The Margherita pizza is in a class of its own! This post will show you how to create the healthiest, tastiest, Healthy Homemade Margherita Pizza.
For the best results for this Healthy Homemade Margherita Pizza, make your own Homemade Pizza Dough. You'll also love my Chicken Marinara Pizza, my Chicken Alfredo Pizza, and my BBQ Chicken Pizza.
In This Post You'll Find:
There’s something magical about a Margherita pizza. It’s the kind of simple, classic recipe that proves you don’t need a ton of ingredients to make something incredible—you just need the right ones. It’s the perfect balance of flavors, and when done right, it’s pure comfort food. If you love homemade pizza as much as I do, you have to try my Four Cheese Tomato Sauce for that fresh, rich tomato flavor—it makes all the difference!
The best part? You can make it at home, and it’s so much better than delivery. With a few key techniques—like using a pizza stone for that legit pizzeria crust and not overloading the toppings—you’ll get that beautifully blistered, bubbly crust and the perfect cheese-to-sauce ratio.
Plus, there’s something deeply satisfying about pulling your own homemade pizza from the oven. It feels like a little win, and honestly, who doesn’t love a win that involves pizza? Pair it with a crisp Healthy Chicken Caesar Salad, or go all-in on Italian night with my balsamic Honey Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
Reasons You'll Love It
- Cheaper than eating out & fun to make your own pizza.
- Delicious fresh Ingredients.
- Best Margherita Pizza.
- Simple pizza with a lot flavor.
Ingredients For Healthy Homemade Margherita Pizza
Pizza Dough: When I am making pizza at home, I almost always use this Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe. But, in a pinch, you can really use whatever dough you like. You can make this Cauliflower Pizza Crust if you're looking for a gluten-free option. I also use this dough on my Chicken Alfredo Pizza, and it's amazing.
Fresh Mozzarella: The higher quality and fresher mozzarella you can find, the better. It's a real game-changer. Fresh mozzarella is great because it gives you that perfect bubbling melt and is super tasty.
Tomatoes: I use Roma tomatoes for this Best Homemade Margherita Pizza recipe, but if you want the sauce to be a little sweeter, you could use San Marzano tomatoes.
Basil: I always use fresh basil when I can. It's super easy to grow and one plant produces plenty for our family - so if you can plant your own basil at home, it's the gift that keeps giving -- you can always make this great Healthy Pesto Sauce if you have too much, too. You can always grab it at the store -- just go for the fresh stuff.
Step By Step Instructions
- Step 1: Drain tomatoes and puree in a food processor this will give it that smooth texture. Add olive oil, oregano dried basil, salt and pepper and pulse to combine.
- Step 2: Evenly roll out the pizza dough, stretch out the dough into an 11 ½ to 12 ½ inch round, maybe ⅛ to ¼ inch thick which you are free to adjust based on your preference.
- Step 3: Spread sauce over pizza dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge for the crust.
- Step 4: Lay the sliced Roma tomatoes evenly over the sauce.
- Step 5: Evenly apply the sliced mozzarella over the tomatoes.
- Step 6: Bake pizza for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and the crust begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.
Recipe FAQs
A Margherita pizza is quite different from a regular cheese pizza because of the fresh ingredients. A cheese pizza includes cheese over the sauce and nothing else. But with a Margherita pizza, you get fresh and flavorful toppings, like tomatoes, sliced mozzarella, basil, and extra virgin olive oil.
Pizza is best stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. This keeps it dry - but not too dry - and it won't get soggy. I know some people suggest wrapping the slices up in a bed of foil, but I noticed that it gets too moist. Check out my post on the Ultimate Guide To Meal Prep Containers for my food storage container recommendations.
The stovetop reheating method will get your pizza crunchy the next day. Never heard of it? It's actually one of the quickest ways to mimic the hearty benefits of an oven without overdoing it.
Here's what you'll do:
1. Heat the pan over medium heat and add a drizzle of water, to cover it.
2. After a few minutes add the leftover pizza slices and allow it to cook for a bit before you drizzle more water on the side of the pan.
3. Cover the skillet immediately! This traps the steam and heats up your toppings.
This technique will (mostly) recreate the crispiness you get from a freshly baked pizza
More Healthy Pizza Recipes
If you would like to add more pizza options to your menu, here are some you'll surely enjoy. Grab your pizza stone and get ready!
Healthy Homemade Margherita Pizza
Equipment
- 1 Pizza Stone Can also use sheet pan
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- homemade pizza dough
- 1 14-oz can can whole peeled tomatoes not including juices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2-3 Roma tomatoes thinly sliced
- 7-8 oz fresh mozzarella thinly sliced
- 1 oz fresh basil leaves torn into pieces
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Drain tomatoes and puree in a food processor (or blender). Add olive oil, oregano dried basil, salt and pepper and pulse to combine.
- Spread sauce over pizza dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge for the crust. Create a layer of the thinly sliced tomatoes over the sauce. Line the sliced mozzarella over the tomatoes.
- Bake pizza for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and the crust begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.
- Toss fresh basil over cooked pizza and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Slice and serve.
Notes
- I used a pizza paddle and pizza stone to make the pizza. If you plan to use one make sure that you add corn meal to the bottom of the paddle to allow it to move freely. If you don't have a paddle no worries, you can flip your baking sheet the other way around instead.
- Drain fresh mozzarella before using to avoid excess moisture.
- Brush the crust with olive oil before baking for a golden, flavorful finish.
- I stretched the dough into an 11 ½ to 12 ½ inch round, maybe ⅛ to ¼ inch thick which you are free to adjust based on your preference.
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.
Dustin
Another pizza recipe we should update
Lacey Baier
Done and done! 🙂
Jasmine
I was living in Reno and was having dinner with some friends at a restaurant known for it's wide selection of brick oven pizzas but had lots of other good food and had a waitress that was eastern European (Ukrainian maybe?). She took my order for my food and then asked what I wanted to drink. I said, "A margarita".
"But what do you want to drink?"
"A margarita"
"I have your pizza, what about a drink?"
She had never even heard of the drink. Pizza is delicious.
Lacey Baier
That’s a great story! Easy to see how that could happen. Glad you’re a fan of Margherita pizza—hope you get to enjoy it again soon!
Lacee
Hi, I am in LOVE with this kind of pizza. I have made it so many times for my family. I will be sure to try this recipe next time I'm making it. Thank you 🙂
Oh by the way, very cool name hahaha.
Lacey Baier
That’s amazing to hear! I love that Margherita pizza is already a favorite in your home. I hope you enjoy this recipe when you try it—can’t wait to hear how it turns out! And haha, thanks for the kind words! 😊
Patti
I made this for my roommates one night, and they loved it! I added thinly sliced garlic for a kick! It was my first time making pizza and I'm glad your recipe is really simple and delicious. (I cheated a little by buying pre-made pizza dough, but i want to try making my own next time). I highly recommend this to first time pizza makers and everyone who enjoys a simple good meal!
Lacey Baier
I'm glad you all enjoyed the pizza, Patti! Thanks for the review 🙂
Tessa
Beautiful photos and thank you for the history lesson!
Lacey Baier
Haha! You're welcome, Tessa 🙂
Laura
Yummy! looks delicious! i love pizza! thanks for the recipe and the short story that goes with it. gotta try it this weekend! 😀
Lacey Baier
You're very welcome. Enjoy!
Miss Becky
wow, that looks delicious. I did not know that Naples is the pizza capitol of the world. now I do. thanks Lacey! happy day to you.
Lacey Baier
Thanks, Miss Becky! It was news to me as well 🙂