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Cast Iron Pizza is almost the same as making regular pizza in the oven, but swapping the pizza stone for a cast iron skillet gives you a thick crust with the perfect crispy edges. Use whatever dough you like, pile on your favorite toppings, and put this easy cast iron pizza recipe on frequent repeat!
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Cast iron pizza is about to become a new favorite for busy weeknights!
What I love about this pizza in a pan recipe is that it mimics that deep dish style pizza you’d find at a pizzeria with the crispy edges and bottom, chewy crust, and perfectly cooked toppings.
Don’t be mistaken, though—this is still a healthy cast iron skillet pizza compared to those Chicago-style pizzas with thick layers of cheese and sausage. We’re simply packing the standard amount of dough into a pan instead of stretching it big and flat, not loading on a bunch of extra cheese.
That said, this cast iron pizza recipe is also versatile enough to make as a thin crust pizza! Just split the dough between two skillets instead of one.
Recipe At a Glance
Cuisine Inspiration: American, with Italian inspiration
Primary Cooking Method: Oven
Dietary Info: Vegetarian
Key Flavor: Cheesy and Savory
Skill Level: Easy
Summary
- A Guaranteed Hit: Pizza is always a winner, but pizza with a thick, chewy crust is so good. There will be no arguments at the dinner table tonight!
- Highly Customizable: The beauty of this cast iron pizza—and any pizza recipe, really!—is that there’s lots of room to make it your own. I’ve topped it with tomatoes and basil, but you can use any toppings you like.
- Easy to Make: Instead of stretching or rolling out the dough, you simply press it into the skillet, which makes this cast iron pizza even easier than a typical homemade pizza recipe.
- Perfect Crispy Edges: A cast iron skillet is excellent when it comes to conducting heat; between that and the oil on the bottom of the skillet, you’ll get a crispy bottom and edges. (Pro-tip: If you love the baked-on browned cheese on the edges of pan pizza, go ahead and sprinkle some cheese along the edges instead of leaving a border.)
Ingredients you’ll need to make cast iron pizza
- Pizza dough: You can use store-bought or make your own pizza dough.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Oil in the bottom of the skillet will help the crust get crispy.
- Salt and crushed red pepper: Feel free to adjust the amount of crushed red pepper to your family’s tastes.
- Marinara: A high-quality store-bought brand or homemade marinara.
- Shredded low moisture mozzarella: I recommend shredding your own for the smoothest melt, but if you’re in a time-crunch, bagged shredded cheese works just fine!
- Cherry or Campari tomatoes: I recommend these varieties because they won’t release a lot of liquid, keeping your cast iron skillet pizza from getting soggy.
- Italian seasoning: An easy way to add lots of flavor with a single jar.
- Fresh basil: Basil adds bright flavor, but also a pop of color.
How to make pizza in a cast iron pan
- Stretch the pizza dough into a cast iron skillet, pushing it up the sides as best as you can.
- Season with salt and crushed red pepper flakes, then drizzle the remaining olive oil on top.
- Place the cast iron skillet in the oven and bake until the crust is lightly golden brown.
- Add the marinara sauce, using the back of a spoon to spread it in an even layer.
- Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese, then add the tomatoes and Italian seasoning.
- Bake until the crust is deeply golden brown around the edges and the cheese is bubbly. Scatter basil over the top before serving.
Tips for making the best cast iron pizza
- Thinly slice toppings since they cook quickly. Whatever toppings you add should be thinly sliced because the oven time is only 10 minutes. If you’re using any chicken, beef, or sausage, make sure to cook them completely before adding them on top of the pizza.
- Don’t use flour when shaping the dough or in the bottom of the skillet. The olive oil will allow the dough to become pliable to work with, and it won’t stick to the pan.
- Pre-cook the dough in the skillet before adding the sauce and toppings. This allows the top of the dough to get firm and cooked so it doesn’t turn into a soggy situation when you add the sauce and toppings. Alternatively, you can heat the pan in the oven or on the stovetop.
- Use the top rack in the oven. This will basically emulate the way a pizza oven works by getting that direct heat right on the toppings and creating perfect pizza dough bubbles.
Popular substitutions & additions
- Make it gluten-free. Use your favorite gluten-free pizza dough to make this a gluten-free pizza in a pan recipe. You can make my pizza dough with a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour substitute.
- Try another sauce. My pizza sauce is another great option similar to marinara, or use barbecue sauce, Alfredo sauce, or pesto. Note that if you use pesto, you’ll need to use a very small amount to keep the pizza from getting oily.
- Make it Margherita style. For a traditional Margherita pizza with a non-traditional crust, skip the marinara sauce in this easy cast iron pizza. Lay sliced fresh mozzarella and tomatoes over the par-baked crust. Once the pizza is done baking, add fresh basil. A drizzle of balsamic glaze is a delicious finishing touch!
- Use your favorite pizza as inspiration. The toppings, sauces, and cheeses from any pizza can be used to make a cast iron pizza. This BBQ Chicken Pizza and Pesto Flatbread Pizza are two ideas to start with!
How to store & reheat cast iron pizza
Refrigerate leftover cast iron pizza slices wrapped in foil or in an airtight container. Reheat it in a 450ºF oven, in the microwave (note that it won’t be as crispy this way), or unheated if you’re on Team Cold Pizza.
How long will cast iron pizza last in the fridge?
This healthy cast iron skillet pizza will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Can I freeze cast iron pizza?
Yes, you can freeze cast iron pizza for up to 3 months. Wrap slices in plastic wrap, then store them in an airtight container or freezer bag. Let them thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Frequently asked questions
The correct answer is the highest temperature your oven will go, even if that means 550°F. The high heat allows the dough to puff up, creating dough bubbles and a chewy texture while keeping the edges crisp. Don’t set the oven to broil, though, because that will just burn the cheese.
The size doesn’t matter too much and will depend on what you have and what you want to work with. I used a 10″ skillet. Just keep in mind that the larger the skillet is, the thinner the crust will be.
It’s important to start with a well-seasoned skillet. The manual that came with your skillet will explain the seasoning process, but essentially, it’s a way of creating a non-stick coating on cast iron by cooking on oil. You can learn more here: Cooking With Cast Iron.
As long as you have an oven-safe skillet, you can make this cast iron pizza work at home. It’s such an easy recipe using store-bought pizza dough, your favorite pizza sauce, and any toppings you like. It just may be the best homemade pizza recipe you’ll ever try. You may never want to make pizza in a traditional pan again!
More pizza recipes:
- Grilled Pizza
- Pizza Quinoa Bites
- Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Cauliflower Crust Pizza
- Broccoli Pizza Crust
- Homemade Flatbread
- Tortilla Pizza
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feelgood Cast Iron Pizza recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
This Cast Iron Pizza recipe was originally published on September 14, 2019. The recipe has been slightly modified with just tomatoes for the topping, plus updated photos.
Cast Iron Pizza Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough store-bought room temperature
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ⅓ cup marinara sauce
- ⅔ cup shredded low moisture mozzarella
- Few cherry tomatoes sliced
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Place a rack in top-most position of the oven; preheat to 475°F. Place dough on a work surface and stretch out to a 10″ round and cover loosely with plastic wrap, while preparing the toppings.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil on a well seasoned cast-iron skillet. Carefully lay dough inside the skillet and use your fingers to help extend dough all the way to the edges. Season with salt and crushed red pepper, and drizzle remaining olive oil on top.
- Place the cast iron skillet in the preheated oven until the crust is lightly golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Remove skillet from the oven, spread marinara over the entire dough surface. Top with mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Return the skillet to the oven and bake on the top rack until the crust is deeply golden brown around the edges and the cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then garnish with basil and serve.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Only been making my own dough for about a month. Made some calzones and a homemade pizza on a stone, but this was my first cast iron bake and I used your baking instructions. Have to say that I am very happy with the result of my efforts. Thank you for sharing this.
Amazing! So happy you liked the recipe, Brian!! Thanks!
Perfect recipe! Family LOVED IT! We didn’t use the tomatoes but still good! Reminded us of Chicago style deep dish pizza!🍕
Aww, thank you!! So glad you loved your family loved the pizza! Yay!!
👍
I have not been able to find anything online about this but why not use the cast iron upside down? Like can you place your pizza on the underside of the pan?
You can totally do that too! I think it’s neater this way so nothing spills over and gives you the edges that can crisp up nicely.
Can you use a pizza cutter on cast iron?
Yup! They’re so tough!
Made a classic cheese pizza with your recipe. It was soo delicious, I’m actually surprised I was able to make something so good. Why would anyone order pizza when you can make this?!? Soo easy and yummy.
Thanks for all your recipes ?, you’re changing the way we eat! We used to eat out maybe 1-2 times per week but now we’re making meal plans for the week with some your recipes and it’s great!
So glad to hear that! Thanks so much for the positive feedback…I love hearing that you’re cooking more at home and making meal plans for the week. Thanks for sharing!!