This fast and flavorful Anchovy Pizza is one of the best pizzas you’ll ever taste! Salty anchovies combine with savory pizza sauce, melted cheese, and stellar toppings to create a homemade pizza that’ll have you and your family coming back for more!
My Anchovy Pizza is bold, savory, cheesy, and oh so delicious!
Anchovy pizza lovers, this one’s for you! Anchovies are totally underrated – they’re salty, rich, and full of umami flavor that highlights the other ingredients of the pizza.
If you’re using the Italian anchovies packed in oil I recommend, the flavor and quality are superior and never “fishy.” I pair the anchovies with delicious red onion, crushed red pepper, and Kalamata olives over lots of cheese, sauce, and my perfect pizza dough.
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This flavor combination is popular in Italy, especially in a dish known as Pasta alla Puttanesca. Putting this bold combination of flavors on a pizza takes it to the next level!
This amazing homemade pizza bakes up quickly too! In just 20 minutes, you can have your kitchen smelling exactly like an Italian pizzeria. Use a pizza stone to make it even more authentic!
?? Why You'll Love This Recipe!
It’s Packed with Flavor! The combination of the salty anchovies and olives with the zesty, but slightly sweet onions and tomato sauce is an out-of-this-world flavor combo!
It’s Fast! This recipe has just 8 ingredients, 5 steps, and cooks up in just 20 minutes! You won’t believe how quickly you can have this pizza pie on your table.
So Cheesy! The toppings on this pizza are delectable, but the cheese is what really brings it all together! Mozzarella and Parmesan to make the perfect golden brown cheesy bite!
? Ingredients
My super-fast Anchovy Pizza is a delicious way to get the flavors of Italy in your kitchen! It’s made with my wonderful homemade dough recipe that you can make ahead of time to make dinner even easier!
- Pizza Dough – Use half of my pizza dough recipe for 1 pizza, or store-bought dough. You can usually find store-bought dough in either the refrigerated canned biscuits, rolls, and cookie dough section or the deli section of your grocery store.
- Pizza Sauce – Make my delightful pizza sauce recipe or use your favorite store bought sauce!
- Mozzarella – Grated mozzarella is the perfect cheese for pizza! It covers the whole pie evenly and is melts beautifully.
- Parmesan – I love to top pizzas with grated Parmesan cheese for extra flavor! Use a good quality aged Parmesan for the best results.
- Anchovy Fillets – Anchovies are the star of this pizza! Look for anchovies packed in oil for the best flavor. (See Tips & Recipe Notes)
- Red Onion – I love red onion for its slightly sweet, bold flavor that’s perfect for pizza.
- Crushed Red Pepper – You can skip this if you don’t like spice, but it complements the flavors of the other toppings wonderfully!
- Kalamata Olives – Another optional topping – Kalamata olives add another layer of briny, savory flavor. If you’re using them, slice the olives so they cover the pizza evenly. (See Tips & Recipe Notes)
? Step-By-Step Instructions
My amazingly flavorful homemade Anchovy Pizza takes just 20 minutes to get to your table! It’s super important to preheat your oven ahead of time to have the crispiest crust!
- Prep the oven. Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C) or as high as your oven will go. Lightly coat your baking sheet, pizza pan, pizza stone or pizza peel with a dusting of flour or cornmeal. If you’re using a pizza stone, place the stone directly onto center of the middle oven rack to heat it.
- Stretch the dough. Punch down your dough, then, using floured hands, stretch 12 ounces of room-temp dough to a circular shape of about 12 to 14 inches.
- Add the toppings. Add ? cup of pizza sauce in an even layer and top with 1 cup of grated mozzarella and ? cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Next, place the anchovy fillets from 1 can over the cheese and add ? of a sliced red onion, 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste) and 8 sliced Kalamata olives, if using.
- Bake the pizza. Place the pizza in the middle rack of the oven on your prepared pizza pan or heated pizza stone (using a pizza peel) and bake at 500°F (260°C) for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
- Serve. When done, carefully remove the pizza from the oven. Slice into equal pieces and serve!
I love serving this amazing pizza for lunch or dinner on its own, with a light garden salad or a delicious Caesar salad. Enjoy!
? Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
Tips
- Make your dough and sauce ahead of time.
- Hand stretch your dough, do not roll.
- Use anchovies packed in oil vs packed in water.
- Bake you pizza in a super hot oven, preferably at 500°F (260°C).
- Preheat your pizza stone, and bake your pizza on the center rack.
Recipe Notes
Use room-temperature dough before stretching to make it easier!
- I recommend making the dough at least a day ahead of when you want to bake this pizza, then leaving it out to come up to room temperature for 1 hour.
- Hand-stretching the dough instead of rolling it out preserves the air bubbles in the crust! See my incredible garlic pizza recipe for tips on how to stretch by hand!
Anchovies packed in oil give the best flavor to this pizza! I don’t recommend water-packed anchovies.
- Oil packed anchovies will typically come canned or jarred, and you can find them in the tuna/sardine or Italian section of your grocery store.
- If you want to make this pizza but aren’t sure of the anchovies, try using a few to start, or you can even break the anchovies into smaller pieces before placing on the pizza. The flavor is amazing, and you really don’t want to miss out!
Kalamata olives are an optional ingredient but are seriously delicious!
- You can either get jarred Kalamata olives or look for some at your grocery store’s olive bar!
- Try to get pitted olives, so you don’t have to worry about the hard pits when slicing them!
The trifecta of ideal toppings for an anchovy pizza is a combination of briny anchovy fillets, sliced kalamata olives, and capers!
? Storing & Reheating
Pizza is always better the next day! You can store this amazing anchovy pizza either in an airtight container or gallon Ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Leftover pizza can also be frozen for late nights or whenever the pizza craving hits! Wrap slices of this delightful homemade pizza in cling film and freeze them individually.
- When they’re fully frozen, you can stack in a freezer bag or airtight container and keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Did you know I have a post all about how to reheat pizza leftovers? Check it out for the best tips & tricks!
? FAQ
If you can’t get your hands on a pizza stone, I love a circular pizza pan with holes on the bottom for making homemade pizza! The holes on the bottom allow heat and air to get to the underside of the crust, so it gets golden brown and deliciously crisp!
For pizza, there isn’t a great alternative for anchovy fillets. I would recommend either breaking the fillets into smaller pieces to get used to the distinctive, but delicious flavor, blending a few fillets into the pizza sauce, or skipping all together! However you choose to make it, this pizza is going to be amazing!
This recipe calls for pizza sauce, which is different in consistency than marinara. Pizza sauce is usually thicker and more concentrated as it is a base that’s highlighted by all the toppings. Marinara is usually eaten on its own, so it typically is a bit thinner and seasoned slightly differently. You can totally use marinara in a pinch but try making my delectable pizza sauce!
? Recipe
Anchovy Pizza
Ingredients
- 12 oz pizza dough (use half of my recipe for 1 pizza, or use store-bought dough)
- ? cup pizza sauce (make mine or your favorite store bought)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (grated)
- ? cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 1 can anchovy fillets (canned, packed in oil)
- ? small red onion (sliced)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 8 kalamata olives (optional - sliced)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C) - or as high as your oven will go. Lightly coat your baking sheet, pizza pan, pizza stone, or pizza peel with a dusting of flour or cornmeal.
- Punch down your dough, then stretch the dough to a circle shape about 12"-14" around.12 oz pizza dough
- Add the pizza sauce, top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Place anchovy fillets over the cheese, add the sliced red onions, and other optional toppings.? cup pizza sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ? cup Parmesan cheese, 1 can anchovy fillets, ? small red onion, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 8 kalamata olives
- Place in the middle rack of the oven on your pizza pan or pizza stone and bake at 500°F (260°C) for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven when done. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Equipment You May Need
Notes
- Make your dough and sauce ahead of time.
- Hand stretch your dough, do not roll.
- Use anchovies packed in oil vs packed in water.
- Bake you pizza in a super hot oven, preferably at 500°F (260°C).
- Preheat your pizza stone, and bake your pizza on the center rack.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
Alex says
F?r dem som ?r i Sverige och kokar ?r det sardeller som ska vara i den h?r pizzan. Den ?kta fisken ansjovis s?ljs i Sverige under namnet sardell,
det fick jag l?ra av en god v?n i Stockholm ?
"For those who are in Sweden and cook, anchovies should be in this pizza. The real fish anchovy is sold in Sweden under the name sardell,
I learned that from a good friend in Stockholm"
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Tack f?r ytterligare information!
"Thanks for the additional info!"