Quick & Easy Skillet Pizza
Skillet pizza is a quick vegan pizza cooked entirely on the stovetop in a covered pan, no oven required. You press store-bought pizza dough straight into a greased skillet, top it with sauce, vegan mozzarella and sliced veggies, then cover and let it cook low and slow until the base is crisp and the toppings are melty. It is done in under 30 minutes, which in my book is the equivalent of “easy dinner.”
When it comes to pizza, I’m pretty sure we all love it. I mean, how can you go wrong with crust plus anything you like? But more often than not we skip making it at home because it feels like too much of a headache, so we call that amazing pizza place downtown instead. Making pizza is an amazing experience that is going to make you feel really good, and once you’ve done it, I think it’s safe to say you’re going to want to make it again. If you’re not familiar with skillet pizza, let me introduce you to this absolute beauty.
Why cook pizza in a skillet instead of the oven
Cooking pizza in a covered skillet works like a mini oven on your stovetop. The hot pan crisps the base from below while the lid traps steam and heat above, so the toppings warm through and the vegan mozzarella softens without ever turning on your oven. Because you keep the flame at a minimum, the bottom crisps slowly instead of scorching, and the see-through lid lets you watch the whole thing without lifting it and losing the heat. The result is crispier than normal pizza, which I actually like very much.
I found that you can get the best results by using a cast-iron skillet, since it holds heat evenly and steadily, but if you don’t have one you can surely experiment with what you have at home. Any heavy non-stick pan with a tight-fitting, see-through lid will do the job.
The simple ingredients you’ll need
I know a homemade pizza may sound intimidating, but it’s actually pretty easy and you won’t need many ingredients. Here is what each one brings to the pan:
- Pizza dough — I used a store-bought, fist-sized ball. One ball makes a personal-sized pizza that fits neatly in the skillet.
- Pizza sauce or tomato sauce — about 3 tablespoons is plenty; you want a thin layer so the base stays crisp rather than soggy.
- Vegan mozzarella — you can use my recipe or buy it from the store. Shreds or slices both melt nicely under the lid.
- Veggies — sliced onion, a mushroom, bell pepper and a few halved cherry tomatoes. Slice them thin so they soften in the same time the crust needs.
- Fresh basil — added right at the end so it stays bright and fragrant.
- Extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper — a little oil to grease the pan and a final drizzle on top, plus seasoning to taste.
If you want to make your own cheese from scratch, my homemade vegan cream cheese is another spreadable option that works beautifully dolloped over a skillet pizza before it cooks.
How to get a crisp base every time
The secret to this pizza is patience and a low flame. A few things I’ve learned that make the difference:
- Wet your hands to spread the dough. Water or oil your fingers so you can press the dough into the pan easily without it sticking and tearing.
- Have all your toppings close at hand. What I found works best is prepping and slicing everything before you start, so the dough doesn’t sit while you chop.
- Keep the flame at a minimum. If you maintain a low heat, the base won’t burn on the bottom — it will cook to perfection while the top cooks through.
- Don’t lift the lid. Cover the pan with a see-through lid and leave it be. You can see through it when it’s cooked, so there’s no need to peek and let the trapped heat escape.
- Give it about 15 minutes. Let it slowly cook until the cheese is melted and the base is set, then finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil.
Make it your own
This skillet pizza is incredibly versatile, as is any pizza, might I add. The veggies in the card are just my favourites, so treat them as a starting point and swap in whatever you have in the fridge. Thinly sliced zucchini, olives, corn, or a handful of spinach all work well, as long as you slice things thin enough to soften in that 15-minute window. Let me tell you, pizza can be a nutritious meal if you just make sure to balance it out properly, so a generous pile of vegetables here is a very good thing.
If you love the stovetop-and-flatbread idea, you’ll also enjoy my veggie pita pizza for an even faster fix. And when you want to dig deeper, I have a whole collection of vegan pizza recipes to browse, including a gluten-free vegan pizza option if you need one.
What to serve alongside it
A single skillet pizza is perfect for one or two people if you feel like sharing, and I very much doubt anyone will find anything to object to. To round it into a proper little meal, I like to serve it with something fresh and cooling on the side, like my creamy cucumber salad. If you’re feeding a crowd or want a snack to start, a batch of savory mushroom rolls pairs nicely, and for something sweet after, an easy chocolate mousse keeps the whole dinner comfortingly simple.
Storing and reheating leftovers
Skillet pizza is at its crispiest fresh off the stove, but leftovers keep well. Let any extra slices cool, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. To bring back the crisp base, reheat slices in a dry non-stick pan over low heat with the lid on for a few minutes rather than using the microwave, which tends to leave the crust soft. Because the whole thing comes together so quickly, though, I usually just make it fresh — I think this is one of the best foods to put together when you come home after a long day and don’t know what to eat or don’t have a lot of time on your hands.
This skillet pizza is everything I love about cooking: it’s fast, efficient, nutritious and delicious. I hope you try it out on your next movie night, apartment date or regular evening after work. If you do, please rate the recipe below and leave a comment telling me which veggies you piled on top and how crisp you got that base — I always love hearing your tweaks.
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Quick & Easy Skillet Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 ball pizza dough – I used store-bought fist-sized
- 3 Tbsps pizza sauce or tomato sauce
- Vegan mozzarella – you can use my recipe or buy it from the store
- ¼ onion sliced
- 1 mushroom sliced
- ¼ bell pepper sliced
- 2-4 cherry tomatoes halved
- Fresh basil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Grease a non-stick pan with some oil.
- Place the pizza dough in a skillet and form the pizza with your fingers.
- Tip: water or oil your hands so you can spread it easily.
- Cover with pizza sauce, vegan mozzarella and sliced veggies.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover the pan with a see-through lid.
- Place it on the stove, at a minimum flame.
- Don’t remove the lid until it is ready.
- You can see through it when it’s cooked. If you maintain the flame at a minimum, it won’t burn on the bottom. It will cook to perfection.
- Let it slowly cook like this for about 15 minutes.
- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and add fresh basil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. A covered skillet works like a small stovetop oven: the hot pan crisps the base from below while the lid traps heat and steam to cook the toppings and melt the cheese. Keep the flame at a minimum, cover with a see-through lid, and let it cook for about 15 minutes. No oven is needed at any point.
A cast-iron skillet gives the best results because it holds heat evenly and steadily. If you don’t have one, any heavy non-stick pan works fine, as long as it has a tight-fitting, see-through lid so you can watch the pizza cook without lifting it and losing heat.
Keep the flame at a minimum the entire time and grease the pan lightly with oil first. Cooking low and slow crisps the base gradually instead of scorching it. Resist lifting the lid, since the trapped heat is what cooks the top; you can see through the lid to check when it’s done.
Yes, this recipe is fully vegan. It uses vegan mozzarella (homemade or store-bought), pizza dough, tomato or pizza sauce, fresh vegetables, basil and olive oil, with no dairy, egg or other animal products. Just double-check that your store-bought dough and cheese are plant-based.
The pizza itself cooks for about 15 minutes over a minimum flame under a lid, and the whole recipe comes together in under 30 minutes including prep. Having all your sliced toppings ready before you start keeps it quick, since the dough shouldn’t sit around while you chop.
Absolutely. The onion, mushroom, bell pepper and cherry tomatoes are just a starting point, so swap in whatever you have, such as zucchini, olives, corn or spinach. Slice everything thin so it softens in the same 15 minutes the crust needs to cook through.
So easy, perfect for a weekend dinner!