The Best Cast Iron Pan Pizza Recipe is an easy, no-knead pizza that only takes 20 minutes of hands-on time! Bake in a cast iron skillet for a deeply golden, crispy crust with a chewy inside and gooey cheesy top. It’s better than Pizza Hut pan pizza and straight from your own oven!
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Friday night pizza night has become a semi-regular tradition in our house. When the smell of cast iron skillet pizza begins wafting through the air all the weekend vibes start coming on strong. Add some bruschetta with mozzarella and it's really a good Friday!
It all began because I was looking for an easy dinner that we could eat after cleaning the house. See, when my kids were little I was so overwhelmed with housework, but I guess that’s what 5 kids under 6 will get you. So I reverted to a tradition my mom taught me...cleaning on Friday afternoon. As a child it seemed so tortuous to have to come home from school and clean before we could play or go to a friend's house. As an adult I look back and see the wisdom of that. Now cleaning, and this cast iron skillet pizza, are weaved into the fabric of our weekend. Almost every Friday afternoon you will find me and the crew cleaning the house for one hour. Three out of four Fridays we will be eating pizza after.
This cast iron pan pizza really does take less than 20 minutes of hands-on time. However, that time doesn’t happen all at once...it’s broken up throughout the day. If your mornings are rushed or you get a late start feel free to start the dough the night before.
Most often I plan it like this:
- 7:30 am- Make dough- less than 5 minutes
- 3:30 pm- place dough in pans- less than 5 minutes
- 5:30 pm- press and top- less than 10 minutes
This recipe originated from Foodie with Family's version, but I have tweaked it to fit perfectly in a 12 inch cast iron skillet (affiliate).
🍕 Ingredients
Dough
Bread flour: Bread flour has extra gluten in it which helps the structure of this pizza.
Kosher salt: Our preferred salt.
Instant yeast: Just a little bit is all that is needed to create the perfect lift in this pizza.
Oil: I prefer to use canola oil, but any high smoke point oil will work. Olive oil isn’t a good choice because it smokes at a low temperature.
Toppings
Pizza sauce: A thick parlor-style pizza sauce is best. Too thin and it won’t have enough flavor to balance out the dough
Cheese: Part-skim mozzarella is essential for this pizza. This is definitely not one of the times you want to use fresh mozzarella. It is too watery and won’t allow the crust to cook through.
Toppings: This kind of pizza is perfect for pepperoni, however please feel free to use your favorite toppings.
🔪 Instructions
Let’s break this down into 4 easy steps. Now this recipe isn’t hard, but in the spirit of full disclosure it does require you to do a quick step, wait a while and then do the next step
- Mix dough in a bowl. WAIT at least 8 hours.
- Oil hands and pan, then place dough in pan. WAIT 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 550 or as hot as it gets. Gently press dough into the sides of the pan and top with toppings.
- Bake for 12-20 minutes.
Mix the Dough
Mix the bread flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl. Add the water. Start with 1 cup of water. You want a well hydrated but shaggy dough. It should look like the picture…no dry pockets of flour left but not really wet either. If the dough is looking too dry, add in water a tablespoon at a time until the dough resembles a moist but shaggy dough. My favorite way to mix this is with this dough whisk (affiliate). However, if you do not have one use a rubber spatula. Cover and wait overnight or at least 8 hours.
Move dough to pan
Prep the skillet(s) by putting one and half tablespoons of oil in the bottom of each skillet. Carefully dip clean hands into the oil. The dough is so wet that if you don’t oil your hands it will stick. Take the dough and place it in the center of the skillet gently pressing it out. Then gently flip it over so the side facing up is oiled. As you can see in the skillet it won’t reach the edge. Take a piece of plastic wrap and cover the dough. Wait 2 hours.
Top
Preheat the oven to 550 for at least 20 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap from the pan. Gently press the dough to the edge of the pan. Spread the sauce evenly around the pan leaving a half inch border. Spread the cheese and toppings covering the sauce.
Bake
Place cast iron skillet in the oven and bake for 12-20 minutes. If cooking multiple pizzas, the lower on rack will usually be finished first and the bottom will be crispier. If there are any pizzas on an upper shelf pull them out when the top looks done and check the crust. If it isn’t as brown as you want, place it on a stovetop burner set to high. Cook for 1-3 minutes to crisp up the crust. Once the top and bottom are done, carefully (they are lava hot) remove the cast iron skillet pizza to a cutting board using two spatulas. Wait a couple minutes and cut them using a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
I have not served this to more than 10-12 people at once. Four cast iron skillet pizzas might be able to serve up to 14 depending on appetites and what else you are serving. The main thing to keep in mind is that when you put 4 pans in the oven at once they will take a few extra minutes to cook and the pizzas on the upper shelf won’t have as crispy of a bottom. Be sure to read the "Bake" section above on how to get a crispy crust using the burner on the stovetop.
🙋 Questions and Answers
You may use all-purpose flour in place of the bread flour, but it won’t be as good. I have done it in a pinch, but bread flour is better.
To make your own bread flour follow the instructions in the recipe card using all-purpose flour and vital wheat gluten. My favorite is from Bob's Red Mill. Here is a link to their vital wheat gluten (affiliate).
The dough in this recipe does need to be done in advance. Other than that the only prep that can be done are the toppings.
This pizza dough is best made fresh. However if you want to make extra and place some dough in the freezer, make the dough and allow it to rise all the way until it is time to place it in the pan. At that point you can place the dough in an oiled zip top bag and freeze it. It will remain good for up to two months. Gently remove from bag and allow to thaw in prepped cast iron skillet. Once it is puffy, proceed to top and bake.
Do I have an amazing technique for you! It will ensure that it’s as close to the original as possible. First begin by heating up your empty cast iron skillet over high heat on the stove. While it is warming up microwave your slices of pizza for 1-2 minutes. You want the pizza to be about 70 percent warm. Carefully remove pizza slices from the microwave and immediately place them in the hot skillet. This will allow the bottom to get crispy. Leave it there for 1-2 minutes or until the bottom is crispy and the toppings are hot.
We have used this technique with every kind of pizza. Works like a charm every time.
I LOVE these ones (affiliate) with the double handle feature. They are less than $10. How can you beat that for a pan that will last a lifetime?
📖 Quick & easy dinners
- These Chicken Tinga Tacos take less than 20 minutes any day of the week.
- This 25-Minute Lemon Broccoli Pasta is fresh and bright with bursts of citrus flavor.
- BELT’s are a family favorite that starts with oven-baked bacon that’s topped with fried eggs.
- Baked Honey Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings are a delicious dinner or great side for this pizza.
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Be sure to get your dough moist but not too wet.
- Oil your hands before moving the dough to the pan.
- Preheat the oven for at least 20 minutes before you put the pizzas in. Ideally the oven needs to get hot and then be hot for an additional 10 minutes before the pizzas go in to help set the crust.
👋 Connect with us!
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📋 Recipe
The Best Cast Iron Pan Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 10 ounces bread flour see notes for substitution
- 1 tsp salt
- Scant ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 cup cool water plus 1-2 tablespoon more as needed
Toppings
- 1½ tbsp oil
- ½ cup sauce
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded, part skim
- 25 pieces pepperoni
Instructions
Dough
- Mix the bread flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl. Add the 1 cup water and mix. You want a well hydrated but shaggy dough with no dry pockets of flour left but not really wet either. If the dough is looking too dry, add in water a tablespoon at a time until the dough resembles a moist but shaggy dough. Cover and wait overnight or at least 8 hours.
- Prep the 12 inch skillet(s) by putting one and half tablespoons of oil in the bottom of each skillet. Carefully dip clean hands into the oil. The dough is so wet that if you don’t oil your hands it will stick. Take the dough and place it in the center of the skillet, gently pressing it out. Then gently flip it over so the side facing up is oiled. As you can see in the skillet it won’t reach the edge. Take a piece of plastic wrap and cover the dough. Wait 2 hours.
Top and bake
- Preheat the oven to 550 for at least 20 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap from the pan. Gently press the dough to the edge of the pan. Spread the sauce evenly around the pan leaving a half inch border. Spread the cheese and toppings covering the sauce.
- Place cast iron skillet in the oven and bake for 12-20 minutes. If cooking multiple pizzas at once, the one on the bottom rack will usually be finished first and the bottom will be crispier. If there are any on an upper shelf pull them out when the top looks done and check the crust. If it isn’t as brown as you want place it on a stovetop burner set to high. Cook for 1-3 minutes to crisp up the crust. Once the top and bottom are done, carefully (they are lava hot) remove the cast iron skillet pizza to a cutting board using two spatulas. Wait a couple minutes and cut them using a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
Notes
- Be sure to get your dough moist but not too wet.
- Oil your hands before moving the dough to the pan.
- Preheat the oven for at least 20 minutes before you put the pizzas in. The oven needs to get hot and then be hot for an additional 10 minutes before the pizzas go in to help set the crust.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Mary Cronin says
Canola oil (aka rapeseed oil) tastes gross. I don't know why most of recipes on the web specify Canola.
What oil can be substituted?
Thanks,
Mary
Misty says
Hi Mary, you can use a vegetable oil or any other high smoke point oil. This cooks at a very high heat, so olive oil isn't a great choice. Enjoy!
Linda says
I just got the dough ready. Plan to make this pizza tomorrow! I am celiac, but my dear husband loves pizza and I want to see how he will like this. Just wondering what pizza sauce do you use?
Misty says
We often use a no-cook sauce from America’s Test Kitchen: https://www.cleveland.com/cooking/2015/10/an_easy_tasty_no-cook_pizza_sa.html
You can also use a canned pizza sauce to keep it simple. Hope you enjoy it!
Fred O. says
I have been using an almost identical recipe with great results. My only suggestion is to NOT to leave any border of bare dough when spreading the sauce and cheese. Going right to the sides of the skillet results in a nicely charred carmellized rim that's possibly the best part.
Danielle says
Thanks so much for the suggestion! Sounds delicious!
Natasha says
Delicious!!