Grilled Cast Iron Pizza – Your New Favorite Way to Eat Pizza

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If you’re looking for an easy grilled cast iron pizza recipe with a buttery, crispy crust, then this pizza is for you! If you’re tired of delivery or frozen pizza, then switch it up and make your own homemade pizza! It’s SO much easier than you think, and it will be ready in less time than it takes the pizza delivery driver to get to your house.

My family LOVES pizza. We usually have it once a week as a Saturday treat for my kids. I switch my order between thin crust, pan style, hand-tossed, and Brooklyn style pizza, but I still get bored with eating pizza from the same restaurant every single week. So on occasion, I fire up my charcoal grill and we make our own pizza at home.

And this grilled cast iron pizza is one of my absolute FAVORITE pizzas, because it combines two of my biggest culinary loves, my charcoal grill and my cast iron skillet. And don’t get me started on the crust of this cast iron pizza… it’s perfectly crispy and buttery thanks to a dusting of cornmeal and more than a dusting of butter. Even if you’re a thin crust lover, this grilled cast iron pizza may convert you.

Here’s how to make your new favorite EASY grilled dinner:

Grilled Cast Iron Pizza Ingredients

• Store-bought pizza dough – You can usually find this in the deli section of your grocery store for about $2 per dough. You will need one package of dough for each cast iron skillet.
• Pizza sauce of your choice – Approximately 1/2 cup per pizza
• Shredded cheese – We used a mix of white Italian cheeses including mozzarella (whole-milk is best), asiago, parmesan, and provolone. You will need about 12 ounces per pizza.
• Toppings of your choice – This grilled cast iron pizza will stand up to whatever ingredients you throw at it, so go ahead and pile it high!
• Butter, oil, and cornmeal – These are for a delicious, buttery crust.

How to Make Cast Iron Pizza on the Grill

Step 1: Set up your charcoal grill.

In order to cook pizza in a cast iron skillet on the grill, you need to set it up properly to get the perfect crispy but not burnt crust. It’s also best to cook your pizza at a super high temp, so you will need more charcoal than if you were cooking hamburgers or steaks.

Start by lighting about one whole chimney’s worth of charcoal. Allow the charcoal enough time to get hot in the chimney, and then spread it around the bottom grate of your grill in a doughnut shape. Your charcoal should look like this:

Arranging your charcoal in a doughnut shape eliminates the hot spot being directly underneath your cast iron pan. If you were to just dump all of your charcoal in the middle of your grill, then you could burn your crust before it has a chance to fully cook.

Once your charcoal is lit and properly arranged, make sure all of your grill vents are open. This allows the maximum amount of oxygen to reach your coals, and remember, oxygen is fuel for fire, so the more oxygen you allow in your kettle, the hotter your coals will be.

Shoot for a target temperature of about 400-500 degrees, or if your grill can go hotter like my Weber Summit Charcoal Grill, then you can cook your grilled cast iron pizza at a higher temp for less time. I cooked my pizzas at about 550 degrees.

Step 2: Prep your cast iron pan.

First, butter the bottom and sides of your cast iron skillet, just like you would if you were greasing a casserole dish. You should have an even layer of butter all over your skillet. If you want, you can also add a bit of avocado oil or olive oil around your pan.

Then, sprinkle a dusting of cornmeal all around the pan… a little goes a long way. This will help to create a crispy, buttery pizza crust.

Step 3: Stretch your pizza dough to fit your cast iron pan.

You can do this a few different ways. You can roll your pizza dough out to the size of your pan and then place it in the skillet, or you can just use your hands to knead and stretch the dough while it’s in your skillet. Don’t worry about trying to create a thicker area around the sides for the crust. Just get the dough in a nice even layer all around the pan.

Step 4: Add sauce, cheese, and toppings.

Add your favorite jarred pizza or marinara sauce in an even layer on top of the dough. You will need about 1/2 cup for a 10 inch pizza, or feel free to add more if you like your pizzas extra saucy. However, don’t add too much more sauce, because it could make your dough gummy and cause your ingredients to fall right off your finished pizza.

Then, sprinkle on cheese starting with the outer edges first. Don’t be afraid to mound up your cheese a bit all around the edges of the pan, because that will give you a yummy, crispy pan style pizza.

Finish off by adding whatever toppings you like.

Step 5: Put your cast iron pizza on the grill.

Once your grill is up to temp, place your cast iron pizza right in the center of your grill (so right above the middle of the charcoal shaped doughnut). You can also add some hickory wood chips or chunks at this stage because it adds an extra zing of flavor, plus additional fuel to keep your grill burning hot.

Step 6: Cook your grilled cast iron pizza about 10-12 minutes.

The cook time will vary drastically depending on the average temperature of your grill and the size of your cast iron skillet. We made one pizza in a 10 inch skillet and another one in a 12 inch skillet, and our charcoal grill stayed at about 550 degrees. Both of our pizzas were done in about 10 minutes.

Step 7: Carefully remove your grilled cast iron pizza from the grill. Caution – It will be SUPER HOT!

Take your pizza off the grill, and take it out of the cast iron skillet immediately. If you leave it in the skillet for too long, your crust will get soggy. Just transfer to a cutting board, and allow it to rest for a few minutes before cutting.

And that’s it! This grilled cast iron pizza couldn’t be easier to make, especially once you’re comfortable using your charcoal grill to cook at higher temperatures. My family LOVES restaurant pizza, and I would put this quick and easy grilled pizza up against ANY pizza chain restaurant ANY day of the week!

Plus, at a cost of about $7 per pizza, this cast iron pizza is right around the same price as a frozen pizza or a carryout pizza from your favorite pizza chain (if they have a deal). Tasty, easy, AND inexpensive… that’s my kind of dinner!

Want another tasty and inexpensive dinner idea that you can cook on your charcoal grill? Try this Smoked Whole Chicken with a Honey Lemon Glaze – no fancy offset smoker needed!

And if you want to watch me cook this grilled cast iron pizza, just click the button below to go to my YouTube channel!