How about pizza tonight? Homemade pizza nights should be fun and easy, and that’s where this pizza dough recipe comes into play. It’s ready in 15 minutes, start to finish. That’s a lot faster than delivery!
This quick whole wheat pizza dough recipe yields a crust of medium thickness. It’s crisp across the bottom and a little chewy in the middle. It has a lovely, yeasty flavor with just a hint of whole wheat. I love this dough so much that I shared it in my cookbook, Love Real Food.
This dough doesn’t have the elusive, stretchy, chewy, sourdough texture that I crave in authentic brick oven pizza. This homemade dough is fantastic, though. A few reasons to love this recipe:
- It’s made from scratch with basic, wholesome ingredients.
- You can make it in your food processor (or by hand).
- This dough requires zero proofing time. You can make your pizzas right away.
- The dough requires minimal effort—just a couple of kneads and a few rolls with a rolling pin.
Let’s make some pizzas!
Watch How to Make Pizza Dough
Recipe Development Notes
I searched to the ends of the internet to find a simple, foolproof, quick whole wheat pizza dough recipe. I went through a couple of bags of flour in the process and made quite a mess.
First, Jim Lahey’s no-knead dough failed me at least three times. I think it was because I was making it with whole wheat pastry flour. Lesson learned: Whole wheat pastry flour and yeast don’t get along.
I also tried Cook’s Country’s skillet dough, which turns out to be fried flatbread. No thanks.
Finally, I turned to one of my favorite bloggers and sweetest friends, Melissa of The Fauxmartha. She posted an adaptation of Cook’s Country’s quick grilled pizza dough. My version is a combination of the two and is made with 100 percent whole wheat flour.
Easy Pizza Dough Ingredients
This super quick dough recipe is made with simple, basic ingredients—though a couple may surprise you!
Flour
This pizza dough works well with a variety of flours. Here are your options (use the same amount regardless):
- Whole wheat flour yields dough with just a hint of nutty wheat flavor. I don’t find it distracting.
- White whole wheat flour, which is made with white wheat berries instead of red, yields 100 percent whole wheat dough with an almost undetectable amount of wheat flavor.
- All-purpose flour works well if that’s what you have on hand.
- Do not use whole wheat pastry flour; it doesn’t contain enough gluten to cooperate with yeast.
Here’s how to measure flour into cups using the “spoon and swoop” method:
- Gently stir your flour with a large spoon to loosen it up.
- Spoon the flour into your measuring cup (don’t scoop it in!).
- Level off the excess with a butter knife.
Warm Water
Dissolving the yeast in warm water eliminates any grittiness and allows it to mingle with the honey and olive oil.
Rapid-Rise or Instant Yeast
It’s important to use rapid-rise or instant yeast here because, as the names suggest, this kind of yeast gets to work very quickly. Once combined with the warm water, honey and olive oil, this yeast is ready to go in just five minutes.
Honey or Sugar
We’ll feed the yeast with one tablespoon of honey or sugar.
Olive Oil
Olive oil helps keep the dough tender and pliable.
Parmesan Cheese
Parmesan is simply a flavor enhancer. Whole Foods 365 and BelGioioso brands offer vegetarian Parmesan cheese. Alternatives include cheddar or part-skim mozzarella.
Salt
Salt is also a flavor enhancer. No pizza dough would be complete without a little salt.
Pizza Dough FAQ
I’ve received quite a few questions about this dough recipe over the years. In short, this dough is best made as directed and used right away!
Can I use regular active yeast? Can I leave out the yeast altogether? I don’t recommend it. This recipe is really designed for instant/rapid rise yeast. With regular active yeast, or without yeast altogether, the crust is more crisp and cracker-like with fewer air bubbles. Basically, it’s just not as good.
Can I omit the honey/sugar? I don’t recommend it. The sugar feeds the yeast and without it, the crust will not taste as pleasantly yeasty. The finished result won’t be as tender, and it will have fewer small air pockets.
Can I omit the Parmesan? Yes, you can. The Parmesan is just for flavor. Or you could substitute another firm cheese in its place, such as cheddar or part-skim mozzarella.
Can I make this dough ahead of time? Technically yes, you can refrigerate and bake it within a few days (wrap the dough balls in lightly oiled plastic wrap). However, this dough is designed to be easy and quick. It’s ready in under 15 minutes and truly tastes best when it’s baked right away.
Can I freeze this dough? Yes, but it’s best when it’s used right away (see above). Wrap the dough balls in lightly oiled plastic wrap and placed them in freezer bags. Defrost the dough in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a couple of hours.
Can I grill this dough? Yes! See recipe notes. This pizza dough also turns out great when baked in an Ooni pizza oven.
Can I use this dough to make a calzone or stuffed bread (like garbage bread)? Yes, I’ve successfully made a calzone. Before baking brush the top lightly with olive oil and cut a couple of small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Bake for about 10 minutes at 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
What if I don’t have a food processor? No problem! Check the recipe notes for instructions on how to make this dough by hand. I imagine you could use a KitchenAid stand mixer as an alternative to the food processor.
How much does this dough weigh? This dough weighs a bit over 1 pound and yields two 11-inch pizzas. I’ve used this recipe successfully in recipes that calls for 1 pound of pizza dough—just remember that you’ll be making two smaller pizzas instead of one large.
Make This Dough & Enjoy These Pizzas
- Arugula-Almond Pesto Pizza
- Barbecue Pineapple, Jalapeño and Feta Pizza
- Broccolini Almond Pizza
- Brussels Sprouts Pizza with Balsamic Red Onions
- Butternut Ribbon Goat Cheese Pizza
- Greek Pizza
- Kale Pesto Pizza
- Strawberry, Basil and Balsamic Pizza
- Ultimate Veggie Pizza
Easy Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 8 1x
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Food processor
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Whip up this 100% whole wheat pizza dough recipe in your food processor. It hardly needs kneading or rising time. You can make this pizza in less than the amount of time it would take for pizza delivery. Dinner is ready! Yields two medium (11″ diameter) pizzas.
Ingredients
Whole wheat pizza dough
- 1 cup water, heated to 110 degrees (very warm, almost too hot for comfort)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey or sugar
- 1 envelope (2 ¼ teaspoons) rapid-rise or instant yeast
- 2 ¾ cups (345 grams) white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
Toppings
- 1 cup pizza sauce or one 32-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand
- 2 to 3 cups shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
- Additional toppings, as desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the upper third of the oven.
- Whisk water, oil, honey and yeast in a liquid measuring cup or small bowl. Allow yeast to proof for 5 minutes. It should puff up some by then.
- Pulse flour, Parmesan, and salt in food processor until combined. While running the food processor, slowly pour in the water mixture and process until a shaggy ball forms, about 1 minute.
- Dump the dough onto a floured work surface and quickly knead dough a few times until it comes together. Halve the dough.
- On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll dough into two rounds about 11 inches in diameter. For best results, roll the dough out about as thin as reasonably possible. Aim for even thickness rather than a perfectly round shape.
- Carefully lift and transfer one of the rounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the outer 1-inch of the dough with a light coating of olive oil. Add half of the pizza sauce or crushed tomatoes (crush the tomatoes over the sink to get out as much liquid as possible). Sprinkle with half of the cheese and any other toppings you’d like to add.
- Bake on the top rack until the crust and cheese are lightly golden, about 10 minutes for cheese pizza and 12 minutes for pizza with additional toppings. Repeat with the remaining dough, then slice and serve. Leftover pizza will keep well in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The Fauxmartha’s no-rise pizza crust and Cook’s Country’s quick grilled pizza dough.
Troubleshooting: In the unlikely event that the dough clings to your fingers and doesn’t hold its shape, add more flour, just 1 tablespoon at a time. Process briefly to blend again (or stir again, if making by hand).
Make it vegan: Omit the cheese. Use maple syrup or vegan sugar instead of honey.
Flour options: All-purpose flour will work well here, too (same amount). Do not use whole wheat pastry flour. I have not tried this recipe with any gluten-free flour blends; I’m not sure it will work with those.
Cheese options: The Parmesan is in this recipe for flavor. Whole Foods 365 and BelGioioso brands offer vegetarian Parmesan cheese. You can substitute mozzarella or cheddar if you’re out. The recipe will even work without cheese.
Pizza stone option: This crust turns out especially great if you bake it on a hot pizza stone or pizza steel (I have this one/affiliate link) instead of a baking sheet. I have always had good luck sliding the pizza with the parchment paper underneath onto the baking stone. The pizza will bake much faster on a hot surface, so keep an eye on it and reduce the cooking time accordingly.
Grill option: This dough works great on the grill. Lay it carefully on the grates and avoid touching for the first minute of cooking.
Individual pizzas: Divide this dough into quarters (instead of halves) to make 4 “personal pan” pizzas, each about 6 inches in diameter. Bake about 7 to 10 minutes (or less, if using a pizza stone), until the crust and cheese are lightly golden.
No food processor? Combine the flour, Parmesan, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine, then drizzle the yeast and water mixture into the bowl while stirring with a large spoon. Stir until all of the flour has been incorporated and the dough comes together, then proceed with the next step.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Brynn
Super easy and quick!
This has now become my go-to pizza dough recipe. It makes pizza night much easier. (And healthier!)
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great, Brynn! Thank you for your review.
Pam
I recently became whole food plant based and have learned to love veggie pizza with no cheese. I began looking for a healthier whole wheat option that I could make at home and hit the jackpot when I found this recipe. Although I eat low oil and very little salt, I made this exactly to the recipe and it was perfect! I made it with whole wheat white flour and cooked it on a pizza stone. It is the best pizza I’ve ever had! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Pam! Thank you for sharing.
emma
i usually try to find a healthier alternative to what me and my s.o. eat, so i decided to try this recipe but only in half using an online website, didnt work, it was wayyyy tooo dry. so the second time i tried, i did the recipe as is and it worked perfectly! i made the dough, weighed it out, made one pizza and i had leftover dough and i was like hm.. what to make? well…. i made cinnamon rolls! they turned out delicious. my s.o. mom came back from a trip the same night i had made the the cinnamon rolls and had eaten 3 ! it was a fun recipe and easy to follow, tasted good. this is my new go to recipe.
★★★★
Kris Marie
Mmmmmm can you please share your cinnamon roll recipe? Thank you.
Mary C
Thrilling! Just to be wacky, I added 1 T minced onion into warm water and an extra 1 T oil, and skipped the cheese. Still turned out great. Thank you for your great work.
★★★★★
Breanna
So easy and delicious! I like it better than the pre-made refrigerated dough I bought for years, and this is much better for you!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love it, Breanna!
Johanna
By far the best pizza I’ve made from scratch, whole wheat or otherwise. It was just for two of us, so I cut it in half, but followed it exactly, and it came out perfect. It was super easy and there was surprisingly little cleanup. Glad I found this! An absolute keeper. Thank you tons for posting it.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Johanna! I appreciate your review.
Rukiyah
Thank you for this recipe. My kids love it and the best part is not having to wait for the dough to rise. I feel good about feeding my kids this healthy pizza recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Debra Beatty
Delicious! I might try rolling the edges next time. Love how easy this recipe is. Thanks! It’s a keeper :)
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Debra! Thank you for your review.
Cathy
Hi Kate – I’ve been compiling my favorite recipes in an online notebook for my kids. This one is now in there, to be passed from generation to generation. Thanks so much; I love your blog!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Cathy!
Beth
This was really good and easy. I cooked the pizzas on my pizza stone and used white whole wheat flour to make the dough. Thank you for a great recipe that came together in a flash.
Diane Peterson
Do you do the oil around the outer inch for doing this on the grill too? We just grilled a different dough…put it on one side for a few minutes, took it off and put the ingredients on the browned side, then put the pizza back in the grill to finish cooking. Will that work with this dough as well?
Kate
Hi Diane! How to Grill Pizza should help answer your questions!
Marz
I followed these instructions exactly and it is a crumbly dry mess and won’t come together to knead on a floured surface with more flour will just dry this out further. Troubleshooting on my printed recipe doesn’t address this issue. So upset.
Kate
Hi Marz, I’m sorry to hear taht. Did you use the food processor at all?
Moulikta
Excellent recipe. I used honey. I have used this recipe as well as I have shared plenty times. Go ahead make it with full confidence. You will never regret
Moulikta
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear! I’m glad this recipe is a go-to.
Julie
My husband and I really love this crust! This is probably a silly question, but do you think there is a way to adapt it to cook at 450 degrees? We have a toaster oven that we like to cook pizzas in, but it cannot go over 450. I have been using he regularly oven, but I live in the Deep South and would like to use the toaster oven, if possible, to minimize heat released into the house. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Julie, I find it works best as written. You could try cooking it for a bit longer, but I can’t say for sure. If you try it, let me know!
Zoe
Turned out great! All my dayhome kids enjoyed it. I prepped it in the morning, then let it sit until lunch (about 3 hrs), and it had doubled in size.
It is now saved in my recipe list!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad it was a hit, Zoe! Thank you for your review.
CG
Loved this dough!! Would it adapt for rolls or buns?
So easy and quick if you want pizza but didn’t plan ahead..keeper of a recipe for sure!
★★★★★
Karrie
We LOVE this pizza! This is our family’s go-to recipe and everyone prefers it over eating out. It’s seriously so simple and delicious. Thanks Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Karrie.
H
Wonderful, my cooking actually works since discovering this website. I edit the recipes here and there, with what I have to hand, as long as it is not too different. E.g. I’m using two *tablespoons* of non-instant yeast due to a misread, and half white flour as I don’t buy sugar, still only takes 1 hour to rise enough during summer, and I make 4 small pizzas instead of 2. I cook the pizza a bit before topping it, as my old cooker essentially only has 1 setting. Whisk some olive oil and passata, add frozen fresh basil. Thanks Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, H! Thank you for your review.
Summer
Great pizza dough! If I can make this anyone can. Super fast, easy and (picky) toddler approved.
★★★★★
Kaylin
This was amazing! My first time making pizza from scratch and it came out wonderfully!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Kaylin! I appreciate your review.
Jalesa
I LOVED this recipe before, but now I’m having to limit sodium and this is such an easy one to cut the salt out of. And honestly, it tasted just as great without it to me ❤️
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Jalesa! I appreciate your review.
Dawn
OMG! This is THE BEST dough recipe! Super simple. I have had several pizza parties using this dough and then your grilling technique. I make the dough before everyone comes and cut it into the individual pizza portions (I do 2 pizza’s per recipe), wrap in greased saran wrap and refrigerate until we make them. I roll them out and then everyone makes their own from there. My husband is the “official” pizza griller and LOVES it! Everyone lives it and wants the recipe. Thank you for introducing us to white wheat flour too! ❤️
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so glad you loved it, Dawn! Thank you for your comment and review.
Shane
This was so incredibly easy to make and so delicious. My boyfriend and I are now making it 1-2 times a week. We’ve completely given up delivery pizza. I’m so happy that you posted this.
★★★★★
Kate
I love that, Shane! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
John
Made your Whole wheat pizza dough and is very good pizza dough. Will use it again love the thin crust and holds the red sauce very well.
★★★★★
Eileen
Hi Kate, just recently started enjoying your recipes and and love them. This crust was flavorful however it wasn’t crispy at all. I used half white and half regular whole wheat flour and baked both pizzas at the same time, one on the top third shelf and one on the bottom third shelf, alternating them at the halfway point. I did roll them out to the 11 in as suggested and followed the rest of the directions as written. Should the crust be somewhat crispy?
Kate
I wonder if you may have needed to keep it in a bit longer. I’m sorry you didn’t have great results. I appreciate your feedback.
Steve
My first attempt at a pizza crust and it was amazing! I had even posted a question on the pizza addicts forum asking for a whole wheat dough recipe….
I cooked the pizza on a stone in a 500 degree oven. I will do it again for sure – my girlfriend loved it.
Thank-you so very much for all you do to test your recipes.
I always look for you during a recipe search. Wonderful work indeed.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Steve!
john
Has anyone tried this recipe but let the dough rise for a couple of hours first?
Jeff
Hi- question on ratios. You mention 2 3/4 cups or 345 grams of white whole wheat flour. However those are not quite equivalent. 345 grams is more like 3+ cups of flour (King Arthur White Whole Wheat, 113g/cup). Which is the “right” measurement? I used 345 grams and it came out way too dry- needed to add a good amount more hydration so I assume the cup-based measurement is more accurate?
Kate
Hi Jeff, I’m sorry you had issues. It can be the difference in the flour type.
Carol
This is the recipe I have been looking for! Made it exactly as written, perfect flavor and texture. Used regular whole wheat flour. This dough is SO easy to work with. Placed a rectangle of parchment on counter and pressed out crust to fit — then transferred on parchment to a large rectangular pan (didn’t divide crust, just made one large pizza.) Thank you Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Carol! Thank you for your review.
Jennifer Close
Hi there. I plan to make this tomorrow. I have organic stone ground white whole wheat flour and wanted to make sure it won’t be too coarse. Would you know how this would work?
Thanks in advance.
Kate
Hi! I do know that can be different so I can’t say for sure. Let me know if you tried it!
Jennifer Close
Hi. Thanks for responding. I actually did make it and used the organic stone ground white whole wheat flour with honey and olive oil and used the food processor. It was so so good. Perfect!! I also cooked as I usually do on the stone at 480 F and removed the parchment paper after 1-2 minutes. Thank you so much. It was very crunchy and a stiff pizza. No sogginess.
★★★★★
Jeff Pelletier
Just an FYI, if you scale this recipe up, the teaspoon measurement of yeast does NOT change, only the packet count. Make sure to actually double or triple if your using your own jar of yeast.
And my apologies if this has been already mentioned and I didn’t honestly read through any comments.
★★★★
Kate
Thank you for letting me know! I will take a look.
Claudia
This is the most delicious pizza crust I have made! My family loved it and asked that this be the only recipe I go by. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Claudia! I appreciate your review.
Cindy Salisbury
Wow, am I glad I found this recipe! It’s perfect and healthy. Now I have a to go recipe. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Cindy!
Cindy Salisbury
Wow, am I glad I found this pizza dough recipe! It’s perfect and healthy. Now I have a to go recipe. Thank you!
★★★★★