Pizza Topping Ideas

Putting toppings on a wood fire pizza

Tbyrdphotography / Twenty20

Sick of plain old pepperoni on your pizza? Tired of mushrooms and onions? Here are some creative, funky, but more importantly, delicious topping ideas to spice up your next homemade pizza. And remember, you don’t always have to use a tomato-sauce base. Experiment with pesto, cheese sauce, or plain crust with toppings.

In this extensive pizza topping list, use mozzarella cheese unless otherwise specified, but feel free to experiment with other cheese choices and other suggestions. Other ways to jazz up your pizza are to try making homemade pizza dough or use an alternative dough, such as cauliflower crust. These pizzas can be made in the oven or on the grill. Have fun with different pizza shapes and sizes like personal pies, rectangular sheet pan pies, or traditional round pizzas. Hopefully, you’ll be inspired to create your own inventive pizza with ingredients you might not have considered before.

Meat Pizza Toppings

The following list includes a wide variety of meat options. The meat is all cooked or cured prior to placing it on the pizza.

  • Sausage, caramelized onions, and fennel
  • Pepperoni, tomatoes, mushrooms, and onion
  • Pepperoni, sausage, green pepper, onion, and mushroom
  • BBQ sauce, grilled chicken, scallions, and cheddar cheese
  • Thousand Island dressing, topped with sauerkraut, corned beef or pastrami, and Swiss cheese
  • Corn and spicy Italian salami
  • Gorgonzola, bacon, apples, and red onion
  • Roasted red peppers, chorizo, and feta
  • Sausage and pineapple
  • Buffalo chicken and blue cheese
  • Gorgonzola, artichoke hearts, prosciutto, red onion, and tomato
  • Figs, prosciutto, and caramelized onions
  • Grilled chicken, avocado, and cherry tomatoes
  • Bacon and avocado
  • Spinach, caramelized onion, and bacon
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts and bacon or pancetta
Pizza topping ideas
The Spruce / Catherine Song

Seafood Pizza Toppings

These pizzas all feature pre-cooked seafood. Try to eliminate any excess oil or water in the seafood prior to placing on the pizza. This will prevent soggy pizza.

  • Anchovies, tomato, ricotta, and mustard greens
  • Mozzarella and canned smoked oysters
  • Pesto, butterflied prawns, mushrooms, and Parmesan cheese
  • Sardines, red onions, and black olives
  • Alfredo sauce, shrimp, and tomatoes
  • Canned tuna fish, red onions, and black olives
  • Mascarpone or cream cheese, topped with smoked salmon, capers, and red onion
  • Cajun-seasoned shrimp, red bell peppers, red onions, and garlic

Vegetarian Pizza Toppings

These meat-free options are a tasty alternative to some traditional pies.

  • Pesto with white beans, tomato, arugula, and Parmesan cheese
  • Pesto with artichoke hearts, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese
  • Alfredo sauce, spinach, mushrooms, red bell peppers, and Asiago cheese
  • Garlic olive oil with Grúyere cheese, caramelized onions, and baked butternut squash
  • Goat cheese with arugula and red onion
  • Jalapeño peppers and pineapple
  • Fried eggplant slices and black olives
  • Sauceless with garlic, lime, avocado, and fried green tomatoes
  • Spinach, artichoke hearts, garlic, and red onion
  • Brie and artichokes
  • Olive oil with paper-thin sliced potatoes, sage, and Fontina cheese
  • Figs, artichoke hearts, Gorgonzola, and balsamic vinegar
  • Alfredo sauce with artichoke hearts, garlic, and jalapeños
  • Caramelized fennel, onion, olives, and Fontina cheese
  • Goat cheese with red grapes and rosemary
  • Roasted peppers, capers, and ricotta
  • Goat cheese with microgreens and asparagus spears
  • Portobello mushrooms and kale
  • Sauceless with Fontina cheese, kale, sweet potato, and red onion
  • Caramelized onion, kale, and sliced green apples
  • Brie and caramelized onion
  • Burrata, arugula, and paper-thin sliced lemons
  • Brussels sprouts, red onion, and ricotta
  • Goat cheese with roasted beets and beet greens or arugula