Making Pizza on the Grill

Yes, it's true: You can make homemade pizza without touching your oven. In fact, we recommend it! In this guide, we show you the basic steps to grill homemade pizza as well as give you tips, tricks, and recipes so you're ready to start cooking. 

Choosing a Grill

Pizza can be baked on any grill that can maintain a temperature of 350°F or higher. However, if you're looking for that crispy, slightly smoky crust from classic wood-fired pizza, you'll want to fire up a wood pellet grill, like a Pit Boss.

If using a pizza stone, ensure your grill can accommodate a depth of 10-15" on the bottom grate, depending on the width or diameter of your stone. A large pellet grill like The Pit Boss Heritage Grill can easily fit 2 pizza stones at once, for those looking to feed a crowd.

Special Tools

There are few tools needed to transform your backyard into a pizzeria, but here are some we suggest:

Pizza Stone

A pizza stone is essential in getting an evenly cooked, crispy— never soggy— crust. Just be sure you preheat your pizza stone inside the hot grill until it reaches a temperature of 375-400°F. 

Infrared Thermometer

Speaking of preheating your pizza stone, the best way to read its surface temperature is with an infrared thermometer. Simply point and scan without sacrificing your safety.

Pizza Peel

A pizza peel is your best friend when it comes to transferring your pie, both in and out of the grill. Pro Tip: Coat your peel with corn meal and then assemble your pizza dough with your sauce and toppings directly on the peel. This ensures a smooth transition from peel to grill.

Pizza Cutter

This may sound obvious, but we'd argue it's the most important part! You just handcrafted a homemade pizza and grilled it to perfection— make sure you have the means to cut it and share with friends and family.

Cooking Method

• Preheat your grill to 350°F and place your pizza stone inside to preheat.
• Roll out raw pizza dough into roughly a 14" diameter.
• Coat your pizza peel with corn meal and lift and place the dough onto the spatula. (It's best to build your pizza on the peel for easy transportation to the grill/stone)
• Coat the outside/crust of the dough with a light layer of olive oil. Optional: season your crust.
• Assemble the pizza on the peel with pizza sauce, cheese, and preferred toppings.
• Once the pizza stone has reached a preheated surface temperature of 375-400°F, place the assembled pizza carefully on the stone inside the grill.
• Close the grill lid and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the crust is cooked to your liking and the cheese has melted. Rotate the pizza with the spatula every 6-8 minutes to ensure even cooking.
• Once done, remove from the grill, slice, and serve!

Recipes to Try

3 Cheese Mushroom Pizza for a simple, yet rewarding pie.

Classic Pepperoni Pizza for a timeless crowd-pleaser.

Easy Cheese Pizza — because sometimes that's just what you want.

Leftover BBQ Chicken Pizza for the adventurous griller.

Watch & Learn

Whether you're looking for a quick weeknight meal or hosting the kids' backyard pizza party, this in-depth tutorial has everything you need to make perfectly grilled pizza.