Meta Description: Learn how to easily freeze pizza crust for homemade pies anytime! This post covers dough recipes ideal for freezing, proper storage methods, and foolproof thawing and cooking tips for delicious frozen pizza.
It’s a cheap, quick meal that’s easy to make and everyone loves. You’d be hard pressed to find an American who hasn’t had frozen pizza in their lifetime. But have you ever thought about making your own using store-bought or homemade pizza crust? Freezing it lets you get creative with lots of toppings and crust styles. Today I’m going to give you the lowdown on freezing pizza crust, from how to do it right to recipes for delicious frozen pizzas you can make at home.
Why Freeze Pizza Crust?
Freezing dough that hasn’t been baked yet saves time but still gives you fresh, homemade pizza. Here are a few reasons why it’s great:
- Easy meal prep: Want a pizza? Grab one out of the freezer. Add any ingredients you’ve got on hand and get back to what you were doing before the craving hit.
- Customizable options: Both store-bought and homemade dough freeze well, so try different things like thin crust, thick crust, cauliflower crust or even gluten-free!
- Switch up toppings: It gets boring eating plain cheese every time. With homemade frozen crusts, any topping is possible! And since they’re yours, you control the quality of ingredients.
- Save money: Buying large packages of dough from the supermarket or just making it yourself in bulk is cheaper than buying individual portions all the time.
If all this sounds good, then let’s talk about best practices for freezing.
How to Freeze Pizza Crust
Ideal Pizza Crusts for Freezing
Crust Type | Description | Freezing Tips |
|---|---|---|
Thin | Crackery, crisp crust | Roll fully before freezing |
The most important thing about freezing dough is how it bakes once it’s thawed. Here are some tips for making sure it tastes as good as when you first bought/made it:
- Proper packaging: To prevent freezer burn use a freezer bag or container that doesn’t let air through. Parchment paper or plastic wrap is ok, but not as effective.
- Divide it up: Cut homemade or store-bought dough into individual crusts before freezing. This way you only thaw what you need.
- Let it rise if using yeast: After the initial rise of the yeast dough, punch it down to develop a better flavor and texture before freezing.
- Separate them: In a bag or container stacking multiple crusts works best when there’s parchment or wax paper between them so they don’t stick together.
- Get rid of moisture: To avoid an icy pizza, blot your fresh dough with a paper towel until all excess moisture is gone.
- Freeze flat: Roll the dough out or press into a pan and freeze flat for easier storage.
Following a few tips will ensure your homemade frozen pizza crusts turn out as good as they day you baked them.
Thawing Frozen Pizza Crust
Frozen Pizza Crust Thawing Methods
Method | Timeline | Benefits | Downsides |
|---|---|---|---|
Refrigerate overnight | 8-12 hours | Allows yeast to slowly reactivate for best rise, prevents sogginess | Requires planning ahead |
Now that you have your homemade frozen pizza dough made, how do you go about thawing it? Choosing the right thawing method is key to making sure your crust doesn’t come out soggy.
Below are some thawing tips:
- Refrigerate overnight: For best results, transfer frozen crust from freezer to fridge 8-12 hours before baking to slowly thaw. The cold environment will keep the yeast dormant.
- Let rise after thaw: Remove thawed crust from the fridge 1-2 hours before baking. Let it sit on the counter and rise/relax before topping and baking. This helps revive the yeast.
- Bake frozen: If you’re in a hurry, bake a frozen crust straight from the freezer. Add 5-10 extra minutes to bake time. The crust may end up slightly denser though.
- Microwave briefly: Zap a frozen crust for 20-30 seconds to soften enough for topping. Be careful not to microwave too long or you’ll fry the dough.
Just a little bit of planning ahead and having these tips handy mean you can pull together homemade frozen pizza whenever your heart desires!
Ideal Frozen Pizza Crust Recipes
While any pizza dough can be made into a freezer meal, there are certain styles and recipes that work better than others when it comes to freezing! Here are some of my favorites:
Thin Crust
Thin-crust pizzas freeze well because they require less rising time overall, resulting in dough that freezes and thaws well. Try this easy recipe:
Ingredients:
Makes four thin-crust pizzas
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 package instant yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions:
- Whisk together the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a medium bowl, then create a well in the center.
- Pour the warm water and olive oil into the well. Using a wooden spoon, mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 5-7 minutes until smooth. Divide into 4 portions.
- On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll each portion into a 12-inch circle that’s about 1/4 inch thick.
- Top as desired — I like margherita — then freeze on parchment-lined baking sheets until firm.
- Once frozen solid, transfer crusts to labeled freezer bags or wrap tightly in foil.
To bake: Thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking at 500°F for 8-10 minutes with toppings.
Thick Crust
With its chewy rise and hearty texture, thick-crust pizza is another good candidate for freezing! This recipe is also great for pan pizza or deep-dish pizza!
Ingredients:
Makes two thick-crust pizzas
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (or more bread flour)
- 1 package instant yeast
- About 1 1/4 cups warm water
- About two tablespoons of olive oil
- Two teaspoons salt
- One teaspoon sugar
Instructions:
- In a large bowl whisk together the bread flour, whole wheat flour and yeast.
- Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour in your warm water (the temperature should be between about 100°F and 110°F), olive oil, salt and sugar.
- Stir with your spoon until you have what looks like shaggy dough, then switch to your hands and knead until dough is smooth.
- Place the ball of dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it to coat in oil, cover with a damp cloth and let it rise for about an hour.
- Punch down the risen dough and shape into two round balls. At this point you can freeze one (or both) for later or you can make these pizzas right away!
- If freezing: Wrap pizza balls tightly in plastic wrap and place them in freezer bags.
- To use within 2 weeks: Place one wrapped pizza ball in the fridge overnight to thaw.
- To use after 2 weeks: Place frozen, wrapped pizza balls on the counter for 1-2 hours before baking at 500°F with toppings!
- Divide into 4 portions. Shape each into a flattened round. Top as desired then freeze.
- Thaw refrigerated overnight before baking at 450°F for 15-18 minutes.
Gluten Free Crust
With the rise in gluten intolerance and celiac disease, demand for gluten-free pizza crust has skyrocketed. This crust bakes up crisp and tastes great frozen.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups gluten-free flour blend
- 3/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 package rapid rise yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions:
- In a bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, salt and yeast.
- Make a well and add the warm water and olive oil. Mix until a sticky dough forms.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes, then divide into 2 balls. Roll out between two sheets of parchment to 1/4-inch thickness.
- Top as desired, then freeze rolled crusts on the parchment. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag.
- Thaw refrigerated overnight before baking at 425°F for 12-14 minutes.
With a well-prepped gluten-free crust ready in the freezer, whipping up a safe pizza for guests is a breeze.
Cauliflower Crust
For low-carb lifestyles, cauliflower crust is a great healthy pizza base. Blanching the cauliflower before processing gives this crust a pizza-like texture.
Ingredients:
- I head cauliflower cored and riced – about four cups
- I egg
- half cup shredded mozzarella – or more to taste
- two tablespoons Parmesan cheese – grated fine if possible but not required!
- quarter cup almond flour
- half teaspoon oregano
- half teaspoon basil
- quarter teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower rice and blanch 3-4 minutes until tender. Drain and let cool.
- Wrap cooled cauliflower in a dish towel and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
- Transfer squeezed cauliflower to a bowl.
- Add the egg, mozzarella, Parmesan, almond flour, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- On a parchment lined baking sheet, flatten the mixture into a 1/4 inch thick round.Bake at 400F for 15-18 minutes until lightly browned but not dry or hard.
- Let the crust cool then top as desired then freeze topped or untopped until firm.
- Thaw refrigerated overnight before baking pizza at 375F for 15-20 minutes or until hot throughout.
This low-carb cauliflower crust freezes well for last-minute healthy pizza meals.
Creative Frozen Pizza Topping Ideas
Once you’ve mastered the art of freezing pizza crust, it’s time for the fun part – topping those crusts! Here are some creative ideas to try:
- Breakfast pizza: Top your crust with scrambled eggs, bacon, onion, peppers and cheese for a savory breakfast treat.
- Taco pizza: Brown some ground beef with taco seasoning and top with beans, salsa, cheese, lettuce, tomato and avocado.
- Hawaiian pizza: Go tropical with Canadian bacon pineapple chunks and red onion topped with mozzarella .
- Veggie lover’s: Pile on roasted vegetables like eggplant zucchini tomatoes spinach feta or goat cheese.
- BBQ chicken: Chicken breast bbq sauce red onion cilantro cheddar is a crowd-pleaser .
- Artichoke and arugula: Garlic oil artichoke hearts lemon zest arugula Parmesan give a gourmet twist.
- Dessert pizza: Make a sweet crust and top with Nutella toasted marshmallows chocolate chips banana. Yum!
Let’s be honest. It’s the crust that makes or breaks a pizza. But if you’re in a rush, it can be kind of time-consuming to make it from scratch every time.
So I’ve got a solution for you: freeze it.
Makes sense! Why not make the crusts ahead of time and pop them in the freezer? Then when you want your pizza, just add sauce, cheese and toppings and bake!
You’ll save so much time with this method, but still have a homemade option whenever you need it most. And trust me — this is going to change your pizza game forever.
More fun than ever
But why limit yourself to plain pizzas when you can easily switch up the flavors by using different kinds of crusts?
When I say “the possibilities are endless,” I really mean endless. Just think about all of the options:
- Traditional
- Whole wheat
- Garlic herb
- Aged cheddar
- Parmesan pepperoni
- Bacon ranch
- Jalapeno cheddar
I could go on and on. If there’s a flavor out there, I guarantee there’s a way to turn it into pizza crust.
And if individual-sized pizzas sound like your thing, don’t think we haven’t thought about it. With store-bought dough on hand at all times, an entire party’s worth of mini personal pizzas is within reach at any given moment throughout eternity.
Needless to say — get creative with your frozen dough because anything is possible!
What works best
Although making frozen crusts is pretty straightforward, there are always tips here or there that may come in handy to know beforehand:
- Par-bake before freezing: After rolling out individual crusts (about 1/4-inch thick), partially bake until golden brown (2-3 minutes). This will give the crust some extra crisp so once fully baked with toppings added, it doesn’t just flop.
- Avoid putting hot ingredients on the crust because it will end up softening the entire thing. Just wait for everything to cool down before you begin building your pizza masterpiece.
- For any meat other than bacon and prosciutto, pre-cook them a bit on the stove or in the oven because they won’t have enough time to fully cook when baking from frozen. This is totally optional but can help with that extra crisp you’re looking for.
- Brush olive oil around all of the edges right before baking to achieve that perfect golden brown color we all strive for. If you want a glossy look, use an egg wash instead! And sprinkle cornmeal on the bottom of the crust for some added texture and so it doesn’t stick when baked.
- Baking with a stone yields a much better result when compared to using a simple old cookie sheet. The stone will give it a perfectly crispy bottom — which is what every pizza lover dreams of.
With tricks like these, there’s no way your frozen pizzas will ever come out wrong again.
Storing leftovers
Just like regular leftover pizza, reheating can be pretty tricky. The crust gets soggy and cheese turns rubbery if not done correctly. So here are some tips:
- When storing leftover slices, place them separately onto paper towel-lined plates (not touching). Then cover everything together with either plastic wrap or tin foil.
- To get your crust crispy again, heat up a skillet over medium heat and let each side cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Microwave isn’t always everyone’s favorite option, but if you go this route then only zap each slice for 15-20 seconds at a time until desired temperature is reached.
- Pro tip: Add a cup of water alongside slices while microwaving to add some moisture back into the crust!
- Storing and reheating isn’t even a worry once you get the hang of it. Instead, just freeze your leftover pizza and use it whenever you’re ready to eat again! This will definitely taste better than if you were to keep in the fridge for multiple days.
- For reheating full pizzas, preheat the oven to 400°F and place frozen pizza directly on stone until heated all the way through (about 10 minutes). Then broil for an extra 1-2 minutes.
By following these steps, there’s no reason your old crust can’t taste like new again!
The final slice
Freezing is like giving your pizza crust its own little winter wonderland.
You’ll save loads of time by freezing crusts ahead of time that can be used any day of the week for dinner. And with so many flavors out there (plus countless topping options), homemade pizza will never be boring again!
So put your thinking cap on and start thinking of all the unique flavors you could create with just a simple dough. It’s time to impress yourself with how good homemade frozen dough can really taste.
