With a crisp, chewy crust, gooey melted cheese, and all your favorite toppings, this campfire Dutch oven pizza is a fantastic camping meal that comes together in 30 minutes and with just one pot.
There's no reason to miss out on pizza night just because you're camping. Your Dutch oven is the ideal vessel for creating a pie with a crisp, chewy crust that can stand up to any combination of toppings. Save yourself some time and prep your toppings ahead of time and make (or buy) pizza dough before heading out.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Pizza dough--Use your favorite store-bought or homemade pizza dough for this campfire pizza recipe. If you're using a large Dutch oven (with a base 12-inches or larger), you'll need about 1 pound (454 g) of pizza dough.
- Toppings--Use your favorite combination of meats, cheese, vegetables, and sauce to create your pizza.
How to Make Pizza in a Dutch Oven
1. Stretch the pizza dough to slightly less than the size of the Dutch oven. Spread the sauce over and add your toppings.
2. Transfer it to the Dutch oven and cover the lid with coals. Cook until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.
FAQs
I recommend using the largest Dutch oven you have. I tested the recipe using a 7-quart Dutch oven, which has a base about 12 inches in diameter. This will make a pizza large enough to feed 3 people. A 10 or 12-quart oven will have a diameter of about 14 inches.
It's going to depend on the size of the Dutch oven that you're using. The goal is to keep the oven very hot without adding too much heat from the bottom, which will result in a burned crust. I recommend using twice as many coals or embers on the lid as underneath. If you've got a 7 or 8 quart Dutch oven, you'll use about 10 coals on the bottom and 20 on the lid. If you've got a 10 to 12-quart oven, you'll need a few extra.
To check for doneness, remove the lid from the Dutch oven and carefully set aside. Don't remove the coals until you know your pizza is finished! Lift the crust of the pizza and peek underneath -- it should be golden brown in spots, crisp on the outside, but still be soft when squeezed. The cheese should be melted and bubbling, and the edges of your toppings should be slightly crisp.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- Don't skip the preheating step. It's critical for helping to develop a crispy crust.
- Use parchment to make it easier to remove the pizza and minimize the amount of cleanup.
- The cooking time is approximate and will depend on the thickness of your crust and the heat of your coals. Thicker crust will take longer to cook.
- Since you're cooking in a Dutch oven outside, the cooking time can vary due to outside temperature and wind. If you're cooking on a very windy day, try to protect the Dutch oven with a barrier, such as a tarp.
More Dutch Oven Recipes You'll Love
Recipe
Campfire Dutch Oven Pizza
Equipment
- 6-to-8-quart cast iron Dutch oven or larger
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454 g) pizza dough
- 4 tablespoons pizza sauce
- Pizza toppings such as shredded mozzarella, pepperoni, bacon, mushrooms, onion, and peppers
Instructions
- Prepare a bed of hot coals in a campfire or prepare about 30 charcoal briquettes in a chimney. The coals are ready when they are white.
- Place the Dutch oven on a bed of embers (or about 10 pieces of charcoal) with about twice as many embers (or 20 briquettes) on the lid. Let the oven preheat for 10 minutes while you assemble the pizza.
- Lay a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface. Stretch or roll the dough to a circle slightly smaller than the Dutch oven and place it in the center of the parchment.
- Spread the pizza sauce over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border on the edge. Arrange your favorite toppings over the sauce.
- Carefully remove the lid from the Dutch oven. Using the parchment as a sling, carefully transfer the pizza with the parchment to the preheated Dutch oven. Replace the lid.
- Cook until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and toppings are beginning to crisp, about 20 minutes, replacing embers if needed. If using charcoal briquettes, one batch should be enough to preheat the oven and cook the pizza.
- Remove the Dutch oven from the fire pit and carefully remove the lid. Use the parchment to lift the pizza from the oven and slide it onto a large plate. Let it cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Preheat--Don't skip the preheating step. It's critical for helping to develop a crispy crust.
- Make it easier--Use parchment to make it easier to remove the pizza and minimize the amount of cleanup.
- Cooing time--The cooking time is approximate and will depend on the thickness of your crust and the heat of your coals. Thicker crust will take longer to cook.
- Protect your oven--Since you're cooking in a Dutch oven outside, the cooking time can vary due to outside temperature and wind. If you're cooking on a very windy day, try to protect the Dutch oven with a barrier, such as a tarp.
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