This authentic White Pizza (Pizza Bianca) recipe features handmade dough, garlic olive oil, and four cheeses for the cheesiest pizza recipe! This white pizza recipe couldn’t be easier to throw together any night of the week. All you need is some pizza dough, garlic oil, and all your favorite cheeses!
White Pizza is an easy dinner to throw together any night of the week!
The Best White Pizza (Pizza Bianca) Recipe
If you’ve ever been to an upscale pizza restaurant, you’ve probably come across the white pizza phenomenon. Instead of a pie laced with tomato sauce and topped with cheese and toppings, White Pizza has a simple sauce of garlic olive oil or, sometimes, pesto.
The backbone of the pizza really relies on the different cheese varieties for a different flavor profile. You’ll often see white pizzas topped with arugula or basil after baking for a bit of a peppery, green element.
Sometimes you’ll even see a white pizza topped with fresh tomatoes or meats like spicy salami. So what makes this the best White Pizza recipe?
First, this recipe uses my Same Day Pizza Dough recipe which is exceedingly easy to make and it’s full of flavor with great texture. Second, we make our own garlic oil for the pizza which only takes a few minutes but makes a huge difference. Finally, I’ve isolated the best ever cheeses for white pizza! They’re a mix of flavorful, melty, and creamy cheeses that make up the perfect blend.
This truly is a restaurant-quality White Pizza recipe! If you’re a pizza fanatic like I am, you’ll love this recipe!
What is White Pizza (Pizza Bianca)?
If you’re not familiar with White pizza, it’s a pizza made without tomato or marinara sauce, and topped with white cheeses.
It’s also called Pizza Bianca, pizza Bianco, or pizza Blanco. There’s a sophisticated, classy feel to it but it’s every bit as easy as traditional pizza, and it’s completely customizable!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Family Friendly – Is there anything better than a pizza night at home? You can set up all the components and have everyone make their own pizza! This White Pizza recipe is also a great option for entertaining or parties.
Easy – You can always make your own pizza dough, but you can also buy pizza dough and make this recipe even easier! All you have to do is make a quick garlic oil, grate cheese, grab a couple other toppings and you’re ready to go. This recipe is easy enough to tackle even on busy weeknights.
Customizable – This is an easy recipe to customize to your tastes! You can swap out different cheeses and add whatever toppings sound good to you!
How to Make White Pizza (Pizza Bianca)
You don’t need a fancy pizza oven to make White Pizza at home! Scroll down for all my pizza cooking methods.
Tools Needed
- Pizza Oven, Pizza Stone, Cast-Iron Skillet or Baking Sheet
- Cheese/Micro plane Grater
- Pizza Peel
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Pizza dough. If you don’t make your own pizza dough, I recommend buying pizza dough from a local pizza parlor!
- Cheese. I opted for whole milk mozzarella, provolone, ricotta, and parmesan for the best ever cheese blend!
- Garlic. Make sure to grate your garlic so that it really blends into the olive oil.
- Olive Oil. Choose a quality, flavorful olive oil.
- Sesame seeds. I love adding some sesame seeds to the crust for extra flavor, but it’s totally optional!
- Red pepper flakes or Calabrian chile. To add a bit of spice, sprinkle your pizza with crushed red pepper flakes or a bit of chopped Calabrian chile.
- Arugula. After your pizza is finished cooking, top with fresh arugula for a peppery contrast.
The Process
- Make the garlic oil. Mix your grated garlic into some olive oil and stir until well combined and then set aside.
- Grate your cheese. Please do not use pre-shredded cheese for this recipe! Shredded cheese is coated in cellulose to keep it from clumping and it doesn’t melt as well. Grate your cheese by hand or in a food processor with a shredding attachment.
- Stretch the dough. On a lightly floured surface, stretch your dough into an 11-12″ circle and place it on a pizza peel (if using a pizza oven or stone) or directly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Top and cook. Brush the crust all over with the garlic olive oil and sprinkle with red pepper flakes or chopped Calabrian chile. Top with cheese, leaving a bit of crust exposed. Sprinkle the crust with sesame seeds if desired, and freshly grate some pepper all over. Bake the pizza until the crust is browned and the cheese is hot and bubbly and browned. Remove from the oven and top with arugula and more parmesan cheese.
Tips for Making White Pizza (Pizza Bianca)
This White Pizza (Pizza Bianca) recipe couldn’t be easier to make, but here are my best tips for making a perfect pizza every time:
- Use fresh pizza dough. Whether you make your own pizza dough or buy it, make sure the dough is fresh! Don’t buy pre-baked crusts or pizza crust from a can. There are so many better options to make your pizza excellent!
- Shred your own cheese. Store-bought shredded cheese is coated with cellulose with keeps it from clumping, but also keeps it from melting well. Take the couple extra minutes to shred your own cheese.
- Don’t go overboard with toppings. When topping the pizza, top in an even layer but don’t go overboard. Otherwise, you’ll end up with soggy pizza.
Making Pizza Dough for White Pizza (Pizza Bianca)
I love that you can make this same-day pizza dough and a couple of hours later have pizza on the table! You’ll still get tons of flavor in the dough and this recipe makes enough to have a pizza party while still having some leftover dough to freeze for next time.
- Mix the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the warm water and the olive oil and mix on medium-low for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth.
- 1st rise. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise for about 2 hours or until it’s doubled in size.
- Shape. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. I like to use a scale here and dough balls that weigh 220g make about 11-12? pizzas, perfect for a pizza stone or pizza oven. You want to create balls of dough that are smooth and tight.
- Proof. After you’ve shaped your dough balls, transfer them to a well-greased dough proofing box and lightly spray the tops of the dough with non-stick spray so they don’t dry out. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before using. The dough will also last for at least 2 days in the fridge in this state and the flavors will only develop more over time.
Using Store Bough Pizza Dough for White Pizza (Pizza Bianca)
I love making my own pizza dough, but you can easily make this recipe with store-bought dough. Here are my favorite places to find store-bought dough.
Trader Joe’s: Trader Joe’s sells fresh pizza dough in their refrigerated section and it’s amazing. You’ll need to purchase 2 dough balls.
Your local pizza parlor: Most people don’t realize that if you ask, pizza restaurants will sell you their dough.
Whole Foods: You can buy fresh pizza dough from your local Whole Foods. Honestly, most well-stocked grocery stores sell fresh pizza dough so check with your local retailer.
Whatever you do, please don’t use pizza dough in a can or already-baked pizza dough!
Pizza Cooking Methods
Now that you have the pizza assembled, what’s the best way to cook a pizza? There are so many ways, but here are some of my favorites!
- Pizza oven. Obviously not everyone has a pizza oven, but my husband got me one for our anniversary and I am OBSESSED. We have the GOZNEY ROCCBOX and it truly makes the most superior pizza. It’s an investment for sure, but if you love pizza, it’s a great one!
- Pizza stone. If you don’t have a pizza oven, the next best option is a pizza stone or steel! Make sure to preheat the stone in the oven for at least an hour before baking.
- Cast iron skillet. If you don’t mind a slightly thicker crust, baking a pizza in a cast iron skillet is one of my favorite methods that’s super cost effective.
- Pizza Pan. Stretch your dough out onto a greased baking sheet, top, and bake at high temperature for a rustic and delicious pizza.
Ways to Customize White Pizza (Pizza Bianca)
Think of this pizza as a loose blueprint that you can adjust to suit your tastes and whatever you have on hand!
- Add meat. You can keep this White Pizza vegetarian, but you can also add meats like sausage, meatball, pepperoni, or spicy salami to mix it up.
- Swap cheeses. I picked my favorites, but you can mix in different cheeses like fontina, feta, fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, burrata, etc.
- Add some veggies. If you want to add some veggies and texture, vegetables like mushrooms, artichoke hearts, onions, peppers, etc would all be great additions!
More Recipe Suggestions:
Easy Skillet Pizza with Brussels & Bacon
Calabrian Chili Roasted Red Pepper Pizza
Skillet Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Chicken
Next time you’re in the mood for a pizza night, try this White Pizza (Pizza Bianca) recipe! It’s one of our year-round favorites, and I know you will love it just as much as we do! If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @northeast.nosh
White Pizza (Pizza Bianca)
Equipment
- Pizza Stone (optional)
- Pizza Pan (optional)
- Pizza Oven (optional)
- Cast-Iron Skillet 12-inch (optional)
- Pizza Peel Set (with rocker cutter) (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 two 16 oz pizza dough balls
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves grated
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds optional
- 1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella
- 2/3 cup shredded provolone cheese
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Arugula
- red pepper flakes or chopped Calabrian chilies
- flaky sea salt
- freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 500 F with a pizza stone or steel inside at least 40-45 minutes before cooking.
- Make the garlic oil. Mix your grated garlic into some olive oil and stir until well combined and then set aside.
- Grate your cheese. Please do not use pre-shredded cheese for this recipe! Shredded cheese is coated in cellulose to keep it from clumping, and it doesn’t melt as well. Grate your cheese by hand or in a food processor with a shredding attachment. Mix the mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan together.
- Stretch the dough. On a lightly floured surface, stretch your dough into an 11-12″ circle and place it on a pizza peel (if using a pizza oven or stone) or directly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Top the pizza. Brush the crust all over with the garlic olive oil and sprinkle with red pepper flakes or chopped Calabrian chili. Top with shredded cheeses, leaving a bit of crust exposed. Dollop the top with ricotta. Sprinkle the crust with sesame seeds if desired, and freshly grate some pepper all over.
- Bake. Bake the pizza until the crust is browned and the cheese is hot and bubbly and browned (10-15 minutes in the oven). Remove and top with arugula and more parmesan cheese.
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