25 Popular Pizza Toppings


Here are the most popular pizza toppings that make crowd-pleasing homemade pizzas! From classic Margherita to creative combinations, find inspiration for your next pizza night.

25 Popular Pizza Toppings

Hosting a pizza night and looking for inspiration? Sure, you can throw just about anything on a pizza. But as a homemade pizza expert, I’ve found that there are certain pizza topping ideas that make crowd-pleasing pizzas every time: from the classic Margherita pizza to unique pies like taco pizza and pickle pizza.

Of course, the classics are classics for a reason: like the mighty pepperoni, chicken BBQ, and Hawaiian pizza. But the true magic happens when you start playing with your own ideas: like fresh basil, prosciutto, sauteed portobello mushrooms, and a little hot honey or drizzle of truffle oil. Of course, my favorite pizza sauce always seals the deal!

Essential Tools for Pizza Success

After years of making pizza at home, I’ve learned that having the right equipment makes a huge difference in the final result.

  • First up is a pizza stone. The high heat from a preheated stone creates that crispy, chewy crust that’s impossible to achieve on a regular baking sheet. I preheat mine for at least 45 minutes before baking. Here’s the pizza stone I use.
  • pizza peel is essential for safely transferring your topped pizza onto the hot stone. I dust mine with cornmeal or semolina flour to help the pizza slide off easily. If you don’t have a peel, a rimless baking sheet works as a temporary solution. But I like this conveyor pizza peel.
  • For the dough itself, my Best Pizza Dough recipe is my favorite traditional, chewy crust, or my Thin Crust Dough is crispier and lighter. Both are straightforward to make and rest for about 45 minutes.
  • My five-minute pizza sauce has become a staple in my kitchen. It’s just fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, oregano, and salt blended together: no cooking required!

Pro Tips for Perfect Pizza

I’ve made enough pizzas to learn some lessons the hard way. Here’s what actually matters:

  • Preheat your oven properly. I set mine to 500°F and let the pizza stone heat for at least 45 minutes.
  • Don’t overload your pizza. This is the biggest beginner mistake! Too many toppings create a soggy pizza that won’t cook properly. Remember to go light on wet ingredients like fresh tomatoes or mushrooms.
  • Use quality mozzarella. I’ve found that whole milk mozzarella melts significantly better than part-skim.
  • Season your toppings. Before they go on the pizza, vegetables benefit from a light drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Alternative Pizza Methods

Not everyone has a pizza stone or wants to invest in one, and that’s completely fine! I’ve developed a few dough methods that work with other equipment.

  • Cast iron pizza is my favorite alternative method. The hot cast iron pan makes for a crispy-on-the-outside crust, and you don’t need to worry about stretching the dough or transferring it. Just press the dough into the pan, add toppings, and bake.
  • Sheet pan pizza is perfect for feeding a crowd or when you want a thicker crust. This makes the equivalent of 3 medium pizzas on a large sheet pan, and the method is very forgiving for beginners.
  • I also have some fun cheater pizzas that use premade crust, like Naan Pizza, Pita Pizza, or Tortilla Pizza.

For those with an outdoor pizza oven, my Pizza Oven Dough recipe is specifically formulated for the super-high heat those ovens produce. The pizzas cook in just 90 seconds!

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25 Popular Pizza Toppings

Pizza toppings

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Here’s the only homemade pizza recipe you need! Learn how to make the best pizza dough, sauce, and toppings. For the topping ideas, see the recipes list above.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 7 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 7 minutes
  • Yield: 1 medium pizza
  • Category: Pizza
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Pizza
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

For the pizza dough

For the pizza sauce (use ⅓ cup for topping)

  • 1 small garlic clove (1/2 medium)
  • 15 ounces crushed fire roasted tomatoes (or high quality organic canned tomatoes)
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • Scant ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the toppings — or use topping ideas from 25 Top Pizza Recipes

  • ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or ½ cup shredded mozzarella and 2 to 3 ounces goat cheese, in dollops)
  • Parmesan cheese, for topping
  • Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Make the pizza dough: Follow the Best Pizza Dough or Thin Crust Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (These takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)
  2. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (here’s the pizza oven we use).
  3. Make the pizza sauce: Peel and cut the garlic into a few rough pieces. Place the garlic, fire roasted tomatoes, olive oil, oregano and kosher salt in a blender. Blend until fully combined. (You’ll use about ⅓ cup for the pizza; reserve the remaining sauce and refrigerate for up to 1 week.)
  4. Prepare the dough: When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!)
    1. Stretch the dough (Best Pizza Dough): For the Best Pizza Dough recipe, stretch the dough into a circle: place the dough on a lightly floured surface and dust the top of the dough with flour. Use your fingers to gently press the dough into a circle, flipping several times and adding a pinch of flour if it is too sticky. Once you have about an 8-inch circle, pick up the dough and gently drape it over the knuckles on both of your hands. Slowly rotate it around, allowing gravity to stretch it into a circle about 11 inches in diameter.  If the dough starts to resist stretching, put it down and allow it to rest for a few minutes, at which point it will stretch more easily. Then repeat Step 3 until you have an 11-inch circle! See How to Stretch Pizza Dough for step by step photos.
    2. Roll the dough (Thin Crust Pizza Dough): If you’re making Thin Crust Dough, place it on a lightly floured surface and gently press it into a circle, adding a pinch of flour if it is too sticky. Then roll out the dough into a circle about 11 inches in diameter, using just enough flour on each side to keep it from sticking. If the dough starts to resist rolling, wait for a minute or two, at which point it will roll out more easily.
  5. Spread a thin layer of the pizza sauce over the dough, using about ⅓ cup. Add the mozzarella cheese (and if using, goat cheese or other types of cheese). Top with a thin layer of fresh grated Parmesan cheese and a few pinches of kosher salt.
  6. Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven).
  7. Allow the pizza to cool for a minute or two before adding the basil leaves on top (whole leaves, lightly torn, or thinly sliced). Slice into pieces and serve immediately.

Notes

The Cast Iron Pizza and Sheet Pan Pizza methods are easier because they don’t require stretching the dough, but they take slightly longer. All you need are a large cast iron skillet or 13×18 sheet pan; you can use the same toppings as above. For dough and baking instructions, go to Pan Pizza or Sheet Pan Pizza. If you’re using an outdoor pizza oven, go to Pizza Oven Dough.

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