Cast Iron Pizza Recipe

This cast iron pizza recipe is perfect for a pizza night at home. Homemade pizza dough is cooked in a cast iron skillet for a super crispy crust, that is still soft and chewy on the inside.

“This post was originally published in September 2017 and has been updated for content.”

Our family loves doing pizza nights at home. We partially bake the crusts and then let everyone pick their own toppings to create their own pizzas. The kids love being able to help out in the kitchen and create their own dinner!

While they are not your traditional deep dish pizza, they still remind me of the ones we used to get back in Chicago. This cast iron skillet pizza recipe would be great served alongside chicken wings, Italian beef or penne pomodoro.

🍅 Ingredient notes

• Pizza dough - For best results, use bread flour or 00 flour when making homemade pizza dough. If needed, all purpose flour will work just fine. This homemade pizza dough recipe will make two pan pizzas using a 10" cast iron skillet. If you use store-bought pizza dough, plan for about 1 pound of dough per 10" pizza.
• Sauce - I always have a batch of my Italian gravy in the freezer to use for pizza sauce if needed. You can also use your favorite store bought pizza sauce if that is easier.
• Toppings - One of my favorite cast iron pizza toppings is margherita style. This consists of sliced mozzarella and tomatoes and fresh basil. For even more topping ideas, check out my lists of suggestions below.

🍕 Pizza topping ideas

• White Pizza - Use alfredo sauce and top with ricotta and parmesan cheeses.
• BBQ Chicken - Use bbq sauce and top with shredded chicken and mozzarella.
• Veggie - Add sautéed sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and spinach.
• Meatball - Use cooked mini meatballs, shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
• Hawaiian - Add chopped ham, diced pineapple and shredded mozzarella.
• Classic - Use sliced pepperoni, cooked Italian sausage and sliced black olives.
• Pesto - Switch out the marinaa sauce for fresh basil pesto.

🔪 Step by step instructions

First, combine the warm water and yeast in a large bowl and then let it to sit for 5 minutes. Add the olive oil, salt and 4 cups of the bread flour and stir with a wooden spoon to form the dough.

Next, turn the homemade dough out onto a lightly floured surface and begin to the knead it, adding more flour as needed. The dough should be tacky to the touch, but not sticky. Continue to knead until smooth and elastic. Place the dough ball in a zip top bag for at least 30-60 minutes or up to 8 hours in the fridge to rest.

When you are ready to cook your pizza, divide the dough into two equal pieces. Roll or stretch out the dough to approximately 10 inch circles.

Sprinkle cornmeal in the cast iron pan and then place the round of dough on top of the cornmeal. Push the dough around the bottom and also up the sides of the pan the best that you can.

Then, put the cast iron skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. As it starts to heat up, press the edges of the dough into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Let the dough continue to cook until it starts to puff up and bubble.

Remove the pan from the heat and then using your fingers, create dimples in the dough around the bottom. Drizzle the top of the dough with a thin layer of olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

The crust is now pre-baked and toppings can be added. Either finish the pizza in the oven, or remove it from the skillet and pre-bake the other crust.

Top each pre-baked cast iron skillet pizza crust with half of the marinara sauce. Then, alternate adding slices of mozzarella and tomatoes in an even layer. Sprinkle the crust with parmesan cheese and then it's ready to finish off in the oven at high heat.

Cook the pizzas in a 525˚ oven for about 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and cheese melted. The pizzas can finish cooking in the cast iron pans, on a sheet pan or directly on the oven rack.

Top the finished cast iron pizza with fresh basil leaves and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes on a cutting board before slicing.

⭐ Expert tips

• Don't add too much flour to the dough or it will be hard to knead and it will not rise well. The dough should be tacky to the touch, but it shouldn't stick to your hands.
• Make sure to let the dough rest to give the dough time to let the gluten develop.
• As the dough heats up on the stovetop, it will start to soften and become easier to push up the sides. If it's still to stiff, give it a minute to heat up a bit more.
• A super hot oven works best when cooking cast iron pizza. It heats up the cast iron and make sure the crust stays crispy. Place on the middle rack of the oven so the top nor the bottom cooks too quickly or burns.

⏲️ Make ahead and storage instructions

DOUGH - Make the dough up to 8 hours ahead of time and store in the zip top bag in the refrigerator. To freeze, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and store in a zip top bag for up to 2 months. Let the frozen dough thaw completely in the refrigerator before rolling out.

CRUSTS - Pre-bake the crusts on the stove top and then let them cool completely. Store in a zip top bag for up to 48 hours in the refrigerator. To freeze, wrap them in plastic wrap and store in a zip top bag for up to 2 months. Thaw frozen crusts completely in the refrigerator and crisp them up in a cast iron pan on the stove top.

LEFTOVERS - Any leftover cast iron pizza you may have will keep an airtight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

🍕 More pizza recipes

If you loved this cast iron pizza recipe, check out these other pizza recipes that I know you will love too!

• Pizza on the Grill
• Pizza Grilled Cheese
• Breakfast Pizza with Ricotta
• Italian Flatbread Pizzas

📖 Recipe

Cast Iron Pizza Recipe

Amanda

This cast iron pizza recipe is perfect for a pizza night at home. Homemade pizza dough is cooked in a cast iron skillet for a super crispy crust, that is still soft and chewy on the inside.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Rising Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Main Dishes

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 6 servings

Calories 666 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Homemade Pizza Dough

• 1 ½ cups warm water approximately 105-110˚
• ½ teaspoon dry active yeast
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 - 4 ½ cups bread flour or 00 flour

Cast Iron Pizza

• 2 Tablespoons cornmeal
• 6 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup Italian gravy or pizza sauceold school italian gravy
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced thin
• 1 medium tomato sliced thin
• ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
• ⅓ cup fresh basil leaves

Instructions

 

Homemade Pizza Dough

• In a large bowl combine the warm water and yeast. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
• Add in olive oil, salt, and 4 cups of the flour to the bowl. Stir to combine.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and begin to knead, adding a little bit of flour if the dough becomes too sticky. The dough should be tacky to the touch, but not sticky.
• Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic and then place it in a zip top bag to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30-60 minutes, or up to 8 hours. 

Cast Iron Pizza

• Preheat the oven to 525° and sprinkle a 10" cast iron pan with a tablespoon of the cornmeal.
• Cut the dough into two equal pieces and gently roll or stretch them out into about 10" circles. Press one of the rounds of dough into the bottom of the pan, pressing it out towards the edges and up the sides as best as possible.
• Place skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. As the pan and the dough heats up, start to press the dough more evenly onto the bottom of the pan and up the sides to form the crust.
• Let the dough continue to cook for a few more minutes until it starts to puff up and bubble.
• Use fingers to create dimples in the bottom of the dough. Drizzle it with 2-3 Tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper.
• The crust is now pre-baked and can be topped with the sauce old school italian gravyand toppings and finished in the oven. It can also be removed from the skillet, so the other crust can be pre-baked.
• Once both crusts are pre-baked, top each with ½ cup of sauce. Add alternating slices of the tomatoes and mozzarella on top of the sauce and sprinkle each crust with 2 Tablespoons of parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown. The pizzas can be finished in a cast iron pan, on a sheet pan or directly on the oven rack.
• Top finished pizzas with fresh basil leaves and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

• • Store-bought pizza dough can be used instead of homemade. About 1 pound of pizza dough is needed for each 10" pizza.
  • Bread flour or 00 flour make the best dough. All purpose flour can be used too, if needed.
  • Don't add too much flour to the dough or it will be hard to knead and it will not rise well. 

• • Make sure to let the dough rest to give the dough time to let the gluten develop.

• • As the dough heats up on the stovetop, it will start to soften and become easier to push up the sides. If it's still to stiff, give it a minute to heat up a bit more.

• • A super hot oven works best when cooking pizza. It heats up the cast iron and make sure the crust stays crispy. Place on the middle rack of the oven so the top nor the bottom cooks too quickly or burns.

 

Topping Ideas

• • White Pizza - Use alfredo sauce and top with ricotta and parmesan cheeses.

• • BBQ Chicken - Use bbq sauce instead and top with shredded chicken and mozzarella cheese.

• • Veggie - Add sautéed sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and spinach.

• • Meatball - Use cooked mini meatballs, shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

• • Hawaiian - Add chopped ham, diced pineapple and shredded mozzarella.

• • Classic - Use sliced pepperoni, cooked Italian sausage and sliced black olives.

• • Pesto - Switch out the sauce for fresh basil pesto and add your favorite toppings.

 

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

DOUGH - Make the dough up to 8 hours ahead of time and store in the zip top bag in the refrigerator. To freeze, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and store in a zip top bag for up to 2 months. Let the frozen dough thaw completely in the refrigerator.

CRUSTS - Pre-bake the crusts on the stove top and then let them cool completely. Store in a zip top bag for up to 48 hours in the refrigerator. To freeze, wrap them in plastic wrap and store in a zip top bag for up to 2 months. Thaw frozen crusts completely in the refrigerator and crisp them up in a cast iron pan on the stove top.

LEFTOVERS - Any leftover pizza you may have will keep an airtight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 2slicesCalories: 666kcalCarbohydrates: 75gProtein: 23gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 1204mgPotassium: 317mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 720IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 284mgIron: 2mg

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