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Home » pizza, pasta and grains » white sauce pizza

November 22, 2021

white sauce pizza

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This white sauce pizza starts with a creamy, garlic-scented bechamel and is topped with mozzarella, parmesan and milky dollops of ricotta cheese. Finish it with a simple arugula salad for freshness and a pop of flavor, or keep it simple with a pinch of red pepper flakes. Jazzed up or straight from the oven-- this white sauce pizza is elegant and packed with flavor. It’s a total crowd pleaser.

Use our artisan pizza dough for the best bubbles and a chewy, crispy, incredibly flavorful crust!

how to make white pizza with mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta

what is a white pizza?

At its core, white pizza is simply a pizza without tomato sauce. There’s a wide range of styles, from pizzas that are brushed with good olive oil and a sprinkling of herbs or cheese (like our garlic pizza) to those that are a bit more decadent. The latter, sometimes called white sauce pizza, is what we’re sharing today.

We go all in with a thick layer of garlic flavored bechamel to get the pizza started right. Then we use three cheeses: melty mozzarella, salty kick of parmesan, and creamy spoonfuls of ricotta, to hit all the right notes and take this pizza to the next level. You can add more toppings as desired (see a big list of ideas below!), but I love to keep it simple and elegant.

what you need to make a white pizza

  • pizza dough
  • butter
  • flour
  • garlic
  • milk
  • mozzarella
  • parmesan
  • ricotta
white sauce pizza ingredients

how to make white pizza sauce

  1. Melt butter with garlic clove
  2. Whisk in flour and cook a few minutes
  3. Slowly whisk in milk, simmer until thickened
  4. Season with salt and pepper
  5. Use right away, or transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming
butter, garlic, flour, milk
white pizza sauce recipe

how to make a white sauce pizza

  1. Make your favorite pizza dough
  2. Make the white sauce (garlic bechamel)
  3. Shape the pizza dough into a round
  4. Spread it with the white sauce
  5. Top with mozzarella, parmesan and dollops of ricotta
  6. Bake until cheese is melted and crust is browned and crisp
  7. Serve with a light arugula salad, dressed in olive oil and balsamic, if desired
making white pizza
spreading white sauce on pizza
adding mozzarella and parmesan to pizza
dollops of fresh ricotta
white pizza with mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta

more topping ideas for white sauce pizza

I love to keep this pizza super simple and elegant, but by all means-- add as many toppings as your heart desires! Here are some white pizza toppings that go really well together!

  • grilled or roast chopped chicken
  • spicy shrimp
  • torn prosciutto 
  • crispy bacon 
  • browned bits of pancetta
  • roasted garlic
  • roasted brussels sprouts
  • blanched broccoli florets
  • blanched or sautéed spinach
  • crispy sautéed mushrooms
  • cauliflower florets
  • blanched or sautéed kale
  • marinated artichoke hearts
  • oven roasted tomatoes
  • fresh or pickled jalapeños
  • drizzle of sichuan chili oil

what to drink with white sauce pizza:

I'm obsessed with pizza and beer. The contrast of hot cheesy pizza with the cold refreshing carbonation and bitterness of beer is one of my favorite combinations. It’s hard to go wrong with a beer pairing! And this white pizza recipe is especially flexible-- with the creamy white sauce and mild cheese, you're guaranteed to have a delicious meal.

Here a few styles that I feel would really enhance and play off of the white pizza:

  • A rich stout would complement the creamy white sauce and add rich cocoa and coffee notes. It’s a cozy pairing, perfect for cold weather. We really love the creaminess of oatmeal stouts.
  • A floral, bitter, ultra-fresh IPA is a fun exercise in contrast. It perfectly offsets the rich sauce and offers wonderful palate cleansing bitterness.
  • Belgian-style tripels (one of my favorite beer styles) go really well with this white sauce pizza. They have complex, yeasty flavors, high alcohol and a sweet finish that is a delicious contrast to the buttery white pizza sauce.
white pizza recipe

If you want to mix up a cocktail instead, try some of these!

vodka spiked lemonade

champagne cocktail

grand marnier grapefruit mimosa

what to serve with this white sauce pizza:

We love to serve this pizza with a fresh salad or vegetable side dish (like sautéed kale or roasted broccolini).

If you’re having a pizza party, try some of our favorite pizzas: morel pizza, fennel sausage pizza, artichoke pizza, calabrese pizza, hawaiian pizza, breakfast pizza, mushroom pizza, prosciutto pizza with arugula, pesto pizza recipe, black truffle pizza, burrata pizza, and this buttery garlic pizza.

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white sauce pizza

white pizza recipe with mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta
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White sauce pizza is spread with a creamy garlic-scented white sauce and topped with mozzarella, parmesan and fresh ricotta. Add a pop of freshness with a simple arugula salad or serve it as is!

  • Author: Indi Hampton
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 2 12-inch pizzas
  • Category: Pizza
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

garlic bechamel

  • 3 tbsp salted butter
  • 1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cup whole milk
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

white pizza

  • 1 recipe artisan pizza dough (two 15 oz dough balls)
  • 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella, divided
  • 1 cup shredded parmesan, divided
  • 1 cup ricotta, divided
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 3 cups arugula
  • red chile flakes, for topping

Instructions

garlic bechamel

  1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic clove and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring, as mixture bubbles, 2- 3 minutes. Gradually add milk, whisking after each addition, until all of the milk has been added. Bring to a boil and reduce to a gentle simmer, whisking to prevent scorching. 
  2. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper and cook, whisking often, until sauce is thick and has lost the raw flour taste, about 5 minutes. 
  3. Remove from heat. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed. Use warm, or transfer to a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.

Sauce can be made 3 days in advance. Gently reheat in the microwave or on the stove to loosen.

white pizza

  1. Place pizza steel or stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. Let stone heat up for a full 45 minutes. Generously flour a pizza peel and set aside.
  2. To make the pizza, place the dough ball on a floured surface. Flatten the middle of the dough ball into a large disk, leaving a thick one-inch lip. Pick up the disk, and holding the thick edge, use gravity to carefully stretch the dough into a 12-inch circle. Lay on pizza peel and jiggle the peel to make sure the dough isn’t sticking (add more flour if it is).
  3. Spread pizza dough with enough garlic bechamel sauce to cover the surface, leaving a 1-inch border along the edge. Top with half the mozzarella and half the parmesan. Dollop with half the ricotta (about 8 spoonfuls). Slide pizza onto steel and bake for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 2- 4 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is blistered. 
  4. While pizza bakes, make a simple arugula salad. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add arugula and toss to coat. 
  5. Remove pizza from oven and let cool slightly. Top with a handful of arugula salad then slice and serve with chile flakes. Repeat to make the second pizza. 

Notes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: ⅛th of a 12-inch pizza
  • Calories: 235
  • Sugar: 1.7g
  • Sodium: 426mg
  • Fat: 9.1g
  • Saturated Fat: 4.6g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 3.8g
  • Trans Fat: 0.1g
  • Carbohydrates: 28g
  • Fiber: 0.9g
  • Protein: 9.8g
  • Cholesterol: 22mg

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Comments

  1. no says

    July 14, 2024 at 3:00 am

    perfect

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