This Bruschetta Pizza is a mashup of two of my favorites – bruschetta and pizza. Think: crispy pizza topped with melty mozzarella cheese and then finished with the fresh flavors of a bright, tangy, garlicky tomato bruschetta, a classic Italian appetizer.
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Ingredients
Ingredients for this vegetarian bruschetta pizza recipe are listed below, with quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Pizza dough: Store-bought pizza dough works perfectly fine. I like the one from Trader Joe’s. You can use fresh pizza dough or frozen pizza dough (that's been thawed).
- Mozzarella: You can use a large ball of fresh mozzarella torn into small pieces or tiny little mozzarella pearls – either way, you want to make sure you have enough to cover the surface of the dough. Bagged shredded mozzarella would also be fine.
- Cherry tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are plump, juicy tomatoes that are perfectly sweet. You can use virtually any tomato variety for this recipe, though.
- Red onion: Minced really small, it brings a nice pungent kick to the bruschetta.
- Garlic: Raw garlic, very finely minced so it evenly coats the tomatoes.
- Basil: Fresh basil leaves; they brighten up the dish and gives it a perfect herbaceousness.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Since bruschetta isn’t a cooked dish, you want to use a good tasting, quality olive oil.
- Balsamic glaze (aka balsamic reduction): Drizzled on top of the cooked pizza with bruschetta to give it a final punch of flavor. Most stores have this premade in a bottle.
- Parmesan: Shaved parmesan to go as a finishing touch on top of the pizza along with the balsamic glaze.
- Salt and pepper: Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Step by step instructions
1. Make the bruschetta. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, torn basil, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.
2. Prep the dough. Roll the dough out and transfer it to a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
3. Add the cheese. Scatter the mozzarella cheese all over the pizza dough, leaving about a half inch border for the crust.
4. Bake the dough. Put the baking sheet in a preheated 425°F oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the mozzarella is melty and a little crispy brown in some spots. Remove from the oven.
5. Top the pizza. Scatter the tomato bruschetta mixture on top of the cooked pizza with melted cheese (leaving behind any excess liquid in the bowl), then finish by drizzling with the balsamic glaze and sprinkling the shaved parmesan cheese over top.
What is bruschetta?
Bruschetta is an Italian dish that is a beautifully flavorful mixture of fresh tomatoes, garlic, red onion, basil, and extra virgin olive oil. It allows each ingredient to really shine, with juicy ripe tomatoes bringing lovely sweetness and acidity, garlic and onion bringing a kick of flavor, basil bringing the freshness, and extra virgin olive oil to round it all out.
To make homemade balsamic glaze
Set a small pot over medium low heat. Add 1 cup regular balsamic vinegar and a few tablespoons of sugar. Gently simmer until thickened to your liking – about 10 minutes.
Tips and tricks
- Don’t put the bruschetta on top of the cooked pizza until you’re ready to eat because it’ll make it soggy.
- The longer you let the bruschetta sit, the more robust the flavors will become as they marinate together.
- You can prepare the bruschetta up to 4 days in advance (store in the fridge) if you want to get ahead of prep!
- If you’d like to make your own pizza dough, I recommend this recipe.
- If you want to make sure your crust gets really crispy on the bottom, I recommend investing in a pizza stone. It is stored in the oven usually, so it warms up as the oven preheats which means the uncooked pizza gets put right on a hot surface when it goes in the oven which crisps the bottom quicker.
Recipe alterations
- Give it a hint of spice by adding red pepper flakes in the bruschetta topping.
- Add a few dollops of basil pesto sauce.
- Add roasted red pepper to the bruschetta.
What to serve with bruschetta pizza
One of the best things about this easy bruschetta pizza is that it can be served at room temperature, so no cooking up until the last minute when the meal needs to be served – same with all of the dishes below!
- If you’re doing a pizza night with multiple pizzas, I suggest the second one be a red sauce base like this pepperoncini and onion pizza or this meat lovers pizza.
- Saucy meatballs
- Roasted vegetables like asparagus or broccoli
- Grilled steak or grilled chicken
- Simple arugula salad with a squeeze of lemon juice, drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and some shaved parmesan
Storage and reheating
- Storage: store leftover pizza in an airtight container in the fridge. Store leftover bruschetta separately in an airtight container in the fridge. Both will stay for approx. up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Warm in the oven at 350°F for ~10 minutes. You want the dough warmed through but the tomatoes from the bruschetta are not fully cooked and soft/soggy.
- If you have only leftover bruschetta, I recommend serving with some warm crusty bread.
FAQs
Basil is easily bruised, so tearing it limits that and keeps it vibrant green.
Broo-skeh-tuh.
If you don't have basil the other fresh herb I'd suggest using is fresh oregano.
I wouldn't suggest it for homemade pizza, the dough will drop through the racks and you'll have a big mess.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating and review below and tag me on social!
📖 Recipe
Bruschetta Pizza
Ingredients
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes quartered
- ½ red onion minced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup fresh basil torn
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil separated
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 lb pizza dough
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze
- ¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Make the bruschetta. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, torn basil, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
- Prep the dough. Roll the dough out and transfer it to a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
- Add the cheese. Scatter the mozzarella cheese all over the pizza dough, leaving about a half inch border for the crust.
- Bake the dough. Put the baking sheet in a preheated 425°F oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the mozzarella is melty and a little crispy brown in some spots. Remove from the oven.
- Top the pizza. Scatter the tomato bruschetta mixture on top of the cooked pizza with melted cheese (leaving behind any excess liquid in the bowl), then finish by drizzling with the balsamic glaze and sprinkling the shaved parmesan cheese over top.
Video
Notes
- Don’t put the bruschetta on top of the cooked pizza until you’re ready to eat because it’ll make it soggy.
- The longer you let the bruschetta sit, the more robust the flavors will become as they marinate together.
- You can prepare the bruschetta up to 4 days in advance (store in the fridge) if you want to get ahead of prep!
- If you want to make sure your crust gets really crispy on the bottom, I recommend investing in a pizza stone. It is stored in the oven usually, so it warms up as the oven preheats which means the uncooked pizza gets put right on a hot surface when it goes in the oven which crisps the bottom quicker.
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