Margherita Pizza
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Skip the delivery—this Margherita pizza brings pizzeria-level flavor with a crisp, chewy crust, gooey mozzarella, and a no-cook sauce you can whip up in minutes.
Margherita pizza, the classic thin-crust pie from Naples, was named for Queen Margherita of Savoy. As the story goes, she was served a pizza in 1889 that mirrored the colors of the Italian flag—red tomatoes, white mozzarella, and green basil—and the Margherita was born.
Though traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven, this fresh mozzarella pizza is easy to make at home with a hot oven and a sheet pan. I use my favorite homemade pizza dough (though store-bought works well too) and a few smart tricks to get that crisp, chewy crust we all love. It’s a recipe I’ve tested and perfected over time.
The no-cook Neapolitan pizza sauce is made from canned San Marzano crushed tomatoes and can be whipped up in just 5 minutes! This tomato and cheese pizza is an easy option for a weeknight dinner or anytime you’re craving pizza but don’t want to order takeout!
Love pizza night? Try my summery pesto pizza and these fun mini English muffin pizzas for something a little different.
“Made the sauce, dough, and pizza. It’s the best pizza I’ve had or made and I’ve tried many.”
What You’ll Need To Make Margherita Pizza
- Pizza dough: My rich homemade pizza dough is ideal, but store-bought works too. You will need two 1-pound dough balls to make two 12-inch pizzas.
- San Marzano Crushed Tomatoes: This variety of plum tomatoes originates from the town of San Marzano sul Sarno near Naples, Italy. These tomatoes have a sweeter, less acidic, and more concentrated flavor than typical roma tomatoes. Many supermarkets carry them, but don’t worry if you can’t find them; regular crushed tomatoes will work too!
- Fresh Mozzarella: I prefer a fresh mozzarella ball that is not packed in water. If all you can find is one in water, just be sure to dry it very well before prepping it for your pizza. Any extra liquid can make the pizza soggy.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: Use authentic Parmigiano Reggiano, which you can identify by looking at the rind, which is embossed with the name over and over. If the cheese is already grated, it should be labeled “Parmigiano Reggiano,” not “Parmesan.”
- Fresh Cornmeal and Flour: You will need just a touch of flour to keep the dough from sticking to the surface when you stretch it out. The cornmeal keeps the crust from sticking to the pan and increases the crisp texture you want for the crust.
- Seasoning: A bit of sugar adds additional sweetness to the Margherita pizza sauce while fresh garlic adds a robust flavor, and fresh basil adds a splash of color and flavor to the final pizza! Feel free to use more or less garlic as you prefer!
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Make a Margherita pizza
You can learn how to make homemade pizza in just minutes! Prepare your pizza dough, grab all your ingredients, and let’s get started.
Step 1: Make the Sauce. Combine the crushed tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and sugar in a small bowl and mix to combine. If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can blend the ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Step 2: Stretch Pizza Dough. Use your hands to stretch out one of the pizza dough balls on a lightly floured surface.
Step 3: Place on a Pan. Transfer the dough to a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet, and gently stretch it out again to keep the round shape of the pizza.
Step 4: Add the Sauce. Spread the sauce over the dough. Be sure to leave a 1/2-inch border around the edges.
Step 6: Partially Bake. Bake the pizza in a preheated oven for 7 minutes to partially cook the crust.
Step 7: Add the Cheese. Remove the pizza from the oven and scatter half of the mozzarella cubes over the sauce, followed by half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Step 8: Bake Again and Serve. Slide the pan back into the oven and cook until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbling. About 4 minutes more is perfect. Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle with the basil and slice.
Jenn’s Top Tips for the best margherita pizza
- Cooking Two Pizzas: This recipe makes two pizzas. Cook one at a time or if you prefer to bake both pizzas together, you can fire up two ovens. Another option, if you don’t mind the crust a little thicker, is to cook them on the same baking sheet. Shape each dough ball into a 8×12-inch rectangle and place them side by side on the baking sheet.
- Parbake the Pizza: Parbaking the crust with just the sauce gives it a chance to firm up and start crisping before the cheese goes on. This helps avoid a soggy middle and keeps the cheese from overcooking or browning too much while the crust finishes baking. While it may feel like it an extra step, it’s the best method!
- Use High Quality Ingredients: You don’t need much to make the best Margherita pizza but it’s essential to not sacrifice the quality of the ingredients. Fresh mozzarella, authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano, a good Italian pizza dough, and San Marzano tomatoes result in the best outcome.
- Don’t Overload the Pizza: Less is more here—too much sauce and cheese will make the crust soggy.
- Hot Oven: Make sure you preheat your oven in advance to 500° F. A hot oven is essential for baking the pizza crust perfectly.
Can I make pizza ahead of time?
This pizza is best made fresh! You can make the pizza dough in advance, prep the cheese, and mix together the pizza sauce up to 48 hours in advance. For best results, stretch the dough and assemble the Margherita pizzas when you’re ready to cook them.
What’s the Best Way to Reheat Pizza?
While I love this pizza freshly made, you don’t want to waste any leftovers. The oven, air fryer, or a toaster oven are your best bet. Place the pizza slices on a baking tray and heat in a 400° F preheated oven for 5 minutes, or until heated through. Avoid using the microwave if you can.
More Italian bread and Pizza Recipes
Margherita Pizza
Savor the classic flavors (and colors) of Italy with a crispy thin-crust Margherita pizza that rivals your favorite pizzeria! Enjoy homemade pizza in about 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Flour, for stretching the dough
- 2 (1-lb) homemade pizza doughs
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, not packed in water, cubed
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil, lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal, for baking
Instructions
- Make the Sauce: In a medium bowl, stir together the tomatoes, garlic, salt, sugar, pepper, and oil. (Alternatively, for a completely smooth sauce, you can blend the ingredients in a small food processor or blender.)
- Preheat the oven to 500°F and set an oven rack in the bottom position. Dust a 13x18-inch baking sheet with half of the cornmeal.
- On a lightly floured surface, using your hands, stretch and press one ball of dough into an 12-inch round. Transfer the dough to the cornmeal-dusted baking sheet, and gently stretch it out again so that it maintains its shape.
- Spread about ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons of the sauce over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 7 minutes, until the crust is partially cooked. Remove from the oven, and scatter half of the mozzarella cubes over the sauce, followed by half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Slide the pan back into the oven and cook until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 4 minutes more. Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle with the basil and slice. Repeat with the remaining pizza dough and ingredients. (If you'd like to bake the two pizzas at the same time, you can fire up two ovens. Or, if you don't mind the crust a little thicker, you can form the two dough balls into 8x12-inch rectangles and place them side by side on the baking sheet.)
- Note: This recipe makes enough sauce for 4 (12-inch) pizzas. Refrigerate extra sauce for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Serving size: 3 slices
- Calories: 734
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 80 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Sodium: 710 mg
- Cholesterol: 57 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I just made this EXACTLY as directed… I rolled it super thin (because we like thin crust)… and cooked it on a pizza stone (which I had preheated). A couple of things: First, I would recommend adding some more flavor (maybe add parmesan cheese as well as the mozzarella). The crust was delicious. Secondly, I cooked it for 14 minutes and the only thing crispy or even done, was the crust. The whole middle was still raw. Not sure why!?!
Otherwise, this is a good, pretty quick healthy option to pizza
I made this yesterday and it turned out perfectly on my second attempt (wasted my first batch of dough because I used a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon of yeast). I shared the pizza with friends and they all really enjoyed it!
I can’t eat garlic so always checked when ordering margarita pizza in Italy. And got the strangest looks followed by: Of course not. It’s margarita pizza, there is no garlic. It would feel like I insulted them that they couldn’t make a simple pizza!
Love your baked goods though and the dough was good.
Way too much garlic in sauce