Simple Grilled Pesto Pizza
It’s been a loooooong time since I posted a grilled pizza recipe. I’ve posted several over the years, but never this delicious grilled pesto pizza…which is a crime, because it’s one of my biggest crowdpleasers!
This pesto pizza is so easy and so delicious, and the perfect way to use up that abundance of fresh basil you may find yourself facing mid-summer. It’s also on the table in like…15 minutes.
Fresh basil is one of my favorite scents in THE WORLD. And freshly-made pesto is truly one of the most amazing foods. So I have VERY strong feelings about the need for using fresh pesto here, not store-bought. But if you’re going to use store pesto, go with more like what Costco has (brighter green), not the sad little jars from Trader Joe’s.
I have tons of posts on grilled pizza, and several different methods for doing so. I’ll speak to my current fave in this recipe post, but you should check out my post on how to grill pizza…I give detailed instructions for two different techniques, some important tips, and I talk about a few tools I love that make it easier. Plus it’s got lots of other flavor combo ideas.
How to make grilled pesto pizza
First, you have the dough. I love making my own and it’s so easy! You can check out my favorite pizza dough for grilling if that’s of interest, or you can easily pick some up from the store and have a fast, easy dinner on the table. Homemade is sooo good though.
You’ll need it rested and re-risen…this means it’s out of the refrigerator and at room temperature, shape it into balls, and then cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let re-rise for another 30 minutes or so.
If you’re making your own pesto (which I strongly recommend), throw the basil, olive oil, garlic, and most of the pine nuts, cheese, and salt into a small food processor.
Blend until it’s the consistency you want, adding more olive oil if necessary. Taste and adjust as needed…I often need to add a bit more garlic and more salt. I have my pesto recipe in detail in this pesto pasta post, but have summarized in the recipe below.
Now things move fast! Preheat your grill to medium, probably around 500 F. There are many successful ways to grill pizza, but my current favorite is to lay a piece of parchment paper on a cutting board or platter.
Roll or stretch your dough out quite thin, and into a circle…or quite frankly whatever shape it wants to be. Spread pesto on most of the dough, leaving just a thin (maybe 1/2-inch?) border around the edge.
Top that with a sprinkle of pine nuts, chicken (if you’re using), and the shredded cheese, then scatter the mozzarella pearls around (not too close together). Use scissors to cut around the parchment paper very close to the dough (this keeps you from getting all kinds of burn-y paper bits in your food).
Gently slide the pizza and parchment paper directly onto the grates. Close the lid, and let cook for 2-3 minutes.
Then use tongs to slide the parchment paper out and discard it. It will depend on your grill, but you’ll probably want to turn the flame down a bit or shift the pizza over to less-direct heat. Keep cooking the pizzas directly on the grill for another few minutes—keep an eye on the bottom to make sure it doesn’t burn!
Once your cheese is melted and the dough seems cooked through and crisp, use tongs, a pizza peel, or a large spatula to slide it off the grill and onto a large platter or cutting board.
Let it sit for a couple minutes, then cut and serve.
Other pizza adventures you’ll love:
- Amazing, Easy Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Grilled Margherita Pizza: Simple Perfection
- Grilled Zucchini & Corn Pizza With Marinated Feta
- Easy “No-Squeeze” Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Here’s what you’ll need for your grilled pesto pizza
- Homemade fresh basil pesto
- Good quality buffalo mozzarella (Belgioso has these pearls which I love)
- Freshly-grated parmesan (optional, but nice)
- Some grated mozzarella or sharp cheddar if you like
- Optional but recommended: pine nuts and chicken
- Parchment paper, silicone tongs, spatula for grill
- See full recipe below
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Simple Grilled Pesto Pizza
Grilled pesto pizza is one of the best, easiest weeknight meals! Using easy homemade pizza dough & fresh basil pesto (though you can go store-bought in both cases), this grilled pizza captures the flavors of summer.
Ingredients
- My go-to pizza dough recipe (see the post for recipe link)
- 1 cup (packed) of fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup of pine nuts (plus extra for topping)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- Around 1/4 cup of olive oil
- A teaspoon or more of coarse sea salt
- 1/8 cup of freshly-grated parmesan (plus more for topping)
- Small pieces of cooked chicken
- Buffalo mozzarella cheese (torn in pieces, or you can buy "pearls"; see notes)
- A tiny bit of shredded cheddar cheese or regular mozzarella
- Pine nuts
Instructions
- First, you make your dough (if you're going that route). The one I use is super easy and super delicious. Or you can pick up some from the store. Make sure it's rested and re-risen, and ready to work with.
- If you're making your own pesto (which I strongly recommend...here's my recipe), throw the basil, olive oil, garlic, and most of the pine nuts, cheese, and salt into a small food processor. Blend until it's the consistency you want, adding more olive oil if necessary. Taste and adjust as needed...I often need to add a bit more garlic and more salt.
- Preheat your grill to medium, probably around 500 degrees.
- I have several different methods for awesome grilled pizza, but here is my current favorite. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a cutting board or platter. Roll or stretch your dough out quite thin, and into a circle...or quite frankly whatever shape it wants to be.
- Spread pesto on most of the dough, leaving just a thin (maybe 1/2-inch?) border around the edge. Top that with a sprinkle of pine nuts, chicken (if you're using), and the shredded cheese, then scatter the mozzarella pearls around (not too close together).
- Use scissors to cut around the parchment paper very close to the dough.
- Gently slide the pizza and parchment paper directly onto the grates. Close the lid, and let cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Then use tongs to slide the parchment paper out and discard it. It will depend on your grill, but you'll probably want to turn the flame down a bit or shift the pizza over to less-direct heat. Keep cooking the pizzas directly on the grill for another few minutes---keep an eye on the bottom to make sure it doesn't burn!
- Once your cheese is melted and the dough seems cooked through and crisp, use tongs, a pizza peel, or a large spatula to slide it off the grill and onto a large platter or cutting board.
- Let it sit for a couple minutes, then cut and serve.
Notes
- I have VERY strong feelings about the need for fresh pesto, not store-bought. But if you're doing store pesto, go with more like what Costco has, not the sad little jars from Trader Joe's.
- My pesto ingredient amounts are VERY squishy, I always eyeball things and it depends on how much pesto you need. What I've given is a guideline, but I always start light on the amounts of everything but basil, and then taste and add as I go.
- An assembly line-type approach can work here if you're making more than one pizza.
- You want the fresh buffalo mozzarella that is NOT in water.
- My pizza dough recipe makes about 3 medium pizzas (maybe 4 people?)
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