make the Best Grilled Pizza Recipe?

Homemade Pizza is always better! I made my own dough, which has less than 5 ingredients and so stinking good. Then all you need to do is follow these simple steps for the best pizza on the grill!

Make your Dough: I highly recommend making your own pizza dough, the process takes about 1 hour of prep or could easily be made a day ahead of time. Plus you can season it with fresh herbs or garlic for a flavored dough. Yummy.
Prep Grill: Preheat that bad boy to around 400°F, scrub it clean with a grill brush and oil up the grates with an oil soaked rag.
Get your Ingredients ready: Whatever flavor of pizza you decide to make (topping ideas listed below), just make sure that all of your ingredients are ready to go. Once you start grilling your pizza the process goes pretty fast so you’ll want to be prepared instead of running around trying to get ingredients.
Grill Pizza Dough: Place pizza dough directly on the grill and close lid. Grill for 2-3 minutes or until the dough starts to bubble and bottom is slight browned but not charred. Remove from grill, flip and place on a cookie sheet grilled side up.
Top Pizza: Place your desired topping on the grilled side of your pizza. Make sure to evenly spread ingredients out on pizza dough.
Finish Grilling Pizza: Using a pizza spatula for ease, transfer topped pizza back on the grill and close lid. Grill for another 5-7 minutes. Checking for doneness of crust, melted cheese and crispy toppings. Remove from grill and let rest for a couple minutes before slicing in and devouring!

Tips for the Best Grilled Pizza Recipe:

Make your own Pizza Dough: I doesn’t take long but wow does it make a world of difference! However, if you don’t have time to make your own I do love Trader Joes homemade pizza dough as well.
Hot Grill: You want to make sure you grill it HOT. I aim for around 400°F. But I always make sure I have a portion of the grill that has indirect heat just in case my pizza is cooking on the crust faster than I like.
Clean & Oiled Grill Grates: This is key anytime when grilling. You want clean grill grates so that nothing from your previous grilling experience gets stuck to your food. Well oiled grill grates ensure that nothing sticks! Think of it like your pots or pans, you wash your dishes right? Clean your grill!
Be Prepared: Once you put the pizza dough on the grill it goes fast! So make sure that your sauce is out, cheese is ready and all your toppings are prepped. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.
Put Toppings on OFF the Grill: I’ve been making grilled pizzas for years. I use to put the toppings on the pizza while the pizza was still on the grill. But not anymore. It’s better to remove the pizza, place it on a cookie sheet and top your pizza off the grill. Trust me, it saves your hand from burning over the heat and your crust from getting overcooked or worse – burnt.
Don’t Load it up: Put as many toppings on as you want, but don’t go crazy. It is still a flatbread and can easily break with too much weight or get soggy as certain ingredients (mostly veggies) start to cook and sweat.

Pizza Topping Ideas and Inspiration:

Classic Margherita Pizza: Tomato sauce, freshly sliced mozzarella, beef steak tomatoes and fresh basil leaves.
Chicken Margherita Pizza: Olive oil, minced garlic, shredded mozzarella, grilled chicken, roasted tomatoes and fresh basil.
Fancy Fig Pizza: Fig jam, crumbled goat cheese, sliced prosciutto and top with an arugula salad after it comes off the grill. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
BBQ Chicken Pizza: Homemade BBQ sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, rotisserie chicken and sliced red onion.
Supreme Pizza: Homemade Tomato Sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, sausage, sliced tomato, bell peppers, sliced red onion and sliced mushrooms.
Thai Chicken Pizza: Creamy Peanut Sauce, shredded mozzarella, rotisserie chicken, shredded carrots, green onions and fresh cilantro
Prosciutto Peach Pizza: Olive oil, minced garlic, sliced prosciutto, sliced peaches, crumbled goat cheese and fresh basil.
Meat Lover Pizza: Homemade Tomato Sauce, shredded mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and Canadian bacon.
Chicken Pesto Pizza: Homemade Pesto Sauce, shredded mozzarella, grilled chicken, roma tomato slices and red pepper slices.
Legit Hawaiian Pizza: Homemade Mango BBQ Sauce, Shredded Kalua Pork, pineapple, red onion, crumbled goat cheese and shredded mozzarella.
Classic Hawaiian Pizza: Tomato Sauce or BBQ Sauce, shredded mozzarella, Canadian Bacon, pineapple chunks and sliced red onion.
Vegetarian Pizza: Homemade Tomato Sauce, shredded mozzarella, sliced mushrooms, sliced tomato, sliced bell peppers, sliced red onion and spinach. (optional, black olives – I just hate them when they’re cooked)

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