Turn your favorite summer sandwich into a pizza with this BLT Pizza Recipe! The cheesy dough is baked then topped with crisp bacon, lettuce, and fresh tomatoes and a sour cream aioli drizzle. It's the perfect summer dinner, but also makes a fabulous party appetizer.
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Homemade BLTs are one of my very favorite things in the summer. There's something so pure and decadent about fresh grown tomatoes, crispy bacon, and lettuce sandwiched between two toasted slices of bread with a slather of mayo.
But BLTs can be enjoyed in so many more ways than just sandwich form. I've made BLT risotto, BLT salads, and BLT breakfast tacos. There's not much bacon, lettuce, and tomato isn't a delicious combination on. And obviously pizza is no exception.
This BLT pizza couldn't be easier to make and is the perfect way to get all the flavors of a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich in a dish that's fit for a crowd.
🗒 Ingredients
You don't need too many ingredients for a BLT pizza as it's just as simple as the summer sandwich is.
I love to make my own homemade pizza dough, but you can also use store-bought if you prefer.
Here's everything I recommend for the pizza (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full instructions):
- Pizza dough: homemade using the recipe provided or store-bought
- Olive oil
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Chopped tomatoes
- Crumbled crispy cooked bacon
- Shredded lettuce
- Sour cream
- Minced garlic
- Lemon juice
- Salt & pepper
And if you want to make your own pizza dough, here's what you need for my favorite recipe:
- Active dry yeast
- Lukewarm water
- Salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Honey
- All-purpose flour
👩🍳 How to make homemade pizza dough
If you've never made your own pizza dough before, I have to tell you how easy it is! And there's something so magical about mixing some ingredients together in a bowl and then coming back and seeing them rise into dough.
To start, mix the yeast and the water in a large bowl and let the mixture rest for 2 minutes.
The water should be "lukewarm," which means about 105-115 degrees.
Then, stir the salt, extra-virgin olive oil, and honey into the mixture.
And mix in 1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoon of flour into the mixture using a wooden spoon.
If the dough feels too wet, you can add in another tablespoon flour.
Form the dough into a ball and gently knead it a few times in the bowl.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rest in a warm spot for about 2 hours, so dough can rise.
And rise it will!
How beautiful is that?
I'm telling you, homemade pizza dough is magic.
🍕 How to make BLT pizza
This pizza is a bit unique because you're going to bake the dough with the cheese and then add on the rest of the ingredients cold.
Because nobody wants a hot BLT (hot lettuce? ew) and a room temperature pizza is much more summer appropriate, especially for eating alfresco.
Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees and lightly dusting a round baking pan with cornmeal.
Stretch (or roll) your dough out to fit on the prepared baking sheet and brush it lightly with olive oil, making sure to brush all the way to the edges of dough.
Sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella cheese. And pop the pizza in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is just golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Of course, the typical BLT doesn't have cheese on it, but this light layer of melted cheese helps crisp up the pizza dough and adds just a little slightly salty mild mozzarella flavor.
Now sprinkle on the crumbled bacon, chopped tomatoes, and shredded lettuce.
BLTs are generally slathered with mayonnaise, but I know mayo isn't universally loved and I didn't like the idea of putting it on pizza, so I made this sour cream aioli drizzle instead.
The BLT pizza is great as is, but it definitely needs a bit of sauce and this one really ties all the flavors together.
It's made with just sour cream, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
If you're not a fan of sour cream, you can substitute it with Greek yogurt. Or, of course, you can use mayo if you prefer.
Drizzle the sauce over the pizza. Use as much or as little as you like.
And slice the BLT pizza up.
Hi, perfect summer dinner. Or lunch. Honestly, I wouldn't say no to this for breakfast.
Since it can be served room temperature, it's a pizza that's great for serving at an outdoor summer party. Just slice it up and serve on a platter.
So much easier than making sandwiches for everyone, right??
If you love summer BLTs, this is most definitely the pizza for you.
⏲️ How to store leftovers
I generally eat this pizza with a warm crust and cold toppings, but it's also tasty totally room temperature or even chilled.
You can save leftovers, but it will be much more delicious if you put the toppings on before serving. If stored with toppings, the lettuce may get wilty and the sauce may make the crust a bit soggy.
If already fully assembled, I highly recommend removing the toppings, storing the pizza in an airtight container (or wrapped in aluminum foil) in the fridge and then adding the toppings back on before enjoying.
🎉 Variations on recipe
This is my ideal BLT pizza because it contains everything a BLT should have! That said, there are lots of variations you can make on a BLT sandwich AND on a BLT pizza.
Here are some fun ideas:
- Add more protein: I love salmon BLTs and this pizza would be delicious topped with salmon or even grilled chicken or steak.
- Add avocado: The only thing better than a BLT is a BLAT!
- Add spice to the pizza by making a spicy mayo sauce (or sour cream sauce) or by topping with sliced jalapeños or red pepper flakes.
- Use Greek yogurt in the homemade sauce instead of sour cream. Or use mayo. Or top with ranch dressing instead.
- To turn this into a BLT breakfast pizza, before putting the cheesy dough in the oven, crack some eggs over the top and bake until the eggs are just set.
- Add more cheese to the pizza with sliced fresh mozzarella, feta, or the cheese of your choice.
The options are endless, but one thing is for sure... This pizza is best. made with super duper fresh tomatoes ideally grown in your garden or in the garden of someone nearby!
😍 More unique pizza recipes
I love turning all my favorite foods into pizzas and here are some of my very favorite unique pizza recipes:
I'm also really excited to try this Chicken Parmesan Pizza recipe.
And don't leave your pup out of the fun; I even have a recipe for pizza for dogs!
Don't let summer pass you by before you get a chance to make this BLT pizza!
What's your favorite way to enjoy fresh summer ingredients?
📖 Recipe
BLT Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 lb pizza dough (store-bought or homemade with recipe below)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 ¼ cups chopped tomatoes
- 8 strips crispy cooked crumbled bacon
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- Sour Cream Aioli (recipe below)
Sour Cream Aioli
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic (from 1-2 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Homemade Pizza Dough
- 1 ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¾ cup lukewarm water (105-115 degrees)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 ½ cups + 2-3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees and lightly dust a round baking pan with cornmeal.
- Stretch or roll dough out to fit on the prepared baking sheet and brush lightly with the olive oil, making sure to brush all the way to the edges of dough.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese over the dough.
- Bake the pizza for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Top pizza with bacon, tomatoes, and shredded lettuce. Drizzle sauce over the top of the pizza before serving.
Sour cream aioli
- Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl. Place in fridge to chill before drizzling over pizza.
Homemade Pizza Dough
- Mix yeast and water in a large bowl and let rest for 2 minutes.
- Stir salt, extra-virgin olive oil, and honey into the mixture.
- With a wooden spoon, mix 1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoon flour into the mixture. If dough feels too wet, you can add in another tablespoon flour. Form dough into a ball, gently knead a few times in the bowl.
- Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and let rest in a warm spot for about 2 hours, so dough can rise.
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