Homemade Pizza Margherita (Authentic Italian Recipe)

In case you missed it, I recently shared here my recipe for homemade Italian pizza dough. And, ever since I started to make my own pizza dough I’ve been having quite some fun trying out a few pizza recipes and messing around with the ingredients.

But today, I’m going to teach how to make a classic one, after all, you can never go wrong with one of the most simple yet delicious pizzas. So, on tonight’s dinner menu we have a classic Pizza Margherita!

We tried it in the exact same pizza place near the Pantheon, that we had tried the Pizza Bianca. We ended up going there almost every day we were in Rome, they had so many pizza varieties and all tasted so good!

At this point, I don’t think I need to tell you that this is also one of my favorites… But, after putting some thought into this, I feel like every pizza is my favorite. Every stretch, every slice, every bite… It just takes me straight to a safe place. It’s just one of those comfort, cozy foods. I’m celebrating? Pizza. I’m sad? Pizza. I’m tired? PIZZA!

What You’ll Need

With this recipe, you can make 2 medium pizzas. But, if you only want to make one pizza (who are we kidding…?) you can just half the ingredients and use only one pizza base.

• 2 pizza bases (about 250 g / 8.8 oz each, already proofed) – you can use our homemade pizza dough recipe or a store-bought
• 1 cup tomato purée (250 g) – to give that classic authentic Margherita flavor and that vibrant red color
• 7 oz fresh mozzarella (200 g), well drained – creamy and melty
• Dried oregano, to taste – to add that hint of herby flavor
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (30 ml) – helps to crisp the crust
• A pinch of salt – enhances all the other flavors

Since Pizza Margherita is a classic, you don’t actually need too many ingredients! But one that is super important is the mozzarella, make sure you pick one that is higher-quality. Trust me, it makes a huge difference in taste, I’ve tried with a cheaper cheese, not the same!

And one thing you can’t really ignore is you need to drained it well before adding to your pizza. I didn’t do it once and my pizza had a soggy center, instead of being crispy overall!

How to Make Pizza Margherita

I always start by preheating the oven to 400ºF (200ºC-210ºC). If you’re using a baking stone (like me) or tray place it inside the oven to heat up too. This always give me an even crispier crust! If not, don’t worry, it’ll still taste just as good.

Lightly grease a pizza pan (or a regular baking sheet) or line it with parchment paper. But, as I mentioned before in other pizza recipes, the greased pan helps me achieve a more evenly crispy crust .

I like to do one pizza dough ball at a time, instead of both, I’ll explain why at the end! Stretch each pizza dough ball using your hands into a thin circle about 11 to 12 inches wide. Make sure to leave a slightly raised edge around the rim, that’s how you get that bubbly crust you see in our pizza!

In a small bowl, add the tomato purée, season it with a pinch of salt and one tablespoon of olive oil and mix with a spoon. I always make sure it’s mixed well and all the ingredients are fully incorporated.

I was feeling lazy once and just gave it a quick mix, I ended up eating a pizza that was too salty on some parts and bland on other, so don’t make that same mistake.

Evenly spread the tomato sauce in each pizza. I usually just spread it with the spoon I used to mix the tomato sauce. Leave the edges uncovered, otherwise you won’t get that crispy golden brown crust!

Make sure you’re not leaving huge clumps of sauce spread unevenly, or your pizza will have a soggy center. I usually add about 4 or 5 tablespoons (not overloaded) of sauce in each pizza.

Before adding your mozzarella, make sure it’s fully dried. If not, I use a paper towel to remove any left moisture. Again, anything that’s too liquid or runny will leave your pizza soggy.

Tear it into small pieces with your hands and spread them evenly over the sauce. Keep leaving the borders uncovered.

This time I decided to try something new and I added a tiny drizzle of olive oil all over the pizza and it turned out amazing! It added more flavor and the edges were crispier. But, you can totally skip this step, you’ll still get a crispy crust and tons of flavor.

I finish with a sprinkle the dried oregano on top.

Transfer the dough into the previously heated baking stone or tray and let it bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the mozzarella has fully melted. Or pop it direcly in the oven if you’re not using a previously heated tray.

When I use a previously heated baking stone, I only let it bake for about 7 to 8 minutes as it ends up cooking quicker.

Serve immediately, while the pizza is still hot and the cheese is melty.

Just a quick tip if you’re making the two pizzas, when I’m doing more than one pizza, I always bake one first and put the other one in the oven while we’re eating the first pizza. This way, we get to enjoy both hot, melty cheese and crispy crust!

Just by looking it, you know it’s delicious. Perfect golden crispy crust, creamy and fully melted cheese, vibrant red tomato sauce… Be careful not to bite your screen, haha!

Tasty Variations to Try

Even though this Pizza Margherita is a classic, that doesn’t mean you can’t give it your own twist. There’s some things you can add or switch that won’t take the authenticity of it! Here’s some variations I’ve tried and tested:

• Instead of just regular mozzarella, I add buffalo mozzarella. Trust me. Sometimes I use and it’s so creamy and has such a deep flavor, but I know it’s not for everyone. I loved it, Rita not so much.
• I also tried with other cheeses! Sometimes I like to sprinkle the top with Parmesan or Pecorino Romano right after I take it out of the oven, it adds an extra salty kick.
• If I’m looking for that touch of freshness, I add a few basil leaves or arugula and it tastes great. Make sure you only add them after you remove it from the oven, or you’ll end up with burnt leaves… I’ve had my fair share of fails in the kitchen.
• For a dairy-free version, you can swap the the cheese with a plant-based cheese but make sure it’s one that melts well. I always use the Dairy-Free Mozzarella Style Shredded from Follow Your Heart, it’s so similar to the real deal that you won’t even know it’s not actually really cheese!

With these simple variations, I can still keep it classy without it feeling like a whole new pizza or recipe!

Can I Make Pizza Margherita Ahead?

Yes! Like, I’ve said before, I do it all the time. But, you can’t just wrap it, put it in the fridge and call it a day or you’ll end up with a soggy, soft pizza. Here’s how I do it:

• I pre-bake the crust for about 5 minutes, let it cool down, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and put in the fridge. Later that day or the next day, I add the tomato sauce and the toppings. We’ve left it for 1 day and 2 days in the fridge. The following day, still great. The second day the crust was a bit more soft but it still tasted the same!
• But, what I usually do is freeze it! I prep the whole pizza with toppings, put it in the freezer for about 2 hours (or until it’s firm) and wrap it with plastic wrap or slide it into a large freezer bag. We’ve had one that was in the freezer for about a month and a half and it still tasted fresh and baked properly! When I’m ready to bake it I just put it straight in the oven directly from frozen (without thawing) in a hot oven at 450ºF.

Both of these ways ensure that your pizza will still taste like freshly-made, while keeping that freshness of the ingredients and the crust baking crispy and golden brown!

This Pizza Margherita is one of the options for our busy weeknights or a date night. It’s crispy, creamy and delicious! It’s quite easy to make and I only take about 10 minutes to prepare it. This takes me right back to Italy, it’s so identical. When I finally perfected the recipe, Rita basically forced me to make this recipe for like 3 days straight!

If you ever make this recipe, I’d love to know what you think. Share it with me in the comments.