Master the art of authentic Italian pizza with this Neapolitan pizza recipe! This recipe unlocks the secrets of the perfect dough, simple yet flavorful sauce, and quick high-heat cooking for a pizzeria-worthy pie in your own oven.
When you’ve had the best pizza in Naples Italy, it’s hard to go back. You know in the movie The Matrix when Neo is allowed to pick the blue and red pill, a choice between blissful ignorance or truth? Eating pizza in Naples, the place where pizza was invented, is like choosing the red pill.
Once you’ve tasted Neapolitan pizza, you’ll never go back. Then you’ll spend the rest of your life trying to recreate it at home! Luckily, we did that for you. Here are all our tips and tricks for the best homemade Neapolitan pizza!
Featured reader comment
“Awesome recipe. It is really authentic and so easy! Since we have young kids we decided to add a teaspoon of sugar and it was just perfect.” -Michael
What is Neapolitan pizza?
Neapolitan pizza is pizza made in the style that originated in Naples, Italy. Like any famous dish, there many opinions on what it means to be “authentic.” After eating some of what is considered the best pizza in the world on the ground in Naples, here’s what we found are characteristics of Neapolitan pizza:
- Simple flavors: The best Neapolitan pizza restaurant we’ve been to, Da Michele, served only two flavors: Margherita and Marinara. Pizza margherita is tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, and pizza marinara is simply tomatoes and garlic.
- Soft, thin crust, cooked in a very hot oven: Most Neapolitan pizzas are baked in a wood fired pizza oven that’s around 800 to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. The crust is typically blackened by the fire, with puffed edges and very thin towards the middle.
- Simple tomatoes: The crust on Neapolitan pizzas is typically spread simply with tomatoes, usually San Marzano variety. The recipe below uses a simple pizza sauce that mimics the flavors we had in Naples.
- Mozzarella: The cheese in Italy is top notch. Neapolitan pizza often uses fresh mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella cheese.
How to make Neapolitan pizza: step by step
Here is an overview of how to make Neapolitan pizza. For all the details, jump to the full recipe!
Step 1: Make the pizza dough. You’ll need 15 minutes to make it, then allow it to rise for 45 minutes. You can also make it ahead and refrigerate or freeze until ready to bake. Go to this Pizza Dough recipe.
Step 2: Stretch the pizza dough and place it into a pizza peel. Go to How to Stretch Pizza Dough for our tips. Top the pizza with pizza sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small pieces.
Step 3: Bake the pizza on a pizza stone in a 500°F oven for 6 to 7 minutes, or in a pizza oven for 1 to 2 minutes. Go to the full recipe for the tutorial.
Tips for the pizza dough
The essential part of Neapolitan pizza is the pizza dough. Alex and I have been working on our pizza dough recipe for over 10 years. In the process, we’ve learned a few things from some of the premiere pizza restaurant chefs in America, who themselves have studied the pizza in Naples!
- Use Tipo 00 flour. Tipo 00 flour is the type of Italian flour that Neapolitan pizza restaurants use. It makes for a supple and fluffy dough. You can find it at your local grocery or online. If you can’t find it, you can use all-purpose flour: it will still make great pizza!
- Rest the dough for 45 minutes. This is key to the best fluffy pizza dough.
- Or, refrigerate the dough 2 to 3 days before baking (optional). If you can, we recommend placing your pizza dough in a sealed container and refrigerating it for 2 to 3 days. This naturally ferments the dough and brings a nutty, complex flavor to the dough.
- Review our dough stretching tips. When ready to make the pizza, go to How to Stretch Pizza Dough for our comprehensive guide.
Do I need pizza oven?
No, you don’t need a Neapolitan pizza oven for this recipe. You can cook it in a standard oven at 500°F along with a preheated pizza stone. But if you want those beautiful black char marks on your crust like in these photos, you’ll need a pizza oven (and use this pizza oven dough).
- A pizza oven can get much hotter than a regular oven. Your standard oven can get only to 550°F, but a pizza oven reaches temperatures of up to almost 1000°F!
- What pizza oven to buy? Alex and I use this portable pizza oven. It’s small, transportable, and heats up to 1000°F in just 10 minutes! It’s powered by wood pellets. Using it takes a bit of practice, but it’s revolutionized our homemade pizza.
Toppings for Neapolitan pizza: the tomatoes
Most Neapolitan pizza recipes call for placing tomatoes right onto the dough. The San Marzano variety of tomato is a type of Italian tomato that is most often used on Neapolitan pizza. You can find canned San Marzano tomatoes in many grocery stores in the United States these days.
We discovered a trick for making a sauce for Neapolitan pizza: this pizza sauce recipe uses just 5 ingredients to make a flavor-popping sauce that reminds us of the best pizza in Naples, Italy. It uses fire-roasted tomatoes, which taste sweet and smoky right out of the can.
Tips for using fresh mozzarella cheese
Fresh mozzarella cheese has a lot of moisture in it, which can sometimes result in a watery pizza! The moisture varies based on the brand. If you’re using fresh mozzarella cheese for this Neapolitan pizza recipe, do the following:
- Slice the mozzarella into ¼ inch thick pieces for topping your pizza. Using huge chunks causes a water build up after baking.
- If the brand seems extra watery, let it sit on a towel for about 15 minutes, then blot away the extra moisture.
- We like to top the mozzarella with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to tie it all together before baking.
Should Neapolitan pizza have basil?
Like any famous recipe, there are lots of opinions on what makes an authentic Neapolitan pizza recipe. If you’re making a Margherita pizza, we’d say basil is a must. When we had Naples pizza a few years ago, the pizza had one leaf of fresh basil on it. One leaf! Somehow, it brought in just the right basil flavor.
Should you put the basil on a pizza before or after baking? If you’re using a Neapolitan pizza oven, the bake time is only 1 minute. You can place the basil on before baking since it’s such a short cook time. But if you’re baking pizza in a standard oven, fresh basil turns black in the 6 to 7 minute cook time. If you’re using a standard oven, add the basil after baking.
Video with step by step instructions
Perfecting real Neapolitan pizza can be tricky. It’s easiest to learn by watching. Since we can’t come to your kitchen to show you ourselves, here’s the next best thing! This step-by-step video shows exactly how to make the pizza, from kneading to shaping to baking. We highly recommend watching this before you start the recipe!
More artisan pizza recipes
This Neapolitan pizza is one of our favorite artisan pizzas we’ve ever made at home! Here are a few of our other favorite homemade pizza recipes:
- Pizza like classic Margherita pizza, homemade cheese pizza, or any of these popular pizza toppings. Also try our thin crust pizza dough.
- Sheet-style pizza like sheet pan pizza that makes two pizzas at once, or fluffy focaccia pizza.
- Deep dish pizza like cast iron pizza or pan pizza.
Dietary notes
This Neapolitan pizza recipe is vegetarian.
Frequently asked questions
While a wood-fired oven is ideal, you can achieve a very good Neapolitan pizza at home with a standard oven using high heat. This recipe will guide you through adjustments for achieving a crispy crust despite the limitations of a home oven.
Neapolitan pizza is known for its simplicity and focus on high-quality ingredients. It features a thin, airy crust with a slight char, a simple tomato sauce, and minimal toppings.
“00” flour, a finely-ground Italian flour, is traditionally used for Neapolitan pizza dough. It contributes to the characteristic light and airy texture. However, bread flour or all-purpose flour can be a suitable substitute.
Neapolitan pizza dough is on the wetter side. Add flour a little bit at a time until the dough comes together and is no longer sticking excessively to your hands.
The key to a Neapolitan pizza is very high heat. Aim to preheat your oven (ideally with a pizza stone) to its maximum temperature, which is usually around 500°F (260°C) or higher.
Don’t worry! You can still achieve a good result. Preheat your oven to the highest setting and preheat a pizza stone or baking sheet for at least 30 minutes to maximize heat retention.
You can use a parchment paper “peel.” Slide the pizza onto a large piece of parchment paper dusted with flour. Then, carefully slide the parchment paper with the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven.
Neapolitan Pizza Recipe
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Prep Time: 1 hour -
Cook Time: 10 minutes
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Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
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Yield: 6 slices
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Pin RecipeDescription
Master the art of authentic Italian pizza with this Neapolitan pizza recipe! This recipe unlocks the secrets of the perfect dough, simple yet flavorful sauce, and quick high-heat cooking for a pizzeria-worthy pie in your own oven.
Ingredients
- 1 ball Homemade Pizza Dough*
- ⅓ cup Easy Pizza Sauce**
- 2 to 3 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (or about ¾ cup shredded mozzarella)
- Parmesan cheese, for topping (optional)
- Kosher salt
- 2 basil leaves
- Semolina flour or cornmeal, for dusting the pizza peel
Instructions
- Make the pizza dough: Prepare the dough using this pizza dough recipe. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)
- Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F (or preheat your pizza oven).
- Make the pizza sauce.
- Slice the mozzarella into ¼ inch thick pieces. If it’s incredibly watery fresh mozzarella (all brands vary), allow it to sit on a paper towel for 15 minutes, then dab the mozzarella with the paper towel to remove any additional moisture.
- When the oven is ready, stretch the dough into a circle (see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions). Sprinkle a pizza peel with semolina flour or cornmeal, then carefully place the dough on top. Spread the pizza sauce across the dough. Top with mozzarella cheese. Top with a thin layer of fresh grated Parmesan cheese and a few pinches of kosher salt.
- If you’re baking in a pizza oven, add the basil leaves. For baking in a standard oven, skip this step.
- Transfer the pizza to the pizza stone on the pizza peel, then bake until the cheese is melted, about 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in the pizza oven). Allow the pizza to cool for a minute or two before adding the basil on top (whole leaves, lightly torn, or thinly sliced). Slice into pieces and serve immediately.
Notes
*Make the pizza dough 1 hour in advance (for day of preparation), or you can make it in advance and refrigerate up to 3 days. Refrigerating the dough actually adds to the flavor! Allow refrigerated dough to come to room temperature before using by letting it stand for about 30 to 45 minutes.
**Make the pizza dough up to 1 week in advance and refrigerate.
Category: Main Dish
Method: Baked
Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Neapolitan Pizza, Neapolitan Pizza recipe