Worth cooking

Anyone can make it. Don’t worry if you are new to working with yeast or making bread dough! This recipe has guided photos and easy-to-follow directions to lead you to the best easy homemade pizza.
It’s family-friendly. This is an incredibly fun project you can work on with your kids! And the end result is irresistible. We guarantee that everyone in your family will want seconds when you make this homemade pizza! We know they always want seconds in our home!
It has the right flavors and textures. This easy homemade pizza recipe surely beats heating a frozen pizza or ordering from a fast-food pizza chain. It has quality ingredients and an impressive amount of flavor in every bite. You won’t believe how appetizing it is, from the crispy crust to the vibrant sauce and perfectly melted cheese!

Love pizza? Also check out our easy Pizza Toast!

Ingredients Needed

Here are the primary ingredients needed to make easy homemade pizza from scratch:

Ingredients for easy homemade pizza with labels on them.

Yeast: The yeast is essential for the dough to turn out fluffy. Without it, the crust would be very dense! This recipe uses active dry yeast.
Warm Water: The water must be warm when proofing the yeast. The optimal temperature for the water should be between 105°F to 115°F. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast!
Flour: For best results, use all-purpose (or plain flour). If the flour is lumpy, you can sift it beforehand.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: This ingredient gives the dough moisture and helps make it pliable, so it is easier to roll out. You don’t want to skip on this ingredient!
Pizza Sauce and Cheese: Make sure to have your sauce and cheese ready for easy assembly. You can make our recipe for Roasted Tomato Pizza Sauce in advance so it is ready to go! For the cheese, use a fresh mozzarella and shred it yourself.

You will also need some pantry staples, such as salt and sugar. You can get the measurements by scrolling to the recipe card below!

How it comes together

Here are the easy steps for making this pizza recipe which is going to become your new favorite:

Proof the yeast in a bowl and let it rest.

Add and mix the remaining dough ingredients at a low speed to form the dough.

Knead the dough, adding a small amount of olive oil until elastic.

Grease the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place while covered.

Leftovers

After the dough has risen, punch it down. Shape it into a ball on a floured surface.

Roll the dough into a 13-inch circle, then transfer it to a round pizza pan. Tuck the edges to create a 12-inch circle.

Evenly spread the sauce on the dough, followed by the cheese and toppings.

Leftovers

Slice and serve the pizza.

To get a crispy crust on your pizza make sure you preheat the oven and bake at high heat. Baking at 450-500 degrees F or 230-260 degrees C is optimum for pizza.

Pantry notes

Herbs: Even though our accompanying pizza sauce recipe has plenty of herbs, you can take it a step further by adding herbs to the pizza dough, too. Sprinkle in some dried oregano, marjoram, thyme, or basil!
Crust: You can easily make a thin or thick-crust pizza with this dough! If you don’t change the measurements, the thin crust will yield a larger pizza, and a thicker crust will be slightly smaller since you will roll the dough out less.
Veggie Toppings: One of the most exciting parts of making your pizza is customizing the toppings! Here are some veggies you can use: onions, peppers, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, jalapenos, spinach, or garlic.
Meat Toppings: Canadian bacon, sausage crumbles, ham, classic pepperoni, shredded chicken, pulled pork, or salami.
Sauce: Not a fan of tomato sauce? You can make a white sauce or spread some pesto on the dough in place of the traditional pizza sauce!

Also try our Mushroom Pizza Recipe!

Cook notes

Make sure to use fresh yeast! Unfortunately, if you use expired yeast or yeast that has simply been sitting in your pantry for a while, it might not activate, and when you let the dough rest, it won’t rise.
Gently knead the dough to prevent over-kneading it! The gluten in the flour can be sensitive. If you overwork it, the dough won’t be elastic, making it very difficult to roll into a circle because it will keep shrinking back, which can be quite frustrating.
If your oven is known to have hot spots, it’s a good idea to rotate the pizza halfway through cooking. That way, the cheese evenly melts and browns instead of one side being significantly darker than the other.
Have fun when serving it! Adding extra garnishes or serving the pizza with dipping sauce is another way to elevate this recipe. For instance, you can dip the pizza in BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, or buffalo sauce. Sprinkle it with fresh parmesan or red pepper flakes like you would enjoy at your favorite pizzeria!

Yield: 6 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 11 minutes
Total: 1 hour 31 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup warm water, around 110℉ warm
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose or plain flour
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling bowl
1/2 teaspoon salt
¾ cup roasted tomato pizza sauce
2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella

Method

Proof the yeast: Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer with the dough hook or paddle attachment fitted. Or, to make the dough by hand, whisk the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Bubbles may form, proofing that the yeast is active.
Make the dough and knead: Add the flour, olive oil and salt and mix on low speed for about 2 minutes to form a dough. Knead the dough for 3 minutes. With the stand mixer, the dough will be light and stretchy. By hand, the dough might feel heavy. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil and knead until the dough is elastic.
Let the dough rise: Lightly grease the same bowl you mixed the dough in with oil or cooking spray. Turn the dough around so all the sides are coated with the oil. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for about one to two hours. An oven is a great place for the dough to rise. Make sure the oven is turned off.
Preheat oven to 475℉ while you shape the pizza.
Deflate the dough and roll it out : After the dough has risen, punch it down to remove the air bubbles. Then lightly flour a clean working surface. Shape the dough into a ball and place on the floured surface. Using a rolling pin and working from the middle of the ball to its corners, roll the dough into a 13-inch circle. Place the dough on a round pizza pan. Using your fingers, lift and tuck in or fold in about the edges of the dough. After tucking in the edges, you should have a 12-inch circle.
Spread on the sauce: Spoon the sauce onto the dough and spread it evenly, avoiding the tucked in corners.
Sprinkle on the shredded cheese evenly, avoiding the tucked-in corners. Add your favorite toppings at this stage. Some of our favorite toppings are pepperoni, mushrooms, bell peppers, and olives.
Bake the pizza in the preheated oven for 11-13 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Slice and serve the pizza while still warm.