Pumpkin is the ultimate vegetarian pizza topping for fall. Make this tasty pumpkin pizza from scratch without cutting into a pumpkin! Instead, use canned pumpkin puree to make the pumpkin pizza sauce.
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Making your own vegetarian pizzas at home is super easy and very rewarding. You can put together flavor combinations that you probably won’t find at your local pizza place, like pumpkin pizza!
I tested this recipe a couple different ways and ultimately decided to make it similar to my butternut squash pizza because it’s just so good! That means we’re making a pumpkin pizza sauce and topping with cheese and herbs. It really couldn’t be easier.
My favorite thing about this recipe is that we don’t need to cut open a pumpkin. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried cutting one of those little pie pumpkins, but it’s a lot of work (and maybe a little dangerous) when you can just open a can of organic pumpkin puree.
This makes a fun meal any night of the week, but is especially fun as a Halloween dinner. You could also cut slices small and serve as a time saving vegetarian Thanksgiving appetizer. If doing this, I would recommend you make it a day ahead of time and toast it up in the oven when ready to serve.
Wheat pizza dough ingredients
- Warm water
- Quick rise yeast
- Sugar
- Salt
- Olive oil
- All-purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour
How to make wheat pizza dough
- Pour warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- Sprinkle yeast and half of the sugar over the top. Whisk until dissolved and let rest until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the sugar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and salt to the yeast mixture.
- Starting with the white flour, add the flour a little bit at a time, running the mixer on low. The dough should start to come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl. It will be slightly sticky to the touch, but should not stick to your fingers.
- Allow the mixer to knead for 5 minutes, or remove the dough from the bowl and knead by hand on a lightly floured surface.
- Form the dough into a tight ball and transfer to a large, lightly oiled bowl, turning it over to completely coat the dough in oil. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Pumpkin pizza sauce ingredients
- Olive oil
- Shallots
- Pumpkin puree
- Salt & pepper
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Nutmeg
- Parmesan cheese
How to make pumpkin pizza sauce
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until the shallots have softened.
- Add the pumpkin puree, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and nutmeg. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warmed and slightly thickened.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese until melted. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
- How to make pumpkin pizza
- Once you have your dough and your sauce prepared, punch the dough down and stretch it out onto a large baking sheet dusted with cornmeal.
- Spread the sauce over the dough evenly.
- Top with shredded fontina cheese and more parmesan if desired. Lay a few fresh sage leaves over the top of the cheese.
- Bake 12-15 minutes at 425ºF or until the edges are crisp and the cheese is melted.
Top tips and questions
Can I use a pizza peel and stone?
I don’t own a pizza peel or stone (affiliate link), and find a baking sheet to work just fine for making pizza. If you do own one and want to use it, I’m sure it would rise better and come out more crisp. Check out Crust Kingdom for more on how to use a pizza peel.
Why do you put cornmeal on the pan?
Dusting the pizza pan with cornmeal helps give the crust a nice crunchy texture and keeps the dough from sticking to the pan. I use a medium grind cornmeal, but any would work.
How do you punch down pizza dough?
After your dough has risen, you’ll want to release some of the gas that has accumulated. Do this by removing the cover on the bowl and lightly punching one fist into the dough. It should deflate. It is now ready to be rolled or stretched.
How to handle pizza dough
You want your pizza dough to stretch evenly without tearing. I find it best to stretch it with my hands a bit before putting it on the pan and using my fingers to spread it further.
I use my knuckles and gravity to give the pizza dough a little stretch. The knuckles are more round and don’t poke through the dough as easily as my fingertips do.
When you pull the dough out of the bowl, work quickly to drape it over one hand, curving your fingers like you’re going to blow on painted fingernails to dry. Let gravity pull the dough down a bit, then swap it to the other hand, placing a thicker side on your other knuckles and stretching that portion.
Once you have a rough rectangle you can place the dough on the pan and use your fingertips to spread it out further.
How big is this pumpkin pizza?
If you use all the dough in this recipe you’ll have one very large pizza. You could split this dough and make two smaller pizzas with the same amount of ingredients, or just use half the sauce and make one pumpkin pizza and one pizza of a different flavor.
How to store leftover homemade pizza
Allow the pizza to cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or the freezer for up to 3 months. If you need to stack slices, separate them with layers of parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Is parmesan cheese vegetarian?
Most parmesan cheese is not vegetarian, so I recommend trying to find cheese made with vegetable rennet at a store near you.
Tips for customizing
- Add chopped fresh spinach or kale to the top of the pizza
- Use homemade pumpkin puree, just make sure it is thick enough to spread and not watery
- Skip the whole wheat flour and use all white flour, adding just enough to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers
- Swap the parmesan and fontina for your favorite cheese such as mozzarella or gruyere
- Use a vegan cheese to make this vegan
- Purchase a store bought pizza crust or gluten-free crust
- Skip the crust entirely, bake everything in an 8×8 baking dish until warm and serve with rice crackers or crostini
More homemade vegetarian pizza recipes
- Butternut Squash Pizza with Kale
- Greek Pizza
- Pesto Flatbread Pizza
- Onion and Green Pepper Pizza
- Spanakopita Pizza Dippers
- Spinach and Egg Pizza
- Veggie Pizza Sauce
- Tomato, Onion, and Arugula Pizza
- Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Pumpkin Pizza
Ingredients
Wheat pizza dough
- 1 cup warm water, 90-100ºF
- 1 packet quick rise yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the bowl
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ -2 cups whole wheat flour
Pumpkin pizza sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots, diced
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree, 1 ½ cups
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
For the pizza
- Cornmeal for dusting the pan, optional
- 2 cups shredded fontina cheese
- 8-10 sage leaves
Instructions
Wheat pizza dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, pour in warm water.
- Sprinkle yeast over the top and half of the sugar.
- Whisk until dissolved and let rest until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the sugar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and salt to the yeast mixture.
- Starting with the white flour, add the flour a little bit at a time, pulsing to start to prevent it from flying out of the bowl. The dough should start to come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl. It will be slightly sticky to the touch, but should not stick to your fingers.
- Allow the mixer to knead for 5 minutes, or remove the dough from the bowl and knead by hand on a lightly floured surface.
- Form the dough into a tight ball and transfer to a large, lightly oiled bowl, turning it over to completely coat the dough in oil. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Pumpkin pizza sauce
- While the dough is rising, prepare the pumpkin pizza sauce.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until the shallots have softened.
- Add the pumpkin puree, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and nutmeg. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warmed and slightly thickened.
- Remove from the heat, add in the parmesan cheese, and stir to melt. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
Pumpkin pizza
- Heat the oven to 425ºF.
- Dust a large baking sheet with cornmeal.
- Remove the cover from the bowl of dough and punch the dough with one hand to release the air.
- Using your hands, stretch the dough into a rough rectangle. Place on the prepared pan and use your fingertips to spread it out into an even layer.
- Spread the pumpkin pizza sauce evenly over the dough.
- Sprinkle with shredded fontina and parmesan cheese.
- Place enough sage leaves over the top so that every slice will get some.
- Bake 12-15 minutes or until the edges are crispy and everything is hot. Let rest a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Tips for customizing
- Add chopped fresh spinach or kale to the top of the pizza
- Use homemade pumpkin puree, just make sure it is thick enough to spread and not watery
- Skip the whole wheat flour and use all white flour, adding just enough to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers
- Swap the parmesan and fontina for your favorite cheese such as mozzarella or gruyere
- Use a vegan cheese to make this vegan
- Purchase a store bought pizza crust or gluten-free crust
- Skip the crust entirely, bake everything in an 8×8 baking dish until warm and serve with rice crackers or crostini
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