How to Grill Pizza: Step-by-Step Guide for Gas, Charcoal & Pellet Grills

Pizza on the grill gives you something an indoor oven can't: real fire. The crust picks up char and a little smoke, the bottom crackles, and the whole thing is done in minutes. It's also the most social cook in the backyard, since everyone can build their own pie and watch it bubble.

This guide covers both ways to do it, straight on the grates and on a cast iron stone, on gas, charcoal and pellet grills. You'll get the setup, the exact steps, how thick to stretch the dough, which toppings work, and how to fix sticking and burning.

Why grill pizza at all?

• Char and smoke. Direct flame blisters the crust in a way a home oven can't, and charcoal or pellets add a wood-fired flavor.
• Speed. Once the grill is hot, a thin pie takes under 10 minutes.
• It keeps the heat outside. No 500°F oven warming up the kitchen.
• It fits right into a cookout. Top pies with leftover pulled pork, smoked sausage or grilled vegetables from the same fire.

What you need

• A grill with a lid. Gas, charcoal, kamado or pellet all work.
• Pizza dough. Homemade or a mix built for the grill. See the dough section below.
• A peel or a rimless baking sheet to carry dough out and slide pizzas off. The 10x18" Bamboo Pizza Peel works well here.
• Long tongs and a wide spatula for flipping the crust.
• Oil and a brush for the grates and the dough.
• A thermometer. Lid gauges often read differently from grate level, so an oven thermometer on the grate helps.
• Optional: a cast iron pizza stone for thicker crusts and heavier toppings.

Pitmaster's Grilled Pizza Kit

$49.99

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Set up two heat zones

Every good grilled pizza uses two zones: a hot side to set and char the crust, and a cooler side where the toppings finish under the lid without burning the bottom. This is the single biggest difference between a great grilled pie and a charred frisbee.

Gas grill

Turn all burners to high with the lid closed and preheat for 10 to 15 minutes. Right before cooking, turn one or two burners on one side down to low or off. Aim for about 450 to 500°F on the hot side. Clean the grates with a brush, then wipe them with an oiled towel held in tongs.

Charcoal grill or kamado

Light a full chimney of charcoal and pour it onto one half of the grill, leaving the other half empty. Put the grate on, close the lid with the vents open, and let it heat for about 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grates. Charcoal runs hotter right over the coals, so watch the first crust closely. On a kamado, a half-moon heat deflector creates the same two zones.

Pellet grill

Pellet grills don't have a true direct zone, so set the highest temperature your grill will hold and preheat with the lid closed for at least 15 minutes. The area right over the fire pot is usually hottest. Many pellet grills do better with a stone or pan than with dough straight on the grates.

Dough: type and thickness

Thin is your friend on the grates. Thick dough burns on the outside before the middle cooks.

• Stretch to about 1/4 inch or a little less. If you can almost see light through the center, it's right.
• Keep it a size you can handle. 10 to 12 inch rounds or ovals flip far more easily than one giant pie. Free-form shapes are fine.
• Let cold dough warm up. Dough straight from the fridge fights back and shrinks. Give it 1 to 2 hours on the counter, covered.
• A slightly stiffer dough is easier. Very wet, high-hydration dough can sag through the grates. If yours is soft, use a stone or pan.
• Use a dough made for the grill. The Pitmaster's Grilled Pizza Kit includes Urban Slicer Pizza Worx Outdoor Grilling Pizza Dough, a thin and crispy blend designed to cook directly on the grates. One package makes two crusts of about 14 inches.

Making your own? Our 24 hour cold ferment pizza dough guide explains the timing, flour and hydration.

How to grill pizza, step by step

1. Prep everything first. Sauce, cheese and toppings ready and next to the grill. Pre-cook any raw meat and grill or saute watery vegetables. Things move fast once dough hits the grate.
2. Heat and set two zones. About 450 to 500°F on the hot side, grates cleaned and oiled.
3. Stretch and oil the dough. Stretch it on a floured or semolina-dusted peel or sheet. Brush the top with olive oil.
4. Grill the first side. Flip the dough oiled side down onto the hot side. Brush the new top with a little oil. Close the lid for 1 to 3 minutes, until the bottom has grill marks and bubbles form on top.
5. Flip and move. Use tongs and a spatula to flip the crust grilled side up and slide it to the cool side.
6. Top it fast and light. A thin layer of sauce, then cheese, then toppings, leaving a small border.
7. Close the lid and finish. 3 to 6 minutes, until the cheese melts and the bottom is browned but not black. Lift an edge to check. If the bottom is done but the cheese isn't, keep it on the cool side and close the lid longer.
8. Rest and slice. Slide it onto a board, rest 1 to 2 minutes so the cheese sets, then slice. Add fresh basil or a drizzle of oil at the end.

10x18" Bamboo Pizza Peel by Offset

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The stone method: for thicker crusts and heavy toppings

A cast iron pizza stone turns your grill into a pizza oven. It spreads heat evenly, gives a crisp bottom without grill marks, and handles thicker crusts, deep toppings and frozen pizza that would fall apart on bare grates.

1. Put the stone on the cold grill, then preheat together with the lid closed for 20 to 30 minutes. Heating them together avoids thermal shock.
2. Keep the grill within the stone's heat rating. The Outset 18" Cast Iron Pizza Stone is rated to 446°F by the manufacturer, so hold the grill at 425 to 445°F.
3. Build the pizza on a peel dusted with semolina or cornmeal. Give it a shake to make sure it slides.
4. Slide it onto the stone, close the lid and cook about 8 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway, until the bottom is golden and the cheese bubbles.

Outset 18" Cast Iron Pizza Stone for Grill & Oven + Free Cutter

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For the full walkthrough, see How to Use a Pizza Stone on the Grill. Want a deep, pan-style crust? Read Cast Iron Skillet Pizza on the Grill.

Toppings that work on the grill

Grilled pizza cooks fast, so toppings only have a few minutes to heat through. That changes the rules.

• Go light. Less sauce and fewer toppings than an oven pizza. A heavy pie stays raw on top and soggy in the middle.
• Pre-cook meat. Sausage, bacon and chicken go on fully cooked. Pepperoni and other cured meats can go on raw.
• Tame wet vegetables. Grill or saute mushrooms, zucchini, peppers and onions first so they don't flood the crust.
• Use low-moisture mozzarella as the base. Fresh mozzarella is great but tear it small and pat it dry.
• Play to the grill. Pulled pork, smoked sausage, brisket burnt ends and BBQ chicken all belong here. Smoked gouda or provolone pairs well with BBQ sauce bases.
• Finish after. Basil, arugula, hot honey, a drizzle of good olive oil and grated parmesan all go on once it's off the heat.

Fixes for sticking, burning and sogginess

Three pies to start with

Pepperoni and sausage

Pizza sauce, low-moisture mozzarella, pepperoni and crumbled cooked Italian sausage. Cupping pepperoni curls into little crisp cups on the grill. Try our Everyday Classic Pepperoni on the Grill.

Grilled veggie

Brush sliced peppers, red onion, zucchini and mushrooms with oil, season, and grill until tender. Use pizza sauce or pesto, mozzarella and the grilled vegetables, then finish with basil.

BBQ chicken

Grill a chicken breast, brushing with BBQ sauce for the last few minutes, then dice. Use BBQ sauce as the base with mozzarella, a little smoked gouda, the chicken and thin red onion. Finish with cilantro. See Gayle's BBQ Chicken Pizza for a reader favorite.

Frequently asked questions

Can you put pizza dough directly on the grill grates?

Yes. Stretch the dough thin, brush the side going down with oil, and lay it on clean, oiled grates over direct heat. It firms up in about 1 to 3 minutes, which is what keeps it from falling through.

What temperature should the grill be for pizza?

For pizza straight on the grates, aim for about 450 to 500°F on the hot side. If you use a cast iron pizza stone, follow the maker's heat rating. Our Outset stone is rated to 446°F, so keep the grill at 425 to 445°F.

Do you flip pizza on the grill?

On the grates, yes, but only the bare crust. Grill one side, flip it, then add toppings to the cooked side and finish with the lid closed. On a stone or pan you do not flip.

Should you close the lid when grilling pizza?

Yes, once the toppings are on. The closed lid traps heat so the cheese melts before the bottom burns.

How do you keep pizza from sticking to the grill?

Clean and oil the grates, oil the dough, and do not move the crust until it firms up and releases on its own, usually 1 to 3 minutes.

Why is my grilled pizza burnt on the bottom and raw on top?

The heat under it is too strong for the topping load. Move the pizza to the cool side once it is topped, close the lid, use fewer toppings, and stretch the dough thinner.

Is it better to grill pizza on a stone or on the grates?

Grates give more char and a crackly, thin crust. A cast iron stone or pan gives an even, crisp bottom and handles thicker crusts and heavier toppings. Both work.

Can you grill frozen pizza?

Yes, on a stone or pan over indirect heat with the lid closed. Do not put a frozen pizza straight on the grates.

Originally contributed by Arsal Sher of Fire Pit Surplus. Updated and expanded by the Grill Masters Club team.

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