Pizza night doesn't have to mean the same old slices of mozzarella and marinara (although you can never go wrong with a classic cheese pizza). The best pizza recipes borrow ideas from everywhere: creamy spreads not just tomato-based sauces, unexpected crusts that bake to a flaky or extra crispy texture, and toppings that range from salad-inspired greens to a delicious mixture that resembles French onion soup.
Try tangy labneh or ranch as a base sauce, pesto that turns the whole pie bright in color and herbal in flavor, or even fig spread for a sweet, jammy contrast to salty prosciutto. Swap traditional pizza dough for French bread, naan, or puff pastry when you want something faster, crunchier, or just a little different. Then lean into toppings that bring real personality, like lemon slices with hot honey, shrimp with Alfredo, or a Caesar salad piled on after baking for cool crunch against a hot crust. On this list, you'll also find a steakhouse-inspired pizza, briny dill pickle pizza, and breakfast pizza stacked with eggs and bacon.
Each of these homemade pizzas prove that pie can be playful, bold, and totally unexpected. So, if you love pizza (who doesn't?) but are craving something new, this is your sign to skip the usual and try flavors that surprise you in the best way.
1
Shrimp Alfredo Pizza
Ryan Liebe
For a seafood-forward twist on pizza, try this recipe that ditches red sauce for Alfredo sauce. Tender grilled shrimp are scattered over fluffy naan, along with juicy cherry tomatoes and plenty of mozzarella. A final addition of lemon, parsley and red pepper flakes keeps it bright, fresh, and just a little spicy.
Pickle lovers will definitely think this pizza is a big dill! (Get it?) The crust gets a thick layer of ranch, plus mozzarella and white cheddar. Dill pickle chips are scattered over the top so they bake into salty, tangy pockets. Don't forget a sprinkling of fresh dill at the end!
Get ready to go all in on ranch flavor with this pizza! It's piled with melty cheese, then loaded with cooked chicken, crispy bacon, and thin-sliced red onion for smoky, savory crunch. A drizzle of ranch and sprinkle of fresh chives makes it taste like your favorite ranch-dipped snack, only hot and sliceable.
Pizza night feels special when you whip up this pizza. Instead of dough, it starts with split French bread that gets brushed with garlic butter and toasted until crispy. Then, it's piled with sweet, jammy caramelized onions, a melty mix of gruyère and mozzarella, and a few briny olives.
It's the ultimate salad-meets-pizza mashup! Brush the crust with olive oil and top with parmesan, then pour a light drizzle of dressing. After baking, it's topped with a romaine lettuce and rotisserie chicken. The dressing is bold and tangy, so each slice tastes crunchy, creamy, and savory.
Yes, you can swap dough for puff pastry! Start with a flaky, golden sheet scored with a knife so it bakes up like a crisp, buttery tart. Brush it with olive oil, then top with garlicky baby bella mushrooms sautéed in butter and finished with a splash of dry white wine, plus a generous helping of mozzarella and chives.
Caprese salad is the inspiration for this quick pizza using a split loaf of bread as the crust. You'll add a bright homemade pesto, then top with fresh mozzarella and bake until melty and golden. Finish with juicy tomato slices, a drizzle of balsamic glaze, and torn basil for that classic sweet-tangy bite.
This pizza leans bright, creamy, and veggie-forward. Garlicky labneh is whisked with olive oil and oregano, then slathered over the dough as the base. It's topped with mozzarella, plus thin-sliced zucchini and summer squash, then finished with a pinch of crushed red pepper for gentle heat.
For this creative pizza, the crust is actually formed into a bowl to hold a full antipasti chopped salad. It's piled high with toppings: marinated artichokes, roasted red peppers, black olives, pepperoncini, salami, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella pearls, and diced provolone.
This pizza tastes like autumn in a slice. Thin half-moons of butternut squash are roasted with rosemary and olive oil, then layered over refrigerated pizza dough with shredded whole milk mozzarella and grated pecorino. Dollops of ricotta melt into creamy pockets as it bakes, and torn prosciutto finishes it off.
This one is basically a full sheet-pan breakfast you can eat by the slice. It uses crescent dough sheets as the no-fuss crust, then layers on crispy bacon, golden shredded hash browns, and soft scrambled eggs. Complete with plenty of shredded cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, and hot sauce for a hearty meal to start your day.
This pie tastes fresh and fancy. Basil pesto stands in for the typical sauce, then the crust is topped with fontina, and baked until bubbly. After it comes out, spread the pesto and dollop small spoonfuls of ricotta. On top is a peppery arugula and mushroom salad with lemon and scattered slices of prosciutto.
A creamy, savory white pie that feels like comfort food in pizza form. Thin-sliced Yukon Gold potatoes and tender sautéed leeks replace red sauce, with dollops of whole-milk ricotta melting into a rich base as it bakes. Add crispy bacon, fresh parsley, parmesan, and a hit of lemon zest at the end.
It's pizza night and steak night! To make this pie, store-bought dough gets topped with a thick layer of shredded mozzarella, sweet balsamic-caramelized red onions, and crumbles of soft blue cheese, then bakes until bubbling. Right after it comes out of the oven, add peppery baby spinach, parmesan, and thin slices of medium-rare skirt or flank steak.
Don't want to deal with baking dough? Naan is the base of this pizza! They're covered with a layer of mozzarella, then topped with roasted broccoli and juicy cherry tomatoes. A sprinkle of chopped green olives and salted roasted pepitas adds a briny crunch, and a pinch of red pepper flakes adds just the right amount of heat.
Check out this salty and sweet pie! Fig spread gets smeared over the dough, then it's blanketed with mozzarella and baked until the crust turns deeply golden. After it comes out, pile on thin prosciutto and a bright arugula salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.
Turn your morning breakfast into a crisp, smoky pie cooked right on the grill. The dough gets lightly charred, then topped with eggs, breakfast sausage, a hash brown-vegetable mixture, and plenty of melty cheese. It's a hearty, breakfast-for-dinner pizza that's anything but basic.
Paige Drummond served this pizza at her bridal shower! It's an unexpected pie that tastes like sunshine on a crust. The base is made with parmesan, two kinds of mozzarella, garlic, and thin-sliced shallots, then topped with paper-thin lemon slices that caramelize at the edges. Just add a drizzle of hot honey and a sprinkle of fresh basil.