Pizza Topping Ideas

This huge list of pizza topping ideas will get you into the kitchen and getting creative with your homemade pizza.

Loaded White Pesto Pizza in a cast iron Skillet

Everyone has a pizza they know and love. Whether it’s your favorite pizza from a restaurant or take out, or it’s the pizza toppings, we have a certain way we love our pizza.

But sometimes you just want to change it up and get creative or try something new.

This extensive list of pizza topping ideas and fun pizza combinations will get you whipping up some delicious pizza right in your kitchen.

And if you love pizza as much as we do, try some of our favorite pizza recipes for anything from pizza to individual pizzas, pizza pasta, pizza inspired casseroles and even dessert pizza.

So now that we’ve checked out the pizza inspired recipes, let’s go ahead and get to those incredible delicious pizza topping ideas.

Pizza Sauce Ideas

From traditional pizza sauce to marinara sauce and everything in between. Get creative and try what you love!

pizza sauce
marinara sauce
alfredo sauce
garlic butter
white gravy
sausage gravy (great for breakfast pizza)
garlic white pizza sauce
pesto sauce
ranch dressing
sour cream
olive oil and garlic
taco sauce
chili sauce
salad dressing
cream soups
chili
BBQ sauce
Salsa
Tapenade
Buffalo Wing Sauce
Chimichurri Sauce
Mole Sauce

Besides sauces, you can start your pizza with toppings instead. Try smashed beans, garlic butter, pico de gallo, etc. The way you top your pizza should be a personal choice and it all starts with the sauce!

Frequently Asked Questions about Pizza Sauce Ideas

Can You Use Pasta Sauce for Pizza?

Yes you absolutely can! Try to use a thicker pasta sauce so your crust doesn’t get soggy. You can also just spread a much thinner layer.

Can you use Salad Dressing for Pizza?

Yes, but this is a little trickier. If your salad dressing is really thin and runny, you may need to thicken it a bit with a cornstarch slurry. It’s relatively easy, but it is an extra step.

To make a cornstarch slurry, you will need a 1:1 ratio of cornstarch to liquid. For example, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 1 tablespoon of water, milk or other liquid.
You will then need to heat the mixture over a low heat until the cornstarch basically absorbs most of the water and you get a thick paste.
You will then need to add this paste to your thin salad dressing and mix it well until the dressing thickens.
Note: 1 tablespoon of cornstarch slurry, thickens 1 cup of dressing. You will not need 1 cup of dressing for a pizza, so consider saving in an air tight sealed jar in the kitchen for later use.

Whatever sauce you use, get creative and make it delicious!

Next we move onto our cheeses, and for many lots and lots of cheese is essential.

Pizza Cheese Toppings:

Whether you enjoy shredded cheeses for better coverage or you simply slice cheese and arrange the pieces around your pizza, there are a lot of different cheeses that will elevate your pizza. The key focus on any cheese you add to a pizza, is meltability. Not all cheese melt well, but here are some that do!

shredded mozzarella
shredded pepper jack
shredded cheddar
sprinkled parmesan (best over the entire finished pizza or mixed in with other cheeses)
sliced or shredded fontina
sliced gouda
shredded or sliced provolone
shredded or sliced swiss

Obviously you can use whatever cheese you love, we just focused primarily on cheeses that were easy to melt and go well on pizza.

I also strongly urge you to shred your own cheese. Yes, it’s easy to pick up a bag of shredded cheese and we do frequently. But there is no better flavor or melting factor than freshly shredded cheese!