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This three cheese white pizza (pizza bianca) is an explosion of flavor: creamy ricotta, stretchy mozzarella and savory Parmesan cheese!
Love cheese and love pizza? Great. Then here’s your soul mate pizza: White Pizza, aka Pizza Bianca! This recipe uses ricotta cheese to make a creamy white sauce to spread on the crust; its seasoned with a little salt and garlic for good measure! Then it’s topped with stretchy mozzarella and savory Parmesan cheese. Move over, pizza sauce. This white pizza will give you a run for your money.
What’s white pizza, aka pizza bianca?
White pizza, or pizza bianca in Italian, is a pizza made without a red tomato sauce. Instead, a white pizza uses either a white-colored sauce or a fine brushing of olive oil over the dough before topping it. The white sauce can be a cream sauce like an alfredo, or a soft cheese like ricotta cheese.
Who wants to spend time making a white sauce, when you can just use ricotta cheese? Season it with garlic and salt, and tastes even better than a sauce that takes time to make and dirties your pans.
A few more white pizza recipes? Try our Ricotta Pizza or Spinach Pizza. Or make a white pizza as a Easy Cast Iron Pizza!
How to make white pizza
White pizza has become one of our new family favorites, around here! It joins Pizza Margherita as one of our topic classics. Because you don’t need to make a sauce, it’s easy to make! The only part with technique required is the homemade pizza dough. Here are the basic steps for how to make white pizza (or go right to the recipe):
- Make the pizza dough. See below for our base recipe and a few easy alternatives.
- Season the ricotta. Mix it with some salt, pepper and minced garlic. This brings big flavor to the ricotta, which can sometimes taste bland on its own.
- Top with mozzarella and Parmesan. These hold the pizza together and bring just the right texture.
- Bake! Bake just 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and enjoy! Note that we cooked our white pizza in a pizza oven, so the top may be more browned than a pizza that comes out of the oven.
Ricotta cheese brands vary, so season to taste!
Ricotta is a soft Italian cheese that’s most famously used in lasagna recipes, but it’s perfect on pizza, too. One thing to note about it: there’s a lot of variation in ricotta cheese brands. Some taste delightfully creamy and flavorful as is, some are pretty bland.
Take a little taste before you mix together the seasonings for the ricotta pizza. Then adjust your salt content as you go! You may need a little more or less than the recipe calls for.
Have leftover ricotta? Try these Genius Ricotta Cheese Recipes.
Homemade pizza dough options!
There are several ways to make a white pizza, aka pizza bianca. The most traditional way is using our pizza dough master recipe below. But there are a few alternative methods that are a little quicker and easier as well! Here our top options, listed in order of preference:
- Best pizza dough: This Pizza Dough: Master Recipe makes the most authentic Italian pizza bianca. Stretching the dough takes a bit of practice, but it’s not hard: head to How to Stretch Pizza Dough. You also need some equipment (see below).
- Thin crust. This Thin Crust Pizza Dough is easier because you can roll it out into a thinner, crispier crust. Same equipment required.
- Naan or flatbread pizza. To make a quick and easy pizza, try our Naan Pizza or Flatbread Pizza using storebought flatbread.
- Pan pizza. Or, make this white pizza as a pan pizza in a cast iron skillet! It takes a little longer, but it’s easier because you don’t have to stretch the dough.
Pizza making equipment
There are a few pizza making tools you’ll need to get the job done! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Pizza stone: A pizza stone is what makes Italian pizza crust crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Here’s the best pizza stone we’ve found, plus care tips.
- Pizza peel: When you use a pizza stone, it’s easiest to use a pizza peel to transfer the pizza onto the hot pizza stone in the oven. We recommend this Standard pizza peel or this Conveyor pizza peel.
More classic pizzas
If you love white pizza, you’ll love these authentic Italian style pizza recipes:
- Perfect Neapolitan Pizza Authentic pizza in the style of Naples, Italy.
- Arugula Pizza or Sheet Pan Pizza Add greens on top for a fresh spin!
- Ricotta Pizza A variation on this pizza, topped with artichokes, fresh basil, and a drizzle of honey.
- Classic Burrata Pizza Full of cheesy goodness and authentic Italian flavor! This rich and creamy cheese is the ultimate pizza topping.
- Focaccia Pizza A super fluffy crust: and makes a big sheet pan!
- Incredible Jalapeno Pizza Topped with salsa verde, zucchini, and corn. Stellar!
- Pizza Marinara Italian-style pizza with no cheese! That’s right, just red sauce.
This white pizza (pizza bianca) is…
Vegetarian.
White Pizza (Pizza Bianca)
This three cheese white pizza (pizza bianca) is an explosion of flavor: creamy ricotta, stretchy mozzarella and savory Parmesan cheese!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 ball Best Pizza Dough (or Thin Crust Dough)
- ½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, to taste
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 small garlic clove (¼ teaspoon minced)
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- For the garnish: Dried or fresh oregano, and red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Make the pizza dough: Follow the Best Pizza Dough or Thin Crust Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (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 (here’s the pizza oven we use).
- Prepare the toppings: Mince the garlic. In a small bowl, mix the ricotta with the kosher salt, fresh ground pepper and minced garlic.
- Bake the pizza: When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel.
- Gently spread the seasoned ricotta onto the dough. Top with the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and a sprinkle of kosher salt. If desired, top with dried or fresh oregano and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
- Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven). Slice into pieces and serve immediately.
What to serve with white pizza
This white pizza is begging to be accessorized with a salad! Here’s what we’d recommend:
- Perfect Italian Salad This classic Italian salad is your soul mate side dish! It features crisp veggies, crunchy croutons, tangy pepperoncini, and a punchy homemade dressing.
- Fennel Orange Salad Here’s a refreshing and easy side dish; it pairs juicy orange and the subtle licorice essence of fennel with a citrus vinaigrette.
- Easy Arugula Salad Here’s the simplest salad you’ll ever make! This easy arugula salad is fool-proof: you don’t even need to make dressing. It comes together in minutes!
