Caprese Pizza

Put all of the flavors of summer into one dish when you make this gorgeous Caprese Pizza for your family or friends. Layers of rich, fresh mozzarella with sliced ripe tomatoes are topped with basil leaves and a balsamic drizzle for the Caprese flavors you crave.

Pizza nights at home need to be completely different form take out. And that’s why whenever I decide to make homemade pizza, I choose flavor boosting, simple recipes like this.  Burrata Pizza for example is insanely delicious, simple ingredients relying heavily on the Burrata Cheese and airy No Knead Pizza Crust.

Another one is the Mushroom Pizza with brie. Or my popular and crowd pleasing Pizza Bites dipped in no cook Pizza Sauce.  Italy’s favorite two ingredient Cacio e Pepe Pizza, our HIT Birria Pizza and Air Fryer Pizza for the WIN!

The basic secret to good homemade pizza is choosing the right dough for you. You can see my Pizza Dough Recipe (with video) and No Knead Pizza Dough (with video) and see the difference! At that point, the toppings and flavors are endless! 

Why Caprese Pizza?

Simply put, we LOVE everything Caprese. We make Caprese Salad on the regular, Caprese Skewers for entertaining, Chicken Caprese for a tasty juicy chicken dinner and Pistachio Fried Caprese Bites for game day!

So naturally, we had to make Caprese Pizza! When you bite into this pizza Caprese, you will immediately notice the crunchy texture of the crust followed by the cheesy goodness of all the Caprese flavors in each bite. 

What is Caprese Pizza

Caprese is a blend of fresh mozzarella and freshly sliced tomatoes with basil and olive oil. I use my homemade Basil Pesto for an extra boost of basil too.

When translated to pizza, it includes these flavors on a crunchy thin crust with the addition of Basil Pesto, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and balsamic drizzle. The result is perfection in every bite.

Ingredients for Caprese Pizza

• Garlic Powder. You can also use dried minced garlic, but the coverage won’t be as even.
• Salt. For seasoning.
• Oregano. Make sure your ground oregano hasn’t been sitting in the cabinet for more then six months or it will have lost all flavor.
• Olive Oil. Don’t skimp here, the better the oil the better the flavor. I use the Mina brand.
• Pizza Dough. You will find our amazing recipe in the links below.
• Fresh Mozzarella. You can find this in the cheese case at your local grocery store or at a specialty cheese shop.
• Sliced Tomatoes. If you can buy tomatoes from a farmer’s market during the summer your pizza will be even better!
• Basil Pesto. Use our recipe for the best homemade pesto ever.
• Balsamic Glaze. A high-quality glaze is worth the cost. If you cannot find one, you can make your own balsamic vinegar reduction for the same effect.
• Basil. Freshly picked basil leaves. I like to pick up the small plants at the grocery store and keep them in a little water until I’m ready to use the leaves.

How to Make the Caprese Pizza Recipe

Begin by making our Best Pizza Dough Recipe the day before you plan to serve the Caprese Pizza. This dough recipe is easy and fast, so no worries on that front. When you are ready to make pizza, place a pizza stone in your oven to begin getting hot, and preheat your oven to the hottest setting allowed.

Divide your dough equally into two pieces. Stretch the dough by hand to form a crust. While you can roll the dough a little bit, the less pressure you use the better. Place the crust on a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit.

Next, mix your garlic olive oil. This includes garlic powder, salt, oregano, and olive oil.

Spread the resulting mixture on your pizza crusts.

Slice your tomatoes and mozzarella. Layer these on the pizza crust, slightly overlapping until the entire surface of the pizza is covered. Then, add dollops of basil pesto.

Bake the pizza for 10-14 minutes until the crust is crispy and the cheese is starting to brown. Remove the pizza from the oven. Add a drizzle of balsamic glaze to the pizza with some fresh basil leaves. Enjoy your pizza!

Pizza Caprese FAQ

What is the difference between Margherita and Caprese pizza?

Margherita pizza usually has a base of red sauce with fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and basil. Caprese pizza is a more clean version of the flavors with olive oil and garlic sauce. Be sure to check out our Margherita pizza recipe!

Do you put tomato sauce on Caprese Pizza?

No. See the difference between Margherita pizza and Caprese Pizza above.

How to pronounce Caprese pizza?

There are two acceptable pronunciations found in Merriam-Webster. kə-ˈprā-zē or kə-ˈprā-zā.

Is Caprese pizza served cold?

You can eat any pizza cold and enjoy it, however, we like to serve Caprese pizza hot.

What is on a Caprese pizza?

A traditional pizza with these flavors includes basil, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and olive oil. Other flavors may also be present including garlic, oregano, and balsamic glaze.

Tips for Caprese Pizza

1. Start with the type of crust you prefer, either No Knead Pizza Dough or Pizza Dough Recipe.
2. Depending on how thick and how soft you like your pizza crust, you’ll either wait for 10 minutes or start layering the ingredients right away.
3. You can use semi soft mozzarella or even pizza mozzarella instead of fresh here.
4. To take this to the next level, try adding Burrata Cheese once the Caprese pizza is out of the oven.
5. Keep the edges of the dough slightly thicker on the outside of your pizza to keep toppings and melty cheese inside as it bakes.Cook the pizza on a pizza stone or on an inverted cookie sheet with the rims facing down for best results. Use a pizza peel to remove the pizza.
6. The pizza is great as is out of the oven, however, adding extra Basil Pesto and balsamic drizzle is super recommended.

Caprese Recipes

Chicken Caprese

Caprese Skewers

Caprese Salad

Pistachio Fried Caprese Bites

Strawberry Caprese Salad