How to Grill Pizza on an Outdoor Grill | PatioHeatAndShade

a grilled and complete pizza on a pizza stone on a grill

Cooking on an outdoor grill can give your food a delicious, smoky flavor that you can’t get from any other method of cooking. So why not try grilling your next pizza? Whether you prefer deep dish or thin crust, the possibilities are nearly endless when it comes to putting your own spin on a good grilled pizza recipe. Here's how to grill a pizza on an outdoor grill like an expert pizzaiolo.

Can You Cook a Pizza on the Grill?

Yes! Actually, grills are a better equivalent of a real wood-fired pizza oven, versus a typical indoor convection oven.And where better to grill than the great outdoors? If you have a patio, deck, or balcony that offers space, you can cook pizza over an open flame, and experience the al fresco pizza dining experience in your own backyard. What's more, this method will give you the opportunity to cook pizzas like no other - think charred crusts with smoky flavors, juicy toppings, and crispier cheese.

Making Grilled Pizza from Scratch

Most people think of burgers and hot dogs when they fire up the grill. How about some grilled pizza? Grilling pizza is actually pretty easy, and it's a great way to impress your friends and family.

Interested in learning how to cook pizza on a grill? Here's how to do it.

What You'll Need

Pizza grilling can be intimidating. You can have a negative experience, such as burnt crust or burnt pizza sauce. As long as you understand the process, it's not difficult. That said, organization is key. When you're grilling pizza, all the toppings, the sauce, and the cheese need to be ready beforehand. This is because the secret to pizza on the grill is adding the toppings after you've put it on the grill. Cooking the dough for a minute or two, flipping it, and then topping it also adds to the taste.

Here's a list of the tools and ingredients you'll need to make a grilled pizza from scratch.

Tools and Utensils

Grill (gas or charcoal)
Brush
Metal tongs
Metal spatula
A large cutting board and sharp chef's knife
Pizza stone or unglazed tiles with holes for ventilation

*Note: The pizza stone should be able to support itself when placed over direct heat from your grill. You can find outdoor pizza stones at home improvement stores, or check out our selection here.

Ingredients

Homemade or store-bought pizza dough
1 cup of pizza sauce (homemade or store-bought)
Your favorite cheeses
Toppings such as bell peppers, mushrooms, herbs, prosciutto, salami, sausage, or pepperoni slices (to taste), diced tomatoes, or chopped greens Olive oil

Prepping Your Pizza

As mentioned earlier, the secret to grilling a well done pizza is in the preparation. Preparing your pizza starts with the dough. Most people like to make their own dough, but you can also use store-bought pizza dough. Since we're making grilled pizza from scratch, here's a step-by-step breakdown of how to prep your pizza for grilling.

Making the Pizza Dough

Wondering how to make pizza dough? Here are three easy steps.

Combine 2 cups warm water, 1/8 tsp yeast, and 1 tbsp sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes so that the yeast activates.
Add in 3 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon of salt to the bowl. Mix until all ingredients are combined, adding more flour if necessary to get a smooth and elastic dough.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Prepping Your Toppings

Which toppings do you want to use for your pizza? Grilled corn and peppers would be amazing! There are tons of options.

Essentially, you don't need different topping ingredients for grilled pizza. You can use the same toppings you would use on an oven-baked pizza. However, we recommend cooking the vegetables before adding them to the dough. Given the short time it takes to grill a pizza (usually 2-3 minutes), some ingredients will still be raw when the pizza is finished. It's okay if you want vegetables to remain crunchy, but you can also pre-cook them before putting them on the pizza to ensure that they’re well cooked. However, any meat toppings you want to add must be pre-cooked first. With grilled pizza, it’s also a good idea to go light on the toppings. This will keep your pizza light and crispy.

Assembling Your Pizza

a pizza on a grill with a male hand sprinkling cheese

Clean and oil the grill to prevent the crust from sticking. Preheat it to 425 degrees (medium-high).
Shape the pizza dough by lightly flouring a surface and stretching it. Work around the edges of the dough, letting it hang and stretch as you stretch it out with your fingers. Allow the dough to sit for 5 minutes and then push it out with your fingers again until you have a nice round shape, about 12 inches in diameter. Do not raise the rim, as this will interfere with the grilling process.
Brush one side of the dough with olive oil; this will be the pizza’s base.
Place it on a lightly floured pizza stone or a rimless cookie sheet if you do not have a pizza stone.
Hoping that the grill is hot enough (425 degrees), slide the dough off the cookie sheet onto the grill gates and allow the pizza to cook for two minutes.
Check the dough after 2 minutes to see whether it's browned. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and cook for another minute if it's just on one side. If the bottom isn't browning, cover the grill and cook for another minute. A hot grill should make it quick. The pizza dough will start to bubble.
Remove the pizza dough off the grill using a cookie sheet or pizza peel after it has browned slightly on one side. Flip the dough over with a spatula so that the cooked side is facing you. Cover the grill to preserve heat for the next step.
Brush a little extra virgin olive oil on the grill-side of the pizza, then place a ladleful of sauce on it—no more or it will turn out soggy. Then put on your vegetables, followed by cheese, followed by meats. Don't overload the pizza with too many toppings if you want it to be light and crispy.
Re-grill the pizza with the toppings on. If you're using a gas grill, lower the heat. If it's a charcoal grill, close all its vents and then close the cover. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, or until the bottom chars and the cheese is bubbly.
Lift the pizza from the grate and place it on a cutting board or other flat surface. Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing it. Cut and serve!﻿﻿

two pizzas on a grill being topped with pizza sauce

The instructions above are optimal for if you have a pizza stone. If you don’t, read on for tips on how to manage without one.

How to Cook Pizza on the Grill Without a Stone

How to grill pizza on a stone vs. how to grill a pizza without a stone is a common question among pizza enthusiasts. Luckily, you don't have to be a professional pizzaiolo to do either.

As long as you follow our lead, we can assure you that you'll be able to put this technique into practice in no time! All it takes is some dough, sauce, and cheese- and the best part? The whole process only takes about 10 minutes! While cooking times will be different without a stone, and you may want to go even lighter on the toppings to preserve the pizza’s structural integrity, you can still follow the instructions above.

How to Grill a Frozen Pizza

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to make pizza, look no further than your freezer. Grilling frozen pizza is a great way to get that authentic wood-fired flavor without having to deal with dough or toppings.

Here's how to do it:

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
Place the frozen pizza directly on the grates.
Close the lid of the grill and cook until there are light brown patches at the bottom of the crust, about 3 minutes.
Turn over and cook until there are light brown patches at the bottom of the crust, about 3 minutes more.
Remove from grill.

Grilling frozen pizza over an open flame is always going to be a little tricky – adding things in the right order, and preventing the dough from sticking, are important. Your first option would be to cook the crust only, and then top it with sauce and toppings once it’s done. Another option is to use a grill stone as your surface. Using a pizza stone will help keep the dough from sticking. You can get a nice, crispy crust in just about half the time that it would take if you were cooking directly over the fire. With a pizza stone, you’ll want to grill the frozen pizza for about six minutes. Without one, twelve minutes should be about right.

More Grilled Pizza Tips

Here are a few additional tips for grilling a great pizza at home.

You want a relatively thick and sturdy dough. Relatively dry, and not too sticky. You can do this by adding just a touch more flour than you would for an indoor pizza.
Roll with the rustic aesthetics. Grilling a pizza outside, you’re unlikely to end up with a perfectly round pie.
Make sure your grill is extra hot. Around 500 degrees should be about right.
Use plenty of oil. Oil the grate or pizza stone, and then brush a little on the underside of the dough.

Grilled Pizza is That Simple!

If you don’t have a dedicated home pizza oven, using a charcoal or gas grill with an open flame is actually one of the best ways to get the right temperature for a great pizza. With or without a pizza stone, a quality grill is key. If you’re interested in taking your outdoor cooking game to the next level, check out these recommendations:

silver gas grill by pgs grills closed in front of a brick wall

How to Grill Pizza on an Outdoor Grill: Tools, Stones, and Tips

Can You Cook a Pizza on the Grill?

Making Grilled Pizza from Scratch

Interested in learning how to cook pizza on a grill? Here's how to do it.

What You'll Need

Tools and Utensils

Ingredients

Prepping Your Pizza

Making the Pizza Dough

Prepping Your Toppings

Assembling Your Pizza

How to Cook Pizza on the Grill Without a Stone

How to Grill a Frozen Pizza

Here's how to do it:

More Grilled Pizza Tips

Grilled Pizza is That Simple!

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