This flavorful Dill Pickle Pizza has a crispy crust topped with creamy ranch sauce, melted cheese, and dill pickle slices!
If you love the tangy flavor of dill pickles, this is the pizza for you! It’s hard to imagine how this pizza tastes, but you won’t be able to stop at just one bite.
What You’ll Find In This Post
What is Dill Pickle Pizza
Pickle Pizza is a unique and popular pizza by Rick’s Pizza sold at the Minnesota State Fair. It is described as “a hand-tossed pizza crust topped with specialty dill ranch sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese, crunchy dill pickle slices, and fresh dill.” The combination of flavors is irresistible.
Other local restaurants sell their own version of this popular fair food, and after some of my friends tried it and raved about it, we had to try making it a home! After trying a slice, you will have to agree that the creamy sauce and melted cheese are the perfect complement to the tangy dill pickles.
Ranch Sauce Ingredients
- Butter: The butter provides fat to make a smooth roux. It also adds a rich, savory flavor to the sauce.
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic adds a pungent, savory flavor to the sauce.
- Flour: All-purpose flour combines with melted butter to create a roux that thickens the sauce.
- Buttermilk: We used buttermilk as the liquid in the sauce for an additional tangy flavor. You could also use whole milk with one tablespoon of white vinegar stirred into it.
- Parmesan: Freshley grated parmesan cheese adds a rich, nutty flavor and a creamy texture to the sauce.
- Seasoning: In addition to the minced garlic, we seasoned the sauce with flavors similar to what you’d find in ranch dressing. We added dried dill, chives, parsley, salt, and black pepper.
Dill Pickle Pizza Ingredients
- Dough: We made homemade pizza dough for the crust. You can also use store-bought pizza dough, two-ingredient pizza dough, or even frozen bread dough that you’ve thawed.
- Sauce: For pizza sauce, we used a homemade ranch sauce. You could also use a garlic sauce or a white sauce if you prefer, but we suggest adding dill to whatever sauce you choose since this is a dill pickle pizza.
- Cheese: The combination of shredded mozzarella and shredded provolone is popular at pizzerias, and we agree that the two are perfect together. But you can use only mozzarella if you prefer.
- Pickles: Dill pickles are the star of the pizza! You can add them before or after baking the pizza.
- Dill: Garnish the pizza with dried dill to add additional dill flavor after the pizza finishes baking.
How To Make Dill Pickle Pizza
Ranch Sauce for Pizza
Start by making the ranch sauce for the pizza. This sauce is a white sauce with plenty of garlic and the flavors of ranch dressing!
- You can make the ranch sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge overnight.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
- Whisk in the flour and cook while stirring for two minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the buttermilk until the flour has dissolved.
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and allow it to cool slightly before adding to the pizza.
Prepare the Crust
First, roll the pizza crust out on a silicone mat. If the dough doesn’t want to stretch easily, allow it to rest for five minutes and then try again.
Pizza Peel: Spread a little semolina flour on a pizza peel and then add the pizza dough crust. When you shake the peel, the crust should be able to slide around. If it doesn’t slide around, sprinkle more semolina flour underneath.
Cookie Sheet: You can use a cookie sheet in place of a pizza peel. Follow the same method as above.
Pizza Stone Alternative: If you don’t own a pizza stone, you can bake your dill pickle pizza on a greased baking sheet. If you use this method, it is best to prebake the crust for five minutes before adding the toppings.
Once the crust is ready, spread the ranch sauce over it. For the best results, don’t skimp on the sauce!
Dill Pickle Pizza Toppings
Now the pickle pizza is ready for the toppings! Add the shredded mozzarella cheese and half of the shredded provolone.
Top the cheese with sliced dill pickles. We like adding the pickles before baking the pizza because it adds to the flavor of the pizza. But you can wait and add them before serving if you prefer.
Finally, sprinkle on the remaining shredded provolone.
Bake the Pizza
Slide the pizza from the pizza peel (or cookie sheet) directly onto the hot pizza stone in the oven. Bake the pizza at 425˚F for 15-20 minutes. Remove it from the oven and garnish with dried dill.
Or, if you want to bake the pizza directly on the baking sheet, you’ll only need to bake it at 425˚F for 10-15 minutes since you prebaked the crust for 5 minutes already.
Storage of Leftovers
- Make Ahead: The best way to prepare ahead of time is to make the ranch sauce and the pizza dough beforehand. Store them in the refrigerator overnight.
- Refrigerator: Allow leftover pickle pizza to cool and then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Pickles do not hold up well in the freezer, so if you plan to freeze leftovers, we suggest adding the pickles at serving time. Freeze pizza in an airtight, freezer-safe container for 1-2 months.
- Reheating: Reheat leftover pizza in the oven, microwave, or air fryer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! It is the featured ingredient on dill pickle pizza but is also popular on cheeseburger pizza and pulled pork pizza.
Pickle pizza is available at the Minnesota State Fair as well as several local restaurants for a limited time.
Our version uses a homemade ranch sauce. Other recipes include a garlic sauce or a white sauce.
What To Serve With Pizza
- This Italian Salad has crisp romaine lettuce topped with tomatoes, black olives, sliced onions, pepperoncini, homemade croutons, and Italian dressing.
- Who can resist cheesy Garlic Bread on toasted slices of Italian bread served with pizza sauce for dipping?
- Italian Pasta Salad is made with tri-color pasta and is full of colorful veggies, pepperoni, and cheese.
- Start the meal with Italian Sausage Soup, which is full of flavor and color.
Dill Pickle Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pizza crust dough
- 2 tablespoon semolina flour needed when using pizza peel
- 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup shredded provolone
- 1 cup sliced dill pickles
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
Ranch Sauce
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole buttermilk
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon dried chives
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Dill Pickle Pizza
- Preheat the oven, along with the pizza stone, to 425˚F. *See note one for an alternative method.
- Roll the dough into a circle on a silicone mat and then transfer it to a cookie sheet (or pizza peel) that has been sprinkled with semolina flour.
- Top the crust with ranch sauce, shredded mozzarella and half of the provolone.
- Add the dill pickle slices and sprinkle with the remaining shredded provolone.
- Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone in the oven and bake it at 425˚F for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust is cooked.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of dried dill.
Ranch Sauce
- Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about one minute.
- Whisk in the flour until smooth.
- Slowly whisk in the buttermilk until smooth.
- Whisk in the parmesan, dried dill, dried chives, dried parsley, salt, and black pepper.
- Bring the sauce to a boil. Then, lower the heat and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
- Allow the ranch sauce to cool slightly before topping the pizza. Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Lyuba @ Will Cook For Smiles says
Seriously? You can get all that at the Dollar store? I did not know that :)That pizza dip sounds yummy! Anything is great with Nutella too!
Stephanie @ Henry Happened says
I have been wanting to have a fondue party – something about dipping is so fun! Love the idea of some Nutella fondue … I just found a recipe for Nutella hot chocolate and can’t wait to try it!
Tylene Ek says
Yummy!! Sounds delightful!