How to Make the Perfect Grilled Pizza

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Today I’m sharing how to make the perfect Grilled Pizza! I make homemade pizza almost every week, and during the summers I love to take the pizza to the grill. Most of my favorite dinners during the summer involve the BBQ. One recipe we love is making individual grilled pizzas. We love pizza, but during the summer I don’t want to turn our oven on if we don’t need to… it’s just too hot! So here’s how we make our Grilled Pizza… it’s easy, fun, and turns out perfect!

If you’re like me, you believe there’s no such thing as too much pizza, especially when it’s summer and the grill is calling your name. But have you ever considered grilling your pizza? Trust me, it’s a game-changer! Crispy crust, smoky flavor, and endless topping possibilities await. So, fire up the grill and let’s dive into the delicious world of grilled pizza!

Why Grill Pizza?

First things first, why grill pizza when you can bake it in the oven? Well, grilling adds a whole new dimension of flavor and texture to your favorite pie. The intense heat of the grill gives the crust a beautiful char and crispiness that’s hard to achieve in a conventional oven. Plus, you get that irresistible smoky flavor that takes your pizza to the next level. It’s like a mini backyard pizza party every time you fire up the grill!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• Pizza dough – You can make your own or grab some from the store.
• Olive oil – For brushing the dough and adding flavor. A garlic olive oil would be delicious.
• Pizza sauce – Choose your favorite store-bought sauce or make your own.
• Cheese – Mozzarella is a classic choice, but feel free to get creative with toppings like cheddar, feta, or goat cheese.
• Toppings – The possibilities are endless! Go traditional with pepperoni and mushrooms or get adventurous with grilled veggies, barbecue chicken, or even pineapple.

The Dough

I normally use my favorite homemade pizza dough recipe, but if you prefer you can purchase pizza dough at your grocery store. The dough for one large pizza will make 4 individual-sized pizzas. If you purchased pizza dough at your grocery store, follow the directions on the bag. A lot of doughs will have you pull the dough from the refrigerator 15-20 minutes before you start to work with it.

Prep the Grill

Get your gas grill heating up! I put our bbq on the medium-high heat setting. I usually let it go 5-10 minutes to get it nice and hot before I start the grilling. Every grill is different, so if your grill runs really hot you might want to put your temperature at medium. I like to grill my pizzas at around 500 degrees. Just before putting on the pizzas, I will clean the grates with my grill brush.

Prepping the Pizzas

Meanwhile, while the grill is heating up, I divide my dough into 4 pieces and rolled them out pretty thin, and place them on a sheet of aluminum foil that I brush with a little olive oil. This will help the pizza to not stick to the foil. Now you can go without the foil if you want to get those grill marks. Just make sure your grill is really hot so the dough will not stick.

Then comes the fun. I’ll set up a pizza station and let the kiddos (and the adults) put on their own pizza sauce, cheese and toppings. You can put the various toppings in little bowls: pepperoni, sausage, olives, pineapple, bacon, ham, vegetables, peppers, cooked chicken, etc. You can also offer alternatives to the traditional red sauce by having pesto sauce and even an alfredo sauce option.

How to Grill a Pizza

You need to have everything ready because the pizza cooks quickly. You’ll want to have plates and tongs. I like using bbq tongs (with the long handle) so you can grab the pizza and move it around easily. A bbq spatula works too.

Place 2 pizzas at a time on the grill. Close the lid and peek after a minute. Keep checking every minute.  Once the cheese starts melting keep the lid open and use the tongs to check the bottom pizza crust. If it’s browned slide the foil/pizza and all onto a plate. If it needs a little more time keep checking it every 20-30 seconds.

Normally the pizza will cook in about 3 minutes… so there’s no walking away… it’s quick!

Finishing the Grilled Pizza

You can offer fresh options like fresh basil or arugula for people to put on top of their pizzas if they like.

Tips and Tricks:

• Don’t Overdo the Sauce: Too much sauce can make the crust soggy. Use just enough to coat the dough evenly.
• Get Creative with Toppings: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different toppings and flavor combinations. Grilled pizza is the perfect canvas for culinary creativity!
• Keep an Eye on the Heat: Every grill is different, so adjust the heat as needed to prevent burning.

It really is a fun dinner to do with the family during summer and it’s ready nice and quick!

Don’t forget to check out my popular pizza dough recipe:

If you love pizza like us make sure to check out my Pizza Fries recipe too!

You can find all my pizza recipes here!

Thanks for stopping by friends!