This easy caprese pizza recipe combines fresh mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, and fragrant basil for an authentic Italian flavor. Ready in no time with my foolproof pizza dough tips!
Who doesn’t love a good caprese salad? I actually have eaten one on the island of Capri in Italy on our honeymoon, which was a defining life moment for sure! This tomato and fresh mozzarella salad has gotten very popular here in the US, so I thought—why not take all those delicious flavors and put them on a pizza?
After over a decade of pizza research and recipe testing, I’ve found that this dough and sauce combination is consistently incredible. It’s great for dinner parties or even weeknight dinners, especially if you make a cheater pita pizza or naan pizza!
Tips for perfect caprese pizza
- Use a pizza stone: I cannot stress enough the difference a properly preheated pizza stone makes. I preheat mine to 500°F for at least 30 minutes before baking. This creates that crispy bottom crust that’s essential for authentic pizza.
- Perfect your sauce game: For caprese pizza, I keep my homemade pizza sauce simple—just good canned tomatoes, garlic, and oregano.
- Master the dough: Whether you use my best pizza dough, thin crust pizza dough, or pizza oven dough, the key is letting it rest properly. That 45-minute rest time is what creates the perfect texture and makes the dough easy to stretch.
- Topping timing: Add the cherry tomatoes and basil after baking. This prevents the basil from turning black and keeps the tomatoes from releasing too much moisture onto the crispy crust.
Balsamic glaze topping
While a classic Italian caprese salad is just mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil, the American version is often topped with a balsamic reduction glaze. I added it to this caprese pizza and it definitely takes the pie up a notch! You can make homemade balsamic reduction, but I like to purchase a bottle to make it a little easier.
Variation ideas I love
While classic caprese pizza is perfection on its own, I’ve experimented with several variations that my family adores:
- Burrata caprese: Replace half the fresh mozzarella with torn pieces of burrata cheese for an even creamier experience! See my favorite burrata pizza for more.
- Prosciutto: For a heartier version, you can add thin slices of prosciutto after baking. It’s great with the balsamic reduction!
- Arugula: Sometimes I add a handful of fresh arugula along with the basil for a peppery bite that cuts through the richness (like in my arugula pizza).
- Heirloom tomatoes: You can also use thin slices of larger heirloom tomatoes for different textures and flavors.
Serving suggestions to make it a meal
Caprese pizza is substantial enough to serve as a main course, but I love pairing it with complementary sides that enhance the Italian theme:
Start with antipasti: Serve with an antipasto platter featuring marinated olives, cured meats, and cheeses.
Add a salad: A simple arugula salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil provides a nice peppery contrast to the rich pizza.
For entertaining: Cut into smaller pieces and serve as an appetizer alongside other Italian appetizers like bruschetta or caprese skewers.
Storage and reheating tips
Caprese pizza is always best fresh from the oven, but you can store any leftover pizza in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
For reheating, avoid the microwave and use one of these methods instead:
Oven: Reheat at 350°F for 5-7 minutes until the cheese is bubbly again.
Skillet: Heat a skillet over medium-low heat, add the pizza slice, cover, and heat for 2-3 minutes until warmed through.
Air fryer: Add a single piece to an air fryer and air fry for a ew minutes until crispy.
Dietary notes
This caprese pizza recipe is vegetarian.
Caprese Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Best Pizza Dough, Thin Crust Pizza Dough, or Pizza Oven Dough
- ⅓ cup homemade pizza sauce
- ½ cup shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated fresh mozzarella (hand grated from a ball)
- 1 handful quartered cherry tomatoes
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil, for garnish
- Balsamic reduction, for garnish (purchased or homemade)
Instructions
- Make the pizza dough: Follow the Best Pizza Dough, Thin Crust Pizza Dough, or Pizza Oven Dough recipes to prepare the dough. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)
- Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F or preheat your pizza oven.
- Make the pizza sauce: Make the Homemade Pizza Sauce. (You’ll use about ⅓ cup for the pizza; reserve the remaining sauce and refrigerate for up to 1 week.)
- Bake the pizza: When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet, but a pizza peel is well worth the investment!)
- Stretch the dough into a circle, then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel.
- Spread a thin layer of the pizza sauce over the dough.
- Add the shredded mozzarella cheese and grate on the fresh mozzarella, then top with a few pinches of kosher salt.
- Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven or 1 to 2 minutes in a pizza oven.
- Allow the pizza to cool for a minute or two before adding the cherry tomatoes and basil on top (whole leaves, lightly torn, or thinly sliced). Drizzle with balsamic reduction, slice into pieces, and serve immediately.
