Homemade Freezer Pizza Two Ways is the meal prep move that future you will be genuinely grateful for. Four pizzas made in one session, par-baked and flash-frozen. Ready to go from freezer to table in 10 to 12 minutes on nights when cooking simply isn't happening. Two classic pepperoni and two Mediterranean pizzas with roasted red peppers, artichokes, green olives, and mozzarella!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Homemade Freezer Pizza Two Ways
🕒 Ready In: ~ 40 minutes
👪 Serves: 16 servings
🍽 Calories: ~ 175 per serving (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: Pizza dough, pizza sauce, mozarella, pepperoni
👌 Difficulty: Easy
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Every August I make a big batch of these before school starts and stack them in the freezer so future me does not have to think about dinner on the nights when everyone is exhausted and nobody has the energy to cook. The Mediterranean version is the one that disappears first in our house. I have been doing this for years and it is genuinely one of the best things I do for myself all summer.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Four pizzas in one session. Two pepperoni for the crowd pleasers and two Mediterranean for the people with actual taste. Everybody wins.
10 to 12 minutes from freezer to table. No thawing, no planning ahead, no stress. Preheat the oven and dinner is done.
The Mediterranean finish is the move. Fresh basil, pecorino, and hot honey on top of the artichoke and olive pizza the moment it comes out of the oven.
Homemade Freezer Pizza Two Ways Video
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Crispy Homemade FalafelThis is part of my Future Me video series, where I make a dish for today and freeze the rest for my future self! Check out the other episode: Ricotta Meatballs, Crispy Homemade Falafel.
Ingredient Notes
Store-Bought Pizza Dough: This resting time is key! Cold dough straight from the fridge is tight and elastic and will snap back every time you try to stretch it. Three hours of resting lets the gluten fully relax so the dough stretches thin and stays there. Trader Joe's dough works beautifully here and so does fresh dough from your local pizzeria. Most pizzerias will sell you raw dough if you ask.
Pepperoni: Use whatever brand you love. The pepperoni curls slightly at the edges as it bakes, which is the visual everyone loves on a pepperoni pizza, and it crisps up beautifully under the high heat of the oven.
Mediterranean Toppings: The roasted red peppers add a sweet smokiness, the artichokes add an earthy richness, and the green olives add a briny sharpness that ties everything together.
The Mediterranean Finish: Fresh basil, freshly grated pecorino, and a drizzle of hot honey added the moment the Mediterranean pizza comes out of the oven. The basil wilts slightly from the heat of the crust, the pecorino adds a sharp salty note that is completely different from the mozzarella underneath, and the hot honey ties the briny olives and sweet peppers together.
Pro tip
The Secret to Perfect Toppings
Drain all jarred toppings very well before they go on the pizza. Excess liquid from roasted red peppers, artichokes, and olives is the most common reason pizza toppings make the crust soggy. Pat them dry with paper towels if needed.
Substitutions & Variations
No pizza steel? An inverted heavy duty baking sheet preheated at 500F for 25 minutes works as the best substitute. A cast iron skillet also works for individual smaller pizzas.
No turkey pepperoni? Regular pork pepperoni works in the same quantity. The flavor will be slightly richer and saltier.
No green olives? Kalamata olives work beautifully on the Mediterranean pizza and add a deeper, more intensely briny flavor. Castelvetrano olives add a milder buttery note. All three work well, it comes down to personal preference.
Want to customize the Mediterranean toppings? Sun dried tomatoes, fresh spinach, or caramelized onions all work beautifully alongside or instead of the artichokes and roasted red peppers. Keep the total topping quantity similar so the pizza does not get too wet.
No pecorino? Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano works as a substitute and has a similar sharp salty character. Pre-shredded from a bag does not melt the same way. Always grate fresh.
FAQ
Yes! Any good homemade pizza dough works here. Use the same resting technique and the same par-bake method. If you have a tried-and-tested homemade dough recipe you love, this method works with it the same.
The par bake sets the structure of the crust so it holds its shape when frozen and gives you a crispy base when reheated directly from frozen. Without the par bake the crust will be soft and soggy when it comes out of the oven after freezing. It is the step that makes the difference between a proper homemade frozen pizza and a disappointing one.
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⭐️ Recipe
Homemade Freezer Pizza Two Ways
Equipment
- 1 16 inch cardboard rounds I also found mine at Michael's in 4 packs
Ingredients
Pizza dough
- 4 x 16 oz store bought pizza dough balls Trader Joe's or from your local pizzeria
- Extra virgin olive oil for rubbing the dough
- Semolina flour or regular flour for dusting
Sauce
- 1⅓ cups store bought pizza sauce about ⅓ cup per pizza
Pepperoni pizzas (makes 2)
- 2 cups or 16 oz shredded mozzarella 1 cup per pizza
- 16 slices turkey pepperoni 8 per pizza
Mediterranean pizzas (makes 2)
- 2 cups or 16 oz shredded mozzarella 1 cup per pizza
- ⅔ cup jarred roasted red peppers drained and patted dry (⅓ cup per pizza)
- 1 cup jarred artichoke hearts drained and patted dry (½ cup per pizza)
- 1 cup green olives drained (½ cup per pizza)
Mediterranean finish (add after baking)
- Fresh basil leaves
- Freshly grated pecorino
- Hot honey for drizzling
Instructions
Rest the dough
- Remove the pizza dough balls from the fridge. Form each one into a smooth tight ball and rub the surface generously with olive oil. Place each ball in a separate bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for 3 hours. Do not rush this step. Cold dough will snap back and fight you. Properly rested dough stretches thin and stays put.4 x 16 oz store bought pizza dough balls, Extra virgin olive oil for rubbing the dough
Preheat the oven and steel
- Place your pizza steel or an inverted heavy baking sheet on the top rack of the oven. Preheat to 500F and let it heat for a full 25 minutes.
Shape the dough
- Lightly flour a clean work surface with semolina or regular flour. Place one dough ball on the surface and use your fingertips to press it out from the center toward the edges. Lift the dough and stretch it gently in circular motions, letting gravity help thin it out. Lay it back down on the floured surface and use a rolling pin to even it out to a thin round.
- Dust a pizza tray generously with semolina or flour. Transfer the shaped dough onto the tray.Semolina flour or regular flour for dusting
Sauce the dough
- Spread about a third of a cup of pizza sauce thinly over each shaped dough leaving a one inch border all the way around for the crust. Keep the sauce layer thin. Too much sauce makes the center soggy.1⅓ cups store bought pizza sauce
Par bake
- Working one pizza at a time, slide the sauced dough onto the preheated steel or baking sheet. Par-bake at 500F for 3 to 4 minutes until the dough looks set and slightly dry on the surface but is not golden yet (my alarm didn't go off, so one of my crusts was a little too golden BUT it still worked out haha). Remove and let cool on a wire rack. Repeat with all four pizzas.
Add the toppings
- For each pepperoni pizza: scatter one cup of shredded mozzarella evenly over the sauced surface then arrange 8 slices of turkey pepperoni on top.2 cups or 16 oz shredded mozzarella, 16 slices turkey pepperoni
- For each Mediterranean pizza: scatter one cup of shredded mozzarella evenly over the sauced surface. Distribute a third of a cup of drained and patted dry roasted red peppers, half a cup of drained artichoke hearts, and half a cup of drained green olives evenly over the cheese.2 cups or 16 oz shredded mozzarella, ⅔ cup jarred roasted red peppers, 1 cup jarred artichoke hearts, 1 cup green olives
Flash freeze
- Line a large sheet pan or two with parchment paper. Place the topped pizzas on the sheet pan with parchment paper between each layer if stacking. Transfer to the freezer and flash freeze for 20 minutes until the pizzas are firm and the toppings are set.
Wrap and freeze
- Remove from the freezer. Place each pizza on a 16 inch cake round for support. Wrap each one very tightly in plastic wrap making sure there are no gaps or air pockets. Label with the date and the pizza type. Stack in the freezer and freeze for up to 3 months.
To cook from frozen
- Preheat your oven to 400F. Remove the pizza from the freezer, unwrap completely, and place directly on the baking rack. Bake from frozen for 10 to 12 minutes until the crust is golden and crispy and the cheese is fully melted and bubbly.
- For the Mediterranean pizza: remove from the oven and immediately top with fresh basil leaves, a generous grating of pecorino, and a drizzle of hot honey. The residual heat from the pizza will wilt the basil slightly and bloom the hot honey over the surface. Serve immediately.Fresh basil leaves, Freshly grated pecorino, Hot honey for drizzling
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!