Ultimate Homemade Pumpkin Pizza Recipe: Easy and Delicious

Experience autumn on a pizza with this delightful combination of pumpkin, apples, Gruyère, and sage.

Discover a unique twist on pizza that brings together the cozy flavors of fall. This pumpkin pizza recipe transforms seasonal ingredients into a savory masterpiece that’s perfect for crisp autumn evenings. By combining roasted pumpkin, sautéed apples, and aromatic herbs, we’ve created a pizza that’s both comforting and innovative.

Let’s dive into the art of crafting this seasonal delight.

Step 1: Unleash Pumpkin Flavor Through Roasting

The heart of this pizza lies in its star ingredient: the pumpkin. For the best flavor, we’re using sugar pumpkins or kabocha squash. These varieties offer a more intense, sweeter taste compared to their larger jack-o’-lantern cousins.

Roasting is key to developing deep, complex flavors. As the pumpkin slowly roasts, its natural sugars caramelize, and enzymes work their magic to break down starches into sweeter compounds. The result? A tender, flavorful pumpkin that’s worlds apart from its raw state.

To roast, simply quarter the pumpkin, toss with olive oil, season, and bake at 325°F (160°C) until fork-tender. Once cooled, we’ll transform this roasted goodness into a luscious spread for our pizza base.

Step 2: Creating Texture with Sautéed Pumpkin and Apple

To add depth and interest to our pizza, we’re introducing a second pumpkin preparation method. Sautéing cubes of pumpkin with diced apples creates a delightful textural contrast and enhances the overall pumpkin flavor profile.

The apples play a crucial role here, complementing and amplifying the pumpkin’s natural sweetness without overpowering it. This duo, when cooked together, creates a harmonious blend that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

Step 3: Assembling Your Autumn Masterpiece

Now comes the exciting part – bringing all elements together to create your pumpkin pizza. We’re opting for a white pie to let the pumpkin shine as the star of the show.

A blend of cheeses forms the foundation: shredded Gruyère for its nutty depth, fresh mozzarella for that classic pizza stretch, and a sprinkle of Parmesan for sharp, salty notes. The mashed roasted pumpkin is dolloped generously, creating pockets of intense flavor, while the sautéed pumpkin and apple mixture is scattered for bursts of texture.

A drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and a scattering of fresh sage leaves complete the toppings. Under the broiler it goes, emerging minutes later with a perfectly charred crust and bubbling, melted cheese.

The result is a pizza that captures the essence of fall – sweet, savory, and utterly satisfying. Garnish with sliced scallions for a fresh, oniony bite that cuts through the richness.

Irresistible Fall-Inspired Pumpkin Pizza Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound homemade or store-bought pizza dough, divided into two 8-ounce balls
• 1 small kabocha squash or sugar pumpkin, quartered, seeds discarded
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 crisp baking apples such as Golden Delicious, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves, plus 1/4 cup roughly torn leaves, divided
• Flour for dusting
• 8 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
• 2 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 scallions, white and pale-green parts only, thinly sliced, divided

Directions

1. Place each ball of pizza dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside.
2. Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Toss 3 pumpkin quarters with 1 tablespoon olive oil and coat thoroughly with hands. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a cast iron skillet or on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and roast until a knife meets no resistance when poked into the flesh around the stem, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
3. Scrape pumpkin flesh out into a large bowl. Add honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mash with a whisk until a rough purée is formed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. While pumpkins are roasting, cut remaining pumpkin quarter into 1/2-inch dice. Melt butter in a large skillet over high heat, swirling until foaming subsides. Add diced pumpkin and apple and cook, tossing and stirring frequently until tender and browned on most sides, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper; stir in minced sage. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
5. When toppings are ready, adjust oven rack to top position under broiler and place a baking steel or pizza stone on top. Preheat oven to maximum heat setting. Allow to preheat for 30 minutes.
6. Transfer one ball of pizza dough to a bowl of flour and turn to coat. Transfer to a lightly floured wooden pizza peel and stretch or roll into a thin circle. Top with half of shredded Gruyère cheese, half of the mozzarella applied in dollops, and a light sprinkling of Parmesan. Add mashed pumpkin in rough dollops around the cheese. Add half of sautéed pumpkin and apple. Sprinkle with torn sage leaves and half the scallion whites. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt. Turn broiler on to high and launch pizza onto baking steel. Bake, rotating occasionally, until puffy and charred around the edges, about 4 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with half the pale-green scallions, and serve. Repeat with remaining dough and toppings.