White Pizza
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This white pizza is loaded with creamy ricotta, melty mozzarella, and freshly grated Parmesan — no tomato sauce needed! Brushed with garlicky extra-virgin olive oil and baked until golden, it’s a rich, satisfying twist on classic pizza night. Easy to make, endlessly customizable, and ready in under an hour.
Featured Comment
I absolutely love a good margherita pizza, but sometimes I just crave a white pie like nothing else. It’s so simple with a few different white cheeses but my goodness, it’s really something else. It could be the dollops of ricotta. The melted mozzarella. Or the garlicky-olive-oil goodness with a hint of heat from the crushed red pepper flakes. Maybe it’s all of the above.
WHAT IS WHITE PIZZA (PIZZA BIANCA)?
Also known as pizza bianca and traditionally associated with Roman cuisine, white pizza is made without tomato sauce. It’s typically topped with olive oil, garlic, and a blend of cheeses like mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmesan, making it a rich and flavorful alternative to classic red sauce pizza.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS WHITE PIZZA RECIPE
- Fun twist from traditional pizza made with tomato sauce
- Huge win for those with tomato allergies
- Best kind of family-friendly recipe
- Quick, fast and easy, perfect for busy weeknights and lazy weekends
- So customizable, adding different cheeses and toppings to taste
FUN TOPPING IDEAS FOR WHITE PIZZA
Arugula
Tossed with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Simple, yet so so good.
Spinach and artichoke hearts
Think spinach and artichoke dip in pizza form – yes, please!
Meat
Crumbled Italian sausage, pepperoni or meatballs are all great options.
PRO TIPS FOR THE BEST WHITE PIZZA
- Homemade pizza dough goes a long way. Some of the best pizzas are made with good homemade dough, yielding a chewy, flavorful crust. The best part? Homemade pizza dough can be frozen up to 2 months. If using store-bought, opt for a pound of pizza dough at your favorite local pizza joint. It will make all the difference here.
- For a crispier crust, use a hot pizza stone. While a baking sheet can certainly do the trick, a pizza stone will allow for even cooking, mimicking a traditional wood-fired pizza oven and resulting in a far more superior crust due to its high heat retention.
- Use good quality extra virgin olive oil. With its short ingredient list of mainly olive oil, garlic and cheese, good quality extra virgin olive oil is best. Poor quality olive oil can lead to bland white pizza.
- Use freshly grated cheese. Although pre-shredded cheese can save a few minutes in the kitchen, pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents to prevent clumping – this can hinder its ability to melt properly. Freshly grated cheese will not only have a better flavor profile, but it will also melt more smoothly and evenly, yielding a far more superior pizza.
HOW TO STORE AND FREEZE WHITE PIZZA
Make ahead
To make ahead, par-bake the crust at 450°F for 3-5 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack; cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 48 hours. To bake, remove plastic wrap, add toppings and bake as directed.
Storage
Leftover pizza can be cut into slices, wrapped tightly (to prevent drying out) in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating
Reheat in the oven at 375°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 7-12 minutes, baking longer for a crispier crust.
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MUST-HAVE KITCHEN TOOLS FOR HOMEMADE WHITE PIZZA
A hot surface is key, use a pizza stone for a crispier crust or a baking sheet for convenience.
Pizza stone or baking sheet
White Pizza: Frequently Asked Questions
Also known as pizza bianca, white pizza is made without tomato sauce and gets its name from the use of white cheeses like mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmesan.
While a pizza stone gives you a crispier, more evenly cooked crust, a baking sheet works well too, just make sure it’s preheated for best results.
Yes, we do! You can find our go-to homemade pizza dough recipe here.
We personally love California Olive Ranch. It’s our go-to bottle that we always have on hand, perfect for grilling, marinades, drizzling and even baking.
Leftover pizza slices can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
White pizza skips the tomato sauce to let the rich flavors of olive oil, garlic, and cheese take center stage. It’s perfect for those who want a lighter, more savory pie.
A combination of mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmesan delivers the best flavor and texture. Freshly grated cheeses melt better and taste richer than pre-shredded varieties.
Yes! Store-bought pizza dough works great. Just make sure it’s room temperature before rolling it out for the best results.
Absolutely. Crumbled sausage, prosciutto, or even pepperoni make great additions to a white pizza for extra flavor and protein.
Yes. Par-bake the crust for 3–5 minutes, cool completely, add toppings, and freeze uncovered until solid. Then wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
Wrap leftover slices in plastic wrap or foil and store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in a 375°F oven until warmed through for the crispiest crust.
White Pizza
Ingredients
- ¼ cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 pound pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into small pieces
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Fresh basil leaves
for the olive oil mixture
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly coat a pizza stone with olive oil.
- Working on a surface that has been sprinkled with cornmeal, roll out the pizza into a 12-inch-diameter round. Transfer to prepared pizza stone.
- Spread olive oil mixture over the surface of the dough in an even layer, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with mozzarella and dollops of ricotta; sprinkle with Parmesan.
- Place into oven and bake for 20-24 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheeses have melted.
- Serve immediately, garnished with basil, if desired.
for the olive oil mixture
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
It was good!! My husband and I enjoyed it. I had left over burrata cheese so subbed that out for the mozzarella. The only thing I had to think about was whether you are using half of the pizza dough or all of it at 12″ in size? I did use most of the dough, and even at 14″ (size of my pizza pan), that crust was thicker than I usually prefer so I know for next time to half the dough.
I have a question. I want to make this white pizza, I personally don’t like Riccota cheese. Is there anything I can use to substitute?
Would really appreciate help on the answer.
Thank you in advance
From
Isabel
Delicious
Added sautéed spinach caramelized onions and baked on pre-heated pizza stone using parchment paper excellent pizza would make again
Making this tonight, I’ll probably add some chopped spinach to add a little veg to it. I usually roll the fresh dough out and transfer to parchment paper. That way I can heat the pizza stone in the oven. Makes for a crispier crust and parchment paper saves my pizza stone from baked on cheese. Usually let the stone heat about a half an hour after oven s fully preheated.
I made this pizza tonight (I used Alexandra Cooks sourdough crust) and it was fabulous!!! the only thing I changed was I did not use the basil (didn’t have any) and drizzled slices with the tiniest amount of honey. SO fabulous, cannot wait to make again!!!
I was craving white pizza but wasn’t sure I could pull making my own off but this recipe was so super simple and sooooo good! Thank you!
This was amazing!….I didn’t change a thing
I did add some onions
and fresh basil
Yummy and super easy (with store bought pizza dough) 🙂
Absolutely delicious!!!! Rich & tasty!
This pizza is a meal by itself.
Loved it!
This was excellent! Thank you for sharing. ❤️
This recipie was just perfect!
Crunchy crust and excellent flavor!
Thank you for posting !
My new go to for white pizza!
Rob
Thanks for the inspiration. I was searching for a white pizza and saw the Anchor Steam in the picture. I said these are my kinda people. I’m sad they’re gonna but we still have the pizza. Thanks
I forgot to do the stars rating with my first set of comments – sorry!
Really, really yummy with fresh garden basil! I also added diced cooked chicken breast because my husband doesn’t believe vegetarian is a real meal! I bought pizza dough from a local baker and agree with someone who suggested to par bake it before adding the toppings – the crust didn’t get crispy under the toppings, despite baking on the lowest rack of the oven for the max baking time suggested. Other than an underdone crust, everything else was just perfect. I’ll be making it again!!
Great, easy recipe! We make pizza weekly using store bought dough. Adding this recipe to the rotation!
Excellent recipe. Perfect balance of ingredients. Simply delicious!
Delicious! I baked the crust for a few minutes before adding the mozzarella and ricotta because I like pizza well done. We loved the fresh garlic along with garlic olive oil brushing on the crust- yummy!
Perfection. I bought the herbed fresh dough from trader Joe’s, and followed this to a T (well, maybe with more garlic), and it is amazing.
I’m planning on making this tonight. My mouth was watering just reading the recipe. I love the broil tip at the end.
I typically love your recipes, but I’m afraid this was not one of them. The topping was good, but the crust was so thick, it was almost like a deep-dish pizza. Another friend made this recipe and had the same reaction. If you like a thick, bread-y crust, this is for you. I will be looking for a different recipe.
Just roll your pizza dough out to make a larger pizza, or make two pizzas.