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After many failed attempts with pizza dough…… This recipe was perfect!!!! I’m very picky when it comes to pizza, and this is now my go to recipe! Thank you so much!!!
This recipe is sponsored by DeLallo
I say: fried pizza. You say: overkill.
But then I say: delicately crispy exterior, softest chewy insides, glamorously golden brown, ZERO percent greasy.
And you say: actually, changed my mind.
Welcome to the life-changing method of crispy-frying your pizzas! I’m honored to be a part of your journey. I absolutely mean it when I say that frying your pizzas is a life-changing experience. I ate fried pizza for the first time back in 2015 when I went on a trip with DeLallo (who I am in a very delicious long-term relationship with, as you can see). My friend Heidi blogged about the fried pizza experience here and actually, if you scroll down on that post, you can see a picture of me taking a picture of fried pizza! Yep. That’s me. THINGS HAVE COME FULL CIRCLE, FRIENDS.
Most of us don’t have wood-fired pizza ovens at our house, which is why I would like to argue that this method is really THE BEST way to make a light, crispy, airy, but still somehow soft and chewy pizza crust in the humble confines of your own kitchen.
So let’s talk it through.
We start with a DeLallo pizza crust kit. They’re just super easy and super good. Precise amount of yeast, authentic Tipo 00 flour, the whole deal.
How To Make Our Crispy Fried Pizzas:
Once the dough is mixed and puffed up nicely, we flatten it into little pizzas (I like to go for more of a personal pan size here) and we fry in a little bit of oil. Just about a minute is all you need.
And then we flip and repeat.
And now our pizzas taste like golden, crispy heaven.
To pizza-ify, we top with sauce and cheese and bake in a hot oven until melted and bubbly.
If we are fancy (WE ARE), we finish with pesto, fresh basil, red pepper, Parm, the works.
How fun is this for a dinner party?!? I am 100% doing this for my next dinner club. I’ll fry the pizzas ahead of time, everyone will bring toppings, the wine will flow freely, and sparks will fly. Here are some pizza topping visions I’ve had:
- standard tomato, mozz, basil, obviously
- caramelized onion and goat cheese and fresh thyme
- white sauce with spinach and artichoke
- salami, pepperoni, sausage, and other meaty things
- pepperoncini to the max
- proscuitto, arugula, red onion
- I COULD GO ON
You guys, if you have never tried this, it’s time to give it a shot. It’s not greasy, it’s not overbearing, it’s not reminiscent of fair food. It’s just EASY pizza crust perfection.
Life-Changing Crispy Fried Pizzas
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 pizzas 1x
Description
Crispy fried pizzas that are light, airy, and the perfect combination of crispy/chewy. It is the ABSOLUTE BEST way to make amazing, restaurant-level pizza at home!
Ingredients
- 1 package of pizza dough (we use DeLallo! it is THE best.)
- oil for frying (vegetable or canola is best)
- tomato sauce of choice
- fresh mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil and/or pesto
- red pepper flakes
- Parmesan cheese
- any other toppings you like
Instructions
- Make the dough: Make the pizza dough according to package directions. Let the dough rise (for DeLallo pizza dough, the rise time is 45 minutes).
- Shape the dough: Divide the pizza dough into 6 sections. Roll each into a ball and flatten into a pizza shape (mine were about 6-8 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch thick around the outside).
- Prep the oil: Heat a large cast iron skillet with oil (about 1 inch deep). Turn the heat to medium/low. Test the oil by dropping a speck of water in it – when it sizzles or bubbles, then the oil is ready.
- Fry the pizza dough: Working one at a time, gently place the pizzas into the oil and fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute until light golden brown. Flip with tongs and repeat on the other side. Transfer to a paper towel lined pan to cool.
- Finish in the oven: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spread each pizza with sauce, cheese, and any other toppings you want. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Top with fresh basil, pesto, or anything else you want and serve warm. And then enjoy those puffy, crispy, personal-pan-sized bites of pizza crust! YUMMMMM.
Notes
As the oil got hotter, I found that the middle of the dough wanted to puff up. I just used a slotted spoon to gently press in the center while frying and that helped to keep the shape generally flat. You can also try poking holes in the pizza crust to help with this.
If your pizza dough is turning deep golden brown, your oil is too hot. Turn it down and let it cool for a few minutes before frying your next one!
The pizza dough should be fully cooked when it comes out of the oil, so if you cannot resist the golden crispy hot fried bread thing going on (I could not), you might enjoy sacrificing one or two fried pizza crusts to dip in sauce as an appetizer. YUM.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition Facts
- Daily value: 20% Total Fat 13g
- Daily value: 5% Cholesterol 16.4mg
- Daily value: 31% Sodium 738.5mg
- Daily value: 9% Total Carbohydrate 26.1g
- Daily value: 8% Dietary Fiber 1.9g
- Sugars 3.6g
- Daily value: 42% Protein 21g
- Daily value: 7% Vitamin A 99µg
- Daily value: 10% Vitamin C 5.9mg
Keywords: pizza recipe, homemade pizza, fried pizza, crispy pizza
Thank you to DeLallo for sponsoring this post!
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our easy Italian-inspired recipes page. Check it out!
I made a version with my usual home-made dough and it was great !
I think my dough had too much hydration so it really puffed up, but it turned out great still, maybe a bit goofy. I will try it with a dryer and more evenly flatted dough next time.
This two-step cooking method is awesome for making pizza at home, I made three medium pizzas this time but I could see making 10 of them easily for a big group.
Oh my goodness, I’m overwhelmed with choices! The crust looks absolutely incredible, and the variety of toppings is mind-boggling. That crust is so tempting; it seems like it could be enjoyed all by itself!
I tried this recipe and it turned out better than any store-bought pizza I’ve ever had.
Thanks a lot for giving an excellent piece of writing on crisp fried pizzas. Many individuals love fried pizzas and they will can now get it from Oven Story online. All thanks your blog.
Wow looks so nice, my mouth is watering
These look amazing! What oil do you recommend for the frying?
Canola oil works great here!
I mean, how can you go wrong with fried dough? I think it’s pretty much impossible.
Lindsay, do you know of a similar pizza dough that’s gluten-free? Thx.
Hi Vicki! We haven’t tried a gluten free pizza dough kit yet, but will update this comment if we do!
I was so excited about trying this recipe for fried pizza until I got to the ingredient list and, yes, you literally meant “pizza kit”. No such thing exists in central Iowa, so I will always wish I could have. Thanks for posting it, it looked and sounded great.
SO easy to make your own dough – then use the deep fried process!
Try:
Add an envelope (1 1/4 tsp) yeast to 3/4 cup warm milk, sit 5-10 min until frothy
Combine in mixer:
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Add 2 tsp olive oil and the yeasty milk, milk until a ball forms, let sit 45-60min
USE!
I have been looking for a simple white dough pizza dough recipe for a long time and it looked great. what kind of flour did you use? flour or bread flour?
My mind is blown! This is a definite game changer! This is the only way I’m making pizza from now on!
Nice…thank you
I have never heard of and certainly never seen DeLallo products. What would you think of substituting pizza dough balls from the supermarket?
We think that would work just fine!
Thanks Jenn, great results and a fun new approach for my home kitchen pizza. Any suggestions about the best way to reheat? My extended family who gave rave reviews on the crust while fresh out of the oven, said it didn’t reheat as well in a pan the next day.
Hi, Chris! We’d say this is best eaten the same day, but you could try reheating it in the oven for a bit at 400 degrees F.
use any leftover dough to make zeppoli. just drop spoon size pieces into the hot oil. When browned, drain onto paper towels. sprinkle with confectioners sugar and ENJOY!!
have you ever heard of the dish garchoy,i can’t find it on the net.i have the recipe but still,i can’t find it on the net.
Can these be made and frozen? My husband likes totino pizzas and I’m not happy he fed them to the kids. I’d like something healthier for them that I can grab and heat.
Hi Nicole! We haven’t tried freezing these before, so we’re not totally sure how things will turn out. If you were to prep them in advance, we’d suggest prepping the pizzas and dough and preparing everything fresh rather than cooking ahead of time and freezing. Let us know how this turns out!
eek! what kind of pizza “recipe” doesn’t tell you how to make your own dough?????????????
Hey there, Zach! We actually just used DeLallo pizza dough here, which you can buy at the store, and prepared it according to the package directions.
OMG, this looks amazing! Pizza is the one thing I miss most since going gluten free. I HAVE to try this with gluten free dough, wish me luck!!
Can I use grocery store pizza dough? I can’t find the Delallo in Toronto.
Yes, should work just fine!
Okay – since you mentioned white sauce with spinach and artichoke as an idea for topping this pizza, I have to ask if you have tried your famous features cauliflower sauce with toppings on this crust.
Yuk , Greasy and flavorless.
Bad idea
Yum! I’m gonna try this with my sourdough starter pizza crust! Sounds awesome
Yum! Enjoy!
That looks so good.