This vegetarian skillet pizza recipe is so easy to make! Cooking the simple pizza dough in a skillet (cast iron frying pan) makes a beautifully crispy deep pan crust. Perfect for your favourite toppings. Easily vegan.
Skillet Pizza
I've been meaning to try making skillet pizza for ages and I'm so pleased that I finally did it. Again and again actually.
It was fun testing this recipe and we've made quite a few versions. These pizzas are now firmly on the family menu.
Skillet pizzas are when you put the dough into a cast iron skillet, and cook it in that! It makes a lovely deep dish pizza with a crispy/chewy crust. The best kind of pizza crust.
This skillet pizza recipe was originally published on 3 June 2016. Updated with new text and re-edited images on 15 August 2019.
Pizza Dough
Don't fear making the pizza dough. It's really simple and if you have a stand mixer it only takes a few minutes to put together. You can do it the old fashioned way by hand as well and work those arm muscles a bit with the manual kneading.
What about all that rising time? Well, you can choose to let it rise in a warm place for an hour or so, or you can stick it straight into the fridge to let it rise overnight slowly.
But if you're stuck for time, you can use the dough right away and it will have a really thin crust.
Looking for more pizza recipes? Try my beetroot pizza, carrot pizza, spinach pizza or 10 minute naan pizza.
Tips and Tricks for Skillet Pizza
- You can make this dough ahead. Instead of leaving it to rise, put it in a covered mixing bowl in the fridge and it will rise in there overnight. Instead of a quick warm rise, it gets a slow cold rise and still works really well.
- I like to knead my dough in a stand mixer (saves the ol' arm muscles!) but you can do it by hand easily too.
- Use any toppings you like!
- Make it vegan: this is a vegan pizza dough, so just choose vegan toppings and cheese. Or try making your own vegan mozzarella.
- Don't have a cast iron skillet? An oven-safe frying pan will work too, or use a baking pan.
Pizza Toppings
For the toppings you can use what you like, but I adore the combination of veggie sausages with mushrooms and onions.
It's earthy but sweet and the addition of thyme gives it a lovely fragrance.
I need a bit of green at every meal, so I've piled the pizza with a handful of rocket/arugula before serving. Then I've added a load of fresh basil because, yay!, I haven't killed my basil plant yet.
This recipe serves two very generously, or four people if you make a side dish to serve with it.
Get the Skillet Pizza Recipe
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you!
Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #veggiedesserts. I love seeing your recreations of my vegetarian and vegan recipes and cakes.
Thanks for checking out my recipe! I love hearing from my readers. You all allow me to do what I love and write this UK food blog, sharing vegetarian and vegan recipes, vegetable cake recipes, vegan cake and also easy vegan desserts.
Kate x
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Vegetarian Sausage Skillet Pizza
Ingredients
For the pizza dough:
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) warm water
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 225 g (2 cups) plain flour (all-purpose)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Toppings (optional):
- 2 sausages I used vegan sausages
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 100 g (1 cup) sliced mushrooms
- ½ onion thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1 ball mozzarella cheese
To cook:
- 2 teaspoons oil
To serve:
- rocket / arugula
- fresh basil
Instructions
To make the pizza dough in a stand mixer:
- Pour the water into the bowl of the stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the water, and let it stand for a few minutes until the yeast has dissolved. Insert the dough hook, add the flour and salt to the yeast water and knead with the machine for a few minutes until the dough forms a smooth ball. If the dough is still too sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it is manageable. Don’t add too much or it will affect the end result.
To make the pizza dough by hand:
- Pour the water into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water, and let it stand for a few minutes until the yeast has dissolved. Add the flour and salt to the bowl of water and stir until it forms a loose dough. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured countertop and knead firmly for 10 minutes or until it’s smooth. If the dough is still too sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it is manageable. Don’t add too much or it will affect the end result.
Next steps:
- Put the dough into a large lightly oiled bowl, turn the dough so both sides are covered in oil and cover tightly with plastic wrap or a tea towel.
- Allow the dough to rise for 1 ½ hours in a warm place. (Alternatively, you can use the dough right away, but it will have a very thin crust. To make ahead of time, leave to rise, covered, in the fridge overnight. Take it out of the fridge a few hours before using and punch it down before shaping.)
- When you’re ready to cook the pizza, divide the dough in half, then on a lightly floured surface shape one of the pieces into a round to fit the bottom of your skillet or baking tray. Pressing rather than rolling makes the pizza crust lighter with more air pockets. Set aside.
- Next, prepare the pizza toppings: Cut the sausages into small pieces and cook in a frying pan until browned and cooked through. Slice the mushrooms and onions and cook in another pan with the oil, thyme and garlic. Set the toppings aside.
- Heat the oil an ovenproof frying pan or skillet on the stovetop over a medium/high heat and turn on the grill (broiler). Carefully place a disc of dough into the skillet and cook on the stovetop for 1-2 minutes. The dough will puff up and go golden on the underside. Reduce the heat of medium/low and carefully flip the dough over. While the skillet is still over the heat, add half of the toppings as desired. Continue to cook the pizza for a few minutes and check that the underside of the pizza is golden. When it is move the skillet to the grill (broiler) and heat until the cheese is melted.
- Transfer to a plate to cool while you continue with the next skillet pizza. Serve topped with the rocket and fresh basil.
Tara
Such a tasty pizza! I had arugula and basil on top. Absolutely delicious.
Kay
Love this skillet pizza, such a good way to serve the pizza too!
J Trogstad
This looks and sounds like one amazing skillet! You are making me hungry!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
Skillet pizza is the way forward!
We are big fans of Heck sausages too - as they are some of the best quality ones out there.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
I tried those Heck sausages and LOVED them! Brilliant idea to put them on pizza 🙂
choclette
Ooh yes please to that pizza, it sounds so good. I've not tried a skillet pizza either, but they seem to be popping up all over the place at the moment. I really like the Heck sausages, but haven't done anything particularly imaginative with them.
foodhuntersguide
I love the idea of skillet pizza
Tracy | Baking Mischief
I was totally ogling the sausage on the pizza--I had no idea it was meat-free. That's awesome! I've never made a skillet pizza before, but I am dying to try it now. This looks SO good!
Lisa |Garlic + Zest
This looks like a delicious pizza! You're photographs are gorgeous!
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
There are NEVER too many variations of pizza. This looks delicious. Homemade pizza is the BEST!!
Jac -Tinned Tomatoes (@tinnedtoms)
Now I have to try skillet pizza! I am in the make by hand camp although I do use a breadmaker for bread, hmmmmm! Pinned, yummed and tweeted.
Emma S
Loving this pizza (and I'm not even veggie!) Everyone goes on about these Heck sausages so might have to give them a try 🙂 x
Liam McNally
Pizza looks amazing. If I wasn't trying to lose weight then I'd be making this!
Brian Jones
What a great looking pizza (with lovely pictures too), I've been meaning to make a skillet pizza for a while, hopefully this provides the kick in the pants to get me moving 😀
Mellissa Williams
Wow this looks really tasty. We all eat a lot of vegetarian food in our household so I will bookmark this.
Jemma @ Celery & Cupcakes
What a fantastic looking pizza! I love that it's made on the skillet for simplicity and ease. Now all I need to do is buy myself s skillet.