Ooni Pizza Recipes

How to build an Ooni pizza

Pizza dough

Check out my Ooni pizza dough recipe and tips for the Ooni pizza oven. Pizza crust will make or break your pizza, and my pizza dough has great flavor. The overnight proof makes the dough easier to work.

But, if you don’t have the time or interest, go ahead and buy a dough ball from your local pizza parlor or grocery store. The best pizza dough is the one in hand!

Pizza sauce

There are two pizza sauce camps. Traditionalists say that pizza sauce should use San Marzano tomatoes and be uncooked. Because the pizza cooks for such little time in the Ooni, I prefer an Ooni pizza sauce briefly cooked with a bit of garlic.

The only “should” is to use a sauce that isn’t watery. Wet toppings make it challenging to transfer your pizza from the peel to the Ooni. And you may end up with a soggy crust.

Of course, you’re not limited to pizza recipes with tomato sauce. Try a pesto pizza with a basil pistachio pesto. Or brush your pizza crust with olive oil for a white pizza.

Go really non-traditional with a homemade BBQ sauce with pulled chicken or pork. Make a taco pizza with a salsa base. Or try out peanut sauce and a Swimming Rama chicken pizza topped with shredded chicken and finished with fresh spinach.

The best cheese for pizza

Your go-to cheese for your Ooni pizzas is a low moisture mozzarella. You can use fresh mozzarella, but use it sparingly.

I like to add Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, though it also goes against the regulations. I’m a rebel, in that way. Really, you can make a pizza with any cheese that melts.

Finishing touches

Some pizza toppings should be added to a cooked pizza. If your pizza recipe has greens like arugula, chopped basil, or other fresh herbs, keep them fresh! Finally, serve more freshly grated Parmesan, red pepper flakes, and maybe some chopped herbs at the table.

Preparing ingredients for the Ooni pizza oven

There are two main differences between pizzas cooked in the Ooni and in home ovens. The first is the temperature you can achieve in the Ooni. As a result, your pizzas will cook for a much shorter time, and so your toppings, especially meats, should be cooked.

The other difference is the need to transfer your pizza from the peel to the oven. So generally Ooni pizzas should be topped a little lighter. And you’ll want to avoid anything that might be watery, just like with the sauce and cheese.

Tomatoes

Slice fresh tomatoes thinly, and let them drain if you have time.

Caramelized onions

Here’s a great recipe and instructions for cooking caramelized onions. The most important thing to know is that it takes time, 45 minutes to an hour, with slow cooking to get the sugars in the onions to caramelize.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms have a lot of water, so cook them before using them as Ooni toppings. I recommend cooking mushrooms a bit like caramelized onions – with butter and with a lot of space in the pan so they fry and don’t steam.

Roasted red peppers

Roasting red peppers is really simple. Wash your peppers, slice them in half or thirds so they lie flat, and discard the seeds and veins. Put them, skin side up, in a pan lined with foil under the broiler. Pick a variety of colors for a rainbow pizza!

Keep a close eye on them. Once most of the skin has blackened, remove the pan and immediately wrap the foil around the peppers. Once they’re cool, the skin will peel off easily.

Sausage

This is the household favorite. Chop half a fennel bulb or onion and fry it in a frying pan with a tablespoon of oil over medium-low heat until soft, about seven to ten minutes. Add some bulk Italian sausage to the pan and cook it, breaking it up into smaller pieces, until browned.

Let cool until you’re ready to top your pizzas. Sausage can be fatty, so I set my frying pan on a slight angle to let the fat drain towards one side of the pan. You can spoon it off into a fat jar or soak it into paper towels to compost.

Meatballs

Meatballs are a classic pizza topping, and you can use classic Italian meatballs, spiced lamb meatballs or any other meatballs you love. Make them small, no more than a tablespoon, and cook them separately before putting them on your pizza.

Some Ooni pizza recipes

Below are some ideas to get you inspired on your pizza journey.

Ooni margherita pizza

The margherita is a simple pizza made with fresh mozzarella and fresh tomatoes. Add whole or chopped basil leaves after your pizza comes out of the Ooni.

(Just ignore those olives there. Someone likes olives.)

Ooni Pepperoni Pizza

This one needs no explanation. Though you might not want to add your toppings as close to the edge if you want a good puff to your crust.

Ooni Sausage Pizza

The recipe for my sausage pizza is below. Every time we make Ooni pizzas, there has to be one with these toppings.

Meatball pizza

This meatball pizza was topped with lamb meatballs and sliced olives.

Artichoke hearts and olives on a pesto base

Fresh fig and caramelized onion

What to serve with pizza

Pizza is a meal on its own, but here are a few ideas for sides to serve alongside:

• Make a simple vegetable like broccoli, green beans, or a carrot salad.
• Serve with a healthy salad like this rainbow salad bowl or peach burrata caprese.
• Have a beer, a red table wine, or a simple cocktail like a dry martini, Aperol sour or Aperol soda, or passion fruit spritz.

Ooni pizza oven FAQs