The Best Pesto Pizza Recipe (And Super Easy!)

What Is Pesto Pizza?

Pesto pizza is a delicious twist on traditional pizza that swaps the usual tomato sauce for pesto, a vibrant and flavorful sauce made primarily from basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and olive oil. This switch gives the pizza a wonderfully fresh and herbaceous flavor. Typically topped with mozzarella cheese and a variety of toppings, pesto pizza is a fantastic choice for anyone looking to try something a little different. It's particularly great if you're a fan of bold, aromatic flavors.

Why you’ll love this Pesto Pizza recipe

Flavor Explosion: DeLallo’s authentic Italian Pesto is the star of this pizza, bringing a rich, aromatic basil punch that transforms every bite into a gourmet experience.

Super Simple: This recipe is all about making life easier without sacrificing taste. With a few high-quality ingredients and some basic steps, you'll have a delicious pizza without the fuss.

Customizable: Whether you're a meat lover, a veggie enthusiast, or somewhere in between, this pizza applies perfectly to your tastes. Add your favorite toppings to make it uniquely yours!

Everyone's Favorite: From kids to adults, who doesn’t love a good pizza night? This Pesto Pizza has flavors that appeal to everyone, making it a surefire hit for gatherings or a cozy night in.

Quality Ingredients: DeLallo is known for their commitment to quality, and it shines through in their pesto. Made with the finest ingredients, it ensures that your pizza is not just tasty but also made with the best products available.

The ingredients you will need to make Pesto Pizza

Pizza Dough Kit: This kit includes superior type 00 flour—the perfect pizza-making flour—along with the yeast needed for the dough to rise.

Pesto: Our Pesto Sauce is a fragrant and flavorful homage to the Northern Italian classic. This exquisite jarred pesto sauce is made in Italy with a handful of fresh, simple ingredients such as handpicked Ligurian basil leaves, olive oil and crunchy pine nuts along with iconic Italian cheeses, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This is the flavorful foundation of your homemade pizza dough and a cooking ingredient to sear the chicken, so make sure that you don’t use just any old olive oil.

Provolone Cheese: Provolone is a semi-hard cheese with a smooth texture. It is great for melting, adding a rich, creamy texture to your pizza and providing a pleasantly mild flavor.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Our Julienned Sun-Dried Tomatoes are cut into elegant strips for your convenience in the kitchen, these sun-kissed tomatoes boast an irresistibly chewy texture and boldly sweet tomato flavor.

Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan is a hard, sharp cheese that adds a nutty flavor and depth of taste to pizza. It's often used as a finishing touch, sprinkled freshly grated over the pizza after it comes out of the oven.

Fresh Basil and Red Chili Pepper Flakes: Finish the pizza with freshly torn basil leaves and add a little spice with the pepper flakes.

How to make Pesto Pizza

1. Create the dough: Combine the flour and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add in the water and stir with a fork. Once the dough starts to form, knead the dough by hand into a ball. Cover it with plastic and allow it to rise (until doubled). Check out a step-by-step for our DeLallo Pizza Dough Kit here.

2. Par-bake the pizza crust: Brush olive oil on the pizza dough and bake for 10 minutes.

3. Top the pizza: Remove from the oven, spread the pizza evenly over the partially baked crust, top with provolone cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Bake until cheese has melted.

4. Finish and serve: Finish the pizza by adding the parmesan cheese, basil and pepper flakes.

Top Tips

Preparation: Pizza Dough - Dough can be kept for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. In fact, it’s preferred to allow the dough to proof 24 hours to develop its flavor and texture.To use the refrigerated dough: Allow it to sit out for about 15-20 minutes at room temperature. This softens it enough to stretch.

Serving: Top the cooked pizza with more parmesan cheese, fresh basil and pepper flakes.

Storage: Fridge - To store leftovers, wrap in foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Reheating: To reheat, bake the pizza in an oven at 350˚F for about 10 minutes, or bake in a toaster oven to make it crispy again.

Substitutions and Additions

Experiment with pesto. Try using our other flavors of pesto as the sauce. We have 2 other varieties to choose from: Sun-Dried Tomato, Basil and Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Pesto.

Switch up the toppings. Toppings are endless! Try adding grilled chicken, charred cherry tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, pepperoncino or even Calabrian chili peppers!

Make it cheesy. Add 2 other kinds of cheese to make a 4-cheese pizza. Try shredded Mozzarella and Gruyere.

Pesto Pizza: FAQ

What is Pesto?

Pesto is a wonderful, vibrant sauce that originated in Italy—specifically from the beautiful region of Liguria. Pesto is traditionally made from fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, and a good drizzle of olive oil. The ingredients are blended together, typically in a mortar and pestle, which is actually how pesto got its name—it comes from the Italian word "pestare," which means to pound or crush. It’s incredibly versatile and utterly delicious. The fresh basil gives it a bright, herby flavor that’s complemented by the rich nuts, sharp cheese, and the pungent kick of garlic, all smoothed together by the richness of the olive oil.

Does pesto go on pizza before or after cooking?

Typically, pesto is best added after the pizza has been cooked. This way, you preserve the vibrant color and fresh flavors of the herbs and garlic in the pesto. But when using it as the sauce, it goes on before baking. Pro tip: par-bake the dough first. After it is par-baked, remove from oven and spread the pesto evenly on the crust. This method helps to keep the fresh pesto flavor!

Do Italians put pesto on pizza?

In Italy, you might find variations of pesto pizza, sometimes simply with a layer of pesto topped with mozzarella cheese, or combined with other ingredients like cherry tomatoes, various cheeses, or even seafood, which is quite popular in Ligurian cuisine. Swapping out the usual red sauce for pesto can make for a refreshing change, and it's especially great in the summer when basil is in peak season.

What cheese pairs well with pesto?

If you want to complement the vibrant, herby flavors of pesto, you can't go wrong with a good Parmesan cheese. Its salty, nutty profile works wonders with the basil and garlic in the pesto. Another great choice is Pecorino Romano, which is slightly sharper and saltier, adding a lovely depth to pesto dishes. For a creamier texture, try adding dollops of fresh mozzarella or burrata. These cheeses are milder, allowing the bold flavors of the pesto to shine through while adding a wonderfully smooth texture to your dish.

Can I make pesto pizza ahead of time?

Yes. Once the dough is prepared, it can be kept for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. To use the refrigerated dough: Allow it to sit out for about 15-20 minutes at room temperature. This softens it enough to stretch. You can also par-bake the crust ahead of time. After baking the crust, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and sit at room temperature for up to 2 days.

The Best Pesto Pizza Recipe (And Super Easy!)

• 1 (17.6-ounce) DeLallo Pizza Dough Kit (or optional: DeLallo Gluten Free Pizza Dough Kit)
• 1 (6.35-ounce) jar DeLallo Traditional Basil Pesto
• 1 ¼ cup lukewarm water
• ¼ cup DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 5 cup shredded provolone cheese, divided
• 1 (6.7-ounce jar) DeLallo Julienned Sun-Dried Tomatoes, drained
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Fresh basil leaves
• Red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Combine flour mix and yeast packet in a large mixing bowl with 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water. Stir with a fork until dough begins to form.
2. Knead by hand for 3 minutes, or until dough is soft and smooth. Transfer to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. (After this step, you can refrigerate for use within 1-3 days.)
3. Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Form pizza by hand on a lightly oiled baking pan or pizza stone.
4. Brush the olive oil on the pizza crust.
5. Bake for 10 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and spread the pesto on top of the crust.
7. Top with shredded cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.
8. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese melts
9. Remove from the oven, add parmesan cheese, basil and pepper flakes.

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