Cast Iron Pizza

This cast iron pizza recipe is perfect for those without a pizza stone, is perfectly cooked every time, and is very similar to your favorite deep-dish pizza. The crispy crust is buttery, covered in melty cheese, and makes an easy weeknight meal. 

We love homemade pizza nights, but normally we don’t use our cast-iron skillet, we go with the traditional way. There have been exceptions when I made grilled pizza or air fryer naan pizza, but normally we just go with a regular pan. Now I am wondering why we waited so long! The cast iron pan is perfect for keeping an even temperature, so the crust turns golden brown even time with no burned spots! 

If pizza holds the key to your heart, you’ll love hot cheesy pizza dip, air fryer pizza bites, and homemade pepperoni calzones. Fried raviolis and pull apart garlic bread also go well with easy cast-iron pizza. 

What do I Need for this Recipe?

🍕 Ingredients:

• Olive oil – helps to brown the crust and keeps it from sticking to the pan. 
• store-bought pizza dough – find this in the refrigerated section at the grocery store with the biscuits. 
• sauce – you can use pizza or marinara sauce.
• mozzarella cheese – freshly grated is the best! 
• pepperoni – we used regular, but you can also use turkey pepperoni and it will cook the same.
• Salt and pepper – just enough to taste. 

Optional Garnish:

Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, then slice and serve. 

Equipment Needed:

Cast iron pan – they make the perfect pizza! We are using a 12-inch skillet.

Variations and Substitutions:

• Extra Toppings – jazz your pizza up with your favorite toppings like Italian sausage and cooked ground beef. You can also turn it into a supreme pizza by loading it with veggies. 
• Homemade pizza dough – if you have a recipe you love, you can swap it for store-bought dough. 
• Basil pesto – use in place of the tomato sauce if desired. 
• Margherita – pizza sauce, mozzarella, and fresh basil
• Hawaiian – ham and pineapple chunks.
• BBQ Chicken – swap the pizza sauce for barbecue, and top with cooked chicken, mozzarella, and sharp cheddar cheese.

🔪 Instructions:

PREP: Allow the dough to come to room temperature. Set the skillet in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes before baking the pizza. 

Step 1: Pat the dough ball into a circle, making sure it is malleable. Remove the hot skillet from the oven and drizzle in a little oil. Use a spatula or brush to spread the oil around so it coats the interior. 

Step 2: Place the dough into the hot pan very carefully. Press the dough so it covers the bottom and the edges of the dough go up the sides slightly.

Step 3: Spread the red pizza sauce so it goes almost to the edges of the crust.

Step 4: Sprinkle on the cheese, then add the pepperonis. Top with salt and pepper. 

Step 5: Bake at 500 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. 

SLICE: Let the pizza cool slightly, then slice and serve! If desired, top with parm, red pepper flakes, fresh parsley, or serve with ranch dipping sauce.

5 from 42 votes

Created by: Stefanie

Cast Iron Pizza

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

4

This easy cast iron skillet pizza is better than your local pizzeria, uses store bought dough, and is ready in less than 1 hour. It can be made in a variety of ways, so you can enjoy any way you like! 

Print

Pin

Rate

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

4

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 lb. refrigerated pizza dough
• ▢ ½ cup pizza or marinara sauce more or less to taste
• ▢ 2 cups freshly grated mozzarella cheese
• ▢ 10-15 slices pepperoni
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Set the pizza dough out at room temperature for 30 minutes – 1 hour before preparing the pizza.
• Place a cast iron skillet in the oven and turn the oven on to preheat to 500°F. It is important for the skillet to heat in the oven for 10-15 minutes before baking the pizza.
• Be sure the pizza dough is ready by patting it out into a circle, making sure that is is malleable.
• Remove the skillet from the oven and drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil into the pan.
• Use a silicone brush or spatula to spread the oil until it coats the full interior of the skillet.
• Working carefully (the pan is very hot!!), place the dough into the pan and pat it to fill the bottom of the pan.
• Spread the sauce, cheese and pepperoni over the dough. Top with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, if desired.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes at 500°, until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.

Notes

Storage:

Store pizza in the refrigerator for 3-4 days; reheat in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.

Notes:

Heating the skillet while the oven preheats is really important. It ensures that the crust cooks on the outside (and the bottom) and stays soft in the center.

The olive oil helps to brown the bottom of the crust and also prevents sticking in the pan.

A silicone brush or spatula is best for working with the 500° pan so that nothing melts or transfers heat to your hand.

You can pre-shape the dough on a lightly floured work surface as much as possible before adding it to the pan. The pan needs to be nice and hot, but you don’t want to burn your fingers working the dough once it’s in the pan. This is also why it’s important for the dough to be at room temperature before beginning. Cold dough snaps right back into its tight ball and takes a lot more work to spread into a pizza crust.

This makes a nice, thick-style pizza crust.

Nutrition

Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 1395mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 511IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 288mg | Iron: 4mg

Make this recipe?

Share it with me on Instagram @girlinspired1 and follow on Pinterest for more!

Email Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe