Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe
Posted Sep 02, 2018, Updated Jun 05, 2025
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This is the best pizza dough recipe ever. It’s easy to make with 5 ingredients and doesn’t need to rise – which means you can have a fresh hot homemade pizza on the table in 30 minutes. Follow my step-by-step photos and video to learn how to make pizza dough at home!
I got my very first job when I was 14, answering phones at our favorite local pizza place in the suburbs of Chicago.
Working there caused me to have incredibly high pizza standards. I grew up and moved away from Chicago to a state that does not have great pizza, so we always make homemade pizza.
We make this easy pizza dough recipe (paired with this homemade pizza sauce) at least once a week. Truly great pizza requires an outstanding crust. And that is what you get with this pizza dough recipe.
This recipe is easy to make because the dough doesn’t have to rise, although rising is an option. Which means you can have fresh, hot, homemade pizza on the table in 30 minutes flat!
Homemade Pizza Dough: Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-purpose flour. You can use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose baking flour to make this pizza dough gluten-free. If you’re looking for a whole wheat pizza dough recipe, this one is the best.
- Sugar. honey works very well in place of sugar.
- Olive oil. Any neutral tasting oil works perfectly in this recipe, I suggest olive oil, avocado oil or canola oil.
- Toppings: The unanimous pizza topping of choice for my family is pepperoni or cheese. We also love sausage pizza, BBQ chicken, etc. You can top your dough with anything you like!
Note: The crust is vegan, so you can make delicious dairy-free/vegan pizzas using this recipe, and save yourself lots of money buying vegan options at the store.
How to Make Pizza Dough
Since we make this easy homemade pizza dough recipe weekly, I have many tips and tricks to ensure it turns out perfectly every time. So we’ll walk through every step so you can learn how to make pizza dough at home, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Note: you can mix this pizza dough by hand or use a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Preheat a Pizza Stone or Baking Pan
If you have a pizza stone – I highly recommend using it to bake your homemade pizzas. You can also preheat a baking sheet.
We love baking our pizzas on a stone because it crisps the bottom perfectly. Put the pizza stone in the oven and let it preheat with the oven. For the best results, let the stone preheat at 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius) for at least 10 minutes before baking the pizza.
Proof the Yeast
To make this pizza dough recipe, begin by proofing the yeast, which means mixing together water, sugar and yeast and letting it sit until it becomes foamy and bubbly (about 5 minutes). It’s important that you use warm, but not hot water. Ideally around 105 degrees F.
If the water is too warm it will kill the yeast and it won’t proof (become nice and foamy and activated). You can use a thermometer to measure the temperature, but it should be warm to the touch but not feel hot.
Make Pizza Sauce
While the yeast is proofing, take 5 minutes and make this homemade sauce to use on your homemade pizza dough. It truly is the best.
Make the Pizza Dough
Once the yeast is proofed, add the olive oil to the water and yeast mixture. The olive oil makes the dough tender, flavorful and moist.
Then add 2 cups of flour and salt and stir to combine. It’s important to only add some of the flour to start with so the dough is easy to stir, and so you don’t accidentally add too much.
The dough will start to form a sticky ball, add more flour as needed until the dough is only very slightly tacky and smooth (it should not require more than an additional ½ cup flour at this point).
Also, during this step you can mix in some fresh or dried herbs for a special twist!
Knead the Dough
Once the dough is only slightly sticky, transfer it to a floured surface and knead for about 3-5 minutes, or until a smooth ball forms. If necessary, add 1 Tablespoon of flour at a time until it’s smooth and not sticky.
I make this recipe by hand, but it can easily be made and kneaded in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. It’s so fast and simple that I prefer to save some dishes and not pull out my mixer for this one.
Optional – Rise
If you have more than 30 minutes, you can let this dough rise for 10 minutes or up to it doubling in size (60 minutes). Simply cover it with a damp tea towel and let it sit at room temperature or in a slightly warm environment (like the oven with the light turned on).
Like I’ve said repeatedly, this is not required for a delicious crust, but letting the pizza dough rise results in a softer, more tender, and thicker crust.
Roll Out the Pizza Dough
Once the dough is smooth and elastic, form it into your desired shape. We usually make a circular pizza because that is the shape of our pizza stone. However we have made them in fun shapes too, including a football for the Super Bowl and a heart for Valentine’s day.
Then, roll out the pizza dough on a well-floured surface until it’s about ½” thick.
Next, transfer the rolled-out dough to a piece of parchment paper before you begin adding pizza sauce and toppings. Putting the pizza dough on parchment paper makes it easy to transfer to a pan or stone.
Add Sauce & Toppings
Once the dough is rolled out and on a piece of parchment paper, slather on the sauce.
Then, add your desired toppings. Check out my list of our favorite pizza recipes! Some include (but are not limited to): cheese pizza, BBQ chicken pizza and this pepperoni pizza recipe.
Add a layer of cheese before the toppings
I learned this trick working at pizza restaurant in Chicago. Starting with a very thin layer of cheese, then adding the toppings, then finishing with another (more generous) layer of cheese helps keep the toppings in place when the pizza is cut. Plus, more cheese is always a great idea.
Bake
Once the pizza is assembled, transfer it to the preheated stone or baking sheet in the oven using a pizza peel. If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a flat baking sheet to transfer the pizza to the oven.
Bake the pizza on the preheated pizza stone or baking pan for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.
Tip: Watch the pizza carefully. The pizza goes from almost done to too brown fairly quickly. So be careful!
Then, use the pizza peel to remove the pizza from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
Serve
We use these pizza scissors to cut our pizzas and it’s so easy!
I love serving homemade pizza with a huge salad (especially this burrata salad) when we have guests over for dinner.
You can also make the crust into small personal pizzas and let guests make their own pizzas with a variety of toppings, which is really fun.
To Make Ahead
You can make this pizza dough in advance. Mix it together and form a ball, then place it in a bowl and tightly cover it with plastic wrap and a damp towel. Store it in the refrigerator until ready to use (up to overnight).
How to Freeze Pizza Dough
You an freeze this homemade pizza dough in a few ways:
- Form it into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze in an airtight container or plastic bag.
- Pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes without toppings. Let it cool, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze. To use, let it thaw, add toppings and bake according to the recipe.
- Freeze a fully assembled pizza before baking. You can make your own frozen pizzas by making this pizza dough, topping it with sauce and toppings and flash-freezing it on a baking sheet. One it’s hardened, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake the frozen pizza at 425 Degrees Fahrenheit (218 degrees Celsius) for 15-20 minutes.
Pizza Dough Recipe FAQs
Yes, this homemade pizza dough recipe is easily doubled or tripled.
Yes, for a thicker, fluffier dough let it rise for 15-30 minutes, or until doubled.
Yes, to make this dough the night before put it in a bowl, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and a damp towel and store it in the refrigerator.
Yes, there are three ways to freeze this dough:
1. Form it into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze in an airtight container.
2. Pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes without toppings. Let it cool, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze.
3. Freeze a fully assembled pizza before baking. You can make your own frozen pizzas by making this pizza dough, topping it with sauce and toppings and flash-freezing it on a baking sheet. One it’s hardened, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 2 months.
If you notice pockets of air forming in the dough while it’s baking, simply prick them with a fork to let the gas out and continue baking.
If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can preheat a pizza pan or baking pan in the same way that you preheat the stone.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (105 degrees F)
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 to 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour*
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius). Put a pizza stone in the oven while it preheats, and let it warm at 500 degrees F for at least 10 minutes.*
Make the Pizza Dough
- Combine warm water, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Let mixture sit for 5 minutes, or until it becomes frothy and bubbles form.
- Gently stir in olive oil.
- Add 2 cups of flour and salt and mix with a spatula until a ball begins to form (dough will still be slightly sticky). Add more flour as needed to form a dough ball.
- Transfer to a floured surface and knead into a smooth dough, adding up to ½ cup extra flour if needed.
- Optional. if desired, cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let it rise for 10 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Assemble the Pizza
- Roll the dough into your desired shape and put it on a piece of parchment paper.
- Add pizza sauce, cheese and toppings of choice.
Bake The Pizza
- Use a pizza peel to transfer the pizza to the preheated pizza stone in the oven.
- Bake on the preheated pizza stone for 11-14 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust is golden brown.
- Remove the pizza from the oven with the pizza peel and put it on a wire rack to cool for at 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Video
Notes
- All-purpose flour. you can replace up to ½ cup flour with whole wheat flour. You can also use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose baking flour for a gluten-free pizza crust.
- Sugar. honey is a great substitute for sugar.
- Olive oil. Any neutral tasting oil works perfectly in this recipe, I suggest olive oil, avocado oil or canola oil.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I will be trying this recipe soon!
You’ll have to let me know how you like it, Donna!
Love this dough!! If I want to save it for later in the day, doi let it rise first and then put it in the fridge, or put it in the fridge and then let it rise before baking?
It will rise in the fridge!
Finally a pizza dough my husband approves of.
Yay! So happy he loves it!
I made this pizza dough tonight for dinner and my husband who worked in a pizza restaurant making the pizza said it was delicious! Great recipe, it’s a keeper and super easy!
Thank you so much Jayne! What a sweet compliment!