What Is Pizza dough and How Can I Use It?

Pizza dough rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 68 recipes to cook with it.

What is pizza dough?

Pizza can be high in salt, fat and calories. There are concerns about negative health effects. Some food chains have come under criticism for the high salt content of some of their meals which were found to contain more than twice the daily recommended amount of salt for an adult.

European nutrition research on the eating habits of people with cancer of the mouth, oesophagus, throat or colon showed those who ate pizza at least once a week had less chance of developing cancer.

Pizza could simply be indicative of a lifestyle and food habits, in other words the Italian version of a Mediterranean diet." A traditional Mediterranean diet is rich in olive oil, fiber, vegetables, fruit, flour, and freshly cooked food.

In contrast to the traditional Italian pizza used in the research, popular pizza varieties in many parts of the world are often loaded with high fat cheeses and fatty meats, a high intake of which can contribute to obesity, itself a risk factor for cancer.

Quick facts

In Chinese: 比萨面团
British (UK) term: Pizza dough
en français: pâte à pizza
en español: masa de pizza

Recipes using pizza dough

There are 68 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Veggie & Plum Flatbread

Onions, bell peppers and plums are arranged over the bread dough or pizza dough that's brushed with garlic olive oil. It's a cheese free flatbread but still so yummy.

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom & Garlic Oil Flatbread

The pizza dough is brushed with garlic perfumed olive oil, topped with caramelized onions, mushrooms, sweet bell pepper and pineapples. It's easy and packed with yumminess. Use a whole wheat pizza dough to make it even healthier.

Two Onions, Pineapple & Olive Flatbread

Quick-easy to make, and it tastes delicious. This is a dairy-free flatbread, garlic-infused olive oil is brushed over the bread dough and topped with onions, bell peppers, olives and pineapples that are being seasoned.

Homemade Breakfast Pizza

Homemade pizzas can be healthy. You can adapt this pizza recipe to your own taste.

Halloween Pizzas

Make some cheesy and oozy Halloween pizzas for your Halloween dinner and they are delicious. Nobody will resist these hot pizzas.

Sun-Dried Tomato & Olive Pizza Rolls

Instead of pizza, use same yummy ingredients to make pizza rolls. These rolls turn out cheesy and delicious, the best is to serve them warm.

Sausage Braid

Sausage braid: pizza dough filled with browned Italian sausage, peppers, onions, and mozzarella, then woven into a golden braid and baked. An impressive, shareable stromboli-style bake.

Two Cheese, Shaved Asparagus & Mushroom Pizza

Brushed with extra-virgin olive oil, topped with shaved asparagus, sliced cremini mushrooms, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. The aroma from the oven during the baking fills up your entire place, the pizza comes out cheesy, oozy, refreshing and tasty.

Bacon Margherita Pizza

A delicious pizza Margherita is topped with bacon. A classic pizza with a modern twist gives you a double deliciousness.

Pineapple, Olives & Artichoke Heart Pizza

Freshly baked pizza makes the entire house full of great smell, that's why we like making pizza at home. This pizza is topped with fresh pineapple cubes, olives, marinated artichoke hearts, and a few fresh veggies. Homemade pizza sauce makes it taste even better.

Artichoke, Spinach & Lemon Pizza

Everyone loves pizza, in this recipe we put marinated artichoke hearts, cooked fresh baby spinach leaves, freshly grated lemon zest and mozzarella cheese together, amazing taste, not only just for vegetarian, everyone loves it!

Cheesy Sun-Dried Tomato & Spinach Stuffed Pizza

This is a great combination for a clazone style pizza, using a combination of two cheeses boosting the flavor and lowering the fat, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach add tangy flavor and using whole wheat pizza dough boosts fiber. You can enjoying this delicious pizza without the guilt.

Caramelized Onion, Roasted Bell Pepper & Goat Cheese Flatbread

It's hard to not fall in love with this tasty flatbread that has caramelized onion, roasted bell pepper and creamy goat cheese.

Mexican Black Bean, Corn, & Vegetable Pizza

Instead of pizza sauce, use salsa as the base. Top with cheddar cheese, poblano or green bell peppers, black beans and corn. Serve with some fresh cilantro, scallions and fresh lime wedges.

Broccoli & Corn Calzone

Refreshingly delicious. You can use whatever seasonal veggies you have for fillings, such as mushrooms, green peppers. Serve it with tomato sauce.

Cheesy Green Garden Pizza

Fresh vegetables on top, spread the pesto evenly on the pizza dough, sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of the vegetables, great combination for a garden pizza.

Delicious Broccoli Flatbread

Spread with a thin layer of tomato sauce or pizza sauce, topped with broccoli florets, olives, mushrooms and a few other veggies. Feel free to add cheddar cheese on top of the sauce before you add the toppings. The cheese-free version tastes delicious as well, without cheese we call it a flatbread.

Bell Pepper, Mushroom & Onion Pizza

Made this pizza with homemade pizza crust and homemade pizza sauce, only put three toppings, an it turned out cheesy and delicious with an excellent texture.

Sun-Dried Tomato, Olive & Basil Pesto Flatbread

The other day while we were watching Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, chefs were making flatbread, basically like pizza, just different shape, which really made my craving for pizza come back to life. Then start making this sun-dried tomato, olive and basil pesto flatbread, and it was so good...

Tomato-Mozzarella Sandwiches

Homemade garlic-rosemary focaccia split and filled with basil pesto, sliced mozzarella, and fresh tomatoes. Italian sandwich perfection built from pizza dough in about an hour.

Pesto Chicken Pizza

Pesto chicken pizza swaps red sauce for a thick swipe of basil pesto, then loads on grilled marinated chicken, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, and bubbling mozzarella. Pizza-night upgrade in 40 minutes.

Pizza Ala Siciliana

Thin-crust pizza alla Siciliana loaded with briny black and green olives, capers, anchovies, and parmesan on a simple tomato base. Salty, intense, and ready in 8 minutes from a hot stone.

Butterfly Pizza

Fun butterfly-shaped pizza kids can help build! Shape dough into wings and a body, top with sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings. A hands-on family dinner.

Grilled Pizza

Grilled pizza cooked right on the charcoal grates for a smoky, blistered, chewy-crisp crust, topped lightly with fontina, romano, fresh tomato, and basil. The bold technique that beats any oven pie.

Easy Breakfast Pizza (4-Ingredient)

Ultra-simple breakfast pizza with just 4 ingredients: pizza dough, eggs, bacon, and cheese mixed together and baked until golden. No fuss, no separate steps, ready in 35 minutes.

Fontina, Caramelized-Onion, & Pancetta Pizza

This is really a so great pizza, I do love the onions and cheese's flavor, especially in this recipe, they are a perfect combination, worth to try.

Smoky Corn & Black Bean Pizza

This is really a fabulious pizza, love the smoky flavor, and very healthy.

Rick's Favorite Pizza

Rick's Favorite Pizza piles on five cheeses - mozzarella, muenster, provolone, cheddar, and parmesan - loaded with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, and green peppers.

Three Cheese Pizza

A stone-baked three cheese pizza loaded with mozzarella, Swiss, and Parmesan over fresh tomato pulp and herbs. Includes step-by-step dough shaping for a crispy, bubbly, pizzeria-quality pie at home.

Spianata (Tomato-Dappled Pizza Blanca)

A minimalist Italian pizza bianca with thin, dimpled dough brushed with garlic-infused olive oil and fresh chopped tomatoes, baked until the crust is shatteringly crisp. Vegetarian and just 4 ingredients.

Baldy Base Camp Pizza

Herb-infused pizza dough baked golden and topped with creamy Cambozola cheese and whole roasted garlic cloves. This rustic flatbread pizza keeps things simple, letting the nutty roasted garlic and rich blue-brie cheese do all the talking.

Artichoke & Leek Pizza

Artichoke and leek pizza: fresh baby artichokes braised with pancetta, onions, and sweet leeks, piled onto thin-crust pizza with mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano. A restaurant-worthy springtime slice that looks and tastes like Rome.

Grilled Two Cheeses & Summer Squash Pizza

Two kinds of cheeses, fresh summer squash, and basil pesto are topped on the pizza and grilled on your BBQ; quick, easy and delicious pizza takes no time.

Cheese & Tomato Pizza

Cheese and tomato pizza layered with fresh basil, mozzarella, fontina, smoked gouda, and romano on a homemade crust. A four-cheese weeknight classic ready in 30 minutes.

Cheesy Black Bean, Roasted Pepper, Tomato & Jalapeno Pizza

Grilled black bean pizza swaps tomato sauce for a smoky black bean spread, then piles on Monterey Jack, roasted peppers, tomatoes, olives, and pickled jalapeños. A Southwest take on grilled summer pizza.

Grilled Garden Vegetables Pizza

Grilled vegetable pizza with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, red onion, olives, and capers finished with peppery arugula. Fire-kissed crust from the grill, never the oven, for smoky char and crisp edges.

Brunch Pizza with Scrambled Eggs & Smoked Salmon

Brunch pizza topped with soft scrambled eggs, melted mozzarella and fontina, and cold smoked salmon with chives. An elegant weekend project that marries pizza technique with lox-and-bagel flavors.

Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Pizza

Homemade stuffed crust pepperoni pizza: refrigerated dough rolled with string cheese tucked into the edge, topped with sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella. Pizza Hut copycat, ready in under an hour.

California Vegetable Pizza

California vegetable pizza on whole wheat crust topped with broccoli, artichoke hearts, olives, tomatoes, and green peppers. A cheeseless vegetarian pizza that's all about the veggies.

Thai Chicken Pizza

Serve this Thai twist on pizza as is or with optional toppings, such as thinly sliced basil, cilantro, chopped peanuts and/or crushed red pepper on the side.

Chipotle Pizza

Chipotle pizza with a smoky adobo topping instead of tomato sauce. Mashed canned chipotles in adobo, garlic, olive oil, mozzarella, and a hit of parmesan. A six-ingredient pizza with real backbone.

Foccaccia

Easy focaccia bread made from store-bought pizza dough, brushed with olive oil and topped with your choice of herbs, garlic, or sun-dried tomatoes.

Pizza Roll-Ups

Pizza roll-ups made with pizza dough spread with ground turkey, mozzarella, and Italian seasoning. Sliced pinwheels baked until golden. Freezer-friendly and perfect for lunch boxes.

Easy & Yummy Focaccia

Easy focaccia using store-bought pizza dough kneaded with chopped onion, diced tomato, and herbs, then brushed with butter near the end of baking. Bakery-style flatbread on the table in about 30 minutes.

Grilled Pizza with Garden Tomatoes

Very great vegetarian pizza, with garden tomatoes, fresh and savory flavor.

Tomatoe-Cheese Calzones

Tomato-cheese calzones stuffed with melty mozzarella, tangy goat cheese, salami, and sundried tomatoes, folded into golden, individual pizza pockets. A gourmet twist on the classic calzone, baked until well-browned.

Cheesy Roasted Acorn Squash & Gorgonzola Pizza

Maple-roasted acorn squash, creamy Gorgonzola, and melty mozzarella on a crispy crust, topped with peppery arugula. This vegetarian fall pizza is seasonal eating at its finest.

Asparagus, Cream Cheese & Olive Oil Pizza

Put shaved asparagus onto your pizza, sprinkle some flavored cream cheese over, with some good quality olive oil brushed over the pizza dough, the pizza comes out so yummy, the freshness, creaminess and the crunchiness are all in one bite!

Homemade Pizza with Variations

My sister told me this quick homemade pizza is very good, easy to make, and nice to taste, I will prefer to cooking it at Thanksgiving!

Sausage Bread***

Italian sausage bread stuffed with sausage, mozzarella, onion, and bell pepper rolled into pizza dough. Bakery-style sliced bread that doubles as a meal.

All 68 recipes