Margherita pizza is a classic Italian pizza made with a simple topping of tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil leaves, and olive oil on a leavened white flour dough. It showcases the colors of the Italian flag and is light, fresh, and full of flavor. My easy version includes a homemade whole wheat pizza dough & tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, and extra virgin olive oil. However, it can also be made using store-bought staples and your choice of toppings. Try this Italian-inspired Margherita recipe for your next pizza party or weekend movie night!
About Margherita Pizza
Margherita Pizza was invented in 1889 by pizza maker Raffaele Esposito as a tribute to Queen Margherita of Savoy. It represents the colors of the Italian flag:
- Red (tomato)
- White (mozzarella)
- Green (basil)
The pizza named after Queen Margherita is simple to make and yet flavorful. The crust typically is light, airy and slightly charred especially when baked in wood fired ovens.
Traditionally the pizza dough is only made with flour, water, yeast and salt. It is later allowed to leaven as with most pizza dough recipes.
The tomato sauce that is traditionally used is made from San Marzano tomatoes which has a distinct taste and flavor.
This unique pizza offers a wonderful balance of flavors and textures—the creamy richness of mozzarella pairs perfectly with the fragrant basil, while the bright acidity and tanginess of the tomato sauce add a refreshing contrast.
Fresh mozzarella cheese, usually made from buffalo milk, is used to create an authentic Margherita pizza. However, some variations may use mozzarella made from cow’s milk as well.
About My Recipe
This Margherita pizza recipe is a simple, delicious pizza that’s easy to make at home. What makes a Margherita special is just how brilliantly basic it is.
The best versions feature mozzarella and parmesan cheese over a zesty tomato sauce, and include plenty of fresh basil. In my recipe too, I use choose to add both these cheeses.
The mozzarella brings that classic creamy melt, while the vegetarian parmesan adds a rich, savory depth and a slightly nutty flavor. Together, they enhance the overall taste and give the pizza a more balanced and delicious cheesy layer.
I make my recipe with a tried and tested Whole Wheat Pizza Dough and homemade Pizza Sauce which gives the pizza a wholesome, hearty base and fresh, vibrant flavors.
I also make it sometimes with this tangy and flavorful Marinara Sauce made from fresh tomatoes, adding a rustic depth and a bright, zesty kick to the pizza.
While I always prefer to use a homemade pizza sauce, you can opt to add tomato slices, too, for an extra burst of flavor.
I recommend using high quality ingredients for creating absolutely the tastiest pizza with a perfectly chewy, lightly crispy crust and zesty tomato sauce.
No yeast? No worries! Give this easy No Yeast Pizza Dough recipe a try. You can also make this pizza using any of your favorite homemade pizza crusts.
Most often, Margherita Pizza is made in wood-fired ovens or on a pizza stone. The pizza stone helps create a crispy, evenly cooked crust by distributing heat more uniformly.
I have made this recipe easy for you as I am not using a pizza stone. But I do have a pizza stone and make pizza on it often. Many of us do not have a pizza stone, so I am showing an easy method to bake in a pan – still delicious, with great results!
If you do own a pizza stone, then read the instructions in my “expert tips” section below or in the notes section of the recipe card.
Margherita Pizza vs Regular Cheese Pizza
If you are wondering what is the difference, then let me tell you. Margherita Pizza is made with tomato sauce or marinara as the base sauce on the crust.
Fresh Mozzarella and optionally some parmesan cheese is included which after being baked is topped with some fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil.
A cheese pizza has tomato sauce on the crust and topped with shredded mozzarella and a mix of various cheese – fontina, romano, provolone or parmesan.
Step-by-Step Guide
How to make Margherita Pizza
Make Dough
1. The first step to making a great pizza is to make a great pizza dough. In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a standing mixer with a hook attachment, add 1 teaspoon of instant yeast (3 grams) and ½ teaspoon of sugar. Instant yeast is rapid rise yeast.
If using dry active yeast or fresh yeast, then check the “Notes” section of the recipe card below or follow these instructions:
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast = 1.5 teaspoons active dry yeast = 3 teaspoons fresh yeast
- Mix dry active yeast or fresh yeast and ½ teaspoon sugar in 1 cup lukewarm water. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture has become frothy and bubbly
- Mix with rest of the ingredients and knead to a soft dough.
2. Add 1 cup of water and mix well.
3. Next add 3 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 teaspoon of salt.
4. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, or preferred flavorless oil.
5. Plus add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
Tip: A little bit of acidity helps in gluten development. If you do not have lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar is an option.
6. Use the hook attachment of the standing mixture on medium speed to combine the ingredients and bring the dough together.
You can also knead the pizza dough by hand. To do so just be sure to fully knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface.
7. The dough should be smooth, pliable and soft. If the dough looks dry, then you can add some water while kneading.
If the dough seems sticky, sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough and continue to knead.
Proof Dough
8. Once combined, shape into a round ball within the bowl. Use your fingers to spread a light layer of water all over the dough.
9. Cover the bowl with a lid or a kitchen towel, and allow to rise until the dough increases in volume and doubles up. This should take about 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
If using dry active yeast, then keep covered for 1:30 hours to 3 hours (it depends on the temperature conditions in your city).
10. Below is a picture of the dough having doubled in size.
11. And here is the dough once I started to work with it again. It should be stringy with tiny air pockets. This texture is what creates that slightly chewy crust you want.
12. Knead the dough lightly again, and either use immediately or pack and store in the fridge or freezer.
Assemble
13. To make pizza with your homemade dough, first prepare a 9-inch pan or tray by lightly greasing with oil and dusting with flour, cornmeal, or semolina.
Preheat the oven to its highest possible temperature. My oven has 250 degrees Celsius (475 degrees Fahrenheit) as the highest temperature.
Allow the oven to preheat for 15 to 20 minutes before baking the pizza to make sure it’s perfectly hot.
14. Separate the pizza dough into 6 or 7 even sections, packaging and storing any you’re not planning to use. To store, wrap each individual section in plastic wrap, and then seal all of the dough in an airtight plastic bag or other container.
Working one pizza crust at a time, lightly flour a clean surface and sprinkle the dough with flour.
15. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough ball into a flat circle, about 0.3 to 0.5 centimeter thick. Flour the rolling pin if it sticks, or use a piece of parchment paper between the dough and rolling pin.
16. Carefully lift and place the dough into the greased baking or tray.
17. Next, spread on a thin layer of store bought or homemade pizza sauce. Leave a good bit of room around the edge of the dough clear for the crust.
18. Add a generous sprinkling of vegetarian parmesan cheese (optional).
19. And top with lots of fresh mozzarella cheese. Spread out evenly, again, avoiding the very edge of the crust. Break fresh mozzarella cheese into chunks and place it on the crust.
Tip 1: If you have water soaked fresh mozzarella, then squeeze water from the mozzarella to avoid a soggy crust.
Tip 2: If dried or low-moisture mozzarella is all you have, go ahead and use it. Simply shred or grate the cheese and spread it evenly over the pizza. Just make sure to use a block of mozzarella and grate it yourself, rather than using pre-shredded mozzarella, as those often contain anti-caking agents that affect melting and texture.
Make Margherita Pizza
20. Move the baking rack or tray to the lowest position in your preheated oven. This will help create a wonderfully crispy crust.
Place the pizza pan either on the rack or on the tray.
21. Bake the Margherita pizza for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted and the crust is lightly golden in color.
Serving Suggestions
22. Remove from the oven and top the pizza with some torn fresh basil leaves. You can also add a dash of dried oregano or red chili flakes, if you want.
I also recommend that you drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive on the Margherita pizza just before serving, for a truly authentic Italian taste.
Tip: Fresh basil is always added on a baked pizza. Do not add fresh basil before baking the pizza as it will wilt, dry out and loose its delicate aromatic flavor.
23. Use a pizza cutter or serrated knife to cut the Margherita pizza into 4 to 6 even slices.
Buon appetito!
Make Ahead & Storage
You can make the sauce and dough well in advance of when you plan to assemble and bake your pizzas. Both the pizza dough and my Homemade Pizza Sauce will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
However, feel free to make this an easier pizza dish by using store-bought dough and jarred sauce.
Either way this recipe will yield approximately 6 or 7 thin crust pizzas that are about 9 inches in diameter each – roughly the size of a small-to-medium personal pizza.
These are perfect for making to host a DIY pizza party, or keeping in the freezer to use one at a time whenever you have a craving for some pizza!
Expert Tips
- Flour: All-purpose flour and bread flour work wonderfully in this recipe. Make sure to use the unbleached and preferably organic versions of these flours. You may need to reduce the amount of water when working with all-purpose flour or bread flour.
- Pizza crust: Use a good brand of dry active yeast. The yeast has to get activated, which helps in leavening of the dough. If the yeast does not get activated, which happens if the water is hot or cold, the pizza crust will become hard.
- Yeast: If instead of instant yeast, you are using dry active or fresh yeast, then follow this conversion: 1 teaspoon instant yeast = 1.5 teaspoons dry active yeast = 3 teaspoons fresh yeast
- Choice of fat: Olive oil is the best choice. However, it can be replaced with any neutral flavored oil. Butter also makes for a good substitute.
- Acidity in dough: Some acidity added while making the dough, will help in gluten formation. You can either add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar for the same.
- Toppings: A classic Margherita Pizza does not have any vegetable toppings. Sliced tomatoes are included in some variations. If you prefer, you can add some veggies like bell pepper, sautéed or roasted mushrooms, sautéed spinach, onions, steamed or canned corn kernels.
- Chewy cheese: Baking the pizza for a longer time will result in the cheese getting chewy.
- Using a pizza stone: Preheat your pizza stone in the oven for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Assemble the pizza on a flour dusted pizza peel. Dusting pizza peel with flour helps the pizza to slide easily from the peel to the baking stone. Slide the pizza carefully on the baking stone. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are golden and the cheese has melted
FAQs
A Margherita pizza is simple and classic. It includes a thin crust topped with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil leaves, and a drizzle of olive oil. That’s it—fresh, light, and full of flavor!
Margherita sauce is made with fresh, simple ingredients—typically ripe tomatoes (often crushed or puréed, sometimes cooked, and traditionally San Marzano), garlic, olive oil, salt, and occasionally a touch of fresh basil or oregano. It’s light, vibrant, and highlights the natural flavor of tomatoes.
Yes, Margherita pizza is pure vegetarian. It’s made with a white flour crust, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and olive oil—no meat or eggs. Just make sure the cheese used is made sans animal rennet if you’re adhering to a strict vegetarian diet.
The main difference between Margherita pizza and Neapolitan pizza is that Margherita is a type of Neapolitan pizza.
Here’s a simple breakdown:
– Neapolitan Pizza is a classic and traditional pizza style originating from Naples. It has a soft, thin, slightly chewy crust, cooked in a wood-fired oven at high heat. It includes various types—Marinara, Margherita, etc.
– Margherita Pizza is one specific kind of Neapolitan pizza. It features tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and olive oil, which represents the colors of the Italian flag.
So in conclusion, all Margherita pizzas are Neapolitan, but not all Neapolitan pizzas are Margherita.
More Pizza Recipes To Try!
Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.
Margherita Pizza Recipe (Easy & Homemade)
Margherita pizza is a classic Italian pizza made with leavened plain flour dough and a simple topping of tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil leaves, and olive oil, showcasing the colors of the Italian flag. My easy version includes a homemade whole wheat pizza dough & tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, and olive oil. However, it can also be made using store-bought ingredients and your choice of toppings.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Leavening time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Prevent your screen from going dark while making the recipe
Making dough
Take the instant yeast, sugar and water in a mixing bowl or in the stand mixer bowl. Mix thoroughly.
Add in the whole wheat flour, salt, olive oil and lemon juice.
Attach the bowl to a stand mixer with the hook attachment. On a medium-high speed knead the dough. If kneading with hands, then mix everything very well and then knead for atleast 8 to 10 minutes.
- The dough should be smooth, pliable and soft. If the dough looks dry, add some water while kneading. If the dough looks sticky, sprinkle some flour. Depending on the quality of flour, you may add add less or more water.
Spread some water all over the dough.
Cover with a lid or a kitchen towel and allow to leaven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the dough increases in volume and doubles up.
Knead the dough lightly again and then you can directly make pizzas from these. Or you can keep them covered in a tight box or pan. Spread some olive oil all over the dough before placing them in the box.
Assembling
Preheat the oven to its highest possible temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. My oven has 250 degrees Celsius (475 degrees Fahrenheit) as the highest temperature.
Grease a 9-inch pan or tray with some extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle some flour all over. You can even use cornmeal or semolina for sprinkling.
Take a medium to large ball and sprinkle some flour on the dough.
Roll to a thin pizza having 0.3 to 0.5 cm thickness.
Carefully lift and place the pizza in the greased baking pan or tray.
Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce or passata.
Add some grated vegetarian parmesan cheese. If you do not have parmesan cheese, then skip this step.
Now top with mozzarella cheese or pizza cheese.
Make Margherita Pizza
- Keep the pizza pan on the lower rack near the bottom heating element. This helps the pizza to get a nice crisp and crusty base. Only use the bottom heating element in the oven. Also keep your oven’s highest temp. My oven has 250 degrees celsius (475 degrees Fahrenheit) as the highest.
Bake the pizza for 10 to 15 minutes until the base gets golden and the cheese also melts.
Top with some torn fresh basil leaves.
You can also add dried oregano or red chili flakes if you want. Drizzle some extra virgin olive on the margherita pizza before serving.
Cut with a pizza cutter or knife and serve Margherita Pizza.
Similarly assemble and bake the remaining pizzas.
The pizza dough recipe can be easily made with either all-purpose flour or bread flour. Simply reduce the water slightly to about ¾ cup and add more water, only if needed, while kneading the dough to get the right texture. Additionally, you may skip adding lemon juice when making the dough with any of these flours. How to use dry active yeast or fresh yeast?
- Proof dry active yeast or fresh yeast in 1 cup warm water and ½ teaspoon sugar solution for 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture froths and bubbles. Mix with rest of the ingredients and knead.
- Use good quality dry active yeast and do make sure that the water is neither on the cooler side or hot. It should be lukewarm.
- The time taken to leaven will depend on the temperature conditions in your city. So you can keep the dough for 2 to 3 hours or more if required.
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast = 1.5 teaspoons active dry yeast = 3 teaspoons fresh yeast
Nutrition Facts
Margherita Pizza Recipe (Easy & Homemade)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 320 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 516mg22%
Potassium 300mg9%
Carbohydrates 40g13%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 14g28%
Vitamin A 301IU6%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 4mg20%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin B12 1µg17%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Vitamin D 1µg7%
Vitamin E 2mg13%
Vitamin K 8µg8%
Calcium 161mg16%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 66µg17%
Iron 2mg11%
Magnesium 81mg20%
Phosphorus 297mg30%
Zinc 2mg13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Margherita Pizza recipe from the archives was first published on December 2016.
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