Cream Cheese Pizza, amazingly good!
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In this fabulous cream cheese pizza the crust is topped with fresh mozzarella, savory pecorino and dollops of deliciously soft cream cheese. It’s so simple yet amazingly good.
Because really, what won’t ever let you down is all that gooey bubbly goodness.
There’s nothing better than the smell of freshly baked pizza, and this white pizza delights you with different textures and so much flavor.
This pizza recipe uses this easy pizza dough (video recipe included!), and I love it so much because you can whip it up in a bowl with just a spoon, it’s amazingly easy and turns out perfectly every single time. But the type of crust you use is totally up to you!
Also: the cheese! For the topping I use fresh mozzarella that melts nicely , grated savory pecorino cheese to balance the sweetness and several dollops of soft cream cheese, the softest of the soft cheeses, that will melt in your mouth!
And since we are fancy (yes, indeed), for extra flavor we finish with chives – or your fav fresh herbs – a touch of chili flakes and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Delicious, cheesy, easy yet luxurious, and I’m telling you, this is Heaven in the form of a pizza, totally.
List of the ingredients
- This no-knead pizza dough (or your fav dough)
- Fresh mozzarella
- Cream cheese (soft or block)
- Pecorino cheese
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- Fresh chives, chili flakes to serve (optional)
How to make cream cheese pizza
(Note: this is a quick description, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- First step, start by making this dough (with video tutorial, easy peasy). You can also use your fav recipe or store-bought pizza dough if desired.
- When the dough is ready and fluffy, stretch it into a rectangular shape.
- Top with diced mozzarella, grated pecorino cheese, and cream cheese.
- Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden and crusty!
- Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, red pepper flakes or more freshly ground black pepper, and fresh chopped chives (or your fav herbs).
- Isn’t that super YUMMY?! Now you can sink your teeth in that molten cheesy pizza (but careful, it’s hot). Enjoy!
Recipe notes
Cream cheese pizza ingredients
Pizza crust: I LOVE my easy no-knead pizza dough, it’s definitely my go-to dough recipe. It’s easy to whip up in 1 bowl, no-kneading required, and makes a delicious crispy crust. But feel free to use your favorite homemade or store-bought pizza dough.
Mozzarella: I use fresh whole milk mozzarella balls packed in water for my pizza recipes, but the shredded low moisture option works too if you wish.
Cream cheese: I used soft cream cheese here (Philadelphia), but I’m sure the block of cream cheese works just fine as long as you make it softer (see notes in the recipe card). And if you have any cream cheese leftovers, try this super easy sweet cream cheese dip or whipped cream cheese.
Pecorino: this Italian hard cheese is made from sheep’s milk and its taste is stronger and slightly saltier than parmesan cheese, it adds plenty of savory flavor and it’s great to balance out the sweetness. However, parmesan cheese can be used instead of pecorino.
Extra virgin olive oil: It’s the best for flavor and nutrition, packed with antioxidants and full of fruity flavor. This is the ONLY condiment for pizza (if you ask Italians, and here you have one! : ).
Chili flakes, fresh herbs and black pepper! To add extra flavor, I love how chives and a touch of heat work with this scrumptious cream cheese pizza!
Cream cheese pizza variations
This simple cream cheese pizza recipe pairs very well with several add-ins! Feel free to scatter over a few cherry tomatoes, or black olives, grilled veggies, (peppers, eggplants, zucchini…), sautéed spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, canned artichokes. I also LOVE pine nuts or walnuts to add extra texture. All great options!
What to serve on the side?
A protein-packed salad like this white bean salad, mediterranean salad or lentil tabbouleh would be perfect to bring different flavors and more nutritients.
Tips for the best pizza crust
Baking pizza in a super hot oven, especially on a preheated stone or surface, gives the best results. Below a few easy tips!
- Preheat the oven. This creates a burst of initial heat.
- Bake the pizza on the bottom rack of the oven, close to the heating element. This is the best position in my oven, but each oven is different, use the position that works for you.
- NO rolling pin! Stretch the pizza dough using your fingers to keep all the air bubbles trapped inside the dough. They make the crust lighter.
- Bake your pizza on a hot pizza stone or pizza steel. Alternatively, you can use a baking tray (see my tips in the recipe card!) and make sure the pizza stone is inside during preheat, so it’s already hot when you bake your pizza.
- Use parchment paper and a pizza peel (or the back of a baking sheet) to transfer your pizza to the hot stone. This helps greatly if you use a high-hydration dough like my no-knead dough.
Cream cheese leftovers?
These amazing recipes are perfect to turn your cream cheese leftovers into an amazing meal:
- Cream cheese pasta
- Creamy penne pasta
- Tomato pasta sauce with cream cheese
- Creamy spinach tomato pasta
- Spinach pasta
- Cream cheese sandwich
- Cream cheese muffins
More amazing pizza recipes…
These collection of 17 veggie pizzas and 25 YUMMY pizza toppings or Focaccia toppings are truly delicious and great to inspire you!
Here more terrific pizza ideas:
- Greek pizza
- Mozzarella pizza
- Pizza with eggplants
- Pesto pizza
- Fresh tomato pizza
- Pizza with peppers
- Artichoke pizza
- Quick Caprese pizza
If you make this cream cheese pizza, or you have a question, let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you and get your feedback! x
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Cream Cheese Pizza
Ingredients
Pizza dough
- 1 easy pizza dough (or your fav dough)
Cream cheese topping
- 1 (130 gr/4.5oz) mozzarella ball packed in water (or shredded low moisture mozzarella)*
- ⅓ cup grated pecorino cheese
- ¾ cup (180 gr/6oz) Soft cream cheese (use a bit more if desired)
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- fresh chives, chopped
- chili flakes, to taste
- extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Instructions
Pizza dough
- Follow the easy no-knead pizza recipe through step 5, including shaping the pizza and preheating the oven.
Mozzarella topping
- Shape the dough: when the dough is ready follow step 5, place the paper sheet or parchment paper onto a pizza peel or onto the back of a rimmed baking sheet. Then place the dough on this parchment paper, and starting from the center, gently press it out with your fingers until you get approx a 9×13 inch pizza (try to not make it flat, you want to keep it airy and fluffy).
- Add the topping: if using fresh mozzarella in water, dice it and place it on kitchen paper. Add another folded piece of paper on top, pat it dry to absorb excess moisture. Finally add it evenly to the pizza, follow with the grated pecorino cheese, and using a dessert spoon make and scatter over small dollops of cream cheese. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
- Bake the pizza: when the oven is hot, use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the mozzarella cheese and crust are nicely browned, approx 12-15 minutes. But each oven is different, keep an eye on it (e.g. in a forced fan oven it will take about 8-10 minutes).
- Serve: allow the pizza to cool for a minute or two before serving, drizzle with good-quality extra virgin olive oil and scatter fresh chives, chili flakes and/or extra black pepper if desired. Slice, serve immediately, enjoy!
