How to Cook Pizza in a Cast Iron Skillet
Transform fresh dough into a deep, crispy-crust pan pizza baked to bubbly golden-brown perfection using an oven-safe cast iron skillet.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ 10 or 12-inch cast iron skillet
- ✓ Heavy-duty oven mitts
- ✓ Metal spatula
- ✓ Chef's knife or pizza wheel
- ✓ Pastry brush or spoon
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ 1 lb pizza dough (at room temperature)
- ✓ 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ✓ 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- ✓ 1.5 to 2 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- ✓ Toppings of choice (pepperoni, mushrooms, fresh basil)
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Always assume the cast iron skillet handle is scalding hot; keep a silicone handle cover or thick oven mitt nearby at all times.
- • Adjust oven rack to the lower-middle position before preheating the oven to 500°F (260°C).
- • Never pour cold water into a hot cast iron skillet, as thermal shock can warp or crack the iron.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Preheat the Oven and Oil the Skillet
Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C) with the rack in the lower-middle position. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the bottom of a clean 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet. Use your fingers or a pastry brush to spread the oil evenly across the bottom and completely up the interior side walls.
- • Skillet surface shows a glossy, even layer of oil covering the bottom and interior rim.
- • Oven preheat indicator signals 500°F (260°C).
- • Using too little oil, causing the dough to stick to the cast iron.
- • Skipping oiling the side walls of the pan.
Shape and Press the Dough
Place the room-temperature dough ball directly into the oiled skillet. Use your fingertips to dimple and press the dough outward until it stretches to the edges of the pan and slightly up the sides. If the dough snaps back aggressively, let it rest in the pan for 10 minutes so the gluten relaxes, then press again.
- • Dough forms an even, dimpled layer covering the entire base of the skillet.
- • Dough slightly curls 0.5 inches up the side walls of the pan.
- • Working with cold dough straight from the fridge, which shrinks and resists stretching.
- • Tearing the dough by pulling instead of gently pressing with fingertips.
Layer the Sauce and Cheese
Spoon 1/2 cup of pizza sauce across the dough, spreading it evenly and leaving a thin margin around the perimeter. Scatter shredded mozzarella across the entire surface, intentionally letting cheese meet the cast iron edge to form a caramelized crown. Arrange your preferred toppings evenly across the top.
- • Sauce is evenly distributed beneath cheese without thick wet puddles.
- • Cheese covers dough all the way to the rim where the crust meets the pan wall.
- • Overloading with heavy sauce, which makes the top center soggy and gummy.
- • Using fresh wet mozzarella without draining, releasing excess water during baking.
Crisp the Bottom on the Stovetop
Place the loaded skillet onto a stovetop burner set to medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Listen for a gentle, rhythmic sizzling sound and observe tiny oil bubbles rising around the outer crust. This jump-starts crust crisping so the bottom cooks at the same speed as the top cheese.
- • Tiny oil bubbles visible at the edge where dough meets the pan.
- • Audible steady sizzle coming from the base of the pan.
- • Setting the burner to high heat, scorching the bottom raw dough before baking.
- • Leaving the pan unattended on the stovetop for too long.
Bake in the Oven
Using two heavy-duty oven mitts, transfer the skillet directly from the stovetop into the preheated 500°F (260°C) oven. Bake undisturbed for 12 to 15 minutes. Bake until the cheese is bubbling vigorously with deep brown spots and the exposed crust is dark golden.
- • Cheese has melted into a golden-brown speckled layer with active bubbling.
- • Crust perimeter is puffed, dark golden-brown, and pulling slightly away from the pan edge.
- • Opening the oven door repeatedly, losing high heat needed for oven spring.
- • Removing the pizza too early while cheese is pale and crust remains doughy.
Check Bottom, Rest, and Slice
Remove the skillet using oven mitts and set it on a heatproof surface. Slide a metal spatula underneath the crust to confirm the bottom is rigid, dark golden, and crisp. Let the pizza rest in the skillet for 3 to 5 minutes, then slide it onto a cutting board and slice into wedges.
- • Underside of the crust is rigid, dry, and golden-brown when lifted with a spatula.
- • Pizza slides cleanly out of the cast iron pan onto the cutting board in one solid piece.
- • Slicing the pizza inside the cast iron, which damages your knives and scrapes the pan seasoning.
- • Slicing immediately without resting, causing molten cheese and sauce to slide off.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Diablo Ruby & Bane — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Pizza wheel? Large chef's knife or clean heavy-duty kitchen shears
- No Cast iron skillet? Heavy 9-to-10-inch round metal cake pan or oven-safe stainless steel skillet
- No Pizza sauce? Canned crushed tomatoes seasoned with olive oil, dried oregano, and a pinch of salt