Homemade Pizza: Sauce, Dough & Toppings {60+ Recipes}

Whether it’s restaurant-made or homemade, the sauce and dough can make or break a pizza. Too spicy? Too bland? Too thin? No matter how good the toppings, a mediocre base will turn out a mediocre pizza.

The good news is that you can make a pizza from scratch that will perfectly suit your taste buds! Although it will take more time to simmer a batch of homemade sauce with your favorite blend of herbs and spices (when compared to cracking open a jar or can), chances are you won’t settle for anything less once you find that perfect, saucy combination.

Learn How To Make Pizza From Scratch Just The Way You Like It

This Recipe Hit List is a whopper of a collection of recipes and tutorials that I’ve handpicked around the net showing you how to make that perfect pizza. I’ve organized them into three sections: homemade sauces, pizza dough recipes and then a few dozen topping ideas (many include their own sauce and dough recipes as well).

No matter what kind of pizza you’re in the mood for tonight, you should find something in this list that will hit the spot. Enjoy!

Sauce Recipes

Homemade Pizza Sauce: Made with diced or crushed tomatoes (canned), olive oil, dried basil, fresh oregano (or dried), red pepper flakes, salt and minced garlic. Simmered for approximately 20 minutes. From Two Tarts.
Thick & Rich: Thick enough to be suitable for not only pizzas, but also for subs and dipping breadsticks. Ingredients: olive oil, minced garlic, crushed tomatoes (canned), tomato paste, sugar, salt, basil, dried oregano, fresh cracked pepper and crushed red pepper (optional). From Budget Bytes.
Easy & Tasty Sauce: Ingredients: Tomato paste, hot water, grated Parmesan, minced garlic, honey, onion powder, dried oregano, dried marjoram, basil, black pepper, cayenne, dried red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. From I Adore Food.
Made With Fresh Tomatoes: Ingredients: concassed tomatoes (canned can be used as well), chopped & caramelized yellow onion, red bell pepper, tomato paste, honey, fresh oregano, fresh basil leaves, minced garlic, olive juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. From The Clever Culinarian.
Roasted Tomato Sauce: (scroll down page for recipe) Ingredients: Cherry tomatoes, garlic cloves, tomato passata, thyme spiced olive oil, garlic-chili spiced olive oil, red onion (coarsely chopped), fresh or dried thyme, salt and pepper. From What’s For Lunch Honey?
Crockpot Sauce: Makes a big batch that can be frozen in small bags. Cooks on low for about 4 hours to really let the flavors infuse. Ingredients: Tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, olive oil, honey, grated Parmesan, salt and pepper. From Stacy Makes Cents.
Slow Cooker Pizza Sauce: Yields about 6 cups which can be frozen. Made with canned tomato sauce and paste, water, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, dried parsley flakes, extra virgin olive oil, anchovy fillet, raw sugar (or granulated), freshly grated Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese (or a blend), salt and freshly ground pepper. Simmers for four hours. From Foodie with Family.
Perfect Sauce: Makes 1 cup. Ingredients: canned tomato sauce, tomato paste, finely minced garlic, dried basil, fennel seed, dried oregano, crushed red pepper, Kosher salt, cayenne pepper, granulated sugar and allspice. Simmers for about 20 minutes. From Life’s Ambrosia.
White Sauce: (scroll down page for recipe) Makes enough for 2 pizzas, ingredients: Butter, flour, milk, salt, pepper, minced garlic, fresh basil and parmigiano-greggiano cheese (shredded). From Pete Bakes!
Zesty Old School Style: Makes enough to cover three medium or two large pizzas. Ingredients: Tomato sauce, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, onion powder, ground sweet paprika, sugar, salt, fresh cracked pepper, olive oil and white vinegar. From The Cooking Photographer.
Quick Sauce: Can be refrigerated for up to a week and can be frozen, makes just over 2 cups. Ingredients: Olive oil, garlic cloves, fresh basil, canned plum tomatoes (whole), sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. From Jamie Oliver.
Garden Fresh Sauce: Looking for a recipe using fresh tomatoes and simmers for hours? This is the one for you! Makes about 5 cups and can be frozen for up to 6 months. Ingredients: Fresh tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, chopped onions, minced garlic, basil (fresh or dried), thyme (fresh or dried), oregano (fresh or dried), salt, freshly ground pepper, sugar (optional) and tomato paste. Simmers in a dutch oven for about 2 hours. From Eating Well.

Making Dough From Scratch

Jeff Varasano’s Famous New York Pizza Recipe: Here’s a page that’s loaded with detailed information outlining one man’s quest to make the perfect pizza.
Best Pizza Dough: Promises to be light, fluffy and exactly right. Ingredients: warm water, all-purpose flour, instant yeast, honey, olive oil and salt. Needs to rise for two hours. From Kayotic Kitchen.
Freezeable Dough: Made with flour, active dry yeast, salt, warm water, olive oil and cornmeal (for sprinkling). Dough needs to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before using (or freezing). From Sweet Treats & Good Eats.
Pumpkin Dough: Hmmm, interesting! Dry active yeast, brown sugar, lukewarm water, butter, salt, bread flour, pumpkin puree. Needs to rise for one hour, can be frozen. From Eats Well With Others.
Basic Whole Wheat Dough: Makes one 16″, two 12″, four 8″ or eight 4″ pizzas. Ingredients: Sugar, warm water, active dry yeast, hard white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour, salt and extra-virgin olive oil. Needs to rise for about 90 minutes. Can be frozen for up to 4 months. From The Daily Green.
No-Knead Olive Oil Dough: Easy to make flatbread dough, makes a larger batch but can be refrigerated for up to 12 days. Ingredients: lukewarm water, granulated yeast, Kosher salt, sugar, extra virgin olive oil and unbleached all-purpose flour. From My Baking Addiction.
Easy Bread Machine Dough: Made with water, olive oil, sugar, salt, bread flour, instant yeast, olive oil and coarse yellow corn meal (for sprinkling on pan/stone). Total rising time is just under 2 1/2 hours. From Andrea’s Recipes.
Overnight Thin Crust: Refrigerates overnight or up to 48 hours (though you can tweak it it use the same day). Ingredients: Unbleached all-purpose flour, instant yeast, honey, table salt, water, olive oil. From Cookography.
Copycat Pizza Hut Dough Crust: (bread machine recipe) Ingredients: water, sugar, salt, olive oil, cornmeal, unbleached all-purpose flour, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder and bread machine yeast. From Edible Moments.
10 Minute No-Rise Dough: Makes four 9″ pizzas. Ingredients: Olive oil, sugar, rapid-rise or instant yeast, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour (can substitute with all-purpose flour), grated Parmesan cheese and sea salt. From The Faux Martha.

Topping Ideas

Meats:

Ground Beef With Stuffed Crust: Toppings include ground beef, chopped onion, sliced fresh mushrooms, shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese and shredded Cheddar. Homemade dough stuffed with string cheese. From Taste of Home.
4 Square Family Pizza: Make four different pizzas on one sheet of crust, topping recipes for BBQ Chicken (1 square), Margherita Pizza (1 square), Hawaiian Pizza (1 square) and Pepperoni (1 square). From Pillsbury.
BLT: Baked in a cast iron skillet (optional), toppings include mozzarella cheese, whole romaine heart (shredded), Canadian bacon, sliced tomatoes, shredded colby jack cheese and ranch dressing for dipping. From What’s Cookin’ Chicago.
Turkey Sausage with Orange Peppers & Arugula: Toppings include a three-cheese blend, chopped garlic, bell pepper slices, turkey sausage and arugula. From Whole Living.
Grilled Pizza with Hot Sausage, Peppers, Onions & Oregano Ricotta: Yum! Topping ingredients include Italian hot sausage, thick slices of red onion, grilled peppers (yellow and red), grated fontina cheese, sheep’s milk ricotta, chopped fresh oregano and Basil Vinaigrette (recipe provided). From Food Network.
Bacon, Egg & Asparagus: Topped with grated cheese (mozzarella and asiago), thick strips of bacon, asparagus spears and 1 or 2 eggs. From Michael Ruhlman.
Deep Dish Pizza: Made with ground beef, Italian sauce, chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, Parmesan, mozzarella, fresh oregano and seasonings. From Southern Plate.
Breakfast Pizza: Includes a recipe for a homemade dough, toppings include bacon, eggs, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and sliced tomatoes. From Garlic Girl.
Caramelized Onions, Figs, Bacon and Blue Cheese: Serves 2, ingredients include Spanish onion, fresh thyme leaves, bay leaves, thick slices of bacon, dried mission figs, crumbled Gorgonzola, extra-virgin olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper. From The New York Times.
Roasted Garlic & Spinach White Pizza: Ingredients include garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, bacon, frozen spinach (thawed), salt and pepper, ricotta and mozzarella. From Rachael Ray.
Steak & Blue Cheese: Ingredients include sliced onion, mushrooms, boneless sirloin steak (trimmed), coarsely round black pepper, low-fat mayonnaise, prepared horseradish and crumbled blue cheese. From My Recipes.
Grilled Southwestern: Ingredients include extra-virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, crumbled ricotta salata cheese, ear of corn (roasted & kernels removed), small red bell pepper, chorizo sausage and fresh cilantro leaves. From Williams-Sonoma.
Grilled Asparagus & Prosciutto: Ingredients include extra-virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, fresh mozzarella cheese, asparagus spears (blanched), thinly sliced red onion, thinly sliced prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. From Williams-Sonoma.
Pepperoni & Italian Sausage: (grilled pizza) Ingredients include pepperoni slices, browned Italian sausage, fresh basil leaves (torn), mozzarella and extra virgin olive oil. From Cooking With Michele.
Deep Dish Pizzas: Two recipes provided, one for Pepperoni & Onion while the other is Spinach & Artichoke. From Martha Stewart.
White Pizza With Clams & Pancetta: Ingredients include olive oil, thinly sliced garlic cloves, semolina flour, salt, freshly ground pepper, chopped fresh rosemary, chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, fresh mozzarella, pancetta and littleneck or steamer clams. From Williams-Sonoma.
Bacon Cheeseburger: Ingredients include lean ground beef, shredded cheddar, shredded mozza, crisp & crumbled bacon, dill pickles (on the side). From Land O’Lakes.
Onion, Prosciutto & Mozzarella: Ingredients include thinly sliced red onion, fresh mozzarella and thin prosciutto slices. From Williams-Sonoma.
Sweet Potato, Balsamic, Onion & Soppressata: Ingredients include unsalted butter, extra-virgin olive oil, thinly sliced white onion, oregano, balsamic vinegar, Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, mashed sweet potatoes, shredded mozza and thinly sliced soppressata. From Food & Wine.
Roasted Fennel & Sausage: (with garlic white sauce) Ingredients include thinly sliced fennel, good quality Italian sausage and fresh mozzarella (sliced). From A Sweet Pea Chef.

Chicken:

BBQ Chicken: Made with chicken breasts, your favorite barbecue sauce, shredded Gouda cheese, thinly sliced red onion and chopped fresh cilantro. From Zupas.
BBQ Chicken: Toppings include cooked and shredded chicken, barbecue sauce, sliced red onion, diced orange bell pepper, shredded Monterey Jack and chopped cilantro (to taste). From My Baking Addiction.
Goat Cheese, Chicken & Sundried Tomatoes: Topped with shredded mozzarella, sliced sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese (chilled), shredded cooked chicken, Italian seasoning and roughly chopped baby spinach. From Vintage Victuals.
Garlic Chicken: Ingredients include red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, shredded & cooked chicken breast, chopped plum tomato, chopped mushrooms, shredded part-skim mozzarella, crumbled feta, shredded Parmesan and chopped green onions. From My Recipes.
Chicken Basil: Topped with strips of grilled chicken, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and seasonings. From Sarah’s Cucina Bella.

Vegetables & Cheese:

Crackerbread Pizza: A light crisp crust made from scratch and topped with asagio cheese, diced mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, salt and pepper to taste. From Cheeky Kitchen.
Whole Wheat Pizza With Artichokes & Pecorino Cheese: Toppings: Steamed artichokes, fresh ricotta cheese, thinly sliced plum tomatoes, pitted Kalamata olives (halved), Pecorino Romano cheese and fresh basil leaves. From Whole Living.
Portobello Pesto: Toppings include sliced cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced red onion, pesto (homemade or store-bought), shredded provolone and grated Parmesan. From Brown Eyed Baker.
Squash Blossom: Includes recipe for homemade crust, topped with pizza sauce, squash blossoms and burrata cheese. From Saveur.
Three Cheese White Pizza: Made with thinly sliced garlic, shredded mozza, ricotta, grated Parmesan and dried thyme. From Tracey’s Culinary Adventures.
Mediterranean: Ingredients include spinach, onion, oregano, extra-virgin olive oil, Kalamata olives, chopped tomato, garlic, feta cheese and mozzarella. From My Little Kitchen.
Margherita: Includes both crust and sauce recipes, toppings are sliced mozzarella, Parmesan and halved cherry tomatoes. From BBC Good Food.
Indian Flavored: Both crust and sauce recipes included, toppings: Paneer Tikka, corn, roasted bell pepper, sliced button mushrooms, small onions, garlic, ghee, chilly flakes, coriander leaves and cheese. From Spicy Chilly.
Pizza Margherita, Homemade Tomato Sauce, Homemade Ricotta: Includes a classic margherita recipe and a nectarine and fresh ricotta pizza. From Alexandra’s Kitchen.
Roasted Mushrooms & Shallots: Ingredients include light chive & onion cream cheese, roasted mushrooms and shallots, reduced-fat Lorraine cheese and fresh oregano leaves. From My Recipes.
Bianca Pizza: Made with sliced white onion, shredded mozzarella, chopped fresh rosemary leaves. From My Recipes.
Asparagus & Mushroom: Ingredients include cremini mushrooms, salt, dry white wine, heavy cream, chopped fresh tarragon, fresh flat-leaf parsley, asparagus, olive oil and freshly ground black pepper. From Umami Girl.
Easy Homemade Pizza: Ingredients include shredded mozza, grated Parmesan, thinly sliced vegetables (such as red bell pepper, zucchini and mushrooms), olive oil, basil, oregano, garlic powder, red pepper and sliced black olives. From McCormick.
Mexican: Ingredients include shredded cheddar, chopped tomato, sliced & pitted olives, chopped mild green chilies, chopped onion, fresh cilantro (or parsley) and salsa. From Land O’Lakes.
Spinach & Cheese: Makes one 12″ pizza, ingredients include fine sea salt, Gruyere cheese (grated), young pecorino cheese, buffalo mozzarella, freshly ground black pepper, garlic, fresh spinach and extra-virgin olive oil (for serving). From Martha Stewart.
Whole Wheat Greek: Ingredients include cherry tomatoes, garlic clove, coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, grated haloumi cheese, pine nuts, baby arugula, red-wine vinegar and pitted kalamata olives. From Whole Living.
Brie & Garlic Scape: Toppings are soft brie cheese, garlic scapes, olive oil, sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. From Love & Olive Oil.
Zucchini: (cooked on the grill) Toppings: sliced zucchini, garlic, dried oregano, crushed red pepper, ricotta cheese, shredded Gruyere, grated Parmesan and fresh basil leaves. From Redbook.