Top 10 Pizza Toppings You’ll Love

Pizza is a wonderful food to experiment with during the lockdown period. Nothing can go wrong with a homemade pizza that can have as much cheese, sauce, and your favorite toppings! So, what are the Top 10 Pizza Toppings? Here it is – even the fussiest person will love the simple and humble cheese treat of a pizza. However, some wilder daredevils will go way further to ferocious and myriad experiments with pizza.

It’s a very simple process to start with homemade bread. You may either choose whole wheat, thin-crust, flatbread, stuffed-crust, or French bread. The next step is to choose the sauce from varieties such as red sauce, white, barbeque, pesto, and many more to set the pizza base. Finally, it’s your choice of toppings and you can simply start with cheese. You can go in for universally accepted ones or some strange choices like anchovies too. Here we go with the Best and Top 10 Most Popular Pizza Toppings for you to try out.

Let us start with Pizza dough preparation for those who want the homemade base to try these delicacies

Ingredients for Pizza Base

All-purpose flour – 2 ¼ cups

Rapid rise yeast – 1 packet

Sugar – 1 ½ tsp

Salt – ¾ tsp

Olive oil – 3 Tbsp

Warm water (130⁰ F) – 2/3 cup

Preparation Method

• To prepare the pizza base, take a large bowl and mix 1 cup flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Mix oil with warm water and pour it into the bowl containing dry ingredients. Stir well for 1 minute to blend well. Add the remaining flour gradually into the bowl and make a soft dough.
• You shall form a moderately sticky ball from the dough.
• On the surface, spread the remaining flour and knead the dough for 4 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Do not let the dough rise as the base may become too puffy.
• Dip your hands in flour and stretch the dough to ½ inch thick on a pizza pan or baking sheet of 12″ wide. Pat the dough to fill the greased pan. Fold the edges to form the outer crust.
• Bake for 5-6 minutes in the lower rack of the preheated oven at 450⁰ F.

Simple And Fresh Tomato Pizza

Tomatoes are fruits that are intended to serve the purpose of vegetables. It tastes delicious when combined with mozzarella cheese.

Preparation time – 10 minutes

Cook Time – 35 minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Pizza dough (from store) – 1 lb

Cherry tomatoes (large) – 1 lb

Tomato sauce – ¾ cup

Onion (red, small) – ½

Mozzarella – 4 oz

Cornmeal

Flour

Basil leaves

Preparation Method

• Preheat the oven to 425⁰F. Take a baking sheet and dust with cornmeal. Lightly flour the surface and spread the dough into 16” circle and place it on the dusted baking sheet.
• Spread the tomato sauce over the dough, and top it with onions, tomatoes, and cheese.
• Bake for about 20-25 minutes till the crust turns golden brown and crispy.
• Sprinkle fresh basil and serve hot.

French Onion Pizza

Be it caramelized or crispy, onions are always a popular topping that adds a bit of sweetness to the pizza, based on how it is prepared. Hence, it is definitely one of the top 10 toppings for pizza. You will simply love it.

Preparation Time – 15 minutes

Cook Time – 3 hours

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Onions (halved, and sliced into ¼ inch thick) – 4 lb

Butter (unsalted) – 4 Tbsp

Pizza dough (store-bought) – 1 lb

Kosher salt – 1 Tbsp

Swiss cheese (shredded) – 1 ¼ cup

Olive oil – 2 Tbsp

Thyme (dried) – ½ tsp

Black pepper (ground) – to taste

Preparation Method

• Preheat the oven to 400⁰ F.
• Take an oven-safe vessel and spray with vegetable oil. Add sliced onion, butter, and salt. Cover it and bake for an hour.
• Remove from the oven and stir to scrape the onions that are stuck on the sides of the pot. Continue baking for another 90 minutes with lid slightly open until the onions turn brown color and reduce volume tremendously while stirring the onions after 45 minutes to avoid burning.
• Remove from the oven and place it on a stove on medium flame with the lid open. Cook for approximately 10-12 minutes stirring continuously, until the liquid in the onion is completely evaporated and turns golden brown color.
• Remove from the fire and keep it aside while you prepare the pizza dough.
• If you are using store-bought pizza, bring it to room temperature and divide it into 4 equal slices.
• Increase the oven temperature to 450⁰ F.
• Grease mini cast iron pan with ½ Tbsp olive oil and spread the pizza dough in the skillet, gently pull and push the dough to fill the skillet.
• Take a small bowl and mix the dried thyme with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Spread 2 tsp oil mixture on the dough, spread ½ cup of caramelized onions, and top with 3Tbsp shredded swiss cheese and season with ground black pepper.
• Place the skillet on the stove on medium flame. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottom crust is set and oil starts to bubble around the outer surface of the pizza.
• Transfer the skillet into the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes till the cheese melts and turns golden brown.
• Take it from the oven and allow it to cool. Unmould and slice to serve.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

If you are a chicken lover, you would love having a special barbeque chicken pizza as it is one of the top 10 favorite pizza toppings. Try this out.

Preparation Time – 10 minutes

Cook Time – 15 minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Chicken breast (boneless, and shredded) – 1 ½ cup

Chicken stock (unsalted) – ¼ cup

Marinara sauce (low-sodium) – ¼ cup

Barbeque sauce – ¼ cup

Mozzarella cheese (sliced) – 2 oz

Pizza crust (7”) – 3

Onions (green, chopped) – 1/3 cup

Onion (red, chopped) – ¾ cup

Black pepper (ground) – ½ tsp

Cooking spray to grease

Preparation Method

• Preheat the oven to 450⁰ F.
• Take a saucepan and spread with cooking spray and place it on medium flame.
• Add chopped red onions and sauté for 2 minutes until translucent.
• Add chicken stock, chicken breast, marinara, and barbeque sauce and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the flame.
• Spread ½ cup of prepared chicken mixture on each pizza crust.
• Top it with sliced mozzarella cheese evenly.
• Place the pizza directly on the oven rack and bake for 9 minutes until the cheese melts.
• Garnish with chopped green onions and ground pepper.
• Cut it into 4 slices and serve.

Bell Pepper Pizza

The bell peppers are rich in Vitamin C. Whether you like red, yellow, or green, it makes your cheesy pizza crunchier. The roasted peppers give an unmatched peppery flavor, that along with cheese makes it a dream combination.

Preparation Time –5 minutes

Cook Time – 10 minutes

Serves – 6

Ingredients

Pre-baked pizza crust (12”) – 1

Tomato paste – 1/3 cup

Shredded mozzarella cheese – 1 cup

Green, yellow, and red bell peppers (diced) – 1 ½ cups

Onion (chopped) – ½

Italian seasoning – ¼ tsp

Water – ¼ cup

Preparation Method

• Preheat the oven to 450⁰ F.
• Take a small bowl and mix tomato paste with water and Italian seasoning.
• Spread it over the prebaked pizza crust. Evenly spread the cheese.
• Top it with diced bell peppers and onion evenly on the cheese.
• Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes till the cheese melts.
• Remove and slice into 6 wedges and serve.

Pineapple Ham Pizza

Oops! Pineapple on pizza? Won’t it be a weird combo? Nay, it’s all about how you balance the flavors. You get to enjoy the savory flavor from tomato sauce and the salty richness from mozzarella and somewhat acidic and sweet flavor from the pineapple. This could be one of the best 10 pizza toppings you might have ever tried. Are you ready to experiment?

Preparation Time – 10 minutes

Cook Time – 15 minutes

Serves – 8

Ingredients

Pizza Crust -1

Pizza Sauce – 1 cup

Mozzarella cheese (shredded) – 2 cups

Ham (diced) – 6 oz

Bacon (cooked & crumbled for better taste) – 4 strips

Pineapple (canned) – 18 oz

Preparation Method

• Preheat the oven to 450⁰ F.
• Use the pizza sauce and spread on the pizza crust of 1/2 inch thick. Use the cheese to top it. Again spread ham, bacon, and diced pineapple on top of the pizza base.
• Bake for 15 minutes, till cheese, becomes bubbly and crust turns brown.
• Remove from the oven, let it cool for a minute before slicing and serve.

Mushroom Pizza

Mushrooms are the most versatile earthy vegetables that can balance the acidic flavor of rich pizza. Mushroom goes well with any ingredient and makes a perfect topping for pizza.

Preparation Time – 10 minutes

Cook Time – 25 minutes

Serves – 6

Ingredients

Pizza crust – 1

Mushrooms (thinly sliced) – 10 oz

Cornmeal (yellow) – ¼ cup

Mozzarella cheese – 8 oz

Ricotta cheese – 1 cup

Butter (unsalted) – 2 Tbsp

Olive oil – 2 Tbsp

Garlic (minced) – 3 cloves

Oregano (dried) – ½ tsp

Thyme (dried) – ½ tsp

Black pepper (freshly ground) – to taste

Salt – to taste

Preparation Method

• Preheat the oven to 450⁰ F.
• Grease the pizza pan or baking sheet with olive oil.
• Place a large skillet on medium flame and melt the butter. Add minced garlic and stir continuously and cook for 2 minutes till the raw smell goes off.
• Add sliced mushroom, dried thyme and oregano stir occasionally and cook till mushrooms are tender and brown. Add salt and ground black pepper as desired.
• Sprinkle the cornmeal on a surface top and roll the pizza crust into a 12-inch circle. Then transfer to pizza pan.
• Spread mozzarella cheese, and top with dollops of ricotta cheese and sliced mushroom.
• Keep it in oven rack and bake for 20 minutes till the cheese melts and crust turns golden brown.
• Remove, slice, and serve instantly.

Jalapeno Bacon Pizza

Jalapenos, be it fresh or pickled, adds real spice to the pizza. It has got a great flavor when combined with veggies and meat.

Preparation Time – 15 minutes

Cook Time – 30 minutes

Serves – 8

Ingredients

Pizza crust – 1

Jalapeno chilies (sliced) – 4

Bacon slices (diced) – 4

Red chili pepper (sliced) – 1

Shallot (sliced) – 1

Cornmeal (yellow) – ¼ cup

Cream cheese – 8 oz

Cheese (shredded) – 2 cups

Olive oil – 2 Tbsp

Preparation Method

• Preheat the oven to 450⁰ F. Grease the baking sheet/pizza pan using olive oil.
• Place a large skillet on high flame and add bacon. Cook for 6 – 8 minutes until crispy and brown.
• Take a small bowl and mix sliced jalapeno, red chili pepper, and shallot. Keep it aside.
• Sprinkle the cornmeal on a surface and roll the pizza dough into 12″ circle. Transfer into the greased pan.
• Spread the cream cheese evenly on the pizza top and leave 1’’ at the border. Top it with cooked bacon and jalapeno mixture along with cheese.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes till the cheese melts and crust turns to a golden brown.
• Remove from the oven. Slice and serve hot.

Extra Cheese Pizza

It looks like having too much cheese on the pizza. But combining different types of cheese will take you the extra mile.

Preparation Time – 5 minutes

Cook Time – 30 minutes

Serves – 6

Ingredients

Italian pizza base (thin crust, 12”) – 1

Pizza sauce – 1 cup

Mozzarella cheese (shredded) – 1 1/3 cup

Parmesan cheese (grated) – 2 Tbsp

Basil (dried & crushed) – ½ tsp

Oregano (dried & crushed) – ½ tsp

Red pepper flakes (crushed) – to garnish

Preparation Method

• Preheat the oven to 450⁰F.
• Place the pizza base on a greased 12-inch non-stick pizza pan.
• First spread the pizza sauce on the base. Leave 1 inch of the border around the rim. Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese and half of the shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Evenly sprinkle dried and crushed basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
• Top with the remaining mozzarella and bake for 15 minutes till the cheese melts and crust turns to brown color.
• Remove from the oven and cut into equal-sized wedges and serve hot.

Turkey Pepperoni Pizza

Pepperoni is a classic topping for pizza. Nothing can be as perfect as the red circles of pepperoni that complement the entire dish so well. None other than a pepperoni pizza can please everyone in the crowd.

Preparation Time –5 minutes

Cook Time – 12 minutes

Serves – 6

Ingredients

Prebaked Italian pizza crust – 1

Turkey pepperoni slices – ¼ cup (24 pcs)

Tomato-basil pasta sauce – 1 cup

Mozzarella cheese – 1 ½ cup

Preparation Method

• Preheat the oven to 450⁰F.
• Take the pizza crust and spread tomato-basil sauce leaving 1” border at the rim.
• Top with half of the pepperoni slices sprinkles mozzarella cheese and top with remaining pepperoni.
• Bake for 12 minutes till the cheese melts and crust is a golden brown color.
• Remove from the oven and cut into 6 wedges. Serve instantly.

Spinach Pizza

This is a healthier version of pizza. Although we can’t make this delicacy a completely healthy dish, by adding a little greenery to your pizza topping we can be less guilty. If spinach is not your choice, you may go for any other leafy vegetables. This will provide a refreshing taste, unlike any regular and popular pizzas.

Preparation Time – 10 minutes

Cook Time – 15 minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Pizza crust – 1

Spinach (freshly chopped) – 4 cups

Alfredo sauce – ½ cup

Tomatoes (medium) – 2

Italian cheese (shredded) – 2 cups

Preparation Method

• Preheat the oven to 450⁰F.
• Follow the package instructions and prepare the pizza dough. Coat your hand with flour and transfer the dough into a greased 12″ wide pizza pan.
• Spread Alfredo sauce on the pizza leaving 1” at the rim.
• Slice tomatoes very thin. Top the pizza with freshly chopped spinach, tomatoes, and shredded cheese.
• Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese melts and the crust turns golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and slice. Serve hot.

Now it is time for you to try all the above recipes while you are staying back home for the safety of your family. We have tried to include the top 10 best pizza toppings for your retreat. Hope you will enjoy these – do give us your feedback in the comment section. We will soon be back with another top 10 recipes, until then bye!