This tortilla pizza recipe has a “stuffed crust” and a crispy smash-style Italian sausage and ground beef base. If you want to make pizza on the griddle, this is truly the best way to do it!

cooking a tortilla pizza on a Blackstone griddle

I’m gonna say something that might get me kicked out of the griddle community: I don’t really like making regular pizza on the Blackstone. There, I said it.

But this? This stuffed crust tortilla pizza is a different animal entirely, and it might be my new favorite pizza. Period. Even better than my wife’s favorite delivery restaurant. Let’s get into it.

Why I Don’t Like Regular Pizza on the Blackstone

Here’s my problem with griddle pizza the “normal” way – dough, sauce, cheese, toppings, straight on the flat top. A griddle only gives you heat from the bottom. There’s no top-end heat like you’d get in an oven or a pizza oven. So what happens is your crust burns to a crisp on the bottom before your cheese ever gets a chance to melt and your toppings ever get a chance to cook.

It’s a losing battle. You either end up with a scorched crust and cold cheese, or you close the lid and steam everything into a soggy mess trying to force the top to cook. Neither one is a good pizza.

That’s exactly why, when I want the best pizza on the Blackstone, I go a different direction – pizza smash tacos or pizza quesadillas. Both of those sidestep the whole “no top-end heat” problem because you’re not relying on the top of the pizza to cook on its own. This stuffed crust tortilla pizza takes that same logic and turns it up a notch.

a slice of tortilla pizza with pepperoni, mozzarella, and peppers

How I Came Up With This Griddle Pizza Idea

This idea actually came to me mid-bite. I had just finished making a chicken Caesar smash taco on the griddle, and it hit me like a ton of bricks – what if I combined that smash taco technique with a full-on pizza?

The idea clicked into place fast: take the smash taco method – meat pressed thin and crusted hard on the griddle – but scale it up to a burrito-sized tortilla so it eats like an actual pizza instead of a taco. Then, borrow the parmesan-crusted tortilla trick from a pizza quesadilla I’d made a while back, and use it to build a genuine stuffed crust by stacking two tortillas on top of each other, with a layer of cheese in between.

Put those two ideas together and you get something that isn’t really a smash taco, and isn’t really a quesadilla, and isn’t really an oven pizza – it’s its own thing. Stuffed crust tortilla pizza.

*I cooked this tortilla pizza on the griddle insert of my Charbroil 3-in-1 gas grill, but you can make this recipe on any outdoor griddle or even a large skillet on the stovetop.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Burrito-sized flour tortillas – You’ll need two tortillas per pizza, and I truly believe that the type of tortilla you use makes a big difference in the overall flavor of your pizza. We used the Guerrero brand Sonoran style tortillas, which were fantastic!
Ground beef and Italian sausage – We used a 50/50 blend of these two for great pizza flavor. Use spicy Italian sausage if you like the heat.
Pepperoni – We used the cup-style pepperonis that curl and crisp up when heated. Very good!
Pizza sauce – We used a store-bought jar to keep it easy.
Shredded mozzarella cheese – For the best results, look for a “creamy melt” style cheese.
Butter and parmesan cheese – A buttered, cheese-crusted tortilla on the bottom of your pizza adds extra flavor and texture.
Your favorite pizza toppings (onions, peppers, banana peppers – whatever you’re into)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Cook your toppings first – always.

cooking sliced bell peppers on a griddle

This is non-negotiable with griddle pizza. Since there’s no top-end heat, anything you put on top of the pizza isn’t going to cook once it’s assembled. Crisp up your pepperoni cups on the griddle (it only takes a few minutes), and sauté your onions and bell peppers.

If you’re adding mushrooms or other vegetables or meat that needs to be cooked, get that done also. All of your toppings (besides marinara sauce and cheese) need to be fully cooked before they ever touch the pizza.

2. Mix and press your meat.

large flour tortilla with ground Italian sausage and beef in a thin even layer spread from edge to edge

Combine your ground beef and Italian sausage and mix it together well. Then, on your first burrito-sized tortilla, press the meat out into a thin, even layer – just like you would with a smash taco.

3. Griddle it meat-side down.

Place the tortilla meat-side down on the griddle. Use a press or spatula to press evenly so the meat cooks all the way through. Allow to cook until the meat mixture has a nice crispy sear, and it’s cooked to 145°F (the safe internal temperature for ground pork sausage).

4. Flip it and build your pizza.

Use a large, wide spatula or a pizza peel to flip the whole thing over to the tortilla side. A big flat tool makes this way easier than fighting it with tongs or a small turner.

With the meat side now facing up, spread on the pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, and your pre-cooked toppings. Let it cook on the griddle until the cheese is about halfway melted, then use your pizza peel to transfer the whole thing to a large cutting board, and set it aside while you cook the next tortilla layer.

5. Start your stuffed crust tortilla.

Grab your second burrito-sized tortilla. Add butter and freshly grated parmesan to one side. If you want to add Italian herbs or crushed red pepper, now’s the time – just remember, it’s going on the griddle, so go easy so your seasonings don’t burn.

6. Griddle the crust tortilla and load the cheese.

Place the second tortilla buttered-side down on the griddle. Immediately top it with more shredded mozzarella – this is what creates the actual “stuffed crust.”

7. Stack the pizza onto the crust.

using a large spatula to remove a tortilla pizza from a griddle

Using your pizza peel, carefully lift your first tortilla pizza (meat, sauce, and toppings) and set it directly on top of the melting cheese layer on the second tortilla, still on the griddle.

8. Melt it all together.

Dome it with a lid cover, or close the griddle’s lid briefly, to fully melt the cheese and bring the whole thing together.

using a griddle spatula to check for a golden brown crust on a tortilla pizza

*TIP – As the cheese is melting and the pizza is finishing up, be sure to check the bottom tortilla to make sure it doesn’t burn. You may need to adjust your griddle temperature, or even turn off the griddle completely. Your bottom tortilla “crust” should be nice and golden brown. This is what gives your tortilla pizza structure so it doesn’t get floppy.

9. Rest, slice, and serve.

Pull it off the griddle, let it cool slightly on a cooling rack (this helps keep the bottom from steaming and getting soft), then slice it up like a pizza.

Tips from Our Cook

Cook toppings first, no exceptions. There’s no top-end heat on a griddle, so anything raw when it hits the pizza stays raw.

Use a big spatula. You need something close to a pizza peel to flip and transfer these tortillas without tearing them or losing your toppings.

Let it rest on a cooling rack before cutting. It helps the bottom stay crisp instead of going soft from trapped steam.

Serve with a dipping sauce. A cup of extra pizza sauce (or ranch, if you’re a ranch person) on the side is a great addition if you want a little more sauce than what’s built in.