How to Grill Pizza
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 2, 2024
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Grilled pizza is so fun to make! I love grilling pizzas on hot days because I don’t have to crank up the oven to high heat. Grilled pizza makes dinnertime feel like an event, and it’s simple enough to manage on a weeknight.
Grilled pizza is especially doable when you start with my Easy Whole Wheat Pizza Dough, which comes together in a flash—no rising time required—and grills beautifully.
Today, I’m sharing a full tutorial on how to grill pizza. As you’ll see, grilled pizzas differ a bit in technique from oven-baked pizzas.
Choose your toppings wisely (you’ll find suggestions below) and follow my recipe until you get the hang of it. Then, you’ll be a grilled pizza champion!
How to Grill Pizza
You’ll find the full details below, but here’s the basic rundown:
1) Preheat the grill.
Aim for a grill temperature between 400 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m offering a wide range here because grills, as opposed to ovens, tend to fluctuate more in temperature. I’ve achieved great results with this range. You can let the grill get a little hotter, but over 550 degrees, you run the risk of your char marks tasting a little, well, burnt.
Tip: If your grill doesn’t have a built-in temperature gauge, you can use your hand to help determine the correct temperature. The grill is hot enough when you can hold your hand about five inches above the grates for just one second before it becomes uncomfortable. Obviously, use caution and your best judgment with this technique!
2) Flour one side of the dough, and lightly oil the other side.
Simply roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to help prevent it from sticking to the pizza peel later. Lightly brush the top of the dough all over with olive oil. The oil helps prevent sticking when we flip the dough onto the grate.
3) Lightly grill the dough, then remove it from the grill.
Contrary to baked pizzas that enter the oven fully dressed, we’ll need to grill the pizzas in two part. First, we grill the dough (oiled side down) until it’s lightly firmed up. This takes just a couple of minutes. Then, remove the dough from the grill for the next part.
3) Flip the dough and add toppings.
Flip the dough over so the grill marks are on top. Top as desired.
4) Grill again!
Grill the pizza until the cheese is melted. This will happen quickly! Pull your pizza from the grill, add any final toppings like fresh basil or arugula, and enjoy.
Grilled Pizza Topping Suggestions
When it comes to grilled pizzas, less is more. Grilled pizzas will never develop golden, bubbling cheese like you can achieve in a hot oven, and I recommend working with tender toppings since the pizza will not be in the grill for long.
Since we’re most likely to grill pizzas during the warmer months, here are some of my favorite grilled pizza toppings:
- Arugula or basil (added after grilling)
- Bell peppers or better yet, roasted red peppers
- Cheese: Soft cheeses especially, like feta and goat cheese, as well as mozzarella and Parmesan
- Drizzle of thick balsamic vinegar or balsamic reduction (added after grilling)
- Fresh figs
- Hot pepper rings, like jalapeños or pepperoncinis
- Pineapple
- Olives
- Sauce: Pizza sauce, crushed San Marzano tomatoes, or basil pesto
- Tomatoes, or better yet, roasted cherry tomatoes
More Pizzas to Try
Try these pizza recipes on Cookie and Kate, or draw inspiration for your grilled pizzas from them:
- Arugula-Almond Pesto Pizza
- Barbecue Pineapple, Jalapeño and Feta Pizza
- Greek Pizza
- Strawberry, Basil and Balsamic Pizza
- Ultimate Veggie Pizza
Please let me know how your grilled pizzas turn out in the comments. I’m excited to hear how you top yours!
How to Grill Pizza
Learn how to grill pizza with this simple recipe! My easy whole wheat pizza dough comes together in no time and grills beautifully, or you can use store-bought dough. Recipe yields two 11-inch pizzas (about 6 to 8 servings).
Ingredients
- 1 batch easy whole wheat pizza dough or 1 pound store-bought pizza dough
- 1 cup pizza sauce or pesto
- 8 ounces (2 cups) freshly grated low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese or goat cheese, crumbled
- Toppings of your choice*
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to about 400 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (if your grill doesn’t have a temperature gauge, you’ve reached this temperature when you can comfortably hold your hand about 5 inches above the grate for just one second—be careful!).
- On a floured surface, prepare the dough through step 5. Lightly brush the top of the dough all over with olive oil. Scoop one round of dough onto a pizza peel (in a pinch, use a flat cookie sheet with no rim).
- Carefully flip the dough onto the preheated grill so that the oiled side is against the grate. Close the grill and cook until the dough is bubbling all over and lightly cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Scoop the pizza crust back onto your pizza peel, then place the pizza on a flat surface and add your toppings: divide half of the sauce over the pizza and spread it around, leaving about 1-inch bare along the edges, followed by half of the cheese, and any toppings you desire.
- Return the pizza to the grill, cover the grill, and cook until the cheese is melted, about 2 to 4 minutes. Scoop the pizza back onto your pizza peel and transfer it to a flat cutting surface.
- Add any remaining toppings (like arugula, balsamic reduction and red pepper flakes, as shown in photos). Repeat the process with the second pizza. Slice and serve! Leftover pizza will keep well in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days.
Notes
*Toppings as shown: I used goat cheese and a handful of Kalamata olives (pitted and halved). Once the pizza was done, I added a handful of fresh arugula, a drizzle of balsamic reduction and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Hi there. Just ordered your cookbook. Can’t wait to delve into it. Have a great holiday!!! Kathy Metcalf.
Thank you, Kathy! I hope you love it.
Hi there Kate,
I don’t seem to print any of your recipes anymore. Am I missing something or has that “button” to click been removed.
Thanks and best regards,
Bruce.
Hi Bruce, It has been brought to my attention it isn’t working. I’m working on a resolution, but don’t have one at this time. I appreciate you letting me know and your patience as I work through it.
Bruce – as a temporary measure, if you do the print command (Ctrl+P on a PC), it should pull up the print options window. Under the “Destination” drop-down menu you should see where you can choose the PDF option. It can at least save the content as a PDF. It won’t be as nice as the “print” option that Kate offers, but at least you can capture the recipe until they get the glitch fixed. Kelly
This looks soooo good I’m thinking about buying a grill just to try it! But, a question about one of the ingredients: Parmesan cheese…
What are your feelings about the rennet? Does this disqualify parm as vegetarian? Of course any dairy based cheese is not vegan, but is rennet okay for ovo-lacto vegetarians?
Thanks!
Hi Jim, I can find some that are vegetarian. They will say on the label. I hope you try it and love it!
Hi Katie,
Thank you for your nice recipes. Very special sometimes, and almost always very nice (we all have our personal taste…).
I sea/read your grilled pizza recipe and I don’t know what to imagine, as I believe it could easily risk in burnt lines.
Have you ever tried a plaster pizza plate ? I use this as these are ideal, working as a stone oven. Heat the oven and the plate and you’ll have warmth from all sides, resulting in a nice crusty base.
I can’t immediately find an online offer in the US.
Hi Henri, I can’t say I have. Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you have a method that works well for you.
Hi Katie,
Thank you for your reaction.
A world of difference. 5-10 minutes on the hot plate and you’ve got an authentic Pizarro. With crusty base. All over.
No temperature to use, just on maximum, warm up with the plate in it. Like a stone oven.
What is a plaster pizza plate? Is it similar to a pizza baking stone that you use in an oven? Thanks
I thought I used to be able to print your recipes. I don’t see that option now. Is it me missing it?
Hi Brenda, I do have that function and not sure why it isn’t working right now. I’m working to get it fixed as soon as possible. I appreciate your patience.
I’ve been grilling pizza for several years now and have found that 2-3 minutes on the first grill side at 400-500 is good. When flipping for side two I turn the grill down to my lowest setting and give it 8-10 minutes with the hood closed. It melts the cheese perfectly and grills the (bubbled) side with grill marks.
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you have a technique that works. If you try this recipe, let me know!
Well I have been so hungry for a pizza but the horribly hot weather does not inspire heating up the oven! So thank you on the grill tips, we fired up the Webber with charcoal and off we went, we went too long on the time, but the second one was better. We made a BLT pizza and a red sauce mushroom, cheese, and tomato pizza, both worked well with the crust. I did precook the mushrooms, half sliced and half in the food processor ( looked like sausage). This recipe is great as you can pre prep all ingredients, I made the crust and put in between parchment paper dusted with flour, I wish I would have rolled it again to make the crust even thinner. Thank you Kate, Cookie, and Clover!
Thank you for sharing your toppings! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Absolutely love everything you have. The flavors are extraordinary. We have converted to Vegetarian for my oldest son who lost 80 lbs (I ordered your cookbook for him). Your recipes have made us ALL happy. But, I can’t print anymore. :(
OMG! This was delicious! I even made the homemade crust and I’ve never even made bread or anything. So easy! I don’t have a food processor so I used my immersion blender. It worked just fine! I love the grilled crust. Can’t wait to try again!
I’m glad you loved it, Nancy!
Do you think this would work in a griddle? We have a blackstone camping griddle. Thanks! Your recipes are wonderful!
You could try it! Let me know what you think if you try it.
I made your creamy roasted carrot soup yesterday and it was yummy
We have been making your white wheat pizza dough and grilling the pizzas for almost 2 years now. My family and my friends absolutely love it when we have pizza nite at our house! It is more than just a dinner – we include everyone in the process and it is the focal point of our night. I always make the dough ahead of time and cut into 4 individual portions – sometimes making 2-3 recipes depending on the number of people. I put it in the fridge wrapped in oiled plastic wrap until go time. When we are ready to start, each person rolls out (or I just roll each one out) their dough ball and my husband oils the top and grills them. Brings them in and then each person makes their own based on the toppings I have. I always make BBQ chicken pizza with leftover chicken, but I make sure I have a lot of different toppings and cheeses for people to be creative (or not). Our house is the pizza nite house because of your recipe! Thank you!
Hi!
Wondering if almond flour could be used due to allergies to wheat.
Thank you
Barbara
Hi Barbara, I don’t have a go-to gluten free pizza crust. Sorry! I do know almond flour is a bit more delicate so I don’t know how that would hold up on the grill.