BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza
Want to make the most decadent pizza at home? This BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza is something special! Made with easy-to-find ingredients and leftover pulled pork, this homemade pizza recipe is easy to put together and make any night of the week. Makes 1 pizza, but can easily be doubled or tripled.
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2023 Update: This recipe was originally shared in July 2014. I have updated this recipe to include ingredient measurements by weight and more details. The post has been updated to include new photos, as well as more tips and tricks. I hope you love them!
When I was a kid, a pizza place in my hometown made a delightful BBQ pizza with Memphis-style pulled pork.
My family discovered it one Friday night, and we then ordered it weekly.
Sadly, the restaurant eventually stopped carrying that pizza, and I have tried a LOT of BBQ Pizzas in an attempt to rediscover this classic.
The bad news is I’ve never eaten one that hits the same sense memory as this pizza from the days of yore.
The good news is I’ve found something similar… and I made it on my own kitchen, and you can, too.
Why I love this recipe:
In 2020, my family of four had pizza night to celebrate every Friday and the close of the work week.
This BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza started making am appearance when we had pulled pork in our fridge because it’s an excellent way to use leftovers. (These BBQ Nachos are also brilliant for pork leftovers.)
Honestly, if you have the ingredients in your fridge and pantry, this homemade pizza is hard to beat.
It’s such a wonderful combination: crispy crust paired with gooey cheese; melt-in-your-mouth shredded pork combined with a acidic tomato sauce and sweet-spicy-vinegary BBQ sauce.
Then you add red onion and parsley (or cilantro, if it doesn’t taste like soap to you) on top for the win.
It looks like the kind of pizza pie you’d get at a restaurant… but you made it at home!
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Need mealtime inspiration? Check out my Dinner Recipe Index for more ideas.
What you need to make this recipe:
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- Pizza stone or sheet pan
- Parchment paper
- Cheese grater
- Sharp knife and cutting board
- Pizza slicer
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
- Pizza dough — you can grab a ball of it at the store or make your own. (This Homemade Pizza Dough is a family favorite, as is Sourdough Pizza Crust.)
- Pizza sauce — storebought pizza sauce is excellent. I also sometimes use my homemade marinara sauce for pizza, too.
- Barbecue sauce — you can get your favorite at the store (we prefer Rendezvous and Stubb’s brands in our house) or you can make your own barbecue sauce
- Mozzarella cheese — you can get the pre-shredded kind from the store or shred your own!
- BBQ pulled pork — I love to make this recipe using leftover pulled pork, but you can make the pulled pork for it, too!
- Red onion — also known as purple onions, this is going to add some color and pop to the top of our pizza.
- Chopped parsley or cilantro — these add some brightness after the pizza comes out of the oven. It’s optional, but it is beautiful.
Variations
If you don’t have pulled pork, this recipe can be made with shredded chicken. (We love rotisserie chicken for something like this, but you can use cooked chicken breasts or thighs.) Toss it in your favorite BBQ sauce before adding it to the pizza to give it some more barbecue flavor.
How to make BBQ Pizza with Pulled Pork
Preheat the oven to 475°F, and place a pizza stone into the oven as it heats. Heating the pizza stone in the oven will help the crust crisp up QUICKLY, especially if you roll it thin.
Roll out the pizza dough on a floured sheet of parchment paper, and set aside until the oven has preheated. Roll the dough to your desired thickness. We like to leave ours about 1/2″ thick.
Pro tip!
A thinner crust will cook faster while a thicker one will take longer.
If the crust is too thin, it might not be able to hold all the toppings.
Once the oven is hot and the pizza stone is heated, remove the pizza stone and transfer the pizza dough onto the stone.
Build the pizza quickly!
Measure the pizza sauce onto the dough, then add half of the barbecue sauce. Swirl the two around on the dough, covering the surface.
Top the sauces with the cheese, then sprinkle the pulled pork on top of the cheese.
Sprinkle the sliced red onions on top of the pulled pork.
Transfer the pizza stone into the oven on the middle rack, and bake until bubbly and the dough has crisped up (about 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven.)
Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes.
Drizzle the rest of the barbecue sauce on top of the pizza and garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley.
Slice and enjoy immediately!
How to store
If you have any leftover pizza, let it cool completely before transferring to an airtight food storage container. You can stack it on top of itself. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat in the microwave or a toaster oven. I personally like the toaster oven so that the pizza crisps up.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
Pizza parties are fun… and we love to invite friends over for at-home pizza nights!
If you’re going to do this and serve this BBQ Pizza recipe, here are some suggestions:
- Have more than enough rounds of pizza dough and toppings. Either make extra (because they freeze well) or grab more at the store to ensure you’ll have enough for as many pizzas as guests want.
- Make individual-sized pizzas. Personal pan pizzas are fun… and a lot more manageable to share pizza stones or baking sheets!
- Set out the toppings and let guests make their own! Everyone can build their ideal pizza at this pizza party.
Quick tips and tricks to making the BEST pizza at home:
- Preheating the oven and pizza stone makes a difference. Not only will your pizza cook faster, but the crust will crisp up better!
- Use homemade ingredients… or purchase store-bought shortcuts (like pizza dough, pizza sauce, BBQ sauce and shredded cheese!)
- Pay attention to how thick you like the crust. We like a crust that’s not too thin but also isn’t so thick that it’s chewy. We’ve found that a 1/2″ thick round of dough is ideal.
More pizza recipes to try:
More recipes to make with BBQ pulled pork:
Here’s how you can make it:
BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza
Sometimes, you need to bake pizza. Today is one of those days, and I highly recommend this scrumptious BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza for a quick meal!
Ingredients
- 1 round homemade (or store-bought) pizza dough (1 lb.)
- ½ cup simple red sauce (130g)
- ½ cup barbecue sauce (146g), divided
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese (8 oz.)
- 1 cup pulled pork shoulder (9 oz.)
- 1 very small red onion, sliced into rings (50g)
Garnishes
- Chopped parsley or cilantro (fresh)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475°F, and place a pizza stone into the oven as it heats. (This will help your pizza have a very crispy bottom crust.)
- Roll out the dough on a floured sheet of parchment paper, and set aside until the oven has preheated.
- Once the oven is hot and the pizza stone is equally heated, remove the pizza stone and transfer the pizza dough onto the stone. Build the pizza quickly!
- Measure the simple red sauce onto the dough, then add half of the barbecue sauce. Swirl the two around on the dough, covering the surface.
- Top the sauces with the cheese, then sprinkle the pulled pork on top of the cheese.
- Sprinkle the sliced red onions on top of the pulled pork.
- Transfer the pizza stone into the oven on the middle rack, and bake until bubbly and the dough has crisped up (about 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven.)
- Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes.
- Drizzle the rest of the barbecue sauce on top of the pizza, garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley.
- Slice and enjoy immediately!
Notes
This makes a 12" pizza. My husband and I can devour the entire thing, but it can be shared among more people if you are not super hungry.
You can make this on a sheet pan if you don't have a pizza stone. You might need to bake it for a bit longer to ensure the bottom of your crust is crispy.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 293Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 604mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 13g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.
Homemade is usually always best and your homemade pulled pork pizza looks like a winner. My husband would love it! Pinning!
I love BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza! It’s so yummy. I haven’t recreated any foods from my childhood but I do get requests from my husband to make meals from his. And they’re usually all so delicious. 🙂
This look amazing and delicious. I would, however have to saute those onions before I plop them on my pizza.. Can’t stand a crunch onion.
I am not a huge pizza fan unless it’s BBQ, and then I can eat a whole one by myself! This looks sooo good!
This. Looks. Amazing.
My dad and stepmom do homemade pizza night pretty much every Friday. I might have to see if they can add this to the rotation next time I visit. 🙂
We used to have a local place with B-B-Q pizza also. It sure was good! Your recipe sounds awesome!
Oh goodness that looks wonderful! I love BBQ Chicken Pizza, Im not sure I have ever had Pulled Pork Pizza. I love Pulled Pork and Pizza so I know I will love this pizza!
Oh wow, am I a fan of how this pizza looks. Great job!
This is absolute pizza perfection!
I love pulled pork pizza but they are usually a little too sweet, our family LOVED your version using both BBQ and tomato sauce! WINNER FOR DINNER!
we absolutely DEVOURED this pizza!! My kids asked me to make it again before we were even done with the dishes!