Best Caprese Pizza Recipe (Video)

5 from 13 votes
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Caprese pizza is an easy dinner ready in 30 minutes. Made with homemade basil oil, tomatoes and mozzarella, this pizza is a crowd pleaser. Watch the video for a complete tutorial. 

overhead shot of caprese pizza.


 

Pizzas and flatbread are the perfect weeknight dinner. We love our grilled pizza for summer and Mediterranean pizza, flatbread pizza and Meatball sub pizza for a tasty weeknight dinner. This caprese pizza recipe we have today is one of the easiest dinner recipes out there. You just need a few ingredients and in just about 30 minutes, you can have a pizza on the table that with every bite, it would take you to Italy! 

Caprese – The Perfect Combination

Basil, mozzarella and tomato is a classic Italian combination first presented in the form of caprese salad aka insalata caprese. This classic Italian combination can be added to many recipes such as caprese pasta salad, caprese sandwich and caprese stuffed chicken breast. 

The flavor of caprese is hard to beat, you have creamy mozzarella with juicy sweet tomatoes and a kick from fresh basil. With some balsamic vinegar, it’s the perfect combination. 

Pizza with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

If you love caprese salad or caprese skewers, you’re going to love today’s recipe. This vegetarian pizza is another take on the classic Italian combination and there are a few reasons why it’s worth trying:

  • Simple ingredients: It’s made with a few ingredients and even though it’s such as simple recipe, it’s very delicious and easily becomes a family favorite.
  • Quick: We love this recipe for a quick weeknight dinner or as an appetizer for a party or gathering.
  • All the flavors: A slice of this pizza has a lot of flavor thanks to the homemade basil oil and fresh tomatoes. 

Ingredients

ingredient shot with pizza dough, basil, tomatoes and mozzarella.
  • Pizza dough – To make this recipe, you can use homemade or store-bought dough. 
  • Basil oil: You can use my homemade basil oil recipe or simply use pesto.
  • Tomatoes – I prefer large tomatoes for this pizza, but you can really use any kind including grape tomatoes.
  • Fresh mozzarella – It’s best to use sliced mozzarella but shredded works just fine.
  • Balsamic glaze: Optional but it adds a lot of flavor. You can use homemade balsamic glaze or store-bought.

How To Make Caprese Pizza

spread the pizza dough, brush with basil oil and top with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven until cheese is melted and dough is cooked.
  1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Coat the pizza pan with a nonstick cooking spray or olive oil. 
  2. Roll out the pizza dough on your pizza pan. 
  3. Brush the pizza dough generously with basil oil. 
  4. Top the pizza with tomato and mozzarella slices. 
  5. Bake in the oven for 16-18 minutes. 
  6. Sprinkle some salt if need and drizzle with homemade balsamic glaze.

Variations

You can always add more ingredients to this pizza. Some of our favorite additions are:

  • Grilled chicken: You can add some previously grilled chicken to this pizza to make it a complete meal. 
  • Base: To make caprese naan pizza, use store-bought naan instead of the pizza dough. The cooking time will be about 12-14 minutes. You can also use flatbread to make pizza at home.
  • Veggies: Red bell pepper or red onion would be a great addition to this pizza. 
  • Sun dried tomatoes: Caprese pizza with sun dried tomatoes would be perfect especially in a season when tomatoes are not in peak. 
  • Heirloom tomatoes: If you’re making this classic pizza in summer, visit your local farmers market and get some of those colorful heirloom tomatoes, they will make this pizza very pretty! 
  • Roasted tomatoes: For some intense and sweet flavor, roast the tomatoes beforehand and then use them to make this recipe. You can check out our tutorial on how to make roasted tomatoes.
Extra Cheese makes this pizza even better!

Serving suggestions

This pizza is a complete meal on its own and is perfect for a weeknight dinner. You can serve it with a side of Mediterranean salad, garlic knots or rosemary garlic monkey bread.

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I store the pizza? 

Wrap each leftover slice in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, place the pizza on the pizza pan and heat in the oven at 300ºF for 15 minutes or until heated through. 

Can I make this ahead of time?

It’s best to serve pizza fresh therefore I don’t suggest making it ahead of time.

Can I leave out the balsamic glaze?

Yes, if you’re not a fan of balsamic glaze, you can simply leave it out.

slices of tomato and mozzarella on pizza dough topped with basil leaves.

More Pizza Recipes

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get a free e-Cookbook!

5 from 13 votes

Best Caprese Pizza Recipe (Video)

Caprese pizza is an easy dinner ready in 30 minutes. Made with homemade basil oil, tomatoes and mozzarella, this pizza is a crowd pleaser. Watch the video for a complete tutorial. 
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 slices
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Ingredients 

  • 1 lb pizza dough, store bought or homemade (see notes)
  • 1/4 cup Basil oil, see notes
  • 2 large tomatoes, sliced
  • 8 oz mozzarella, sliced or shredded
  • 2 tbsp balsamic glaze

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F. Coat the pizza pan with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.
  • Roll out the pizza dough and place it on the pizza pan. Brush the dough with basil oil.
  • Top the dough with tomato and mozzarella slices.
  • Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes until the dough is cooked and the cheese is melted.
  • Drizzle some balsamic glaze on the pizza, slice and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

  • If using refrigerated pizza dough, bring it to room temperature before rolling it out. 
  • Use this recipe to make homemade basil oil. You can also use pesto. 
  • You can add grilled chicken to this pizza to make it a complete meal. 

Nutrition

Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 590mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 571IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 148mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Shadi HasanzadeNemati

I'm here to show you how to make delicious Persian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food at home. My easy to follow recipes will bring exciting new flavors to your table!

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5 from 13 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




14 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    You had me at caprese! I’m always looking for new pizzas to try and we loved this one! So yummy

  2. 5 stars
    We love caprese pizza. This recipe has the perfect ratio of ingredients and comes out great every time.