How to Grill Pizza

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If you love pizza, you will absolutely adore Grilled Pizza! This post is more of a quick “how to grill pizza” tutorial than a recipe, and it’s really easy to do. I always use my homemade fail proof pizza dough with any pizza I make on or off the grill. Basically, it’s all the things you love about pizza but with a crispier, chewier crust that has that amazing charred BBQ flavor. Let’s get grilling!

Dear Grilled Pizza, I love you.

I’m so happy to be sharing with you my Grilled Pizza recipe today. We have been grilling pizza for years now and let me tell you, this stuff is addicting! Once you get the hang of grilling the pizza crust, the sky is the limit! Pizza in the oven is great in the winter but grilled pizza is where it’s at in the summer! Trust me when I say it will work. Trust the process and you too will be eating right alongside us. Yum yum!

A Few Notes About Pizza Dough

For all homemade pizza I make from scratch, I start with my Fail-Proof Pizza Dough recipe (a recipe on my site that has been popular for years). This recipe makes enough dough for 2 medium 12 inch pizzas. Alternatively, you might be able to find a prepared pizza dough in the frozen foods section or fresh dough in the deli/bakery at your local grocery store.

Divide that dough into manageable pieces for the grill and stretch and roll it out into the size you want. The size of your grill and/or who you’re serving will determine what size you make your pizzas. This recipe is for four individual pizzas. You can do a larger size pizza, but it can be tricky to flip.

How to Grill Pizza

Here is how I do pizza on the grill. Be sure to scroll down for some frequently asked questions answered regarding type of grill, pizza cooking too fast, and what to do if your pizza sticks to the grill.

Preheat the Grill

Preheat your grill to be about 500 degrees. I used a gas grill and paid attention to the thermometer on the lid of the grill. The grill itself will be hotter than 500 degrees, but that’s a good benchmark to look for before adding your dough.

Prep and Grill the Dough

Stretch out your pizza dough into the shape and size you want and either place or slide onto the grill, being sure to avoid known hot spots. If you want to maintain more of an exact shape, consider rolling your dough out on a pizza peel with cornmeal to prevent sticking and then sliding it off carefully onto your hot grill.

Cover and cook your crusts until they are puffed, bubbly and have grill marks and a few charred spots, about 2 minutes. It should release from the grill easily for flipping.

Add Toppings and Grill Again

Flip your pizza and quickly add sauce, cheese, and any desired toppings. Cover and cook another 2-3 minutes or until cheese has melted completely and the bottom of the crust has grill marks and a few charred spots.

Cut + Serve

Remove from grill, cut into pieces and serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

I’ve had a few questions about types of grills, pizza sticking etc, so I decided it was worth sharing here.

Charcoal vs Gas Grills

I’ve made grilled pizzas on both charcoal and gas grills and the method remains the same. My only hesitation with charcoal is you can’t control the temperature quite as easily as you can with a gas grill. It’s not impossible and we definitely have had (tasty) success. Just be sure to watch your crust as is cooks. It may need a few more minutes to get that char OR it might be ready to flip after 60 seconds. Just be sure to watch it carefully as you go.

My Pizza is Cooking Too Fast!

If your pizza crust is getting crispy or charred a little too quickly, your cheese won’t melt and your crust will burn. If you see that this is happening to you, your grill is too hot. Reduce the heat or push some of the charcoal to one side to create a hot side and a cooler side. Next, once your pizza is cooked on the one side, remove it from the grill to a baking sheet, add the toppings and then slide it back on the grill to finish cooking.

My Pizza is Sticking! What Do I Do?

Don’t panic. This can happen from time to time. If you notice your pizza is sticking, leave it alone to cook and crisp up for another 30 seconds or so to see if it will release after it gets a little more charred. (It should!)

Also, keep in mind that your homemade pizza dough was coated in olive oil before being left to rise. It still should have some residual olive oil on it before it goes onto the grill. If there isn’t very much olive oil on your pizza dough, add a little extra. This will act as extra nonsticking insurance.

Pizza Toppings

When it come to toppings, any topping you would add to a baked pizza, will work on a grilled pizza. Keep in mind that because grill time is only 2-3 minutes once the toppings are added, many might still be raw when the pizza is done. Any meat you add to your pizza will need to be precooked. Vegetables will work, as long as you don’t mind them crunchy. Whatever toppings you end up choosing, go light. A topping loaded pizza will end up heavy and soggy.

Make Ahead

If time is limited, you can make and grill the crust ahead of time! Prepare the dough and grill as the directions indicate in the recipe card, grilling both sides of the crust. Place on a cooling rack and allow crusts to cool completely. When ready to grill again, add the sauce and toppings and heat on the grill until warm and melty.

Grilled Pizza Flavors to Try!

Now that you are hooked on grilling pizza, use my other pizza recipes as inspiration for your next grilled pizza concoction!

• Country BBQ Chicken Pizza – one of my favorites! Topped with chicken, BBQ sauce, fresh corn, bacon, red onion with a smoky ranch sauce after baking. HEAVEN.
• Brown Butter Chicken Alfredo Pizza – make a homemade brown butter alfredo sauce to top your pizza with and add on chicken and lots of cheese.
• Spicy Pancetta Rosemary Pizza – spicy and super flavorful thanks to lots of pancetta and fresh rosemary.
• Loaded Fajita Pizza – a Tex-Mex pizza fusion that is too good to pass up. A great summer option.

Be sure to save, bookmark or print this tutorial, and keep it handy this summer! Enjoy, friends!