Cheeseburger Pizza
Cheeseburger? Pizza? Cheeseburger? Pizza? On those nights when you really can’t decide what you are in the mood for, don’t decide! Instead opt for this totally delicious Cheeseburger Pizza.
This is classic pizza with crust, sauce, and cheese, but it has a cheeseburger twist with a special burger sauce, pickles, fresh tomatoes, and even shredded lettuce on top. And notice the sesame seeds on the crust? Talk about a fun way to make a “bun”. Basically it is both. And absolutely delicious. Try it today and let me know what you think in the comments.
Serve with Root Beer Float and Buffalo Wings for a great meal that checks off all the comfort food boxes.
Cheeseburger pizza is such a fun dish. I’ve ordered it from Papa John’s, and knew I had to make it myself. Pizza is a favorite over here, whether it is Air Fryer Pizza, Keto Pizza, or even a Pizza Dip, you really can’t go wrong with pizza. But when you make it CHEESEBURGER PIZZA, well that is another story. I love this recipe for a million reasons, but here are a few of the top:
- Easy to Make: You have a classic pizza dough, and while there are several ingredients, it is really just a super simple to make dish.
- Curbs the Cravings: Sometimes I just really crave a cheeseburger or pizza, and I love that this hits both in one.
- Ridiculously Fun: I mean, come on…how fun is this pizza?
What You Need to Make Cheeseburger Pizza
It is eazy peazy to make this homemade pizza, and ingredients are easy to find, here is what you need:
- Pizza Dough: I make it homemade and it only takes a few minutes to whip up with common pantry ingredients, but honestly, if you have a favorite recipe, want a No Yeast Pizza Dough or are in a hurry, you can use whatever works for you. Even a store bought dough.
- Sesame seeds: We are going to sprinkle these on the dough to approximate a bun, and it adds a fun nutty flavor.
- Ground beef: Hence the burger part of “cheeseburger”
- Seasonings: salt, garlic powder, red pepper, black pepper
- Onion: Use a white or yellow onion.
- Sauce: Mayo, Ketchup, Hot sauce
- Colby jack cheese: You can sub for a different cheese, but after testing, this is the one that helped approximate the taste of a classic cheeseburger, while still getting the melt and pull you want on pizza.
- Dill pickle chips: Because pickles are a staple on hamburgers and cheeseburgers.
- Mustard
- Toppings: Tomatoes, Lettuce, more ketchup, mustard, etc.
- Egg Wash: This consists of an egg and water, and will help you get that golden brown crust with the exterior more similar to a bun.
If making your own pizza crust, here is what you will need:
- Double 0 flour or all-purpose flour if needed
- Instant yeast
- Sugar
- Salt
- Warm water
- Oil
Recommended Equipment
How to Make Cheeseburger Pizza
Making Cheeseburger Pizza is pretty straightforward.
- Make your dough
- Prep your toppings
- Top your dough
- Bake
- Add more toppings
- Enjoy!
Step One: Make Pizza Dough
Whip up your own pizza dough. Or use a store bought dough, no matter how you decide to do it, get yourself some pizza dough.
Step Two: Prep Toppings
This is where you get your toppings ready. Brown your ground beef and onions, and shred your cheese, etc. You want to get all of your toppings ready so you can assemble the pizza.
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, brown the hamburger meat, add in the salt, garlic powder, red pepper, black pepper and diced onion. Cook until no longer pink and drain off any excess fat.
Step Three: Make Burger Sauce
This sauce is a special part of the pizza. It really takes it up a notch, and is worth the effort. So in this step, which could be part of step 2, as it is a topping, but let’s give it its own space because it is that good. Mix together your sauce, taste it, and adjust it to your preference. For example, add a little extra hot sauce if you like it that way.
To make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the mayo, 2 1/2 tablespoons of ketchup and the hot sauce and whisk until smooth.
Step Four: Assemble the Pizza
Now you are going to do all the things to make it into a pizza. You are going to egg wash the crust and add the sesame seeds, then spread the sauce on, and top with the ground beef mixture, cheese, pickles, and ketchup.
- Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the edges of the pizza dough
- Sprinkle the egg washed edges with the sesame seeds to simulate the bun of a cheeseburger.
- Spread sauce mixture over the pizza dough and then top with the cooked seasoned ground beef.
- Top pizza with shredded cheese, and drizzle the remaining ketchup and mustard over the top of the pizza, then dot with the dill pickle chips.
Step Five: Bake Your Pizza
Once it is all loaded up you want to bake it. This is where the magic happens and all those insane flavors combine to make something truly delicious.
- Bake at 425 degrees F. for 12 to 15 minutes, or until center is bubbly and crust is golden brown.
Step Six: Garnish Your Pizza
Add the final toppings to take it up even further. This is where I differ from the Papa John’s and Papa Murphy’s cheeseburger pizzas, and make it my own. It becomes almost like a Pizza Salad, like you get in Europe.
- Let the pizza cool slightly, then garnish with fresh tomatoes and shredded lettuce, slice and enjoy
Recipe Variations:
There are things you can do to mix it up a bit and make it more custom. Here are a few ideas:
- Add French fries: What is a cheeseburger without fries? You can add another topping of precooked french fries onto your pizza before baking. Then bake accordingly. They will get extra crispy and add some fun extra flavor on top.
- Add other “burger” toppings: customize it to your preference, so for example, if you always get a burger with bacon, then add cooked bacon pieces. Or say you prefer mozzarella cheese, try a different cheeses, or skip the french fries listed above and use onion rings. The possibilities are fun, so customize away.
Serve With
This recipe is so perfect for dinner and I love pairing it with fun sides:
- Oven Baked Steak Fries or Air Fryer Fries
- Summer Fruit Salad
- Homemade Lemonade
- Lime Dreamboat Dessert
Tips and Tricks
Making this recipe is Eazy Peazy, but here are a few tricks to help it turn out every time:
- Corn Meal: To keep your pizza from sticking to the pizza pan, consider a light dusting of corn meal or non-stick spray. Pizza pans are specifically designed to help you avoid the sticking, but extra precautions are always nice, especially since you are loading this pizza up with toppings.
- Customize: Hate onions? Leave them out. Love pickles? Add extra. Just like you would customize your cheeseburger when ordering, customize your cheeseburger flavored pizza to your preference.
- Pre-Heat Oven: This is a recipe you want to cook in a fully pre-heated oven to get the best results, heated through, melty cheese, and fully cooked crust. So take time to let your oven fully heat before baking. And consider a pizza baking stone, instead of a pizza pan for an even crispier crust.
- A Little Goes A Long Way: You want the pizza to be finger food, which means you want plenty of toppings, but not so many that it weighs it down and makes it fall apart. So sprinkle everything on, but remember sometimes a little goes a long way.
Make Ahead and Storage
To make this recipe ahead of time you basically need to par-bake the crust a little, otherwise it will get too soggy and not be great:
To Make Ahead: Completely make the pizza dough, then pre-bake it in the oven (un-topped) for 4-6 minutes. Then let it cool and top it as directed, wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 3 days until ready to bake your pizza.
To Freeze: Completely make the pizza dough, then pre-bake it in the oven for 4-6 minutes. Then let it cool and top it as directed, wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake as directed, with a few additional minutes added to the cook time if baking from frozen instead of allowing it to defrost.
Other Great Recipes:
- Instant Pot Chicken Wings
- Southwest Fajita Cheeseburgers
- BBQ Chicken Burritos
- Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings
- Oven Fried Chicken
WANT MORE EZPZ? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Ingredients
For the Pizza Dough:
- 1 3/4 cup double 0 flour can use all-purpose flour if needed
- 1/4 oz. instant yeast
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup warm water
- 3 tbsp oil
Egg Wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon water
Pizza:
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 lb. ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 4 tbsp ketchup divided
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 2 cups colby jack cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup dill pickle chips (sliced and drained)
- 2 Tablespoons Mustard
Garnish:
- ⅓ cup Cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup Shredded lettuce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a 12″ pizza pan and set aside.
For the Pizza Dough:
- Combine 1 cup four, instant yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add water and oil. Use a wooden spoon to mix until it is well blended, then add the additional flour, a little at a time, using hands to mix in the flour until a soft dough ball is formed. Dough will be slightly sticky.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and continue using your hands to knead the dough, adding additional flour if needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes).
- Press the dough into the prepared pizza pan. Set aside.
For the Pizza:
- Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the edges of the pizza dough
- Sprinkle the egg washed edges with the sesame seeds to simulate the bun of a cheeseburger. Set aside
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, brown the hamburger meat, add in the salt, garlic powder, red pepper, black pepper and diced onion. Cook until no longer pink and drain off any excess fat.
- In a small bowl, combine the mayo, 2 1/2 tablespoons of ketchup and the hot sauce and whisk until smooth.
- Spread sauce mixture over the pizza dough and then top with the cooked seasoned ground beef.
- Top pizza with shredded cheese, and drizzle the remaining ketchup and mustard over the top of the pizza, then dot with the dill pickle chips.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until center is bubbly and crust is golden brown.
- Let cool slightly, then garnish with fresh tomatoes and shredded lettuce, slice and enjoy!
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
Want to use this recipe in a meal plan?Try PrePear, my FREE Meal Planning App that allows you to save your recipes, plan meals, shop for groceries, and cook simply in one place. Join Here!Pin to your Dinner board on Pinterest:
Leave a Reply