This Ground Beef Pizza has a seasoned beef topping over a layer of sauce and melted mozzarella, and it's become one of my go-to Friday night dinners. It's simple enough for a weeknight, but still feels like a treat.
You can make the dough from scratch or grab a bag of it from the deli section - either way works. And, since the beef topping can be made ahead of time, this comes together fast on pizza night.
Jump to:
- Why you'll love it
- What You Need to Make Ground Beef Pizza
- How to Season Ground Beef for Pizza
- Homemade or Store-Bought Pizza Dough
- How to Assemble and Bake Ground Beef Pizza
- Variations
- Top Tips
- How to Store and Reheat
- Serve with...
- Ground Beef Pizza Questions Answered
- More Pizza Recipes to Try
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why you'll love it
- Budget friendly and feeds a family of four - no delivery fee required.
- Right in the 500-700 calorie range per serving, so it fits into a normal dinner without much thought.
- 34 grams of protein per serving, thanks to that beef topping!
What You Need to Make Ground Beef Pizza
- Lean ground beef: The fat ratio matters more than you'd think for a pizza topping - more on that below.
- Pizza dough: Homemade or store-bought both work here. I'll walk through both options below.
- Pizza sauce: a jarred sauce works fine or make my Homemade Pizza Sauce - just keep the layer thin.
- Garlic powder & Italian seasoning: Simple pantry seasonings for the beef. Full ratios below.
- Part-skim mozzarella cheese: Melts well without making the pizza greasy.
- Salt: Seasons the beef mixture
- Optional toppings: Grape tomato slices, peppadew peppers if you want a little extra color and bite.
How to Season Ground Beef for Pizza
This recipe uses simple pantry seasoning: garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt. These ingredients are added to the beef after it's browned. Season it off the heat, not while the meat's still cooking in a hot pan, so the garlic powder doesn't turn bitter. Give it a good stir so the seasoning coats the meat evenly, then let the mixture cool for a few minutes before you top the pizza. Cooling it down first keeps the cheese from melting into a greasy puddle before the pizza even makes it into the oven.
Homemade or Store-Bought Pizza Dough
You've got options here. If you want to make it from scratch, my Homemade Pizza Dough recipe comes together with just a handful of ingredients and gives you that classic chewy-crisp crust. If you're short on time, most grocery stores sell fresh dough in a bag in the deli section. It's a good shortcut that still bakes up well. Either way, let the dough sit at room temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes before you roll it out. Cold dough fights back and shrinks as you try to stretch it, so giving it time to relax makes it much easier to work with.
How to Assemble and Bake Ground Beef Pizza
Preheat your oven to 425°F, and drizzle a little oil over your pizza stone or baking sheet so the crust doesn't stick. Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a 12-inch circle, then transfer it to the pan and press the edges into a small border.
Spread the pizza sauce over the dough. Keep it to a thin, even layer rather than piling it on, since too much sauce is one of the main reasons a pizza crust turns soggy.
Sprinkle on the parmesan, then the mozzarella, then top it with the seasoned ground beef mixture. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is browned in spots and the crust is golden on the bottom.
Since the beef is already cooked before it goes on the pizza, you don't have to worry about it being raw in the middle when the cheese and crust are done. It's also why I brown it ahead of time instead of putting raw beef straight on the dough.
Variations
- Make it a taco pizza and partially bake pizza crust. Then spread a cup of refried beans over top of the dough, and season the beef with 1 tablespoon taco seasoning. Top the beans with the cheese and then with the ground beef. Serve with fresh diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and salsa.
- Bread dough can be used in place of pizza dough.
- Top with your favorite burger toppings like shredded lettuce, tomato, and pickle slices.
- Fresh garlic cloves can be substituted for the garlic powder.
- Sprinkle red pepper flakes over the baked pizza for a little heat.
Top Tips
- Make the beef mixture ahead of time and store in the fridge up to 4 days to save time when assembling the pizza.
- Don't overload the pizza with toppings - a thinner, more even layer bakes up crisper than a pile in the middle.
- Let the pizza rest 2-3 minutes after it comes out of the oven before slicing, so the cheese sets and the slices hold together.
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. Reheat leftover pizza in the oven or air fryer at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
To freeze, wrap cooled leftover slices individually and store in a freezer bag up to 2 months. Reheat straight from frozen in the oven or air fryer, just add a few extra minutes.
You can also freeze the browned, seasoned beef mixture on its own for up to 3 months, so it's ready to go the next time you want to throw a pizza together fast.
Serve with...
Round out pizza night with a side of Extra Crispy Chicken Wings, a simple green salad, or my Air Fryer Garlic Knots if you want to go all in on the pizza-night theme.
Ground Beef Pizza Questions Answered
Yes. The pizza only bakes for about 20 minutes, which isn't enough time to fully cook raw ground beef through, and raw beef would release a lot of grease onto the crust as it cooks. Browning it in a skillet first solves both problems.
Keep the sauce layer thin, and make sure the beef is fully browned and slightly cooled before you add it. A lot of moisture and grease from undercooked or hot beef is usually the culprit.
An 85/15 or 90/10 blend - enough fat to keep the topping flavorful, but not so much that it makes the crust greasy.
More Pizza Recipes to Try
Buffalo chicken fans will love this Buffalo Chicken Pizza.
Chicken Sausage Pizza with Onions and Peppers is like a sausage hoagie on pizza, so good!
Try this Bubble Up Pizza Casserole made with canned biscuits.
My Cheeseburger Pizza Recipe swaps the bun for a crust, but keeps all those classic burger toppings - pickles, onion, and a tangy sauce.
This Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza takes it up a notch with crispy bacon and a burger sauce drizzle - great if you loved the beef topping here.
When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating
📖 Recipe
Ground Beef Pizza Recipe (Ready in 30 minutes)
Equipment
- Pizza stone or large baking sheet
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Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound pizza dough
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat and heat until hot. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the ground beef and cook beef for 7 minutes, until beef has browned. Add the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper (if using). Stir to combine. Transfer ground beef mixture to a small bowl and set aside to cool.
- Pre heat oven to 425 degrees F. Drizzle a tablespoon of oil over top of a pizza stone or large baking sheet.
- Place dough on a floured surface and roll dough into a 12" circle. Transfer dough from work surface to pizza pan and press to edges making a 1 inch border.
- Spread the pizza sauce over top of the pizza dough and sprinkle with ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese. Top with the mozzarella cheese and then the ground beef mixture.
- Bake the pizza in the hot oven for 20 minutes, until cheese is browned and bottom of the pizza crust is golden.
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