Name: Cast Iron Pan Pizza
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups warm water (approximatley 105-110°); ½ teaspoon dry active yeast; 2 Tablespoons olive oil; ¾ teaspoon kosher salt; 4 – 4 ½ cups all purpose flour; 2 Tablespoons cornmeal; ½ cup olive oil; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 1 cup marinara sauce; 8 oz fresh mozzarella (sliced thin); 1 medium tomato (sliced thin); ⅓ cup parmesan cheese; ⅓ cup fresh basil leaves

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Get ready for the best Cast Iron Pan Pizza recipe. This good old fashioned pizza is perfect for a night at home. Homemade pizza dough is cooked in a cast iron pan so it’s nice and crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Topped with marinara, layered with fresh mozzarella and tomato slices, and then baked till melted and bubbly!

cast iron pan pizza with sliced fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes and fresh basil

Pizza Night at Home

Our family loves having a make your own pizza night on the weekend. We gather a bunch of different toppings and everyone gets to customize their pizza however they like. We partially bake all of the crusts and then let the kids top their own pizzas. They love being able to help out in the kitchen and create their own dinner. Growing up, I actually didn’t like pizza – crazy I know. Pizza was just never my go-to comfort food or quick dinner. Now that I am older and have perfected my homemade pizza dough recipes, I love doing pizza nights with my kids.

pan pizza that has two slices cut from it with mozzarella tomato and basil

Cast Iron Pizza Dough

I originally developed this pizza dough recipe a few years back after diving into Michael Ruhlman’s book, Ratio. It’s an amazing book if you want to learn more about standard ratios for baking. It gives you the basic ratios for things like bread, dough, and batters and allows you to use those to build and create your own recipes. This book really cracked the code of the mystery of baking and allowed me to become more comfortable with creating recipes. This homemade pizza dough recipe works really well for cast iron pan pizza. If you don’t have a cast iron pan, you can also use a pizza stone or even a sheet pan.

pizza dough with a rolling pin and towel

Pizza Topping Ideas

There are probably a million different pizza topping combinations that could be created. You can be simple with your toppings and just select a few standard ones or you can get pretty wild and crazy and top your pizza with just about anything! Sliced tomatoes and mozzarella with a little bit of fresh basil is my favorite combination. Here are some other favorites:

Crumbled Italian sausage with sliced black olives
BBQ sauce with shredded chicken
Ham and pineapple
Sauteed mushroom and spinach
Mini meatballs and parmesan cheese

pizza dough in a cast iron pan with sliced tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and marinara on the side.

How to Make Cast Iron Pizza from Scratch

First, you need to start with your dough. If you aren’t feeling up to making dough from scratch, you can make cast iron pizza with store-bought dough. For those that are up for the challenge, here’s how to put it together:

Mix your yeast with warm water in a bowl and let it sit to give it time to start activating.
Then you will mix in the olive oil, salt and most of the flour and give it a good stir to start forming the dough.
Next, turn the dough out onto the counter and start kneading it, adding flour as needed until the dough is tacky to the touch, but no longer sticky. This will let you get a good idea of how much flour you need without adding too much.
Once the dough is smooth and elastic to the touch, it’s time to let it rest. Put it in a zip top bag in the fridge for 30-60 minutes or up to 8 hours if you want to make the dough ahead of time.

pizza dough being mixed in a brown glass bowl

Finishing it Up…

Now that your dough is ready to go, it’s time to finish it up. This dough recipe makes enough for two pizzas using a 10” cast iron pan. I love Lodge cast iron pans and use their 10.25” pre-seasoned cast iron skillet for this recipe. Here’s how to make cast iron pizza in the oven:

First, sprinkle your cast iron pan with cornmeal to prevent sticking and divide the dough into two pieces. Take one piece and flatten it out onto the bottom of the pan and up the sides the best that you can.
Then, start cooking your crust on the stovetop. As your dough heats up, push the dough more evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan to create your crust.
Once the dough is bubbly and starting to cook on the edges, remove it from the heat. Create some divets in the dough with your fingers, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
The crust should now be cooked enough to hold its shape so you can remove it from the pan and repeat with the other piece of dough. You can also add your toppings and finish it in the oven and repeat after the entire pizza is done.
After your crusts have been pre-baked, add your sauce and toppings and finish them in the oven either in the cast iron pan, a sheet pan or directly on the baking racks. I like to use my Old School Italian Gravy for my pizza sauce.
Remove the pizza(s) from the oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before cooling.

cast iron pan with cornmeal in it with a round of pizza dough and a rolling pin next to it

Can Pizza Dough Be Made Ahead of Time?

Dough can be made up to 8 hours ahead of time and stored in a ziptop bag in the refrigerator. I like putting it together in the morning to make things easier at dinner time. The dough can also be made and pre-baked in the cast iron pan on the stovetop and then cooled for use later. Once the pre-baked crust has cooled, you can wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in a zip-top bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw completely before using.

cast iron pan pizza with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil

More Pizza Love…

I hope you enjoyed this recipe for my Cast Iron Pan Pizza as much as our family does. For even more pizza recipes, check out these other favorites:

Lastly, if you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and give it a rating. I love to hear from each and every one of you! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram as well, if you make any of my recipes. It makes my day to see all of your photos of the food you have made.

Happy Cooking!