How Do You Make Pizza at Home? 12 Easy Steps

Make your own homemade pizza with less than 10 ingredients

Co-authored by Ollie George Cigliano and Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: November 15, 2024 Fact Checked

Making pizza from scratch doesn’t have to be hard. In a matter of minutes, you can whip up your own delicious pizza with a handful of simple ingredients. From oven to plate, we’ll guide you through the entire process step by step. Who knew that creating your own pizza could be so easy?

Quick Overview of Making Homemade Pizza

Combine 1½ C (170 g) self-rising flour and 1 C (240mL) plain Greek yogurt.
Stir these ingredients into a dough, then knead it for 8–10 minutes.
Spread the dough onto a pizza pan and bake at 500 °F (260 °C) for 5 minutes.
Mix together 3 C (710mL) tomato purée and 2 tsp (9.9mL) red wine vinegar.
Mince 2 cloves of garlic and stir them into the tomato sauce mixture.
Top the pizza dough with sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings.
Bake the pizza for another 5–7 minutes.

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

1½ cups (170 g) of self-rising flour
1 c (240 mL) of Greek yogurt, plain

Makes one 12 in (30 cm) pizza crust

Pizza Sauce

3 to 3 ¹⁄₂ c (710 to 830 mL) of tomato purée
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 tsp (9.9 mL) of red wine vinegar
½ tsp (2.5) of kosher salt

Makes 3 to 3 ¹⁄₂ c (710 to 830 mL) of sauce

Pizza Toppings

Grated cheese
Pepperoni (optional)
Sausage (optional)
Mushrooms (optional)
Onions (optional)

1

Preheat the oven to 500 °F (260 °C).

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Texture is everything when it comes to the perfect pizza crust, and a screaming-hot oven is essential to getting your crust deliciously crisp rather than soft.^{[1]
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2

Form the dough.

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Combine plain Greek yogurt and self-rising flour to form your crust. A good ratio is 1½ cups (170 g) of self-rising flour and 1 c (240 mL) of plain Greek yogurt—it’ll create the perfect amount of dough for a 12 in (30 cm) pizza.^{[2]
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- If you’d rather make a bigger, 16 in (41 cm) pizza, increase the dough recipe so you’re working with 3 cups (340 g) of self-rising flour and 2 c (470 mL) of plain Greek yogurt instead.

3

Knead the dough for 8–10 minutes.

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The kneading process helps give the pizza dough structure. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and press into it with the base of your palm. Then, grab the back edge of the dough and pull it toward you, folding it over the rest of the dough. Dust the top of it with flour, and then continue alternating between pressing and pulling. Keep kneading until the dough has a smooth texture.^{[3]
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- If the dough feels too sticky, add a little more flour to it.

4

Spritz the pizza pan with cooking spray.

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This makes the pizza easy to remove later. If you don’t have a pizza pan, improvise with another pan that’s large enough to fit a 12 in (30 cm) pizza crust, like a:
- Baking sheet that’s flipped over
- Cast iron skillet
- Baking steel^{[4]
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5

Spread the dough out on the pan.

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Place the kneaded pizza dough in the center of the greased pizza pan, working it toward the edges. As you roll and manipulate the dough, try to keep the thickness as consistent as possible. You don’t want one section to be super thin and crunchy and the other to be thick and doughy!^{[5]
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6

Bake just the crust for at least 5 minutes.

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Slip the pizza pan in the oven and set a timer for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the dough as it bakes—if the dough seems a bit undercooked, leave it in for another minute or two.^{[6]
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7

Make your pizza sauce.

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Tomato purée, minced garlic, and red wine vinegar make for a tasty sauce. Grab a mixing bowl and pour in 3 to 3 ¹⁄₂ c (710 to 830 mL) of tomato purée, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 2 tsp (9.9 mL) of red wine vinegar. Mix everything together thoroughly until it forms a consistent sauce.^{[7]
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8

Pour the sauce over the baked crust.

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Add as much sauce as you want. If you have any remaining, refrigerate it in an airtight container and consume within a week.^{[8]
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9

Sprinkle cheese on top.

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Mozzarella is a classic, but you can branch out, too. Grab a bag of pre-grated cheese and sprinkle as much or as little as you want over the surface. Parmesan, cheddar, Monterey jack, provolone, and other cheeses can be delicious additions to your homemade pie as well, so don’t be afraid to experiment!^{[9]
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- Keep in mind that pre-grated cheeses tend to have additives. If you want even fresher ingredients, there’s no harm in grating the cheese yourself.

10

Add your preferred toppings.

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Toppings really let you make the pizza your own. In the mood for a hearty, meat-filled slice? Opt for some of the classics, like pepperoni or Italian sausage. Prefer something lighter? Sprinkle some veggies on top, like spinach, diced tomatoes, or even broccoli. It’s hard to go wrong with combos like:
- Onions and mushrooms
- Olives and feta cheese
- Sausage and green peppers
- Ham and pineapple

11

Bake for another 5–7 minutes.

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This final bake will give your pizza that perfect gooey taste. Now that your perfect pizza is fully assembled, it’s time to slide it back in the oven and wait another 5 to 7 minutes for the sauce, cheese, and toppings to meld together into irresistible goodness. Once the crust is perfectly browned and the cheese is fully melted, it’s time to dig in!^{[10]
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- To give your slice a spicy kick, sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top before serving.
- Not sure what to pair with your freshly-made pizza? Opt for side dishes like garlic green beans, roasted asparagus, chopped salad, roasted broccoli, or cooked spinach.^{[11]
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12

Refrigerate any leftovers for 3-4 days.

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Once your pizza has thoroughly cooled off, slip the pieces into a plastic bag. If you have multiple slices leftover, simply stack them on top of one another, seal the bag, and slip it into the fridge.^{[12]
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Community Q&A

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Question

Can I use any kind of flour?

Community Answer

Yes, you can use any kind of flour, although the type of flour you use might have an effect on the taste and consistency of the dough.

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Can all-purpose flour be used instead of bread flour?

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Yes, it can.

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Question

Can you replace the tomato sauce with tomato puree?

Community Answer

Tomato purée is a thick liquid made by cooking and straining tomatoes. The difference between tomato paste, tomato purée, and tomato sauce is consistency; tomato puree has a thicker consistency and a deeper flavour than sauce. I would recommend tomato sauce.

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