How To Grill Pizza...& Perfect Grilled Pizza Dough

Ever since I bought my house last year and was able to get a proper grill (not the electric nonsense I had before), I’ve been working on becoming a total grillmaster. That means all the usual things like learning how to make moist and flavorful chicken, steak, fish, and vegetables.

But one of my favorite things to experiment with has been grilled pizza, so I wanted to share what I’ve learned and provide my best tips for how to grill pizza. I won’t claim to be an absolute expert, but I’m super happy with how it turns out for me!

The beauty of grilled pizza is how versatile it is…you can seriously top it with just about anything, as long as it’s already cooked or mostly cooked. From veggies to protein to fruit to cheese to chocolate, you can’t go wrong.

I’ve outlined my grilled pizza dough recipe below, and then at the bottom of the post I have a list of tips for how to grill pizza—both making and grilling the dough!

How to make the best grilled pizza dough

In a stand mixer (with dough hook) or large mixing bowl, stir together the water and yeast. Let it sit for a few minutes until the yeast is dissolved and starting to bubble. Then stir in 3-4 cups of the flour (not all of it!), the oil, and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough is formed.

If you’re using a mixer, start it kneading the dough on low speed. This will give you an idea of whether you need to add more flour. You definitely want it on the stickier side. If necessary, add more flour, a little at a time. Knead the dough with the dough hook for 5 to 7 minutes, or knead by hand on the counter for 6 to 8 minutes. Once it’s been kneaded properly, the dough should form a smooth (still slightly sticky) ball and spring slowly back when poked.

If you’re planning to use the dough right away, place it in a lightly-oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap to rise at room temperature for 1-1.5 hours, or until it’s doubled in size.

Alternatively, you have the option to let it rise slowly in the fridge overnight. In that case, lightly oil a large ziploc bag and place the dough in there, and seal it. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

If you’ve refrigerated it, bring the dough to room temperature. Try not to add much flour when you’re rolling it out, because you still want it really soft and sticky, as this will help it roll out easier.

I recommend keeping your dough pieces fairly small, since it’s hard to maneuver a giant piece of dough on the grill without destroying it. Aim for a dough ball a little bigger than your fist, and then roll it out quite thin. Shape doesn’t matter a ton, but you do want it really thin. You can use your fists and hands to gently stretch it, and it’s fine for the edges to be a little thicker than the middle. But THIN is key!

Now it’s go time! (Also, this dough is too fat! Don’t be me.)

Preheat a gas grill with all the burners on high for 10 to 15 minutes before you plan to cook. I’ve never done it with a charcoal grill but I’m sure it works fine. I highly recommend setting up a little table or workspace near the grill with all your toppings, because things go pretty fast once you start. Using a silicone brush (like this one), brush a light coating of olive oil onto one side of the dough, then carefully place the dough directly onto the grill over the flames.

Close the grill and let it cook for a few minutes, until the bottom of the dough shows char marks and is barely cooked (usually 2-3 minutes). While it’s cooking, brush some olive oil on the dough that’s face-up.

Then using long silicone tongs and/or a large grill spatula, flip the dough over.

Brush a little more olive oil on the cooked side, then quickly spread your sauce and toppings on it. Don’t go overboard, as this will interfere with it cooking well. I like to start with a little coating of shredded mozzarella, to get a good melt.

Close the grill and cook until the bottom is nice and crispy, the toppings are warmed through, and the cheese is melted—another 2 to 5 minutes. It will vary depending on your grill. You can turn your burners down a little to avoid burning it, but I’ve found that it does need SOME direct heat to get cooked well and get everything melted. Once it’s done, use your tongs or spatula to slide the finished pizza onto a cutting board. Let it cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve.

Go crazy with your grilled pizza dough toppings! Here are a few of my favorites:

Peaches, rosemary, goat cheese, and barbecue chicken

Grilled zucchini, corn, and marinated feta

Fresh cherries, feta, and rosemary

I’ve also tried chocolate, peanut butter, and banana…it was delicious but not perfect (the texture was off), so still working on that one. But it’s a winning flavor combo!

So here are my best tips for how to grill pizza

Make sure your dough is nice and sticky—don’t add too much flour! Dry dough will be hard to work with and won’t roll out nicely. It also has a tighter, tougher texture once grilled. A wetter dough will help make an amazing flavor and soft, chewy texture.
Feel free to make your dough the night before…it’s a super flexible recipe, and the longer it rises, the more flavor it has. I almost always do it the night before to up the flavor potential. Just put it in the fridge overnight and bring it to room temperature (and letting it rise a bit more doesn’t hurt either).
Roll your dough very thin!!! This is key, because it won’t be pleasant if it’s too thick.
Brush olive oil on one side of the dough, throw it on the grill, and then brush olive oil on the other while it’s cooking. When you flip the dough over, brush olive oil on the original side AGAIN before putting all the toppings on.

I’m still on the lookout for more awesome grilled pizza flavor and topping combinations, so hit me up with your best recommendations in the comments!

Other grilled faves you’ll love:

The Best Grilled Pizza Dough

This recipe is super flexible. You can also halve it; I often make a half batch, which gives me 2-3 large single-person pizzas. I’ve adapted this slightly, as the dough was super dry with the original proportions.

1 3/4 cups of water
1 to 2 teaspoons of active dry or instant yeast*
1/4 cup of olive oil
4 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of salt

* The less time you have to let the dough rise, use more yeast. If you’re letting it rise in the fridge overnight, you can err on the lower side. I typically do 2 teaspoons.

Make the dough:

In a stand mixer (with dough hook) or large mixing bowl, stir together the water and yeast. Let it sit for a few minutes until the yeast is dissolved and starting to bubble. Then stir in 3-4 cups of the flour, the oil, and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough is formed.
If you’re using a mixer, start it kneading the dough on low speed. This will give you an idea of whether you need to add more flour. You definitely want it on the stickier side. If necessary, add more flour a little at a time. Knead the dough with the dough hook for 5 to 7 minutes, or knead by hand on the counter for 6 to 8 minutes. Once it’s been kneaded properly, the dough should form a smooth (still slightly sticky) ball and spring slowly back when poked.

Rising and preparing:

If you’re planning to use the dough right away, place it in a lightly-oiled bowl to rise at room temperature for 1-1.5 hours, or until it’s doubled. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit.
You also have the option to let it rise slowly in the fridge overnight. In that case, lightly oil a large ziploc bag and place the dough in there, and seal it. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it (break into the appropriate portions and freeze separately); just thaw it entirely and then let it rise at room temperature for a bit.

Grill the pizza: You should be able to do 2 at a time

Bring the dough to room temperature if it’s not already (at least an hour).
Lightly flour a surface and roll out small portions of dough (a little bigger than your fist). I’ve found that it’s better to do more, smaller pizzas rather than a large one—it’s difficult to control the dough once it’s on the grill, and you’ll end up ripping it or dumping your toppings. Roll it out into a thin circle or oval (though honestly, the shape doesn’t matter at all). You can use your fists and hands to gently stretch it, and it’s fine for the edges to be a little thicker than the middle. But THIN is key!
Preheat a gas grill with all the burners on high for 10 to 15 minutes before you plan to cook. I’ve never done it with a charcoal grill but I’m sure it works fine. I recommend setting up a little table or workspace near the grill with all your toppings, because things go pretty fast once you start.
Using a silicone brush (like this one), brush a light coating of olive oil onto one side of the dough, then carefully place the dough directly onto the grill over the flames. Close the grill and let it cook for a few minutes, until the bottom of the dough shows char marks and is barely cooked (usually 2-3 minutes). While it’s cooking, brush some olive oil on the dough that’s face-up.
Then using long silicone tongs and/or a large grill spatula, flip the dough over. Brush a little more olive oil on the cooked side, then quickly spread your sauce and toppings on it. Don’t go overboard, as this will interfere with it cooking well. I like to start with a little coating of shredded mozzarella, to get a good melt.
Close the grill and cook until the bottom is nice and crispy, the toppings are warmed through, and the cheese is melted—another 2 to 5 minutes. It will vary depending on your grill. You can turn your burners down a little to avoid burning it, but I’ve found that it does need SOME direct heat to get cooked well and get everything melted.
Once it’s done, use your tongs or spatula to slide the finished pizza onto a cutting board. Let it cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve.