Easy Grilled Pizza on a Gas Grill

For years I struggled to make pizza on the grill without ending up with a burnt crust or sticky mess. Once I learned this two-zone grilling method everything changed. Now, grilled pizza is one of our favourite ways to use the grill!

Years ago I watched chef, and the author of Pizza On The Grill cookbook, Bob Blumer demonstrate his method for making pizza on a gas grill. It completely changed the way I approached grilled pizza, and after making it this way for years now, I’ve found it’s one of the easiest and most reliable methods. One of the best tips I learned was that good-quality store-bought pizza dough works just as beautifully, as homemade, making grilled pizza an easy weeknight dinner.

Why You’ll Love This Grilled Pizza

• Crispy crust with a hint of smokey flavour
• works well with store-bought pizza dough or homemade
• keeps the heat outside in the summer where it belongs
• endless topping possibilities to suit everyone
• Perfect for casual summer dinners

Preparation Highlights

• bring pizza dough to room temperature before beginning
• Prep toppings (dice, cook bacon if using, etc.)
• Preheat grill on medium heat to 450 degrees with lid closed
• start with a clean grill
• brush grill with oil using a heat safe brush just before adding dough
• have a long handled barbecue spatula ready

How to Grill Pizza on a Gas Grill

• Preheat grill by turning on all burners to medium/high until it reaches 450 degrees Fahrenheit
• Brush the dough balls liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal
• Brush grill with oil and place your dough directly over heat. 
• Place the dough over heat, close the lid and leave it for about 3 to 4 minutes, maintaining the heat at 400 degrees.  You will notice the underside of the dough is nice and crisp, while the top side will have air pockets (or bubbles) and be someone dry
• Turn dough over and add sauce and toppings
• turn off burners on one half of the grill and return pizza to grill over indirect heat
• close the lid and cook for about 8 minutes, until dough is cooked through and cheese is fully melted

I found that less is more when it comes to toppings. A lightly topped pizza cooks evenly and is easier to get off the grill without making a mess.

If you have a smaller gas grill, cook 2 at a time to ensure there is enough room to finish off over indirect heat (burners off side).

Tips For The Perfect Pizza

• start with a clean grill
• don’t stretch dough too thin
• don’t overload the toppings
• keep the lid closed while cooking
• once crust is flipped, work quickly to add toppings
• check for doneness at about the 6 minute mark
• be sure to cook until crust is fully cooked through

Pizza Toppings Ideas

We love to fry up some onions, sweet corn, peppers and asparagus and throw it on the pizza with pizza mozzarella and my homemade marinara sauce, but any of these would be a nice addition:

• Classic – pepperoni, mushroom, mozzarella
• Veggie – tomato, basal, zucchini
• Meat Lovers – pepperoni, sausage, chicken

Serving Suggestions

Serve your grilled pizza along side any summer side dishes, like this no-bake baked bean salad or a simple fresh garden salad.

Grilled pizza has become one of our favourite summer dinners. It’s easy, everyone gets to choose their own toppings, and best of all, I don’t have to heat up the kitchen on a hot day. I hope you’ll give it a try this summer—I’d love to hear what combinations you come up with!