Easy Margherita Pizza Recipe
on Feb 05, 2010, Updated Jun 18, 2024
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This easy margherita pizza recipe uses simple homemade pizza dough with fresh tomato, mozzarella, and basil. It’s a fun and casual meal you can make at home.
Pizza night is a favorite night in our house because it means we get to eat a casual meal that the kids love to help make. A classic margherita pizza is almost always on the summer meal plan because you can’t go wrong with freshly sliced tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and just-picked basil. It’s a combination that everyone loves and that you can make again and again without fail.
This dough recipe is a cinch to make a couple of hours before dinner, and let it rest while you pick the kids up from school or get other things done around the house. If you’ve never made your own dough, this is the perfect recipe to start with because it’s no fuss and so delicious. It’s a game-changer for homemade pizza!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Margherita pizza is a classic pizza recipe that is so easy to make for a casual and comforting dinner that everyone will enjoy!
- An ideal meal for a busy weeknight or a low-key movie night on the weekend.
- Beyond simple to make from scratch, even if you’re new to making homemade pizza dough.
- This recipe uses minimal ingredients and is perfect for summer with fresh tomatoes and basil straight from the garden.
Recipe Ingredients
- Yeast
- Flour – all-purpose flour is fine
- Olive oil
- Mozzarella cheese
- Fresh tomatoes
- Fresh basil
- Balsamic glaze – optional but so yummy! Try this easy homemade balsamic glaze.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Margherita Pizza
- Stir the dough ingredients together, form a ball, and place in bowl. Let rise about 2 hours.
- Punch down the dough and roll or press it into shape on a greased baking sheet.
- Brush the top with olive oil, and then top with sliced mozzarella and sliced tomatoes.
- Bake at 450 degree F about 15 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Traditionally, mozzarella cheese is used on margherita pizza (and it is SO good).
In some ways, certainly! The fresh vegetables add some great nutritional value, and you could always use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose in the dough to make it more health-conscious.
Margherita pizza doesn’t typically have meat, but if you’d like to add some then I say go for it! Pepperoni, cooked and crumbled Italian sausage, or prosciutto would all be tasty.
I do not add the basil before cooking because it’s so thin and fragile that it can easily burn. For a fresher taste, add basil after you bake your pizza!
Expert Tips
- For a fresher taste, add basil after you bake your pizza!
- You can treat this recipe like a template if you like, and next time around, add more of your favorite things. A few black olives or thinly sliced red onion would be amazing on this pizza, or some pepperoni with a homemade pesto sauce underneath the layers of toppings. Have fun making it your own and getting the whole family involved in pizza night!
- the balsamic glaze is optional but so yummy! Try this easy homemade balsamic glaze.
More Pizza & Sandwich Recipes to Consider
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Easy Margherita Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 package dry yeast
- 3 1/2 cups flour, more or less for rolling
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Oil to coat the bowl
To top the pizza:
- Good olive oil
- Fresh mozzarella, (about 8 ounces)
- Thinly sliced fresh tomatoes, (about 2 medium)
- Fresh basil, (about 1/4 cup or 2 stems)
- Balsamic glaze for drizzling, optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir the yeast and 1/4 cup water together, and let it sit until yeast starts to bubble.
- In mixer, mix 2 cups flour and the salt.
- Pour in dissolved yeast and remainder of water, and mix until dough pulls together.
- Switch to dough hook, and add 1 cup flour. When the dough does not stick to your fingers, form a ball and place in an oil coated bowl, turning it to coat evenly.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rise for 2-plus hours. Punch dough down, and let it relax 10 minutes.
- Roll and stretch firmly to desired shape and thickness (1/4 inch is good), and place on a greased baking sheet
- Brush the top with good olive oil. Top with sliced mozzarella, then sliced tomatoes.
- Bake in a 450 degree F. oven until the top is brown and bubbly, and the crust is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, top with sliced basil, and enjoy hot.
- You can drizzle it with a bit of balsamic glaze before serving if you like.
Notes
- For a fresher taste, add basil after you bake your pizza! If you add it before baking, it will just wilt and be blah.
- Add more of your favorite things if you’d like, such as a few black olives, thinly sliced red onion, or some pepperoni with a homemade pesto sauce.
- The balsamic glaze is optional but so yummy, and I highly recommend it!
- If you’ve never made your own dough, this is the perfect recipe to start with because it’s no fuss and so delicious.
