BBQ Pizza

Name: BBQ Pizza
Cook time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4
Cuisine: United States

Published: 2026-08-20

Author: yumenjoy

View: 100

Comments: 3

Overall Rating: 5 / 5.0

⏱️ cook time 35 minutes

🍽️ servings 4

⚡ Difficulty medium

intro

Smoky, tangy BBQ pizza loaded with grilled chicken and melty cheese, cooked hot on a grill for a perfectly charred, crisp crust ideal for summer gatherings.

Ingredients

Pizza dough (homemade or store-bought) 450g (1 lb)

Smoky BBQ sauce 180ml (3/4 cup)

Grilled chicken breast, shredded 225g (8 oz)

Low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded 225g (2 cups)

Smoked gouda cheese, shredded 55g (1/2 cup)

Red onion, thinly sliced 60g (1/2 cup)

Fresh cilantro, loosely packed 15g (1/4 cup)

Extra-virgin olive oil 15ml (1 tablespoon)

Fine cornmeal (for dusting) 30g (2 tablespoons)

Steps

Prep grill and dough

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat (230°C / 450°F), set up for two-zone cooking (one direct high-heat side, one unheated indirect side). Let the 450g pizza dough rest at room temperature for 15 minutes, then stretch into a 30cm (12-inch) round on a pizza peel dusted with 30g cornmeal, brushing the top lightly with 15ml olive oil.

Grill first crust side

Carefully slide the stretched dough directly onto the grill’s direct high-heat zone. Close the grill lid and cook for 2–3 minutes, until the crust bottom is golden with dark grill marks and the top is puffed with small air bubbles; avoid popping large bubbles to keep the crust light and airy.

Flip crust and add sauce

Use long metal tongs and a wide spatula to flip the crust so the grilled side faces up, moving it immediately to the grill’s indirect heat zone. Spread 180ml smoky BBQ sauce evenly across the crust top, leaving a 1cm (1/2-inch) plain border for the raised crust edge.

Layer on pizza toppings

Evenly distribute 225g shredded low-moisture mozzarella, 55g shredded smoked gouda, 225g shredded grilled chicken, and 60g thinly sliced red onion over the BBQ sauce, spreading toppings close to the sauce border to avoid bare spots.

Cook until cheese melts

Close the grill lid and cook for 5–7 minutes on the indirect heat zone, checking every 2 minutes, until cheese is fully melted and bubbly and the bottom crust is crisp with deep grill marks. Rotate the pizza 180 degrees halfway through cooking to avoid burning from uneven grill hot spots.

Garnish and rest pizza

Slide the finished pizza off the grill onto a wooden cutting board using the pizza peel. Sprinkle the top with 15g loosely packed fresh cilantro, then let the pizza rest for 3 minutes before slicing into 8 even wedges to serve.

Tips

1.Use low-moisture mozzarella instead of fresh mozzarella for grilled pizza, as fresh mozzarella releases excess water that will make the crust soggy over high grill heat.
2.If you do not have a pizza peel, stretch the dough on a rimless baking sheet lined with parchment paper to slide it easily onto the grill without tearing.
3.Keep a small spray bottle filled with water near the grill to quickly douse any sudden grease or dough flare-ups that could burn the pizza crust edges.

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BBQ Pizza:Frequently Asked Questions

1.Why grill this BBQ pizza instead of baking it in a standard home oven? ▾

Grilling hits the 500–600°F high heat most home ovens can’t reliably reach, creating that perfectly charred, crisp, blistered crust without sogginess. It also infuses the whole pie with subtle grill smoke that pairs perfectly with tangy BBQ sauce and smoked gouda, no fancy pizza oven required.

2.Can I use store-bought pizza dough for this recipe, or do I need to make it from scratch? ▾

Store-bought dough works totally great here! Opt for fresh, refrigerated dough rather than shelf-stable canned or rock-hard frozen dough for the best texture. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before stretching so it doesn’t shrink back the second you lay it on hot grill grates.

3.How do I keep the pizza dough from sticking to the grill grates? ▾

Start with super clean, well-oiled grates—wipe them down with a paper towel dipped in high-smoke-point canola or avocado oil right before laying dough down. Make sure your grill is fully preheated first, too; cold grates are the number one cause of stuck, torn crust that ruins your pie.

4.Do I need to grill both sides of the crust before adding toppings? ▾

Absolutely! Grill the first side of your stretched dough for 2–3 minutes, until it’s firm with light golden grill marks, then flip it with a wide metal spatula before adding sauce, cheeses, and shredded chicken. This prevents soggy, undercooked crust under the toppings for perfect texture every time.

5.What style of BBQ sauce works best for this pizza? ▾

Reach for a thick, smoky, tomato-based BBQ sauce rather than a thin, vinegar-heavy regional style for this pie. Thin sauces will make your crust soggy fast. If your go-to sauce is a little runny, simmer it on the stovetop for 5 minutes to thicken it, and go light on the spread to avoid sogginess.

6.Can I prep components of this pizza ahead of time for a summer cookout? ▾

You can prep all components a day ahead to make assembly a total breeze at your gathering! Shred your cheeses, grill and shred the chicken, and store dough in the fridge until 30 minutes before cook time. Just don’t top uncooked dough ahead, as that leads to soggy crust on the grill.

7.Why do you recommend low-moisture mozzarella instead of fresh mozzarella? ▾

Fresh mozzarella has very high water content that leaches out as it melts, leaving you with a soggy, soupy pizza crust even on a screaming hot grill. Low-moisture mozzarella melts smoothly without releasing excess liquid, and pairs perfectly with smoked gouda for that iconic stretchy cheese pull.

8.What temperature should my grill be to cook this pizza properly? ▾

Aim for a grill temperature between 500–550°F, which is hot enough to crisp the crust fast without burning it before the cheese fully melts. For charcoal grills, wait until coals are covered in light gray ash to cook, and keep one low-heat zone as a safe spot to move the pizza to if edges char too fast.

9.Can I add extra toppings to this pizza, or will that mess up the cook? ▾

You can add small amounts of low-moisture toppings like thinly sliced red onion, pickled jalapeños, or crumbled cooked bacon, but go light! Piling on too many heavy, wet toppings weighs down the thin crust, prevents even cooking, and leads to sogginess. Stick to 2–3 extra toppings max for the best results.

10.How do I keep the crust from burning before the cheese is fully melted? ▾

Keep the grill lid closed as much as possible once you add toppings, which traps heat to melt cheese fast while the crust crisps. If you notice the crust bottom charring faster than cheese melts, slide the pizza to your cooler indirect heat zone and close the lid for 1–2 minutes to finish.

11.How long should I let the pizza rest after taking it off the grill before slicing? ▾

Let it rest for 3–4 minutes on a wire rack or wooden cutting board before slicing. This short rest lets the melted cheese set so it doesn’t slide right off when you cut slices, and lets the crisp crust firm up just enough so every bite holds its shape instead of flopping over when you pick it up.

Comments (3)

Mia Carter ★★★★★

3 days ago

OMG this smoky grilled BBQ pizza was a total game changer for our weekly family dinner night! I was nervous grilling pizza since I’ve only ever baked it in the oven, but the smoky flavor from the grill paired with the tangy BBQ sauce? *Chef’s kiss* My kids devoured two slices each before my husband even got to grab a second! I added a little extra pickled red onion and some smoked gouda on top, 10/10 will be making this for our next neighborhood potluck too.

Jake T.

2 days ago

Wait did you pre-cook the crust a little before adding toppings? I tried grilled pizza once and the bottom got totally charred before the cheese even melted 😅

Chef Admin author

yesterday

Great question, Jake! We recommend grilling one side of the crust for 1-2 minutes first before flipping it and adding your toppings—this prevents that over-charred bottom and helps the cheese melt perfectly once you close the grill lid! So glad you loved it, Mia, that smoked gouda addition you mentioned sounds absolutely incredible, I’ll have to try that next time I test the recipe myself.

GrillDad_Dan ★★★★★

2 hours ago

Took a shot at this for my Sunday cookout, and honestly I was shocked how well it turned out for a medium-difficulty recipe! The smoky notes hit so much better than regular takeout BBQ pizza, and my buddies kept hounding me for the recipe all afternoon. Only heads up for fellow charcoal grill users: keep a close eye on your heat, I almost burned the first crust when my coals ran a little too hot. Definitely adding this to my regular cookout rotation.

Chef Admin author

30 minutes ago

So stoked this was a hit at your cookout, Dan! Great call out about charcoal grill heat—we always recommend keeping a small cooler zone on your grill grate so you can shift the pizza over if the coals are running extra hot, it saves so many crusts! Thanks for sharing that helpful tip for other readers.

Luna_Marie ★★★★★

1 week ago

SO good! I meal prepped the crusts ahead of time on Sunday so I could throw these together super quick on a busy weeknight, and it worked like a charm. The smoky flavor is unreal, I didn’t even miss the usual delivery pizza we order every Friday night. I swapped the grilled chicken for marinated portobello slices to make it vegetarian and it still slapped, 10/10 would recommend.