The Best Cast Iron Pizza Recipe
This quick and easy Cast Iron Skillet Pizza is a great way to switch up your usual Friday night pizza routine! This deep dish pizza has a thick crust that’s crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside – it’s so tasty that you can keep the toppings simple with just cheese or pepperoni! Use store-bought or homemade pizza dough for a perfect pizza every single time!
You Will Love This
- It’s got all the feels of restaurant-style pizza – but you can enjoy it in your pajamas at home! I love grabbing take-out pizza from our favorite restaurant, BUT making homemade pizza is just SO. MUCH. BETTER. You don’t have to get dressed. You can make the pizza exactly how you like it. And then you can snuggle in on the couch and binge your favorite Netflix show while you enjoy the crispy, chewy deep-dish pizza of your dreams. My Quick Pizza Dough works really well for this skillet pizza! Or if you’re planning ahead my No Knead Pizza Dough requires little effort but an overnight rise time.
- It’s super quick and easy to make! You can use your favorite store-bought crust or my quick and easy Beer Pizza Dough recipe (ready in just over an hour). If you’ve got the time, I highly recommend throwing together my quick pizza dough – it requires just 5 minutes of kneading and is a really simple recipe. However, store-bought dough will work great in this recipe too and you’re local pizza place or grocery store likely sells fresh dough balls.
- The flavors and textures are so great that you really don’t need to add much in terms of toppings. Because of the delicious flavor of the thick, buttery crust, our family just likes regular ol’ cheese for this cast iron pizza recipe – topped with grated Parmesan and fresh basil. Of course, you can add pepperoni or sausage as well but you really don’t need much else!
- If you loved this pizza, be sure to check out my mac and cheese pizza, sheet pan pizza, easy pepperoni pizza fries, and chicken bacon alfredo pizza.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Pizza Dough – Store-bought will work just fine but of course, I highly recommend checking out my Easy Beer Pizza Dough (NO YEAST!), Quick Pizza Dough, or No-Knead Overnight Pizza Dough!
- Olive Oil – This is our family’s favorite brand of olive oil. Try to find one that is organic and cold-pressed.
- Pizza Sauce – Go with a traditional tomato-based pizza sauce or switch it up with a Homemade Basil Pesto! You can also use your favorite tomato sauce or marinara sauce.
- Dried Thyme or Oregano – I love to add a sprinkle of dried thyme or dried oregano to this pizza just to add another layer of flavor.
- Garlic Powder – Again, just adding some additional flavor with the garlic powder in this pizza. Feel free to omit it if you don’t have any on hand.
- Mozzarella Cheese – I love a classic block of mozzarella, shredded at home with a grater for this pizza recipe – it’s got just the right amount of moisture.
Instructions
Preheat cast iron pan in the oven. CAREFULLY remove the skillet from the oven and spread the oil in a thin layer across the pan. Gently place rolled-out crust inside of the cast iron skillet and use fingertips to form it to the pan. Poke holes all over with a fork so no bubbles form while it’s baking.
Spoon sauce onto the pizza in an even layer across the crust.
Sprinkle thyme and garlic powder over the sauce.
Add cheese.
Bake on the middle oven rack for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges of the crust are dark golden brown.
Sprinkle with Kosher salt, Parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes if desired. Slice and enjoy!
Tips
- If you prefer to make this deep dish cast iron pizza crust a bit thinner, just use 1/2 a pound of pizza dough instead of a full pound. This cast-iron skillet pizza recipe makes a very thick, deep-dish crust. You’re using an entire pound of pizza dough for a 9-inch round pizza. If you prefer a thinner crust, just use a bit less pizza dough! You will likely have to decrease the cooking time as well since there isn’t as much to cook, so keep that in mind!
- If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, no worries! You’ll get a very similar result with an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish. Just follow the recipe directions BUT DON’T PREHEAT THE BAKING DISH. Preheating an empty baking dish can be dangerous and cause it to shatter in the oven or after it’s been removed. So, you should seriously consider picking up a cast iron pan in the near future! You can find used ones for pretty cheap at second-hand stores or this is my favorite brand.
- Don’t go too crazy with the toppings. Whether you choose just cheese or the addition of Italian sausage, ham, or pepperoni – keep it to just 1-2 toppings so that the pizza dough has a chance to cook all the way through. If you pile on the toppings, there’s a chance that the dough might not cook all the way through in the middle.
- If you’re intent on making a supreme pizza loaded with all the toppings, (like mushrooms, onions, olives, etc.) try par-baking the crust for 5 minutes. Preheat the cast-iron skillet, carefully add the pizza crust to it, and before adding the sauce and toppings – pop it in the oven for about 5 minutes. This will give the crust a head start on baking so you can add a few more toppings without fear of ending up with a soggy pizza!
- It’s hard to cut the pizza while it’s in the cast-iron skillet, luckily the bottom of the pizza is super sturdy after baking so it’s easy to use a large spatula, transfer it to a cutting board and slice it using a sharp knife or rocker blade pizza cutter.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
- Make-Ahead: The best part about this cast iron pizza is that you can prep all the ingredients ahead of time so when you’re ready to eat, all you’ve got to do is throw the pizza together. All of my easy pizza dough recipes can be made well in advance and frozen!
- Storage: Store leftover cast iron pizza in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
- Reheating: Reheat leftover pizza in a 350-degree oven until warmed through. Or you can heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and cook for 3-5 minutes or until warmed through.
FAQ
Yes! Cast iron is the BEST for pizza. A cast-iron skillet with olive oil is going to give you the very best crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, deep-dish pizza crust. You can’t get this kind of crust with any other pan!
The key to cooking pizza in a cast iron pan is to pre-heat the pan in the oven while the oven preheats. Then you oil the pan with a generous amount of olive oil and carefully transfer your pizza dough to it. This will give you the crispiest deep-dish pizza ever.
Olive oil is the key ingredient to keep your fresh pizza dough from sticking to the cast iron skillet. Also, preheating the skillet in the oven means that the pizza dough will begin to cook and crisp as soon as it hits the cast iron. That layer of olive oil will ensure that none of the dough sticks to the skillet!
Family Favorite Pizzas
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Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
This quick and easy Cast Iron Skillet Pizza is a great way to switch up your usual Friday night pizza routine! This deep dish pizza has a thick crust that’s crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside – it’s so tasty that you can keep the toppings simple with just cheese or pepperoni! Use store-bought or homemade pizza dough for a perfect pizza every single time!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American/Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 lb. pizza dough
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup pizza sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Kosher salt
- fresh basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Place a 9 inch cast iron skillet inside the oven. Heat oven to 500 degrees with the skillet inside.
- CAREFULLY remove the skillet from the oven and spread the oil in a thin layer across the pan.
- On a lightly floured surface, work pizza dough into a 9-inch circle.
- Gently place crust inside of the cast iron skillet.
- Spread sauce in an even layer across the crust. Poke holes all over with a fork.
- Sprinkle thyme and garlic powder over the sauce.
- Add cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges of the crust are dark golden brown.
- Broil for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese starts to get dark golden brown spots.
- Sprinkle with Kosher salt and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
If you prefer to make this pizza crust a bit thinner, just use 1/2 a pound of pizza dough instead of a full pound. This cast-iron skillet pizza recipe makes a very thick, deep-dish crust. You’re using an entire pound of pizza dough for a 9 inch round pizza. If you prefer a thinner crust, just use less pizza dough! You will likely have to decrease the cooking time as well since there isn’t as much to cook, so keep that in mind!
If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, no worries! You’ll get a very similar result with an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish. Just follow the recipe directions BUT DON’T PREHEAT THE BAKING DISH. Preheating an empty baking dish can be dangerous and cause it to shatter in the oven or after it’s been removed. So, you should seriously consider picking up a cast iron pan in the near future! You can find used ones for pretty cheap at second-hand stores or this is my favorite brand.
Don’t go too crazy with the toppings. Whether you choose just cheese or the addition of sausage or pepperoni – keep it to just 1-2 toppings so that the pizza dough has a chance to cook all the way through. If you pile on the toppings, there’s a chance that the dough might not cook all the way through in the middle.
If you’re intent on making a supreme pizza loaded with all the toppings, try par-baking the crust for 5 minutes. Preheat the cast iron, carefully add the pizza crust to it, and before adding the sauce and toppings – pop it in the oven for about 5 minutes. This will give the crust a head start on baking so you can add a few more toppings without fear of ending up with a soggy pizza!
It’s hard to cut the pizza while it’s in the cast-iron skillet, luckily the bottom of the pizza is super sturdy after baking so it’s easy to use a large spatula, transfer it to a cutting board and slice it using a sharp knife or rocker blade pizza cutter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 413
- Sugar: 0.8 g
- Sodium: 453.9 mg
- Fat: 10.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 65.6 g
- Fiber: 3.1 g
- Protein: 13.8 g
- Cholesterol: 2.5 mg
I was amazed at how easy this was. I have been experimenting with homemade dough but without a pizza stone, getting the crust baked right was tricky. Today I followed your recipe using cold fermented dough and the cast iron skillet. The pizza was perfect, especially the crust! One note: I kept the empty skillet in the hot oven a little longer prior to baking, and that reduced the pizza baking time by about a quarter. Thanks for posting this!
Perfect, thanks!
How long do you preheat the cast iron for? Until the oven hits 500?
Good question, Karl! Yes – preheat the oven to 500 with the skillet inside. I just updated the directions in the recipe card so that it is more clear. Thanks so much for pointing that out!
I did roughly 5 minutes.
I just want to caution people about preheating glass/pyrex baking dishes in such a hot oven. I did this while making a dutch pancake and the cake pan shattered in my hand. Please only use a metal baking dish or go with the cast iron frying pan.
That is SUCH a great point, Kari! I was thinking of people using a metal cake pan or baking pan instead of cast iron, but you are right about if using a glass baking dish; could be dangerous! Thank you for mentioning that – I’ve updated the post and recipe notes!