Easy Thin Crust Pizza Tutorial

Everyone needs a super easy and universally-loved dinner idea up their sleeve. This Easy Thin Crust Pizza Tutorial will show you how to make shatteringly crisp, outrageously delicious pizza in 20 minutes!

I'm happy to present to you this 20-Minute, Easy Thin Crust Pizza Tutorial, as I know it will make your life more fun, delicious and easy! I've been making this pizza for months now and it's been a life-saver on those busy days when I forget about dinner until 5 or 6 o'clock. It's been wonderful to be able to make a delicious (and decently healthy) pizza with whatever I can scrounge up in the fridge and pantry. It's not a complicated recipe, but I've been testing different oven temps and prep techniques to achieve a super crisp pizza crust, with minimal time and effort involved. I can't wait for you to try it!

Pizza, universally beloved!

It seems to me, that (almost) everyone loves pizza. It's one of those entrees that's popular with kids and grownups alike and it can be served for breakfast lunch or dinner, depending on the toppings. Here at The Café, we never tire of pizza as there's an infinite number of varieties!

The cons of pizza

The problem with pizza, as I see it, is twofold. First of all, a good pizza takes a fair amount of time to put together. Even a super easy crust recipe takes forethought, planning and at least an hour to mix up, roll out, allow to rise and finally, bake. It makes a delicious dinner with a crisp green salad but it's definitely not one you can whip up on a moment's notice.

The second problem with pizza, both homemade and purchased, is that it's generally pretty high in calories and carbs, making it a delicious splurge but perhaps not the most healthy choice for frequent indulging.

But what if you could have pizza, with just about any kind of toppings and have it be decently low in calories and carbs (in comparison to classic homemade or purchased pizza)?

The crust accounts for most of the carbs and a good portion of the calories in pizza. According to Eatingwell.com, "a medium (12-inch) thin-crust pizza topped with sauce, vegetables, cheese, and meat that's cut into eight pieces has 20-25 grams of carb per slice". A regular-crust 12-inch pizza averages 25 grams of carbs per slice. Calorie-wise, we're talking about 300-380 calories per slice (depending on the toppings)!

But, what if you could have a pizza that was decently low in carbs and calories with a super crisp crust and your favorite toppings for just 8 carbs and around 139 calories per slice? A pizza that would take 20 minutes, start to finish!

That's why we're here today, friends! To introduce you to this 20-Minute Easy Thin Crust Pizza Tutorial!

The secret ingredient for this Easy Thin Crust Pizza...

Okay, so what's the secret? It's something you can find at pretty much any grocery store. Big flour tortillas. Flour tortillas?? Flour tortilla pizzas are nothing new. People have been probably making them for as long as flour tortillas have been around. But honestly, most flour tortilla pizzas taste like a flour tortilla with pizza toppings. That's not what we're going for here.

We're going for a shatteringly crisp, super delicious crust that will make the perfect blank canvas for an endless variety of toppings. I discovered that it's all in the prep. Yes, if prepped correctly these Mexican-inspired flatbreads can produce fabulous thin-crust pizza!

How does it work? Prepping a tortilla for pizza will take less than 2 minutes. Start by preheating your oven to 375˚F. Place a large flour tortilla (I like to use the 12-inch size) on a sheet pan and brush it on both sides with olive oil (this is where the magic's at, the oil in combination with the oven heat, takes a regular old flour tortilla and transforms it to a thin, super tasty, shatteringly crisp pizza crust.

The next step is a 2½ minute stint in the oven. When you take a peek after 2½ minutes, the flat tortilla will be just begining to turn golden and will have puffed up in areas. At this point, simply remove the pan from the oven, flip the tortilla over and flatten any puffy areas with a metal spatula. Back into the oven it goes for 2½- 3 minutes more. Flip it one more time and again, flatten out any puffiness.

Finish off the pizza with cheese, sauce and your favorite pizza toppings and you're just about done! Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the crust golden and shatteringly crisp. Now, wipe the drool off your mouth as you call the gang for dinner. Don't be surpised if the pizza disappears faster than you can say "Easy Thin Crust Pizza"!

For the classic pepperoni pizza featured in the images above I followed the directions given in the recipe below for preparing and baking the crust. Then I topped it with 6 ounces of shredded Mozzarella, ¼ cup of Super Easy Pizza Sauce and 1¼ ounces of Boarshead Thin-sliced Pepperoni. After baking I like to sprinkle the whole thing with a shower of Italian seasoning and lots of fresh basil leaves. DELISH!

Café Tips for making this Easy Thin Crust Pizza

• To ensure a crisp crust, use the lowest shelf in the oven for all the baking steps in this recipe.
• I like to use these big 12-inch flour tortillas. If you can't find the large 12-inch tortillas, smaller tortillas will also work.
• You can find the 12-inch flour tortillas at most larger grocery stores. Sometimes they're sold right off of the shelf and sometimes in the refrigerator section near the pie crusts and rolls of biscuits. You might have to check with your grocer if you have trouble finding them.
• If I'm watching calories, sometimes I make Scott and I our own little pizza on the Mission Valley Street Taco Tortillas. They're only 75 calories each and are perfect for portion control.
• I like to keep a supply of the large 12-inch tortillas on hand so I order this multi-pack from Amazon and keep whatever I'm not using in the freezer. Tortillas freeze beautifully and once thawed, you'd never know they were frozen.
• In the prep for these pizzas, it's important to brush the tortilla with oil, especially around the edges. Take your time and be sure to cover the whole tortilla. It usually only takes 1 teaspoon per side, but if you feel like that's a little skimpy and not covering the surface completely, just drizzle a few more drops of oil on each side.
• The order of ingredients is important in this Easy Thin Crust pizza recipe. To keep the crust nice and crisp, layer the cheese on first, then dollop the cheese with you favorite sauce, followed by the topping/s of your choice.
• This is a thin crust pizza. Don't top it too heavily. 6 ounces of cheese is plenty for a 12-inch tortilla.
• Every oven is different so watch your pizza carefully the first time you make it. You may require just a bit longer or shorter baking times. Just make a note of the times and you'll be good to go for future pizzas.
• The final baking should be approximately 3-5 minutes (less with smaller tortillas). Look for the edge of the crust to be golden brown and the cheese just beginning to bubble.
• This pizza is best eaten soon after it comes out of the oven when the crust is nice and crisp. The pizza doesn't take long to make, so plan to enjoy it right away!
• If you do need to reheat this pizza, place a pizza stone or a sheet pan on the lowest oven rack and preheat to 350˚F. When the oven reaches 350, place the pizza right on the hot stone or sheet pan and warm for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear other’s results and ideas for variations.

5 from 10 votes

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Easy Thin Crust Pizza

Everyone needs a super easy and universally-loved dinner idea up their sleeve. This Easy Thin Crust Pizza Tutorial will show you how to make shatteringly crisp, outrageously delicious pizza in 20 minutes!

Author: Chris Scheuer

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: easy thin crust pizza, flour tortilla pizza, pizza

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 12 mins

Servings: 8 slices

Calories: 139 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 12-inch flour tortilla
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 6 ounces cheese
• ¼ cup pizza sauce
• toppings
• fresh herbs if desired

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375˚with one rack set at the lowest level. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, if desired for easy cleanup. To ensure a nice crisp crust, do not use foil.

2. Place the flour tortilla on the sheet pan and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Brush to oil over the entire surface of the tortilla including the edges. If the surface is not coated, drizzle a few more drops of oil and brush again.
3. Flip the tortilla over and repeat the oil and brushing.

4. Place the sheet pan into the oven and heat for 2½-3 minutes or until the tortilla starts to puff a little bit. Remove pan, flip the tortilla to the opposite side and flatten out any puffiness with a metal spatula.

5. Return pan to the oven for another 2½ minutes. Remove from oven and flip the tortilla over to the opposite side.

6. Top pizza, starting with the cheese. Dollop the sauce evenly over the cheese, then add pepperoni (or other toppings).

7. Bake for 3-5 more minutes or until edges of the pizza are golden and cheese is beginning to bubble.

8. Remove from ovenand top with fresh herbs, if desired.

9. Cut pizza into slices and serve.

Recipe Notes

See Café Tips above for further instructions and more detailed tips.

This is a technique more than a specific recipe. Use whatever kind of cheese, sauce and toppings you prefer.

The nutritional information is for the pepperoni pizza pictured above with 6 ounces of Mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup pizza sauce and 1¼ ounces of sliced pepperoni (this is a generous amount of toppings).

Smaller tortillas make take a bit less baking time. Adjust as needed.

Nutrition facts per serving (1slice)

Calories 139kcal

Fat 9g

Saturated fat 4g

Cholesterol 21mg

Sodium 349mg

Potassium 76mg

Carbohydrates 8g

Fiber 1g

Sugar 1g

Protein 7g

Vitamin A 175%

Vitamin C 0.6%

Calcium 122%

Iron 0.7%

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