Transform your next pizza night with this cast iron skillet pizza! The ultra-crispy crust and super fluffy center is achieved through high heat and a cast-iron skillet, for the best homemade pizza you'll ever have!
Homemade pizza night is the best night at my house! How can you go wrong with vodka sauce pizza, focaccia pizza, or cast iron skillet pizza?
The crispy and caramelized crust makes this pizza restaurant-worthy!
This recipe requires a handful of ingredients and is the perfect pizza to make with homemade pizza dough and pizza sauce.
Even if you make your own dough, this pizza goes from oven to table in one hour and tastes even better than takeout. You are going to love how easy and delicious it is!!
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why you'll love this recipe
- The best crispy edges
- Super quick and easy to make!
- You can use your favorite store-bought crust or my chewy pizza dough recipe that is ready in 30 minutes!
ingredient notes
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below!
- Pizza dough: You can use your favorite store-bought pizza dough or make your own for an even more delicious pizza!
- Pepperoni: I love using high-quality pepperoni for the best flavor. DeLallo is my go-to brand!
- Mozzarella cheese: I highly recommend shredding your own cheese and not using pre-shredded because it won't melt properly.
- Pizza sauce: I love using homemade sauce but you can use your favorite store-bought sauce as well.
- Hot honey: Mike's Hot Honey is the best store-bought brand but you can also make your own!
instructions
Before you start: Move your oven racks to the bottom and top of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 F/230 C.
Step 1: Add the oil to the bottom of a large cast-iron skillet (9 inches).
Place the pizza dough in the pan and use your fingers to dimple the dough around to fill the edges of the pan evenly.
If the dough is cold, cover the pan with plastic wrap and let it come to room temperature in a warm place.
Step 2: Spread the shredded mozzarella cheese in an even layer over the entire top of the dough. Adding the cheese and toppings all the way to the edges of the dough will give you that super crispy crust!
Step 3: Dot the pizza sauce over the top of the cheese, all the way to the edges.
Step 4: Add the pepperoni slices or desired toppings over the cheese and sauce, then top with more mozzarella.
Bake on the very bottom oven rack for 18-20 minutes. Pull the pizza out and carefully lift up a side of the pizza with a rubber spatula to check for browning on the bottom of the crust. If necessary, continue baking until the bottom is brown.
If the top isn't browning enough, place it on the top rack and bake for 2-3 minutes until the desired color. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board, drizzle with hot honey, then cut and serve!
expert baking
- Use room temperature dough: Make sure the dough is room temperature so that it rises properly in the oven!
- Make your own sauce: Just like the dough, you of course can use store-bought sauce but my homemade pizza sauce is so flavorful and ridiculously easy to make!
- Add toppings to the edge: To get the extra crispy crust, add the toppings right to the edge. If you leave room on the edges, you won't get the crispy caramelized crust.
- Add the cheese first: Adding a layer of cheese to the dough first will prevent the sauce from making the crust soggy.
- Check the bottom of the crust: Make sure to check the crust before pulling it out of the oven otherwise it will be doughy.
storage & freezing
- Fridge: Store any leftovers wrapped on a baking tray or in a sealed container in the fridge for 1-2 days.
variations
- Best cheeses for pizza: Fresh mozzarella, burrata, cheddar, or parmesan cheese are great options. You want to stray from using pre-shredded cheeses as they won't melt as well.
- Favorite toppings: I love green pepper, red peppers, Italian sausage, red onion, pineapple (controversial I know!), bacon, or salami as other alternative toppings. After baking, top the pizza with fresh basil or red pepper flakes for even more flavor.
- Cast iron pans: This recipe was made in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet, but can be made in any size! The trick is to only add enough dough to fill ⅓ of the pan otherwise it will rise too much and spill out over the edge.
faqs
To prevent it from sticking, thoroughly coat the bottom and sides of the pan with oil before adding the dough.
This recipe uses a 9-inch cast iron pan, although you can use a different size, know that the amount of dough and baking time will vary!
I have a great list of topping options above in the recipe variations section!
Yes! I always recommend making your own pizza sauce. It's so easy and you can't beat the flavor!
more recipes to try
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below, I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you're there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Recipe 📖
Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
Equipment
- 1 9 inch cast iron pan
Ingredients
- 10 ounces store bought or homemade pizza dough room temperature *SEE NOTES*
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese use a low moisture block mozzarella instead of fresh for the crispiest crust
- ⅓ cup homemade pizza sauce
- ¼ cup pepperoni slices
- 2 tablespoon Mike's Hot Honey
Instructions
- Move one oven rack to the very bottom and top of your oven, then preheat it to 450 F/230 C.
- Add the olive oil to a 9-inch cast iron skillet and evenly coat the bottom and sides of the pan, then add the room temperature dough. Use your fingers to dimple the dough evenly to fill the entire pan.10 ounces store bought or homemade pizza dough, 2 teaspoon olive oil
- Add 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and spread it over the entire dough, all the way to the edges!1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Dot the pizza sauce over the cheese, all the way to the edges.⅓ cup homemade pizza sauce
- Top the pizza with the pepperoni, and sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheese over the top.¼ cup pepperoni slices
- Bake the pizza on the bottom rack for 18-20 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust is brown and the cheese is browning and melted. You can check if the crust is brown by lifting up one side with a spatula. If you desire a more browned top, move the pan to the top rack of the oven for 2-3 minutes.
- Place the hot pan on a wire rack momentarily, then use a sharp knife to run around the edges of the pan to keep the pizza from sticking.
- Use a spatula to carefully transfer the pizza to a cutting or serving board to keep the crust from getting soggy.
- Drizzle with hot honey, slice, and serve hot!2 tablespoon Mike's Hot Honey
Notes
recipe notes & tips
- Use homemade pizza dough: Of course, store-bought dough works wonderfully, I highly recommend making your own because it's delicious!
- Make your own sauce: Just like the dough, you of course can use store-bought sauce but my homemade pizza sauce is so flavorful and ridiculously easy to make!
- Add toppings to the edge: To get the extra crispy crust, add the toppings right to the edge!
- Add the cheese first: Adding a layer of the cheese to the dough first will prevent the sauce from making the crust soggy.
- Check the bottom of the crust: Make sure to check the crust before pulling it out of the oven otherwise it will be doughy.
- Best cheeses for pizza: Freshly shredded mozzarella, burrata, cheddar, or gouda are great options. You want to stray from using pre-shredded cheeses as they won't melt as well.
- Best pizza toppings: I love any kind of vegetable, pineapple (controversial I know!), sausage, bacon, or salami.
- Cast iron pans: This recipe was made in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet, but can be made in any size! The trick is to only add enough dough to fill ⅓ of the pan otherwise it will rise too much and spill out over the edge.
The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Candice says
The only pizza recipe you need! I love that it didn't require rolling out a dough and it came out perfectly crispy from following the instructions.
Cambrea Gordon says
I'm so glad you loved it! Thanks Candice!! 🙂
Nolan says
I don't want to eat pizza any other way now!! This was honestly the best pizza I've ever made at home and everyone loved the hot honey drizzle.
Cambrea Gordon says
Hi Nolan! I'm so happy to hear this, it's the only way I make my pizzas now too! 🙂
Esther Kowalski says
Outstanding recipe! Best pizza ever! This recipe is so easy to make. The hot honey put all the flavors over the top! Fantastic!🥰
Cambrea Gordon says
Thank you Esther!! I am so thrilled to hear you love it as much as I do 🙂
Sharilyn says
I enjoyed a big slice of this over the weekend! I also made it with your chewy pizza dough recipe and overall was so easy and didn't take as much time as I thought it would. Your pizza recipes never dissapoint!
Cambrea Gordon says
I am so glad to hear this! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review Sharilyn!
Mary says
Hands down the best pizza I've ever had in my life. The crust was SO crispy and everyone loved the hot honey drizzle on top! Definitely will be making this again.
Cambrea Gordon says
Yay! It is absolutely my favorite way to make pizza now. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for leaving a review Mary!