This Grilled Pesto Pizza with Avocado is the summer smash you’ve been looking for! With delicious homemade pesto sauce, two kinds of cheese, and creamy California Avocados, this is a grilled pizza recipe you’re going to want to come back to again and again.
(Thanks to California Avocado Commission for sponsoring this post!)
Pesto Pizza
Get ready to wow your tastebuds with this delicious vegetarian pizza! If you’ve ever made homemade pizza on the grill, you know how incredible it can be. I love making my own grilled pizza, because it tastes so much better than store-bought frozen pizza, and it’s a lot more straightforward to make than people think. Plus, I can control exactly what ingredients are in it, so I can add a little bit of a healthy twist.
This pesto pizza recipe will turn your average pizza night into a FANTASTIC pizza party! No more boring frozen pizza for movie night. Get your whole family to pitch in and make some memories! Then sit back and relax, and enjoy these long sunny summer nights.
Grilled Pesto Avocado Pizza
My oldest son works at Stonefire Grill, so we eat there quite a bit. Their pesto pizza, or Stonefire’s Favorite Pizzais so good, I knew I had to try to make my own spin. And, since June is National Avocado Month, I know it’s peak season for California Avocados! With that combination, I knew I would have a hit on my hands! Now, you can have your very own tasty grilled pesto pizza even if you don’t live near a Stonefire Grill.
What Do You Put on Pesto Pizza?
To make this grilled pizza recipe I used California Avocados, my Best Homemade Pesto, sweet red onion, feta cheese, mozzarella, and fresh basil on my Easy Whole Wheat Pizza Crust to make this delicious Stonefire pizza copycat recipe.
Using homemade pesto as the sauce makes this pizza really stand out from the crowd! I love the fresh, rich flavor of a good basil pesto sauce, and it’s the perfect match for pizza. If you love the idea of pesto pizza but you need something super quick, you’ll love this Pesto Pita Bread Pizza.
How Do You Make Pesto Pizza?
Making pesto pizza is a breeze! Stick with me, and I’ll share with you how to make the best grilled pizza!
The most important part of any pizza is the crust. It’s the base of the pizza, and it holds a ton of the flavor! A great crust makes a great pizza. A great crust can save a pizza!
Even people who think they can’t make bread will be able to make a great crust with my easy, no-rise pizza crust recipe. It takes less than 10 minutes to throw together, and only a few minutes to bake on the grill. Better yet, whip up a double batch and freeze the extra dough! You’ll have instant crust for next time.
When your pizza dough is mixed and kneaded, you’re ready to get out that grill! If you have a pizza stone, this is a great way to get some use out of it. If you don’t have a pizza stone, don’t worry! You can totally make delicious grilled pizza without a pizza stone–just use tin foil sprayed with cooking spray. It’s so super easy to clean up, too!
- Take two long pieces of tin foil and lay overlapping each other to make a large square.
- Spray tin foil with cooking spray.
- Roll dough in a large circle, about a ½ inch thick and place on tin foil.
- Spray the top of the dough with cooking spray.
- Holding each end of the foil, carefully place on the grill (with the foil on the bottom) and close the grill.
- Cook for a couple minutes until the bottom of the crust is how you like it. I like to rotate mine if I can because some spots on my grill get hotter than others.
Once your crust is crusty, it’s time to make some pizza! Follow these simple steps to get a great pizza.
- Carefully take the foil off the grill and put onto a heat resistant surface and flip the dough over.
- Spread pesto on the golden brown side of crust.
- Sprinkle a layer of feta cheese all over the crust, then a layer of mozzarella.
- Add sliced red onion and place back on the grill
- After about 3-5 minutes, when the cheese is melted, open grill lid and place sliced California Avocados onto pizza and close lid for another 1-2 minutes until heated through.
- Take pesto pizza off the grill and top with lots of diced basil leaves. Slice up and serve. Enjoy!!
For another great grilled pizza recipe, check out my BBQ Chicken Pizza! For even more pizza ideas, click here.
Basil Pesto
I always make plenty of extra pesto whenever a recipe calls for it, so I have lots left over. What goes well with pesto? Plenty! Pesto is traditionally served with pasta (like this Creamy Chicken and Pesto Pasta) and it’s also great on sandwiches as a spread and is perfect for paninis!
Pesto also pairs especially well with fresh tomatoes, spinach, and chicken. Pretty much anything fresh and Italian is a good match! Here are just a few of my favorite ways to use my homemade pesto.
- Pesto Grilled Cheese Panini
- Chicken Pesto Panini
- Turkey Pesto Burger
- Roasted Asparagus and Mushroom Pesto Pasta Salad
- Easy Tortellini Pesto Salad
- Pesto Chicken Salad
Want more yummy California Avocado Recipes? Check these out!
Air Fryer Southwestern Egg Rolls
Grilled Cobb Salad with Avocado Dressing
Spinach Salad with Avocado, Berries & Honey Vinaigrette
Grilled Pesto Pizza with Avocado | Stonefire Grill Copycat
Ingredients
CRUST RECIPE:
- 1/4- oz package dry active yeast
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 3/4 cup warm water 110 degrees
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
TOPPINGS:
- Pesto sauce
- Feta cheese
- Mozzarella cheese shredded
- Red onion thinly sliced
- California Avocado sliced
- Basil diced small
Instructions
- Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water in a measuring cup, let rest for 8 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture. Add the olive oil, mix well.
- Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. You do NOT need to let this dough rise!! (Note: if you want to make extra dough to freeze and use later, roll the extra dough into a ball and place in a freezer bag and freeze. Thaw in the fridge completely and then begin with step four.)
- Take two long pieces of tin foil and lay overlapping each other to make a large square. Spray with cooking spray. Roll dough in a large circle, about ½ inch thick and place on top of sprayed tin foil. Spray top of pizza dough with cooking spray. Holding each end of the foil, carefully place on the grill (with the foil on the bottom). Close grill lid. Cook for a couple minutes, until the bottom of the crust is how you like it. I like to rotate mine if I can because some spots in my grill get hotter than others.
- Carefully take foil off the grill onto a heat resistant surface and flip dough over. Spread pesto on golden brown side of crust. Sprinkle feta cheese all over the pizza and then mozzarella. Top with sliced red onion and place back onto the grill. Half avocado and take out the pit. Place flat side down on the grill. After about 3-5 minutes, when the cheese is melted, open grill lid and take off avocado halves, slice and place onto pizza and close lid for about 1-2 minutes until heated through.
- Take pizza off the grill and top with lots of diced basil leaves. Slice up and serve. Enjoy!!
Make sure to pin the image below of this great Stonefire Pizza Copycat!
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(Thanks again to California Avocado Commission for sponsoring this post!)
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