Life-Changing Crispy Fried Pizzas

Fried pizza held by two hands.
This recipe is sponsored by DeLallo

I say: fried pizza. You say: overkill.

But then I say: delicately crispy exterior, softest chewy insides, glamorously golden brown, ZERO percent greasy.

And you say: actually, changed my mind.

Welcome to the life-changing method of crispy-frying your pizzas! I’m honored to be a part of your journey. I absolutely mean it when I say that frying your pizzas is a life-changing experience. I ate fried pizza for the first time back in 2015 when I went on a trip with DeLallo (who I am in a very delicious long-term relationship with, as you can see). My friend Heidi blogged about the fried pizza experience here and actually, if you scroll down on that post, you can see a picture of me taking a picture of fried pizza! Yep. That’s me. THINGS HAVE COME FULL CIRCLE, FRIENDS.

Most of us don’t have wood-fired pizza ovens at our house, which is why I would like to argue that this method is really THE BEST way to make a light, crispy, airy, but still somehow soft and chewy pizza crust in the humble confines of your own kitchen.

So let’s talk it through.

We start with a DeLallo pizza crust kit. They’re just super easy and super good. Precise amount of yeast, authentic Tipo 00 flour, the whole deal.

How To Make Our Crispy Fried Pizzas (1 Min):

Package of DeLallo Italian Pizza Dough Kit.

Once the dough is mixed and puffed up nicely, we flatten it into little pizzas (I like to go for more of a personal pan size here) and we fry in a little bit of oil. Just about a minute is all you need.

Frying pizza dough in a cast iron pan.

And then we flip and repeat.

Frying pizza dough in a cast iron pan.

And now our pizzas taste like golden, crispy heaven.

Fried Pizzas before baking on a sheet pan.

To pizza-ify, we top with sauce and cheese and bake in a hot oven until melted and bubbly.

If we are fancy (WE ARE), we finish with pesto, fresh basil, red pepper, Parm, the works.

Fried Pizza with sauce, cheese, and basil on a sheet pan.

How fun is this for a dinner party?!? I am 100% doing this for my next dinner club. I’ll fry the pizzas ahead of time, everyone will bring toppings, the wine will flow freely, and sparks will fly. Here are some pizza topping visions I’ve had:

  • standard tomato, mozz, basil, obviously
  • caramelized onion and goat cheese and fresh thyme
  • white sauce with spinach and artichoke
  • salami, pepperoni, sausage, and other meaty things
  • pepperoncini to the max
  • proscuitto, arugula, red onion
  • I COULD GO ON

You guys, if you have never tried this, it’s time to give it a shot. It’s not greasy, it’s not overbearing, it’s not reminiscent of fair food. It’s just EASY pizza crust perfection.

Fried Pizzas on parchment paper.
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Pizzas with red sauce, melted cheese, and basil on top.

Life-Changing Crispy Fried Pizzas

4.8 from 22 reviews
  • Author: Lindsay
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 6 pizzas
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Description

Crispy fried pizzas that are light, airy, and the perfect combination of crispy/chewy. It is the ABSOLUTE BEST way to make amazing, restaurant-level pizza at home!

Ingredients

  • 1 package of pizza dough (we use DeLallo! it is THE best.)
  • oil for frying (vegetable or canola is best)
  • tomato sauce of choice
  • fresh mozzarella cheese
  • fresh basil and/or pesto
  • red pepper flakes
  • Parmesan cheese
  • any other toppings you like

Instructions

  1. Make the dough: Make the pizza dough according to package directions. Let the dough rise (for DeLallo pizza dough, the rise time is 45 minutes).
  2. Shape the dough: Divide the pizza dough into 6 sections. Roll each into a ball and flatten into a pizza shape (mine were about 6-8 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch thick around the outside).
  3. Prep the oil: Heat a large cast iron skillet with oil (about 1 inch deep). Turn the heat to medium/low. Test the oil by dropping a speck of water in it – when it sizzles or bubbles, then the oil is ready.
  4. Fry the pizza dough: Working one at a time, gently place the pizzas into the oil and fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute until light golden brown. Flip with tongs and repeat on the other side. Transfer to a paper towel lined pan to cool.
  5. Finish in the oven: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spread each pizza with sauce, cheese, and any other toppings you want. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Top with fresh basil, pesto, or anything else you want and serve warm. And then enjoy those puffy, crispy, personal-pan-sized bites of pizza crust! YUMMMMM.

Notes

As the oil got hotter, I found that the middle of the dough wanted to puff up. I just used a slotted spoon to gently press in the center while frying and that helped to keep the shape generally flat. You can also try poking holes in the pizza crust to help with this.

If your pizza dough is turning deep golden brown, your oil is too hot. Turn it down and let it cool for a few minutes before frying your next one!

The pizza dough should be fully cooked when it comes out of the oil, so if you cannot resist the golden crispy hot fried bread thing going on (I could not), you might enjoy sacrificing one or two fried pizza crusts to dip in sauce as an appetizer. YUM.

  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: pizza recipe, homemade pizza, fried pizza, crispy pizza

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Thank you to DeLallo for sponsoring this post!

One More Thing!

This recipe is part of our easy Italian-inspired recipes page. Check it out!

The post Life-Changing Crispy Fried Pizzas appeared first on Pinch of Yum.

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