I have grilled pizza about a million ways, but my new favorite way to grill pizza is cedar plank pizza on the grill. The cedar plank adds nice smoky flavor to the crust—similar to a wood fired pizza oven—while also protecting the dough from the grill. It also makes for a fun, rustic presentation!
If you are looking for ways to cook on cedar planks, I highly recommend the Plank Grilling Cookbook by Dina Guillen. There are tons of ideas in this cookbook!
But probably the best part about pizza is you can get totally crazy and creative. The toppings are completely up to you—whatever your favorites are, go for it! You can also try out different flavor combos, including sweeter toppings to make a dessert pizza.
If you keep scrolling you’ll find more of my recipes for pizza on the grill, but here are some of my favorite topping combinations:
Margherita Pizza: Olive oil, fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil
BBQ Chicken: Braised onions, BBQ chicken and Colby Jack cheese,
Kale Parmesan: Very finely chopped kale, grated Parmesan, and fresh sage. It’s delish!
Goat Cheese and Fig: Balsamic glaze, olive oil, figs, goat cheese, mozzarella
Dessert Pizza: Mascarpone cheese, Nutella and sliced strawberries
For this recipe, I kept it traditional and stuck with mozzarella, tomatoes, and fresh leaves of basil. But the possibilities are only limited by your imagination! What toppings will you be putting on your grilled pizza?
Grilled Pizza on Cedar Planks
Ingredients
- One store-bought pizza dough from the deli, divided into four balls OR a tube of thin-crust pizza dough from the refrigerator section (this is easier to get to roll thin than the stuff from the deli!)
- Your favorite toppings
Instructions
- Soak your wood planks for an hour before using. They need to be soaked so they don’t catch fire while grilling.
- Roll the pizza balls into long rectangles, trying to get as thin as possible and matching the size of the 5”x11” plank.
- Drizzle the plank with a bit of olive oil and spread around, then add cornmeal. This is done so your pizza is less likely to stick.
- Place the dough onto the plank. Again, try to get your dough as thin as possible.
- Have all of your toppings ready by the grill before you get started.
- Heat your grill up to approximately 400 degrees, creating direct and indirect zones.
- Place the cedar planked pizzas on the indirect side and let the dough cook for about 5 to 7 minutes so the top has a chance to bake before adding toppings. Next, add the toppings and let the pizza continue to cook for another 10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the crust is golden brown.
- Remove from the grill and slice into pieces.
Notes
PRO TIP: You can use the cedar planks as a serving tray for presentation if you like after they have slightly cooled!
Want more pizza on the grill? Check out these recipes!
