This salad pizza is just what it sounds like: a zesty Italian salad is piled onto crispy, cheesy pizza crust. It’s my favorite way to make pizza at home!
Have you tried salad pizza?! It’s as simple as putting salad on pizza. The best of both worlds, it’s one of my favorite dinners to make throughout the spring and summer.
Ready in 30 minutes, my recipe starts with a crisp pizza crust that’s loaded up with garlic and mozzarella cheese. When it comes out of the oven, I sprinkle on a zesty Italian salad made with arugula, radicchio, red onion, and a bold red wine vinaigrette. Nutty Parmesan, tangy pepperoncini, and red pepper flakes take it over the top.
The fresh, acidic salad perfectly balances the rich crust and gooey cheese. If you’re new to salad pizza, get ready—you’re going to want this one on repeat this spring!
Salad Pizza Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this salad pizza recipe:
- Pizza dough, of course! We typically use our easy homemade pizza dough to make this recipe, and it works great. In a pinch, fresh store-bought dough is a good option too. Just let it come to room temperature before stretching.
- Cornmeal – It prevents the dough from sticking to your pizza pan or baking sheet.
- Fresh mozzarella cheese – It creates a rich, melty base for the salad.
- Garlic – You’ll thinly slice it, then bake it right on the pizza for savory depth of flavor.
- Arugula and radicchio – These bitter greens make up the base of the salad.
- Red onion – It adds sharp, savory depth to the salad topping.
- Pepperoncini and Parmesan cheese – For garnish. They add delicious tangy, nutty flavor!
- Red pepper flakes – For heat.
- And a red wine vinaigrette – It’s easy to make with pantry ingredients like red wine vinegar, olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, and oregano.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Salad Pizza
This salad pizza recipe has three parts:
- Making the pizza
- Making the salad
- Assembling and serving
To make the pizza, stretch the pizza dough into a large circle. Top with the mozzarella and garlic and bake at 500°F to melt the cheese.
Meanwhile, make the salad. Combine the dressing ingredients in a lidded jar and shake to combine.
In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, radicchio, and red onion. Drizzle with some of the dressing and toss to coat.
Assemble the pizza by sprinkling the salad over the baked crust. Top with the pepperoncini, Parmesan, and red pepper flakes.
Slice and serve!
Recipe Variations
- For a crunchier salad, use shredded iceberg or romaine lettuce instead of arugula.
- For a colorful salad, add thinly sliced red bell pepper or halved cherry tomatoes.
- For a saucier pizza, top the crust with pizza sauce and use low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella instead of fresh.
What to Serve with Salad Pizza
Because this recipe combines pizza + salad, you don’t need much more than a glass of wine to make it a meal!
We also love it with garlic knots and marinara for homemade pizza nights. It pairs well with a Caprese salad or Caesar salad too.
More Pizza Recipes to Try
If you love this recipe, try one of these delicious homemade pizzas next:
Salad Pizza
Serves 4
This salad pizza recipe is my favorite way to make homemade pizza during the spring and summer! I pile a fresh Italian salad onto a crispy crust topped with garlic and melty mozzarella cheese.
- 1 pound pizza dough, store-bought or homemade
- Cornmeal, for stretching the dough
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, torn
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 cups arugula
- 2 cups thinly sliced radicchio
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ½ cup sliced pepperoncini
- Shaved Parmesan cheese, for garnish
- Red pepper flakes, for sprinkling
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Prepare the pizza dough according to our pizza dough recipe, or if using store-bought dough, let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour before stretching.
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Preheat the oven to 500°F (or as high as your oven goes).
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Dust a baking sheet with cornmeal. Place the pizza dough on the baking sheet and stretch it into a large circle or oval. Top with the mozzarella and sliced garlic.
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Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is browned.
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Meanwhile, make the red wine vinaigrette: In a lidded jar, place the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic, oregano, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Cover and shake to combine.
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In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, radicchio, and red onion. Drizzle with a little of the dressing and toss to coat, adding more dressing as desired. Sprinkle the salad over the pizza, then top with the pepperoncini, shaved Parmesan, and pinches of red pepper flakes.
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Slice and serve.
