Looking to make homemade frozen pizzas? Learn how to make par-baked pizza with a homemade whole wheat pizza crust that’s simple to make and freezes great! You can even double the dough in this recipe and makes up to 8 thin-crust pizzas that save a ton of money and stock your freezer for quick meals! Gluten-free.
Par-baked pizza simply means that you partially bake the crust then top with sauce, cheese and any other toppings before wrapping and freezing. It cuts down on the total cooking time when you are ready to serve your pizza while creating a crispy crust when completely baked.
Our recipe for pizza dough is made with a few healthier twists – whole wheat versus white flour and applesauce instead of oil. Created with all the traditional flavors of pizza, the kids will never even notice the difference. As parents we can be thankful for the extra nutrition boost when serving this comfort food!
Keeping meals in your freezer is a great way to be prepared for those busy days. This recipe along with Frozen Mac and Cheese, Homemade Uncrustables and Hash Brown Egg Cups are all great ideas to have on hand to serve for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Gather the equipment and ingredients to get started!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- 8 ounces warm water
- 1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 3 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (or whole wheat if gluten-free isn’t required)
- 2 tablespoons applesauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 1-2 cups mozzarella cheese
- pepperonis, sausage crumbles, peppers, or olives optional
How To Make
Follow the step-by-step instructions below to have this quick and easy meal stocked in the freezer in no time!
Combine water and yeast
Start by adding warm water and yeast to the mixer bowl. Whisk to combine and let sit for 5 minutes.
Add the other ingredients
Add the flour, applesauce, and salt to the mixer bowl. Mix for 2 minutes until the dough starts to combine. Then, knead dough with your hands on a clean lightly floured surface or continue to mix with the mixer on low speed for 3-4 minutes until well combined and soft.
Let the dough rise
Next, spray a bowl with nonstick cooking spray and place dough into the bowl. Cover with damp kitchen towel to keep the dough from drying out. Let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes or until it doubles in size. Then, punch the dough down – this is such a fun part for kids to help with!
Divide the dough into 2 large balls for a thick crust, or 4 smaller balls for a thin crust.
Preheat the oven and roll out the dough
Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll the crusts by lightly sprinkling flour onto a clean surface and rolling the dough into a pizza-sized circle. Place the dough onto a pizza stone or baking tray.
Bake
Par bake the crusts for 8-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the crust. Remove from oven and let cool then place the crust onto a cardboard tray.
Top the pizza then bake or freeze
To the par-baked crust, add pizza sauce, cheese, and additional toppings if desired. Tightly wrap with plastic wrap and freeze.
Bake at 425°F
When looking at how long to bake pizza, consider if it is thawed or frozen. If baking from frozen, cook pizza in oven for 10-12 minutes. If baking right away bake the pizza for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is crispy.
Frequently Asked Questions
The par-baked crust topped with toppings can be frozen for up to 3 months. We recommend labeling the pizzas with the date you made the pizza and the “use-by” date for an easy reminder when the 3 months is up.
You can stick with traditional toppings such as pepperoni and sausage, which will always be popular or you and the family can use these par-baked pizzas to try new toppings! From pizza with butternut squash to topping it with grilled pineapple, you might be surprised which toppings become new family favorites!
These pizzas can be served for lunch or dinner during the week or breakfast if you are craving pizza in the morning. You can even roll the dough into personal pan pizzas to serve at birthday or slumber parties!
While making dough with a mixer is often easier and less messy, it is possible to create homemade pizza dough by hand. Check out this video to learn how to make pizza dough without a stand mixer.
Other Quick Meal Ideas For Kids
- Taco Quesadilla
- Sheet Pan Pizza
- Mug Pizza
- Turkey Burgers in the Oven
- Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Smashed Avocado Toast (With Kid-Friendly Toppings)
- Homemade Uncrustables
- Healthy Sloppy Joe
- Kid Friendly Pizza Casserole
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Par Baked Pizza Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer with bowl and dough hook
- damp towel
- round cardboard trays
- pizza stone or baking pan
Ingredients
- 8 ounces warm water
- 1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast ✅
- 3 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons applesauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce ✅
- 1-2 cups mozzarella cheese ✅
- pepperonis, sausage crumbles, peppers, or olives ✅optional
Instructions
- Combine water and yeast. Add warm water and yeast to the mixer bowl. Whisk to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes.8 ounces warm water, 1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- Add the other ingredients. Add the flour, applesauce, and salt. Mix for 2 minutes until the dough starts to combine. Knead dough on a clean lightly floured surface or continue to mix with the mixer on low speed for 3-4 minutes until well combined and soft.3 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons applesauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Let the dough rise. Spray a bowl with nonstick cooking spray and place dough into the bowl. Cover with damp kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes or until it doubles in size. Punch the dough down and divide into 2 large balls for a thick crust, or 4 smaller balls for a thin crust.
- Preheat the oven and roll out the dough. Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll the crusts. Lightly flour a clean surface and roll the dough out into a pizza-sized circle. Place dough onto a pizza stone or baking tray.
- ⭐️Bake. Par bake the crusts for 8-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the crust. Remove from oven and let cool. Place crust onto cardboard tray.
- ⭐️Top the pizza then bake or freeze. To the par-baked crust, add pizza sauce, cheese, and additional toppings if desired. Tightly wrap with plastic wrap and freeze.1/2 cup pizza sauce, 1-2 cups mozzarella cheese, pepperonis, sausage crumbles, peppers, or olives
- ⭐️Bake at 425°F. If baking from frozen, bake for 10-12 minutes. If baking right away bake the pizza for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is crispy.
Notes
Nutrition
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Supriya Kutty says
Looking so tasty and so delicious. This is so quick and easy to make the recipe. I will definitely try this at home and let you know. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us. Do keep sharing,