This spinach artichoke white cheese pizza will be your new favorite pizza recipe. Start with my homemade pizza crust, a personal and reader favorite recipe, then top with roasted garlic, extra cheese, spinach, and artichokes. This white pizza and garlic-infused crust tastes like creamy spinach artichoke dip!
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
Every couple of weeks, I’m inspired to try a new homemade pizza recipe on Friday nights. Extra cheesy pizza, BBQ chicken pizza, Hawaiian pizza, chicken pesto pizza, even cold veggie pizza, you name it. Friday pizza is a tradition in our household and it’s been totally upgraded with this absolutely AWESOME spinach artichoke dip inspired pizza.
Put this spinach artichoke white cheese pizza recipe in your weekly rotation because everyone will demand you make it on repeat. Seriously.
Homemade Pizza Dough
Let’s talk homemade pizza crust. I freeze pizza dough ahead of time so it’s ready for pizza night each week. There’s a reason why I keep going back to this easy pizza dough recipe:
- The recipe is perfect for bread beginners
- Only 6 ingredients required
- Most of the time is hands-off
- Crisp edges & fluffy interior
- So, so flavorful.
Homemade pizza crust might sound difficult to you. Why waste the time when you can buy frozen? But trust me, homemade crust is nothing like store-bought or delivery because you can taste the freshness. I always use Platinum Yeast from Red Star in my pizza dough for best results. The Platinum line is fantastic; its careful formula strengthens your dough and makes making working with yeast simple.
Homemade Pizza Dough Video Tutorial
This homemade pizza dough freezes well and thaws easily. It’s a thick-style crust recipe that puffs up beautifully when baked.
Spinach Artichoke White Cheese Pizza Toppings
There’s no pizza sauce on today’s pizza. Instead, here’s what you need:
- Olive Oil: A brush of olive oil prevents the crust from tasting soggy.
- Roasted Garlic: Roasted garlic is the base of this pizza. Don’t use regular garlic because you’ll miss out on so much flavor! More on roasted garlic below.
- Lots of Cheese: Use both mozzarella and parmesan cheese for best flavor.
- Artichokes: Use frozen (thawed) or canned artichokes. They bake down and melt in your mouth!
- Spinach: Fresh spinach is best for this white pizza recipe.
The olive oil and roasted garlic bake down into the crust, making it almost taste like garlic bread. You’ll never want to make another pizza variety again!
How to Roast Garlic
Let’s learn how to roast garlic. Roasting garlic is so very simple; it’s a basic technique that will change the flavor of everything it touches. Roasting garlic caramelizes the cloves, which brings elevated flavor and aroma compared to
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Using a sharp knife, slice off the top of the garlic heads to expose the cloves inside. Grab a round or square pan and pour 2 Tablespoons of olive oil inside. Swirl it around the bottom of the pan to coat evenly. Place garlic heads inside, exposed side up.
- Sprinkle the garlic heads with a little salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 more Tablespoon of olive oil on top. A coating of oil prevents the garlic from burning. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
- Your house will smell amazing! Remove from the oven. To remove the roasted cloves, grab the bottom of the garlic head and gently squeeze until the cloves pop out. The cloves will be soft and ready to chop up for your recipe.
Roasted garlic is soft and toasted and tastes remarkable on white pizza, breadsticks, and so much more. You can even use roasted garlic as a dip or spread for breads and crackers. Mix with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. It’s fantastic!
This spinach artichoke white cheese pizza is definitely a “seconds” meal… you won’t be satisfied with only 1 slice! Should any pizza survive until the next day (it won’t), it keeps wonderfully as leftovers and is awesome right out of the fridge.
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Spinach Artichoke White Cheese Pizza
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes (includes dough rising)
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes
- Yield: one 12-inch pizza
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
My pizza dough recipe yields about 2 pounds of dough, which is enough for two 12-inch pizzas. Toppings listed below are enough for one 12-inch spinach & artichoke white cheese pizza. Freeze the rest of the pizza dough for another time, or make two pizzas by doubling the topping ingredients. Feel free to use 1 lb. store-bought pizza dough instead of homemade.
Ingredients
- 1/2 recipe homemade pizza dough (or 1 lb. store-bought pizza dough)
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) olive oil, divided
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) cornmeal
- 3 cloves roasted garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup (20g) grated or shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling on top
- 2 cups (215g) shredded mozzarella cheese
- one 13 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- 1 and 1/2 cups fresh spinach
- optional: freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Dough: Prepare pizza dough through step 3. If using store-bought frozen pizza dough, make sure it’s thawed.
- Preheat oven to 475°F (246°C). Allow it to heat for at least 15–20 minutes as you shape the pizza in the next step. If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to preheat as well. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or pizza pan with 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal, which gives the crust extra crunch and flavor.
- Shape the dough: When the homemade dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough in half and freeze half the dough for another time—see freezing instructions in the pizza dough recipe. On a lightly floured work surface using lightly floured hands or rolling pin, gently flatten the dough into a disc. Place on prepared pan and, using lightly floured hands, stretch and flatten the disc into a 12-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick. If the dough keeps shrinking back as you try to stretch it, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly and let it rest for 5–10 minutes, then try again. Once shaped into a 12-inch circle, lift the edge of the dough up to create a lip around the edges. I simply pinch the edges up to create the rim. If using a pizza stone, place the dough directly on a baker’s peel dusted with cornmeal. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for a few minutes as you gather the pizza toppings.
- Top & bake the pizza: Using your fingers, push dents into the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Brush remaining olive oil all over the dough. Top the dough evenly with chopped roasted garlic, then add parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, artichokes, and spinach on top. Finish with an extra sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top, if desired.
- Bake for 14–15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, if desired.
- Slice hot pizza and serve immediately. Cover leftover pizza tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freezing and reheating instructions below.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: See homemade pizza dough recipe for how to freeze the pizza dough. You can freeze the baked and cooled pizza or pizza slices. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place wrapped slices in a freezer container or bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
- Reheating Instructions: Reheat leftover cold pizza in the microwave or cover with aluminum foil and bake on a lined baking sheet/pizza pan in a 350°F (204°C) oven until warmed. (About 10 minutes for slices, 15–20 minutes for whole pizza.)
- Special Tools (affiliate links):Â Pizza Pan | Pastry Brush | Pizza Cutter
- Whole Wheat Pizza Dough: Feel free to use my whole wheat pizza dough recipe instead. You only need half of the dough to make 1 pizza, so freeze the extra dough according to those directions or make 2 pizzas.
- How to Roast Garlic: Slice off the top of a garlic bulb so the cloves are exposed inside. Place in a baking pan or on a baking sheet, clove side up, and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Top with some freshly ground black pepper and coarse salt. Cover with aluminum foil and roast at 375°F (190°C) for about 35-40 minutes. The cloves will be very soft inside. You need 3 cloves for this recipe.
- Artichokes: I usually use one 13-ounce bag of frozen artichokes that I thaw and drain. You can use canned artichokes instead. Drain and quarter them. Anywhere around 13 ounces is fine. Add more/less depending on your taste preference.
awesome pizza…love the combo of the spinach and artichokes with the garlic the crust was very nice too…thank you for the recipe!
This made a super delicious and easy pizza, along with your dough recipe and awesome hints for rising! Thank you!
I am thinking of using these ingredients with your master quiche recipe, for a new flavour combo! I may add some diced smoked ham too. I will let you know how it turns out, because it’s a delicious combo on pizza! You are always an inspiration, Sally.
This was outstanding.
This recipe is a favorite with my family! We’ve made it three times now, and even my son, who’s not the biggest fan of artichokes eats several pieces. Thanks so much!
I made this for dinner and it was a HUGE hit. Thanks for the recipe!
This was a perfect alternative to regular pizza for dinner! My family loved it!
I was looking forward to eating this pizza because spinach, artichoke and mozzarella cheese are my favorite toppings. This combination did not disappoint!! Everything that I’ve made from your website has been delicious!
This pizza is so good. One of the best pizzas I have had ever!!!
This was absolutely delicious! I used a different crust recipe and i cook the crust alone for 5 mins before i added rest of ingredients on top.
We made this pizza for family pizza night Saturday night. This was without a doubt one of the best pizzas I’ve ever eaten. Truly Pizzeria quality. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I just made this pizza…absolutely delicious! I used store bought, whole grain crusts…and it is to die for! Thanks for posting!
I could never imagine something so tasty and delicious with spinach.
One suggestion, use a good amount of oregano seasoning in the end to make it a perfect weekend cheat meal.
Keep thriving! 😀
I feel like jumping out of joy after seeing this recipe. Can’t wait to taste the Pizza as you had added my favorite ingredients 🙂 Loving it.
I made this tonight and it was beyond FANTASTIC!!!!! This is a keeper, and actually it looked so great I’m sure I’ll make it for guests someday. THANKS!!!!
Made this pizza last night and it was a huge hit. Used a whole bulb of roasted garlic but otherwise followed the recipe. Very straightforward in terms of putting it together but it had a wonderful combination of flavors. Highly recommend.
I would love to try this for dinner tomorrow night. Question: Do you bake the dough first or put all the toppings on the raw dough so it all bakes together?
Toppings on raw dough– it all bakes together.
This was so easy to make and tasted amazing!! I was scared to try working with yeast (this was my first time) but your directions were right on! My family devoured this and can’t wait for me to make it again 🙂
This was a big hit with my family. I used a jar of marinated artichokes because that’s what I had on hand…really delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!
I swear I’m working my way through your blog. Just when I think I’m done, you post something new! I made this tonight for movie night with friends and we all loved it. My friend is a vegetarian so I knew I wanted to go meatless and there were no complaints from the carnivores. This was also my first time making your crust and it was hands down better than the usual recipe I make. So a winner all the way around. I also served a baked spinach dip which was great for dipping the crust in 🙂 thanks!
Oh my god Sally, that sounds delicious! Do you think I could make a thin-crust pizza if I just divided the recipe in half? I do love the thick, fluffy crust but sometimes I fancy something thinner and crispier …
I’m sure you could try, yes. You mean by dividing the dough recipe in half, then half again (so 1 quarter dough per pizza).