Do you have an overactive sweet tooth? Does chocolate make you sing, and sugar make you dance? Then you should try homemade dessert pizza. It combines the classic pizza shape and dough but with sweet rather than savory toppings.
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What is Dessert Pizza?
Dessert pizza is exactly what it sounds like. It looks similar to pizza in shape and style, but it’s sweet and satisfies that craving for sugary sweet goodness. Just like regular pizza, there are many different ways to make dessert pizza. It’s all about creativity and taste.
We love everything chocolate and would never say no to Nutella or sugar and cinnamon. But everyone has different levels of sweetness that they prefer. Some like it overloaded and weighed down with sticky syrupy drizzle, while others prefer a little sweet with a buttery finish.
Whatever your preferred level of sweetness, we have four ways to make dessert pizza that you will love. Trust us; they are that good. And if you want a normal dessert, there are perfect ones to pair with pizza.
4 Ways to Make Homemade Dessert Pizza
The key thing about dessert pizza is it has to have a round shape of a pizza. It somehow isn’t as good if it’s made in a square pan like Detroit-style pizza. Keeping it the traditional round pizza shape helps it play with the whole dessert pizza idea.
Dessert Pizza With Nutella
This dessert pizza is for those that love everything sweet. It is decadent and rich, just like the good things in life should be. It starts with a pizza dough rolled out and baked. You can use regular pizza dough, either homemade dough or store-bought.
You will want to roll it out and bake it for 8-10 minutes at 450º F. When it comes out of the oven and is still warm, spread Nutella over the crust. The Nutella will be sauce, and it provides a sticky base for the other toppings. From here, you can add candy, Oreos, crushed cookies, white chocolate chips, or your favorite candy pieces.
The pizza dough contrasts the overly sweet toppings for a tasty dessert pizza. This one is customizable, and you can let your sweet tooth go wild with the different toppings.
Spreading the Nutella first as a base works as a barrier to keep the other candies from melting and as a glue to keep the other candies sticking to the pizza.
Dessert Pizza With Cream Cheese
Do you love a creamy treat with a touch of tartness? Then you should make the cream cheese dessert pizza. This dessert pizza is served cold and is great for a picnic or barbecue.
Start with rolled-out pizza dough and bake at 450º F for 8-10 minutes. Let it completely cool when it comes out of the oven. Next, you can spread cream cheese as the base. It’s a good idea to get the cream cheese out an hour before using it so it isn’t cold and will be easier to spread.
Make sure to get it evenly spread on the pizza crust. We like it fairly thick. You can use a silicone spatula to help spread. Be careful not to break the pizza crust.
Now comes the fun part. Take your favorite fruit and add them to the top. The cream cheese is the glue that holds the fruit on the top. You can use blueberries, strawberries, grapes, kiwis, peaches, mangoes, pineapple, or any other fruit. Make sure to cut them into small pieces.
You can make a design like a berry flag for the Fourth of July, a mini mandala, or any fun pattern. Place in the refrigerator for two to three hours. If taking to an event, you can even make a day ahead.
This dessert pizza is a true delight! It’s not too sweet but sweet enough with the creamy base and fresh fruit. This is a great one for the summer when berries are in season. We usually avoid adding any citrus because citrus and cream cheese don’t work well together, but most other fruits are fine.
Dessert Pizza With Yogurt
If you have a mild case of a sweet tooth but like a little more tangy nuance to your dessert pizza, then this one is for you. It starts with a rolled-out cooked crust. You will want to make the crust as thin as possible for this one, so use a rolling pin to ensure it’s thin.
Then bake at 450º F for 8-10 minutes. Depending on the size of your pan and how thin you make the crust, cooking times may vary; when it’s done, remove it and let it cool.
When the crust has cooled, reach for the yogurt. We like to use vanilla Greek yogurt because of its tanginess, but you could use any of your favorite yogurts without fruit. Honey, maple, or just plain are good choices.
Spread a layer of yogurt as the base, and add your favorite berries. We love this with blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, but you can choose your favorite fruits.
You can even add some white chocolate chips, slivered almonds, crushed hazelnuts, or pistachios for some texture. Then put the whole shebang in the freezer. When it’s frozen, it’s ready to eat.
No Crust Dessert Pizza
Not all dessert pizza needs a crust. If you are gluten-free or keto, then skip the crust and make a chocolate base. This dessert pizza is inspired by one of our favorite Christmas treats, peppermint bark. Start by melting white chocolate in a saucepan.
You can use whole white chocolate or white chocolate chips. When melted, pour the chocolate onto a round baking dish covered with parchment paper. Ideally, use a round dish with a lip or arrange the parchment paper so that it has a lip to keep the melted chocolate in place.
You can top this with fruit, nuts, shredded coconut, candy, raisins, dried fruit, or whatever you like. Put in the freezer for a few hours, and you have a no-crust chocolate dessert pizza.
If you want extra chocolate goodness, then follow the same steps: melt regular chocolate chips, pour them into the dish, and freeze. Then when frozen, pour on white melted chocolate chips and add your toppings for two layers of a chocolate base.
Ensure that the dark chocolate layer has frozen before adding the melted white chocolate, or you’ll end up with a thick marbled layer of white and regular chocolate instead of layers.
We like to make it with the following:
- Slivered almonds and shredded coconut
- Blueberries and crushed pistachios
- Raspberries and dark chocolate chips
- Dried apricots and crushed walnuts
- Dried cranberries and pecans
What is your favorite type of dessert pizza? When we were growing up, we had our introduction to dessert pizza at one of our favorite local Minnesota pizza joints, Godfather’s Pizza. If you’re ever in the area, we highly recommend stopping by.
