Cheese stuffed crust pizza has been a staple in my house for the past few months. The reason is simple, my kids love pizza and for some reason, they like when the crust has a thick puffy edge. And what’s the easiest way of achieving that? By stuffing it with extra cheese. Never tried that, you say? So let’s make a cheese stuffed crust pizza today together.

There is nothing complicated about this recipe, you can use your favorite pizza dough, even store bought if you will. But obviously, it’s best to make your own dough… it’s cheaper, tastes better and you know exactly what went into it. If you need a recipe for that, check out my Homemade pizza dough recipe.

I’m going to use quite simple toppings for this one… basil marinara, mozzarella, ham, corn and red onions. This is a combination that my kids like the most, but definitely feel free to use your own favorite toppings. After all, this recipe is about showing you how to make the cheese stuffed crust primarily, the rest is on you.

TIP: Try my other pizza recipes too! My kids love this White chicken pizza and my favorite is a Prosciutto and jalapeno pizza 🙂 You might also like this Caprese pizza from Jane.

What cheese to stuff the crust with?

The answer is simple, mozzarella works the best and it’s also the most authentic cheese type to use on a pizza. You can either buy a block of low moisture mozzarella and cut it into strips as I did or look for mozzarella strips, twists or strings. Do not buy the breaded mozzarella strips though, these are not a good choice for cheese stuffed crust. Alternatively, you can use any “hard” cheese that melts nicely, I’ve used Edam or Cheddar in the past and the results were pretty good… but Mozzarella wins any day 🙂

Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza Ingredients

For the base:
300g (10oz) pizza dough – recipe here
mozzarella strips or strings
olive oil

Toppings:
tomato puree
basil
oregano
200g (7oz) shredded mozzarella
½ ball fresh mozzarella
ham of choice
sweet corn
red onion

How to make cheese stuffed crust pizza?

Watch the video or scroll down for step-by-step instructions:

I have already made the dough in advance, so let’s start by forming the base. Since we are about to stuff the crust with cheese, we need a little bit more dough than we would usually use. I’m working with a ball of dough that weighs around 300g (10oz).

Dust your working desk with a good amount of flour and use your hands to form a round shape. Once the base is large enough, use a roller to make it nice and thin. And again, please keep in mind that we are making a cheese stuffed crust, so the base needs to be larger than the final pizza.

I love to use one of these pizza pans, it makes everything so much easier. Definitely get one, if you’re making pizza often. Just brush it with olive oil a little bit so the dough doesn’t stick to it.

TIP: You can also use a regular sheet pan of course, in this case I’d suggest preparing the crust on a sheet of parchment paper and then transfer it to the sheet pan once ready to bake.

Transfer the dough to the pan and pull it over the edges, the base should be about an inch larger than the pan on all sides.

I am about to use low moisture mozzarella to stuff the crust, string cheese works well too, but you could also use Edam or similar cheese type. Let’s cut the mozzarella block into strips and lay them around the pizza base.

TIP: If you want to reach a perfectly round shape, cut the mozzarella strips into shorter pieces.

Once you form a nice circle, it’s time to fold the dough over the cheese and lock it in. This part is a little bit tricky so don’t try to hurry it and take your time so you don’t break the dough.

Use your fingers to gently press the dough down to seal the edges. Pay attention to this part, if you don’t do it properly, the cheese will leak from the crust while baking.

And now to the toppings. I’m starting with a simple marinara that I made by mixing chopped basil leaves with tomato puree. Add a few tablespoons and spread it around the base evenly.

Dried oregano comes next, I’m adding quite a lot as I love the smell of it. You can also use a store bought pizza seasoning mixture, some are pretty nice actually.

Now a solid dose of shredded mozzarella! I’m using about 200 grams or 7 ounces for one pizza, but feel free to use less if you want. A nice amount of ham comes next. I’m simply tearing it by hand, no need to aim for perfection, right?

My kids love corn on their pizza, so I’m adding that too, but feel free to skip it if it’s not your thing. And now something I love on my pizza, thinly sliced red onion… and quite a lot of it.

For an extra cheesy top, let’s add some fresh mozzarella. I’m using about half a ball for one pizza of this size. One last touch of oregano and we are ready to bake.

When baking pizza at home, always preheat your oven to whatever maximum temperature it is capable of. Based on how high the temperature is, the pizza will take anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes to bake. I know it’s quite a big time frame, but each oven bakes in a different way so always watch the color as you bake.

Once the edge of the crust is golden brown and the cheese starts to become lightly charred, it’s time to take it out of the oven.

And now let’s cut into it to see how we have done. The edges have puffed nicely and as you can see, they are filled with the melted cheese nicely.

And that’s it for today, our cheese stuffed crust pizza is ready! Thanks for reading the blog or watching the video and see you next time.

Optional tips for this pizza recipe:

• I strongly recommend using homemade pizza dough, you will be surprised by how easy it is to make. Did you know it can last up to 4 days in the fridge and up to 6 months in the freezer?
• Most pizzas are made with marinara sauce, but there is also a different way. Ever heard of white pizza?
• Low moisture and “hard” cheese types are easier to stuff the pizza crust with, but you can also use fresh mozzarella.
• The toppings for this cheese stuffed pizza are totally optional, just like with any pizza. You can experiment and add whatever you like 🙂