A classic pizza with a summer twist, pizza on the grill! Grilled Margherita Pizza is taken to the next level by cooking it on the grill which mimics the charring of the pizza oven. With simple pizza sauce, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil.

Serving a slice of grilled Margherita pizza topped with sauce, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil

I’m going to show you the easiest and best way to cook your pizza right on your outdoor grill. With good, simple ingredients, it will turn out perfect, every time.

When I make pizza, a good dough is a must. No dough from a can is allowed here. Please either make your own (you can see how easy my recipes is) ask your local pizzeria to sell you a ball of dough, or buy good pre-made, fresh dough from your supermarket.

The pizza sliced with garnished with whole basil leaves

The grill is a great place to make a pizza, especially in the hot weather because you don’t heat up the house and grill gets nice and hot which makes the dough crispy and flavorful.

For the sauce, I like to use my Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce (pictured below) which I always have in the freezer. Any pizza sauce that you like will also work.

Marinara sauce being poured into a pan

The pizza comes together as fast as it would from a pizzeria. The fresh dough is added to the grill without toppings, grilled for a couple of minutes before turning and that is when the toppings are added.

If you have an intolerance to yeast, I have a No Yeast Pizza Dough that will give you the same results.

I like to use fresh mozzarella (make sure you have dried it). Fresh basil is the final topping, but I like to added AFTER the pizza is cooked. I’m not a fan of cooking basil on a pizza because it turns black and loses it’s fresh flavor.

Uncut, viewed from overhead on a pizza board with a pizza cutter

If you’ve tried this Grilled Margherita Pizza or any other recipe on the blog, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers!

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Yield: 6

Grilled Margherita Pizza

Perfect grill marks on the crust of this pizza with sauce, mozzarella and basil

A classic Margherita pizza with sauce, fresh mozzarell and fresh basil, cooked on the grill.

Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 48 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the dough:
  • 1 cup (236 ml) water warmed to 100– 110 °F (38 - 43°C)
  • 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • For the toppings:
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) pizza sauce
  • 6 ounces (170 grams) fresh mozzarella, sliced
  • 16 fresh basil leaves

Instructions

  1. For the dough:
  2. Add the water to a bowl and stir in the yeast, honey, salt and olive oil.
  3. To a clean work surface pile the flour and make a well in the center. Add a little of the yeast liquid and use your fingers to slowly incorporate flour. Add a little more liquid as it is absorbed by the flour until you get a nice dough ball. You may not use all the liquid, don't let the dough be too sticky.
  4. Knead the dough for 5 minutes until smooth.
  5. Lightly oil a bowl with a little olive oil and transfer the dough to the bowl. Turn once to coat all sides with the oil. Cover the bowl and put the bowl in a warm area to rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
  6. After it has risen, punch down the dough and place it on a lightly-floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 balls. Cover and allow to rest for 20 minutes. You can freeze the other ball for the future.
  7. Preheat outdoor grill. It needs to be very hot, like a pizza oven. 500°F/260°C is a good temperature so it doesn't cook too quickly.
  8. Use your hands to shape into a 13-inch (33 cm) round and place onto a sheet of parchment paper. This is help to transfer to the grill. Brush the entire top of the dough with olive oil.
  9. Flip the dough off the parchment paper and onto the grill, oil-side down for 3 minutes with the lid open or 1 to 2 minutes closed.
  10. Use a large spatula to flip the dough. Add the sauce to the center, spreading it in a circular motion from the middle to the edge, leaving a 1-inch border.
  11. Place the slices of mozzarella evenly on the pizza and grill for 5 minutes with the lid closed until the cheese starts to melt. Check the underside of the dough, if it’s cooking too quickly move to a cooler part of the grill.
  12. Use the large spatula to slide the pizza onto a large cutting board and top with basil leaves. Slice and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 259Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 14mgSodium 448mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 9g