Pizza without a lick of tomato sauce is affectionately referred to as white pizza (pizza bianca). A crispy crust is layered with creamy ricotta cheese and asiago plus fontina and fresh mozzarella making this a four cheese white pizza that you just might find you prefer to traditional pizza crust with pizza sauce. Cheesy and loaded with flavor. Pizza night just got even better!
I think I've shared before we moved a lot when I was a kid. And my parents continued this "habit" several times after I was married. Being natives of Pittsburgh, they eventually ended up back in their home state but, on the east side, in Philadelphia. On our visits to them over the years, I became a big fan of a local pizzeria that made the best white pizza with ricotta and I knew I just had to recreate it for you.
What is white pizza or pizza bianca?
It's exactly as it sounds. White pizza is the polar opposite of tomato-topped pizza pie. Instead of being doused with pizza sauce, a pizza crust is topped with cheese (typically more than one—and in this recipe—four cheeses), olive oil, herbs and sometimes, garlic. And then the whole thing is baked, culminating in a glorious, massive cheese pull.
Cheese is heaven as far as I'm concerned. And FOUR cheeses?
Speechless.
⇢ Other amazing pizza recipes like this you'll ♥️: Philly tomato pie, cast iron skillet pizza with spicy honey glaze, and spicy pepperoni vodka pizza. Or give my breakfast pizza a try along for something different...all so good!
Four cheese white pizza
Which four cheeses make this white pie the pinnacle of all white pizzas?
- Ricotta. Pillowy piles of ricotta add almost a creamy white sauce texture when you bite into this delicious white pizza.
- Asiago. Adds a sharp quality to balance out the ricotta. You could also use sharp provolone if you prefer.
- Italian Fontina. Not always easy to find, Italian fontina has a beautiful melting texture.
- Fresh mozzarella cheese. The magic ticket to the cheese pull, my friend.
Essential pizza-making tools
Here’s everything you’ll need to make pizza dough at home:
Large mixing bowls. One of my favorite kitchen tools from my days working at Williams-Sonoma is this 10 piece set of glass mixing bowls. Great for rising pizza dough. (Talk about a great bridal or wedding gift too!)
Pizza peel. When it comes to pizza peels, one is great and 2 is better, especially when making multiple pizzas like you will for breakfast pizza. I use both this wooden pizza peel (similar to the one linked) and this Epicurean pizza peel in tandem. So good!
Stone or steel. I use these Emile Henry ceramic pizza stones and they help make the BEST crispy pizza crust ever! You preheat them at 500˚ for 20 minutes or so and pop your pizza on them using a peel. Crispy pizza (even in the center) in 10 minutes!
Pizza cutter. I have a Cutco pizza cutter that is a gem but also love these long rocker pizza cutters that come in different versions.
"00" flour. While "00" flour isn't necessarily a tool, it makes the best homemade pizza dough. This post on homemade ravioli dough shares more info on "00" flour.
Nice to have
Stand mixer. A stand mixer is a pizza maker's dream helping with mixing and kneading leaving you time to work on the toppings. My 7qt. KitchenAid Mixer is my go-to but I'm also a fan of any size!
How to make white pizza (step by step instructions)
The foundation of pizza is a really good crust. There are a few options and every single one of them are great. For this ricotta pizza recipe, I use my classic pizza dough recipe.
Two other crust options:
- Sicilian-style pizza dough: a thicker, bakery-style pizza dough
- Neapolitan pizza dough: a crisp, pizza dough with puffy pockets.
- Store bought. I used Trader Joe's when homemade pizza dough isn't an option.
Everything you need to know on how to make homemade pizza dough is contained in those posts ⬆️ but if time is an issue (and isn't it always?), please feel free to use your favorite store-bought crust.
White pizza variations
Consider this basic white pizza recipe your canvas or starting point. There are so many ways to zhuzh it up!
Here are some big flavor ideas to level up your white pizza:
Spinach, fresh garlic and mushroom. Spread some fresh garlic on the crust before topping with cheeses. Tuck in some fresh spinach leaves and baby 'bella mushrooms for a great white veggie pizza.
Broccolini with Italian herbs. Sauteed broccolini or broccoli with your favorite Italian herb blend.would add really amazing charred flavor to white pizza.
Prosciutto and lemony arugula salad. Top a freshly baked white pizza with super thin slices prosciutto and some lemon arugula salad for a white pizza salad. What a great Sunday lunch!
Storage, reheating and freezing
Store. Refrigerate leftover white pizza slices in an airtight container for up to 4 days. If still soft, I like to use a piece of parchment paper to separate the pieces.
Reheat. For best results, pizza is best reheated in the oven to get the crust crispy and the cheese melted just right. Heat the oven to 350˚ and place the leftover pizza on a baking sheet and heat for about 8 minutes until crisped up.
Freeze. You can freeze white pizza in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months. See directions above for using parchment. I like wrapping plastic as well before placing in the freezer bag. If you've added any greens like arugula on top, I wouldn't recommend freezing.
Made this recipe?
I'd love it if you'd share your review and leave a star rating and comment!
📖 Recipe
Crispy White Pizza with Ricotta and Asiago
Equipment
- cornmeal
Ingredients
- 1 ball of pizza dough, from homemade pizza dough recipe; *see below for other options; store-bought also works
- ½ cup fontina cheese, grated
- 4-5 slices fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
- ½ cup asiago cheese, grated or fontinella
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- fresh basil
- extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- Romano cheese
- crushed red pepper, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500˚ and place a pizza stone in the oven to heat for about 20 minutes.
- To a large pizza peel, generously sprinkle on cornmeal.
- Make the dough into a round and using fingers and pushing in a circular motion, swirl the crust and push out until the circle reaches about 13” in diameter.
- Place dough on pizza peel. Spread on cheeses starting with grated cheeses and then staggering fresh mozzarella. Top with plops of ricotta cheese.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, generous amount of black pepper and sprinkling of romano cheese.
- Bake for about 10 minutes or until the crust is cooked and top is charred to your liking. Broil if desired for a touch more char.
Notes
-
- Sicilian-style pizza dough: a thicker, bakery-style pizza dough
-
- Neapolitan pizza dough: a crisp, pizza dough with puffy pockets.
Delicious!!!
Thank you Kathy! I agree..it's a keeper!😊