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3 Cheese Lemon Basil Pizza. Fresh pizza dough topped with garlic, shallots, lots of fresh grated parmesan, toasted sesame seeds, thyme, chili flakes, and plenty of melty Italian cheese. Add a layer of thinly sliced Meyer lemons and freshly torn basil leaves just before cooking. This pizza has just the right amount of spring citrus, spice, basil, and cheese! Every last bite of this pizza is delicious. And the parmesan sesame topped crust adds a special touch. There never seem to be enough slices to go around!
I’m so happy to share this pizza. Actually, just looking at it makes me happy. It’s so springy and excites me so much.
I created this pizza after coming across photos of a classic Amalfitana pizza topped with thin slices of lemon and lots of chili flakes. Everything about it looked so good. And that was it, I was sold on making pizza, and within 5 minutes, I had this recipe developed in my head.
I’d make a simple lemon basil pizza with shallots, garlic, some fresh thyme, lots of cheese, thin slices of lemon, and lots of chili flakes.
I feel like the lemon could be confusing some of you. If that’s the case, just trust me. If you enjoy a classic white Bianca-style pizza, you will love this even more.
All I did was add a few lemon slices and then double up on the basil. The addition of lemon—and let me clarify, the addition of cooked lemon—is the secret. It’s truly what makes this white pizza the most delicious.
These are the Details
Step 1: the pizza dough
I do make my own dough, but feel free to pick up your favorite store-bought dough. I love the options from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.
If you want to make your own dough, I use the pizza dough recipe in my HBH Every Day cookbook. Just make sure your dough is at room temperature. This will certainly make shaping your pizzas much easier. If the dough is too cold, it will not stretch easily.
Step 2: the toppings
Get the dough all rolled out and transfer to a sheet pan.
Now, layer the naked dough with olive oil, grated garlic, and shallots. I love to use shallots instead of red onions, which I don’t love the flavor of. I like to halve the shallot and then place the pieces right on top of the dough. They slowly caramelize on top of the pizza as it cooks. Super delicious!
After the shallots, add freshly grated parmesan cheese, then some sesame seeds (I love the small amount of crunch they add), thyme leaves, and lots of chili flakes.
Step 3: the cheese
Next, the cheese. I love to use a mix of mozzarella and provolone. Additionally, if you have Fontina, you can use that, too. I would add it in addition to the mozzarella and provolone. I don’t think you can have too much cheese on a white pizza!
You can certainly use any melty mix you enjoy most, this is just my suggestion.
Step 4: the lemons
I love to use a Meyer lemon or a small regular lemon. They tend to be sweeter and much less bitter. When you cook the lemon, it caramelizes and loses all bitterness.
It’s a little sweet with just the right amount of citrus zing. Think of it like honey on pizza, but a little less sweet and more of a fresh lemony flavor. I promise it is really delicious. The cheese balances out any heavy lemon flavor. It really is a delicious combination. You will love it!
I’ve made this pizza a few times recently and it’s always a hit! My mom and I are especially into it, as anything with a lemony cheesy basil flavor is our all-time favorite!
Looking for other pizza recipes? Here are some favorites
Pull Apart Roasted Garlic Pizza Dip Sliders
Pesto Pizza with Feta Stuffed Crust
Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Easy Sheet Pan Tomato Herb Pizza
Pesto Potato Burrata Pizza with Spicy Arugula
Calabrian Chili Roasted Red Pepper Pizza
Lastly, if you make this 3 Cheese Lemon Basil Pizza, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
3 Cheese Lemon Basil Pizza
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 385 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ball of pizza dough
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leave
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 shallot, halved, and leaves separated
- chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup shredded provolone cheese
- 1 small Meyer or regular lemon thinly sliced
- so much fresh basil
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.2. On a lightly floured surface, push the dough out until it's thin (about a 10-12 inch circle). Transfer the dough to a baking sheet. Lightly brush the crust with olive oil, then sprinkle with parmesan, sesame seeds, thyme, garlic, shallots, and chili flakes. Drizzle over the honey.3. Add the mozzarella and provolone. Arrange the lemon slices over the cheese, top with a handful or torn basil leaves. 4. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling. Remove from the oven and top with 2 big handfuls fresh basil. Slice and enjoy!
I really liked this pizza. Was a bit worried about the lemon but it turns out great and not bitter at all as long as it is sliced really thin. The pizza smelled amazing even before going into the oven. I also sliced the shallot to make sure it cooks through.
Definitely a refreshing summery pizza and I agree that adding homemade pesto will elevate the flavour, as the fresh thyme and basil were not quite enough to keep up with the lemon.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Hey Tally,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well for you! Xx
Darn. This recipe sounded really promising but ended up super disappointing. Bland taste, and the crust tasted like paper. I’ve used this brand of pizza crust many times, but I didn’t do my usual amount of oil since recipe advised otherwise..not sure what exactly the recipe got wrong but the crust is disgustingly bland, & the pizza has little to no flavor.
Hi Jillian,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
Wow! My family was skeptical about lemon + pizza, but they loved it immediately! We added a bit of pesto. This will be in the rotation for sure! Thanks again for a great dinner. 🍋
Hi Katie,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well for you! Xx
I’d recommend cooking the shallot before putting it on the pizza, or else you are biting into basically raw shallots .
Unless you like biting into raw onions and raw garlic?
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Erica. The garlic and shallot are going to cook on the pizza:) Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
This looks delicious. I also miss the old print format. Very much
Thanks so much, Susan!! Sorry about the print format, we appreciate the feedback! xx
Thank you for the wonderful recipe! Skipped out the chili flakes to share it with my little ones. It was so refreshing and delicious! Definitely making this again!
Thank you so much:) Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and I appreciate you making it! xT
Hello. I love your recipes and have been cooking them for many years! Thank You! Recently, I am disappointed that you changed the printing format. I file these for future use and really need the beautiful pictures. Now I have to print, then cut and paste a picture on the printed page. Any chance you could go back to the original unsponsored format? I also included calories, etc. Was lovely! Thanks so much.
Hi Charlene,
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and kind message! We will definitely see if we can get a photo added back to the printing format. Have a great Monday! xT
I don’t get your comment. When you select print it brings up a box of items you can choose to have printed. One of them is image. Simply tick the circle next to that and the image will appear on your print
Charlene, you just need to click on Image and Nutrition to add those to your printed version. What I find disappointing is that it does not identify it as a Half-Baked Harvest recipe.
Where does the shallots and garlic come in?
Looks like the garlic and shallots were omitted from the recipe instructions. They are in Step 2 preceding the recipe.
Can you put that into recipe ? It’s confusing….do you slice shallot?
Yes, I can! The shallot is halved, and cloved. So I just pulled them apart, you can see in the photo above for reference:)
Hey Lynn,
You are going to add the shallots and garlic in step 2 with the olive oil. Sorry for any confusion! I hope you love this pizza! xT