If you missed my natural yeast/sourdough pizza crust recipe, head back and look at it — you will need it to make this perfectly scrumptious grilled pizza!
The first step to making a great grilled pizza, is throwing together your dough and gathering your toppings. Think simple when deciding what to top your pizza with; these pizzas cook quickly and you want your toppings to get warm along with the crust! If adding fresh herbs (basil, oregano, etc) add them right after you take your pizza off the grill. The heat will wilt them perfectly, bringing out their flavor.
Some topping ideas:
MEAT
- ham or canadian bacon
- cooked sausage
- cooked bacon
- pancetta
- chicken sausauge, cut into small pieces
- ground beef
- cooked, shredded chicken
VEGGIES
- spinach
- arugula
- artichokes
- peppers
- mushrooms
- onions
OTHER
- olives
- mozzarella
- goat cheese
- fresh parmesan
- pineapple
READY? Let’s go!
You will need:
- long handled tongs
- pastry brush or spatulas (2)
- baking sheet
- toppings
- sauce
- avocado oil
- Preheat grill to high heat. For a Traeger, set to smoke for 5 minutes, then close the lid and turn it on high.
- Gather all of your supplies. I like to use a tray with small bowls for all of my toppings, oil, sauce, etc.
- Separate your dough into 6 balls if using my sourdough pizza crust recipe. This will make individual sized 6-8″ pizzas. Keep in mind that this dough is primarily made up of natural yeast starter, which is much more filling than just using flour. A little of this pizza goes a long way!
- Gently stretch each ball (I do 2 at a time because my grill is smaller) into an even thickness. Don’t worry about making it round, the more rustic the better!
- Take each piece of dough and brush with avocado (or olive) oil, then put it onto the grill, oiled side down. Repeat with as many pizzas as will fit on your grill at one time.
- Close the lid. After about 4-5 minutes, check your pizzas. If they are browned on the bottom, it’s time to flip! Quickly oil the top and flip the dough over.
- Spread on your sauce and throw on a few toppings. Remember to keep it light! The pizzas cook quickly at this point.
- Close the lid and grill for another 3-4 minutes or so. Each grill will cook a little bit differently, but it won’t take long to gauge how quickly the dough will cook on yours. It shouldn’t take long.
- Once the bottom is browned and the toppings have been warmed, slide the pizzas off the grill and repeat with the remaining dough.
- EAT.
The great thing about a Traeger grill specifically for pizza, is that you get that authentic wood-fired taste!
Grilling pizza is a new favorite at our house. Everyone loves it, it’s customizable, and you can’t beat the crispy crust. Not heating up my oven on a summer day is an added bonus.
Let me know if you try it!
How do you manage making this for a crowd? I feel like I am always rushing when I make pizza for a group, cause it gets cold fast. I could heat up my oven and keep them warm there, but that negates the grill keeping my house cool. Sometimes I tell my guests just to start eatibg without me, but that’s not much fun.
I mostly cook for my family, which can still seem like a crowd! But if I were having people over, I would eat outside so that I could be cooking it on the grill as we all eat. I do only 2 at a time, so each person in my family gets a piece and by the time they’re done with that the next batch is ready. And I always make sure to have other sides and things people can be munching on while they wait. My grill is quite small in comparison to some, which I’m sure could cook 4 at a time. That would be nicer!