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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Tomato Pizza

    Tomato Pizza

    Published: August 23, 2018 · Modified: Sep 26, 2020 by John Kanell

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

    How to make the best homemade Tomato Pizza! Made with fresh and juicy cherry tomatoes, creamy and melted mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil on a crispy homemade pizza crust. It doesn't get much better than this!

    An overhead shot of a tomato pizza cut into slices
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    A pinterest graphic of a tomato pizza with cherry tomatoes
    A pinterest graphic of a tomato pizza with cherry tomatoes
    A pinterest graphic of a tomato pizza with cherry tomatoes
    A pinterest graphic of a tomato pizza with cherry tomatoes
    A pinterest graphic of a tomato pizza with cherry tomatoes

    Everyone loves pizza night especially when you’re making the pizzas from scratch! Rolling out the pizza dough and choosing your favorite toppings is so much fun.

    When it comes to toppings the list is endless you can go all fancy with a seasonal fig pizza with goats cheese (so delicious), try something new like our potato pizza or stick to a classic cheese and tomato.

    This tomato pizza is perfect for those that love simple and classic pizza flavors but want to take it up a notch. It has so much flavor from fresh tomatoes and basil it’s truly the best!

    What you need to make this recipe

    An overhead shot of a all the ingredients you need to make tomato pizza

    Pizza sauce – use your favorite pizza sauce, I like to make sure my pizza sauce is flavored with herbs and garlic for extra flavor!

    Tomatoes – I used different colored cherry tomatoes because not only are they sweet and delicious but they look super pretty too. You can use any fresh tomatoes you like.

    Mozzarella – I like to use thick slices of fresh mozzarella, make sure to pat it dry with kitchen paper to avoid any excess moisture on your pizza when baking.

    Basil – There’s nothing quite like fresh basil especially when paired with juicy tomatoes. I don’t recommend using dried basil as a substitute it just won’t give the same results.

    How to make Tomato Pizza

    First, you need to make our homemade pizza dough! It’s super easy and we have a full step by step tutorial on making the best homemade dough using a stand mixer.

    Two photos showing how to spread a pizza crust with oil and tomato

    1.Stretch the pizza dough using your hands or a rolling pin to fit your baking tray, pizza stone or simply use parchment paper. Brush the pizza crust with olive oil.

    2. Next, spread on the pizza sauce.

    Two photos showing how to top a pizza with mozzarella and fresh tomatoes

    3. Top with mozzarella slices.

    4. Finally top with tomatoes and bake until golden, crispy and the cheese has melted. Once cooked sprinkle with fresh basil.

    A close up of one slice of tomato pizza topped with fresh basil

    Tips and ideas for making this recipe

    • Check out our step by step guide for making homemade pizza dough.
    • Use a pizza stone if you have one, get one if you can! Just place it in the oven before setting the heat and let it sit there for at least 30 minutes. Your crust will thank you!
    • Looking for a dip for your pizza crusts? I love to use basil pesto, balsamic vinegar, or a garlic sour cream.
    • If you want to make this as a white pizza, use about 1/2 cup olive oil, 4 cloves of minced garlic, and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Cook everything in a saucepan to simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Use this to brush on the crust instead of pizza sauce then follow with the remaining toppings.

    A close up of slices of pizza topped with cherry tomatoes and basil

     Frequently Asked Questions

    What are the best tomatoes to use?

    You can pretty much use any kind of tomatoes you like. For this pizza I’ve used double tomato for extra flavor, pizza sauce (get one flavored with herbs and garlic if possible), and fresh cherry tomatoes. You can use any kind of fresh tomatoes you like for the toppings.

    How do I stop tomatoes making my pizza soggy?

    A great tip to prevent a soggy pizza is to brush oil on the base before the tomatoes, this creates a barrier and nice crispy base. Also make sure to not overfill your pizza, too many toppings will weigh down your pizza and stop it turning crispy also the more wet ingredients you add the higher chance you have of a soggy base, less is more!

    Can I freeze this pizza?

    Absolutely, pizza freezes really well and this tomato pizza is no exception. You can freeze your pizza either raw or cooked although if freezing it raw you’ll need to freeze it on a baking tray first to keep it’s shape then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.

    Thaw completely before baking.

    If you love this recipe try these out!

    • Two bowls of tomato soup with basil and croutons on top.

      Tomato Soup Recipe

    • A ball of Pizza Dough ready to be rolled out.

      Pizza Dough Recipe

    • An overhead shot of a fig pizza cut into slices

      Fig Pizza

    • An overhead shot of a pizza cut into slices

      Pesto Pizza

    • Tomato Tart

      Tomato Tart

    If you’ve tried this Tomato Pizza then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

    A square image of a tomato pizza cut into slices
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    4.41 from 10 votes

    Tomato Pizza

    An incredible tomato pizza made with fresh cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil. Check out my step by step photos and tips above!
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    resting time 1 hour
    Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 370kcal
    Author John Kanell

    Ingredients

    Ingredients

      For the Dough:

      • 1 1/2 cups water 360ml, warm (100F - 110F)
      • 4 cups all-purpose flour 480g, plus extra for kneading
      • 2 packages dry yeast 14g
      • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
      • 1 pinch kosher salt
      • 1 tsp olive oil plus more for the bowl
      • 2 tsp rosemary crushed, dried

      For the Toppings:

      • 1/3 cup pizza sauce 80ml
      • 3 cups cherry tomatoes halved
      • 1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella sliced into disks
      • 1 pinch sea salt

      Instructions

      For the Dough:

      • In a warm mixing bowl, add warm water (about 100F), yeast and sugar. Wait about 7 minutes or until you see bubbles forming in the mixture.
      • Pour in salt, rosemary and olive oil. Mix until combined.
      • Attach a dough hook to a standing mixer. Add the flour.
      • Mix on low for about 1 minute. Increase to medium speed until the dough comes together in a ball
      • Use olive oil to coat the dough ball. Place it in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a fabric bonnet and place in a draft-less place to rise for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
      • Preheat the oven to 450F degrees. When the dough has doubled, punch it down with your fists. Flour a work surface and knead for about 5 minutes.
      • Cut the dough into 4 parts.
      • Work each dough ball into a stretched circle.
      • On piece of parchment paper, prepare each pizza crust by pressing the dough down to create a collar. You can also use a pizza stone or baking tray.

      For the Topping:

      • Brush the dough with oil and distribute the pizza sauce. Add mozzarella slices and tomatoes. Sprinkle with sea salt.
      • Bake for about 10 minutes, crust should be golden brown and tomatoes will have softened.
      • Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves just before serving. 

      Video

      Notes

      Olive oil is used to coat bowl**

      Nutrition

      Serving: 230g | Calories: 370kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 880mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g
      *Nutrition Disclaimer
      Have you Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @preppykitchen and tag #preppykitchen!

       

       

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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Avatar for Tamara CockroftTamara Cockroft says

        January 24, 2019 at 10:16 am

        5 stars
        can i leave the dough to rise longer?? if i want to make it for dinner but i have all afternoon

        Reply
        • Avatar for jkanelljkanell says

          January 24, 2019 at 11:25 am

          Yes!

          Reply
      2. Avatar for RaniaRania says

        January 21, 2019 at 2:14 pm

        3 stars
        Hello,
        Excuse me , you didn’t write olive oil in the ingredients, but in the video you used it, you just write 1tsp olive oil for bowl
        Thank you .

        Reply
      3. Avatar for Josephine bakhitaJosephine bakhita says

        November 08, 2018 at 4:40 pm

        5 stars
        HI John, love all your videos. Please how do I make the pizza sauce. Thank you.

        Reply
        • Avatar for John K.John K. says

          November 09, 2018 at 9:37 am

          Hi Josephine,

          I did not make my own pizza sauce in this recipe. I used store bought pizza sauce this time!

          Best,

          John

          Reply
      4. Avatar for GraceGrace says

        September 11, 2018 at 11:56 am

        5 stars
        Hello!! How many people would you say this would feed?

        Reply
        • Avatar for jkanelljkanell says

          September 14, 2018 at 9:08 pm

          HEllO! I think you could make 3-4 medium pizzas from this recipe so maybe 6 people?

          Reply
      5. Avatar for BethBeth says

        August 25, 2018 at 2:30 pm

        I’m making it right now! One question. You say bake it for 10 minutes, then bake for another 15 to 20? That part is a little confusing to me.

        Reply
        • Avatar for John K.John K. says

          August 27, 2018 at 10:31 am

          Hello Beth,

          I apologize! The extra 15-20 was a mistake that I went ahead and corrected. I hope I didn’t ruin your pizza!

          Best,
          John

          Reply
          • Avatar for BethBeth says

            August 30, 2018 at 12:05 pm

            5 stars
            It was done in 10 minutes and was delicious!

          • Avatar for John K.John K. says

            August 31, 2018 at 10:41 am

            Hey Beth,

            That is so nice to hear! I’m glad you enjoyed it. What will you try next?

            Best,

            John

      6. Avatar for SaraSara says

        August 24, 2018 at 12:39 pm

        2 stars
        Such a quick reply , thank you so much!
        I’ ve halved the dose of yeast and the dough has risen well.

        Reply
      7. Avatar for SaraSara says

        August 24, 2018 at 12:27 pm

        Such a quick reply ,thank you !
        I’ ve tried , it works well .

        Reply
      8. Avatar for SaraSara says

        August 24, 2018 at 7:57 am

        Hi John.Can I reduce the amount of yeast in the recipe?

        Reply
        • Avatar for John K.John K. says

          August 24, 2018 at 9:10 am

          Sara,
          I haven’t reduced the yeast in this recipe, but if you do, let me know how it works!
          John

          Reply
          • Avatar for SaraSara says

            August 24, 2018 at 12:26 pm

            Such a quick reply ,thank you !
            I’ ve tried , it works well .

          • Avatar for SaraSara says

            August 24, 2018 at 12:41 pm

            4 stars
            Such a quick reply , thank you !
            I’ ve halved the dose of yeast and the dough has risen well .

      9. Avatar for AKAK says

        October 03, 2017 at 5:19 pm

        5 stars
        This was a great recipe!

        Thanks John!

        Reply
      10. Avatar for AvaAva says

        October 03, 2017 at 5:18 pm

        5 stars
        Yumm!!! Looks so good!

        Reply

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      Welcome to Preppy Kitchen!

      Thanks for stopping by! I’m John Kanell, a husband, dad to twins Lachlan and George, Los Angeles native, and an avid baker and cooker of all things delicious thanks to a life long education from my mother. This blog is where I share all of my kitchen creations!

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