How to Cook Pizza on the Grill

Use this expert guide to learn how to make Pizza on the Grill. You don’t need a special oven or fancy equipment, and you’ll be a pro in no time!

Pizza On The Grill

My family and I consider grilled pizza to be one of life’s great pleasures. We’ve been making it for 15+ years, and have even given our friends mini classes on how to do it.

It’s one of those things where it seems daunting, but once you get started, you realize how truly do-able it is.

You don’t need any fancy equipment. No special pizza oven, and you don’t even need one of those gigantic pizza peels (those LOOK cool, but we have no place to store something like that, and it’s not necessary anyway).

Read on to learn everything we know about how to grill pizza perfectly. You’ll be a pro at this yourself in no time. Then you have to promise to teach your friends!

Ingredients you’ll need for Grilled Pizza

• pizza dough – you’ll need 1 pound of pizza dough to make 2 small grilled pizzas (each pizza feeds 1 to 2 people, depending on hunger level). More on the dough below.
• olive oil – you’ll need 1 to 2 tablespoons oil for coating the dough so it doesn’t stick to the grill. Olive oil gives the best flavor.
• pizza sauce – I usually just buy a jar, but you can make homemade pizza sauce if you prefer.
• mozzarella cheese – I like to buy a bar of low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese and shred it up myself, but any kind of mozzarella you like is good here.

How to make the dough for Grilled Pizza

If you want to start with our homemade pizza dough recipe, great! This recipe yields two (1 pound each) balls of dough. You’ll need 1 ball to make 2 small pizzas using the recipe below. Or, double the recipe below and use both balls to make 4 pizzas!

Don’t want to make homemade dough? Totally fine. You can use refrigerated or frozen dough. If you’re in the metro Detroit area, keep an eye out in the freezer section for a brand of frozen dough called Tiseo’s – it’s great.

Whole Foods also sells fresh pizza dough, and I’ve heard you can also ask local pizza shops to sell you a ball of dough for a few dollars.

If you do end up buying frozen dough, make sure it is completely thawed before using. And all dough is a little easier to work with if you let it sit out at room temperature for 10 minutes before you start shaping it.

How to Cook Pizza on the Grill

1. PREP GRILL. Preheat your outdoor grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat. If your grill has a temperature gauge, the grill needs to be at 350 degrees F or higher.

2. SHAPE. Stretch and shape the dough into two 7- to 10-inch circles. It’s OK if your circles are actually a little bit oval or if they kind of look like ghosts from Pac-Man. It’s all fine. Place these circles/ovals/ghosts on a large tray or an upside down rimmed baking pan. 

3. OIL. Brush one side of each dough circle with oil.

4. TRANSFER. Use your hands to carefully transfer the dough circles to the grill, oiled sides down. Do not worry if the circles becomes a little more misshapen during the transfer, this is part of the charm of grilled pizza and it will still be delicious.

5. COOK. Cook 3 minutes, or until the dough circles release themselves from the grates (do not disturb the dough before it releases on its own). The dough may bubble up slightly; this is OK. You don’t need to pop the bubbles.

6. FLIP. Use tongs to flip the dough circles. Cook 3 more minutes or until this side of the dough also releases from the grates. 

7. SAUCE. Adjust the grill temperature to low. Flip the crusts one more time. Spread the crusts with your desired amount of pizza sauce.

8. CHEESE. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce. This is also the point where you would add any toppings that you want to be warmed up, like pepperoni.

9. MELT. Close the grill and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is fully cooked through. The crust should have a sturdy bottom and not be flimsy when fully cooked.

10. SERVE. Remove pizza from grill and top with any cold toppings like herbs. Cut and serve immediately.

Grilled Pizza Recipe Variations

• ANTIPASTO – this is my favorite grilled pizza! Details for this are in the recipe card below.
• HAWAIIAN – top with pizza sauce, mozzarella, ham, and red onion to warm through, and then finish with chopped fresh pineapple and grated Parmesan cheese.
• MARGARITA – top with pizza sauce and mozzarella to warm through, and then finish with fresh chopped basil and grated Parmesan cheese.
• VEGGIE DELIGHT – top with pizza sauce, mozzarella, bell peppers, mushrooms and onions to warm through, and then finish with fresh chopped basil and grated Parmesan cheese.
• MEAT LOVERS – top with pizza sauce, mozzerella, pepperoni, cooked sausage, ham and cooked bacon to warm through, and then finish with grated Parmesan cheese.

Topping Suggestions for Pizza on the Grill

My favorite grilled pizza is an antipasto pizza. I’ll top the pizza with sauce and shredded mozzarella while it’s on the grill, and once I pull it off, I top it with a mixture of cold ingredients I’ve tossed together earlier:

• cubed mozzarella cheese – yes, we’re using shredded AND cubed mozz here! The interplay between the melted shredded cheese and the cool bites of cubed cheese is delightful.
• salami – Applegate Organics sells something called Uncured Genoa Salami Bites, which I think is supposed to be like a snack for kids, but it’s perfect here. You can also buy regular sliced salami and chop it up a little.
• roasted red pepper – roughly chopped.
• artichoke hearts – I use the kind canned in water, and give them a rough chop.
• olives – I like green olives, but black olives work great, too.
• lemon zest – to brighten up all the rich flavors.
• dried oregano – to add an herby Italian note.
• red wine vinegar – to add a little acidity to the “salad” topping.
• fresh basil – it couldn’t look or taste fresher and prettier.

What to pair with Grilled Pizza

My favorite side dish for this grilled pizza recipe is a nice fresh salad, like a summer berry salad (hold the chicken).

The only other thing you need is a cocktail! I think that either a basil cocktail or a bourbon mule would be a perfect pairing.

Storing leftover Grilled Pizza

If you have leftovers, transfer them to a storage container and place them in the fridge uncovered for a few hours until they are fully chilled, then cover them with the lid and keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days. 

How to reheat Pizza on the Grill

Leftover grilled pizza can be reheated on the grill! I like to use indirect heat for this, meaning I set half of the grill to medium-high and leave the other half completely off. I reheat my pizza on the “off” side until it is warmed through.

You can also reheat leftover pizza in the microwave, or in a 350 degree F oven until it is warmed through.

How to Grill Pizza FAQs