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Gorgeous, juicy heirloom tomatoes, creamy mozzarella cheese, and fragrant, fresh basil leaves all come together in this grilled caprese pizza that literally screams summer freshness. Grilled pizza is a unique take on classic pizza and is sure to have you begging for more grilled pizza nights!
I first grilled pizza in the summer of 2013 and I think this is a great alternative if you don’t want to turn on the oven in the summer or if you don’t have one of those fancy pizza ovens. The grill works just as well and quite frankly, I love the grill marks and the way it gets the crust extra crispy on the bottom, in addition to cooking the dough evenly through. It’s pretty foolproof and there’s no learning curve like there is with those popular pizza ovens.
Caprese pizza is a light and fresh way to enjoy pizza. It focuses on the fresh toppings and it isn’t loaded with too much heaviness. When I’m in a pizza mood but would like to enjoy a lighter style pizza, grilled caprese pizza is definitely the way to go. Of course, when I’m feeling carnivorous, a pepperoni and sausage pizza will always be my go-to!
Recipe Tips and Variations
- As mentioned above, caprese pizza focuses on light, classic, fresh ingredients. If you prefer another topping for grilled pizza, try my triple mushroom grilled pizza, bbq chicken grilled pizza, or even fig and prosciutto grilled pizza!
- Add basil leaves after grilling the pizza. This ensures the leaves stay bright and green instead of turning black.
- Use a generous amount of cornmeal or flour on your pizza pan or peel so the dough slides off onto the grill easily.
- Grilling the pizza dough first ensures a cooked, crispy, and firm base. If you try to put toppings on the grilled pizza then slide it onto the grill, you could risk it all the toppings sliding off.
- Make a 7 layer salad to serve with this fresh caprese pizza. It’s the perfect salad to feed a crowd and a veggie-packed addition to your table.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Store leftover pizza by wrapping slices individually in foil or placing in a large enough container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, the best is to reheat in a toaster oven or air fryer until warmed through.
Grilled Caprese Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pizza dough recipe, store-bought is perfect, too!
- ⅓ cup (123 g) pizza sauce, more if needed
- 1 ½ cups (112 g) shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
- ½ large heirloom tomato, thinly sliced
- Handful of basil, thinly sliced or hand torn
Instructions
- Preheat your outdoor grill to high heat.
- Roll out your dough on a floured and cornmeal sprinkled 9-inch pizza pan. Gently stretch it and pull it to fit the 9-inch pizza pan.
- Place it gently on the grill (you may need a helping hand for this part) by sliding it off the pizza pan. Try to position the pizza pan closer to the back of the grill so when you slide off the dough, it will be more centered and not too close to the front.
- Close the lid and grill for 3-5 minutes on each side (checking every so often to make sure the bottom doesn’t get too charred – every grill varies in temperature so keep an eye on it).
- Once both sides have been grilled, turn the grill to low heat then bring the dough inside to assemble your toppings.
- Spread the pizza sauce on top of the dough.
- Generously add the mozzarella cheese.
- Finally, add the tomato slices on top.
- Return to grill and grill until cheese is all melted and ingredients have been warmed through. Garnish with fresh basil on top.
- Slice and serve!
Nutrition
Photographs by Jess Gaertner Creative
VERY GOOD THANKS
This is hands down the best pizza dough recipe I’ve ever used. My search of 20 years is over!! Your directions are easy to follow and the pizza was fantastic.
Wonderful to hear, Diane!