Crusts and Toppings Galore: Our Best Pizza Recipes

By Frances Kim
Updated February 06, 2020
Credit: Lennart Weibull
Put together a family feast that's so much better than takeout. From meaty deep-dish styles to thin-crust vegetarian pizzas, there's something here for everyone.
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Credit: Lennart Weibull

When you use our simple pizza dough recipes (or a good store-bought one), making any of these pizza recipes is as easy as pie. Go classic with your toppings, or get creative, as we did, and take a cue from antipasto platters, popular salads, and more. The possibilities are endless, which means any night can be pizza night.

Start with our Quick Pizza Dough recipe, which only requires 10 minutes of prep work. If you're planning to make pizza on a weeknight, make the dough the night before and store it in the refrigerator. Then, let it work its magic. We've used it for the Sausage, Mushroom, and Pickled-Pepper Pizza pictured here. Fresh basil and a low-moisture mozzarella offset some of the sharp, savory toppings. Looking for more of classic pizza recipe? Kids and adults alike will adore our recipe for Pepperoni Three-Cheese White Pizza. A trio of Parmigiano-Reggiano, mozzarella, and ricotta are the ultimate creamy combo for this sauce-less pie.

While those pizzas can cook on either a pizza stone or a baking sheet, we're also a fan of using a cast-iron skillet to make our pies. By cooking the pizza dough in this pan, the crust becomes golden brown and so crispy. When you're craving breakfast for dinner, try our "Steak and Egg" Skillet Pizza so you can see for yourself just how magical a cast-iron skillet is.

From thin crust to deep dish, vegetarian to meat lover's, our pizza recipes are sure to make you say, "Mamma Mia, that's amore!"

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Sausage, Mushroom, and Pickled-Pepper Pizza

Credit: Lennart Weibull
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The pie offers a little bit of everything. Take in the big pop of flavor and color from fresh basil, pickled cherry peppers, and shiitake mushroom caps.

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Squash-Blossom Pizzas

Credit: GENTL & HYERS
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Sunny yellow squash and zucchini blossoms crown these show-stopping pizzas. Crack an egg over the top in the last five minutes of baking to take them to the next level.

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Antipasto-Platter Pizza

Credit: Lennart Weibull
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Serve the appetizer and main course all in one creative pie. Sliced Italian meats, including mortadella and capocollo, top our favorite fast pizza dough alongside tangy pepperoncini, marinated green olives, and artichoke hearts.

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Artichoke-and-Spinach Skillet Pizza

Credit: Armando Rafael
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A preheated skillet is the key to getting a restaurant-quality crust in this weeknight-friendly pizza. Two types of cheese—ricotta and mozzarella—and good-for-you spinach and artichoke hearts complete the dish.

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Pepperoni Three-Cheese White Pizza

Credit: Lennart Weibull
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This recipe is an upgrade on one of the most timeless pies. A to-die-for white sauce is made from heavy cream, Parmigiano, garlic, and lemon. Top with dollops of ricotta, sliced mozzarella, and pepperoni, then finish off the final product with an extra drizzle of olive oil and a few cranks of black pepper.

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Sausage-and-Fontina Pizza

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This salad-inspired pizza is topped with baby arugula, sliced fennel, and shaved carrots after it has finished baking. It's quick, colorful, and absolutely delicious.

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Broccoli, Lemon, and Gouda Pizzas

Credit: Yuki Sugiura
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A fresh and inspired vegetarian pie like this is something we can eat again and again (and we will!). Gouda is a surprising but fabulous choice instead of the usual mozzarella, and thin lemon slices offer a zesty punch bite after bite.

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Pan-Bagnat Pizza

Credit: Lennart Weibull
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You don't need to travel to France for a taste of a bistro classic. Chopped anchovies, roasted peppers, capers, and parsley leaves top our classic pizza dough. Only three tablespoons of sauce are used in order to let all of the sharp, salty flavors shine.

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Zucchini and Caramelized-Onion Pizza

Credit: Sidney Bensimon
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Bright zucchini shines alongside feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and mint leaves in this stunning summer pie. Save prep time by using store-bought pizza dough so that you can get dinner on the table in under one hour.

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"Steak and Egg" Skillet Pizza

Credit: Justin Walker
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You've never seen a steak and egg entrée like this. Sautéed ground beef, crumbled feta, and white cheddar cheese are scattered on top of the pizza dough. But next comes the real magic—four eggs are cracked right into the meat mixture and baked until set.

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Classic Margherita Pizza

Credit: Paola + Murray
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Classic. Timeless. A tried-and-true favorite. Absolutely perfect. There are so many ways to describe this simple tomato-mozzarella-basil pizza, but two words should do the trick—that's amore!

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Roman-Style Thin-Crust Pizzas

Credit: Paola + Murray
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Thin and crispy, these pizzas are sure to disappear in a flash. Try any or all of the three toppings we outlined in the recipe—Spinach-Parmigiano-Pepper Flakes, Potato-Red Onion-Arugula, or Ricotta-Peas-Prosciutto, pictured here.

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Grandma-Style Pizza

Credit: Paola + Murray
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Similar to Sicilian-style pizza, this thicker pie is topped with an entire pound of mozzarella cheese, cremini mushrooms, and sliced pepperoni (feel free to leave off the meat for a vegetarian meal).

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Skillet Pizza Diavola

Credit: Paola + Murray
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Craving a deep-dish style pizza? That's where the cast iron skillet really shines. It not only creates a thicker crust, but an incredibly crispy one at that.

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Tricolor-Salad Pizza

Credit: Lennart Weibull
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Crunchy fennel, bright purple radicchio, and peppery baby arugula on top of a classic dough is a wild mix of fabulous flavors. We've substituted cherry tomato halves in place of marinara sauce, because what's a salad without the juicy, bright red vegetable?

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Vegetable Lovers' Deep-Dish Pizza

Credit: Paola + Murray
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The vibrant colors and crisp texture of fresh vegetables like bell peppers, broccolini, and artichoke hearts top the ultimate vegetarian pizza. We have a feeling that carnivores are going to want to dig in, too.

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Skillet Pizza with Eggplant and Greens

Credit: Anna Williams
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Melt-in-your-mouth roasted eggplant joins garlicky Swiss chard, gooey provolone, and fresh oregano in this show-stopping skillet pizza.

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Grilled Pizzas with Clams and Bacon

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Briny clams meet smoky bacon in this crowd-worthy grilled pizza inspired by the flavors of a classic New England clam chowder.

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BBQ Chicken Pizza

Credit: Bryan Gardner
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One roasted chicken breast yields all the meat you need for two pizzas. It's tossed with barbecue sauce and teamed with sharp white cheddar and sweet red onions.

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Mixed-Mushroom and Scallion Pizza

Credit: Roland Bello
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The crust is so good in this artfully arranged pizza that you don't even need a sauce; just three toppings: mushrooms, scallions, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

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Asparagus and Watercress Pizza

Credit: Bryan Gardner
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Add the watercress right before serving this sophisticated pizza so that it's only slightly wilted. The peppery, bitter green gives the pie a pleasant bite.

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Sausage and Broccoli Pizza with Pepperoncini Sauce

Credit: Bryan Gardner
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Turn yesterday's franks and beans (with roasted broccoli!) dinner into tonight's sensational pizza topping.

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Cauliflower Crust Pizza Margherita

Credit: Bryan Gardner
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Cauliflower is blitzed in the food processor, then turned into a gluten-free pizza dough with an assist from an egg and two types of cheese—mozzarella and Grana Padano. The resulting golden crust is finished with more mozzarella, roasted cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil.

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Brussels Sprout-Lemon Pizza

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Don't relegate Brussels sprouts to a side dish! They make an excellent pizza topping—crispy, chewy, and completely addictive. Here, they're punched up with paper-thin lemon slices.

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Butternut Squash Pizza with Hazelnut Dough

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Hazelnuts do double duty in this fall pizza—roasted hazelnut meal goes into the dough, and chopped toasted hazelnuts serve as a garnish. Their rich flavor pairs beautifully with the sweet roasted butternut squash topping.

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Steak Pizza with Peppers and Onions

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Like a pizza-cheesesteak hybrid! Medium-rare sirloin is teamed with sautéed peppers and onions and Monterey Jack on a golden crust.

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Flag Pizza

Credit: Aaron Dyer
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Pay homage to the flag with this festive pie! Blue potatoes and fresh mozzarella pearls form the "stars," while cherry tomatoes stand in for the "stripes."

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Deep-Dish Meatball Pizza

Credit: Johnny Miller
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Kids and adults alike will love this hearty pizza that tops store-bought dough with homemade meatballs and marinara.

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Ricotta Pizza with Fresh and Roasted Tomatoes

Credit: Andrew Purcell
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A combination of blistered cherry tomatoes and juicy fresh heirlooms adds color and flavor to this white pizza.

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