Flatbread pizza combines two beloved recipes: a crunchy yet tender flatbread base with creative and mouthwatering toppings.

Whether you like a classic tomato and mozzarella or a Middle Eastern hummus and tahini sauce topping, this is the perfect recipe for a beautiful dinner with friends and family.

flatbread pizza with tomato and basil
flatbread pizza variations

You’ll love flatbread pizza because the recipe is quicker and easier than regular pizza, the base is golden-brown, crisp, and tender, and it is a blank canvas for your favorite toppings.

We saw this recipe for the first time in a small restaurant in Berlin (Germany), and we immediately fell in love with the concept.

You can cook the flatbread pizza on a baking sheet or a pizza stone in a standard oven. You can even cook it in a skillet or a pizza oven.

For the toppings, you can use whatever you want.

We recommend a classic Italian topping with tomato and mozzarella. A Greek-inspired one with sun-dried tomato pesto, olives, and yogurt.

A Californian one with mashed avocado and chipotle sauce. And a Middle-Eastern one (Nico’s favorite) with hummus, crumbled falafel, tahini sauce, and pickled onions.

flatbread pizza with hummus, falafel, tahini sauce, and pickled onions

Ingredients & Substitutions

ingredients for flatbread pizza
  • Flour: We use all-purpose flour. Alternatively, you can use bread flour or 50% all-purpose and 50% whole-wheat flour.
  • Water: Plain tap water, best if lukewarm, to accelerate proofing. Avoid hot water, as it will kill the yeast.
  • Yeast: We use instant dry yeast, which does not need to be dissolved in water. Substitute active dry yeast in the same quantities or fresh yeast.

    If you use fresh yeast, you’ll need 3x more than instant dry yeast.

    Regardless of the type of yeast you use, read the instructions on the back of the yeast package to ensure you use it the right way.
  • Sugar: Sugar is optional, but if you are short on time, sugar helps speed up the proofing, and it helps the flatbreads get a golden-brown color in the oven.
  • Salt: We recommend sea salt or kosher salt.

Toppings

Flatbread pizza with canned tomatoes and melted cheese
  • Rosemary: extra virgin olive oil, rosemary needles, and a generous pinch of salt.
  • Italian: chopped mozzarella cheese or vegan cheese, fresh tomatoes or tomato puree, basil, salt, pepper, oregano, and a drizzle of olive oil.
  • Greek: sun-dried tomato pesto, olives, salad leaves (we use watercress and radicchio), and yogurt.
  • Californian: mashed avocado, mixed salad leaves (we use watercress and arugula), chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and chipotle sauce.
  • Nico’s topping suggestion: top with a layer of homemade hummus, extra virgin olive oil, crumbled falafel, and drizzle with tahini sauce, chopped parsley, pickled onions, and a pinch of sumac.
Flatbread pizza with thyme and salt

How to make flatbread pizza

Start with the dough

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast with lukewarm water and sugar.

wet ingredients for flatbread pizza dough

Add flour and salt and stir with a wooden spoon till you get a dough.

Transfer onto a worktop and knead for about 5 minutes till soft and elastic.

If the dough is too sticky, add some extra flour, a little at a time. Depending on the temperature, altitude, humidity, and type of flour, you might need to adjust the quantities slightly.

hand kneading pizza dough

Let the dough rise

Put the dough into a well-oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen cloth, leaving enough space between the dough and the fabric.

Flatbread pizza dough in a bowl with a cloth

Let proof in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours or until it doubles in volume.

Tip: We recommend profing in a slightly warm oven that you turn on for 30 seconds, then off. If your oven allows it, leave the light on. This will provide enough warmth for the dough to prove.

Flatbread pizza dough after proofing

Transfer the dough onto a clean worktop and fold it on itself four times.

Cut the dough into four pieces, then shape each into a smooth ball. Cover with a baking dish turned upside down and rest for 30 minutes.

Flatbread pizza dough in 4 balls and hands

Shape the dough

Preheat the oven to 480°F or 250°C.

Add some flour to a plate, then dip the first dough ball into the flour on both sides. Shake excess flour away, and flatten the dough with your hands.

flattening dough with hand

Push down the dough from the center and stretch it out as you press, giving it an oval shape.

You can use a rolling pin, but doing it with your hands will make for lighter and fluffier flatbreads.

Flatbread pizza ready to bake

Cook in the oven

Baking with toppings

Arrange the flatbreads on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Add pizza sauce, chopped mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of oregano.

Alternatively, make one with chopped mozzarella, fresh tomato slices, a pinch of salt, olive oil, and oregano.

Flatbread pizza before baking

Bake in the lower rack of a preheated oven at 480°F or 250°C for 5 to 7 minutes, then use the broiler function for the last minute to make it golden-brown on top.

Chop into slices and serve immediately.

Flatbread pizza with tomatoes and melted cheese

Baking without topping

Arrange flatbreads on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and pierce with a fork.

Bake in a preheated oven at 480°F or 250°C for 5 to 7 minutes.

Flatbread pizza without toppings and hands

Topping Variations

Nico’s topping suggestion

Flatbread pizza with hummus and falafel

We love Levantine and Middle-Eastern food, so I couldn’t resist experimenting with flavors from those regions.

Bake the flatbread without topping, then cover it with a generous layer of hummus. Add extra virgin olive oil and crumble some freshly made falafel on the hummus.

Now drizzle with tahini sauce, add a pinch of fresh parsley, and top with pickled red onions and a pinch of sumac.

Rosemary

Flatbread pizza with thyme and salt

Before baking, top the flatbread with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, rosemary needles, and a pinch of sea salt (or coarse sea salt).

Bake for 5 to 7 minutes at 480°F or 250°C.

Greek-Style

flatbread pizza with sun-dried tomatoes

Bake the flatbread without toppings, then spread sun-dried tomato pesto and garnish with mixed salad leaves (we use radicchio and watercress) and Kalamata olives.

Drizzle with Greek-style yogurt diluted with water and enjoy.

Californian-style

flatbread pizza with mashed avocado

Bake the flatbread without toppings, then top it with a generous amount of mashed avocado (mash it with a fork in a bowl).

Season with a pinch of salt and garnish with watercress, arugula, and a few chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

Optionally, drizzle with chipotle sauce.

Cooking variations

Pizza stone: Preheat your pizza stone in the oven at maximum temperature for 30 minutes before cooking the flatbread pizza. Cooking time is between 4 and 7 minutes.

Pizza oven: You can cook this flatbread pizza recipe in a pizza oven like Ooni or another brand. Preheat the pizza oven for about 30 minutes, or the time it takes for the stone base to reach about 750°F or 400°C. Cook for 60 to 90 seconds.

Cast Iron skillet: Use this type of cooking if you want a soft and fluffy flatbread that you can use to dip in curries, sauces, or hummus or that you can top with light toppings.

This type of cooking is not suitable for cheesy toppings. Warm up the pan until it’s hot, then turn the heat low.

Cook for about 1.5 to 2 minutes on each side.

Flatbread pizza cooking on a pizza stone

Questions

Isn’t flatbread without yeast?

flatbread is bread made with flour, water, and salt and then rolled into flattened dough.

Many flatbreads are unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pizza and pita bread. We use yeast in our bread as it makes it fluffy and tasty.

How do you know when the dough reaches the right consistency?

This dough should be soft to the touch but not sticky. You should be able to work it with your hands without it sticking to them.

If it sticks, add a little flour. While you knead it, the dough will become slightly harder and more elastic. That’s good.

Is flatbread healthy?

It depends. Our flatbreads contain no milk or butter/ghee, so they are healthy compared to many other breads.

How can I make flatbread healthier?

You have two options:

1) Use whole grain flour or mix whole wheat and all-purpose.

2) Decrease the glycemic load of your meal by eating flatbread with a lot of veggies and legumes, such as roasted veggies, a big salad, or hummus.

Chickpea and other legumes are the perfect companions to this bread as they not only add a lot of complex carbs and dietary fiber but also improve the protein profile of your meal by adding lysine. This essential amino acid is low in wheat.

Flatbread pizza on a cutting coard

Storage

Make ahead: Flatbread pizza is best eaten immediately. If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in a dark corner of your kitchen for up to a day.

If the topping has dairy, store it in the fridge. Reheat them in the oven or air-fryer before eating them.

Refrigerator: You can make the dough in advance and let it sit in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Remove it from the refrigerator for 2 hours before shaping it into dough balls.

Freezer: It’s best to freeze the dough after the first proofing. Shape the dough into balls, put them in an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Thaw at room temperature for a few hours before flattening the balls.

More recipes for pizza night

flatbread pizza with tomato and mozzarella

Flatbread Pizza

By: Nico Pallotta
5 from 15 votes
Flatbread pizza combines two beloved recipes: a crunchy yet tender flatbread base with creative and mouthwatering toppings.
Whether you like a classic tomato and mozzarella or a Middle Eastern hummus and tahini sauce topping, this is the perfect recipe for a beautiful dinner with friends and family.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Proofing time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 4 flatbreads
Course: Appetizer, Breads, Main Course
Cuisine: International

Ingredients

Flatbread pizza dough

  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  • teaspoons instant dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Tomato Mozzarella Topping

  • 2 fresh tomatoes sliced, 3 slices per flatbread
  • 2 mozzarella chopped, about ½ mozzarella per flatbread (or vegan cheese)
  • dried oregano, olive oil, salt, and basil to taste

Hummus Topping

  • hummus 4 tablespoons per flatbread
  • falafel crumbled, 2 per flatbread
  • tahini sauce 2 tablespoons per flatbread
  • pickled red onions to taste
  • fresh parsley, olive oil, and sumac to taste

Instructions 

  • In a large mixing bowl, dissolve 1½ teaspoons instant dry yeast with 1 cup lukewarm water and 1 tablespoon sugar.
    Add 2½ cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon salt and stir with a wooden spoon till combined.
    mixing the dough in a ball
  • Transfer onto a worktop and knead for about 5 minutes till soft and elastic.
    If the dough is too sticky, add some extra flour, a little at a time.
    hand kneading pizza dough
  • Put the dough into a well-oiled bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen cloth, leaving enough space between the dough and the fabric.
    Let proof in a warm place for 1 ½ hours or until it doubles in volume.
    Flatbread pizza dough after proofing
  • Transfer to a clean worktop and fold it four times.
    Cut into four pieces, and shape them into balls. Cover with a baking dish turned upside down and let it rest for 30 minutes.
    Flatbread pizza dough in 4 balls and hands
  • Preheat the oven to 480°F or 250°C.
    Flatten the dough on a lightly floured surface pressing down with the tip of your fingers from the center and outwards.
    flattening dough with hand

TOMATO MOZZARELLA TOPPING

  • Arrange the flatbreads on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
    Add some chopped mozzarella, fresh tomato slices, cover with more mozzarella, season with a pinch of salt, olive oil, and oregano.
    Alternatively, add pizza sauce on flatbread, cover with chopped mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of oregano.
    Flatbread pizza before baking
  • Bake in the lower rack of a preheated oven at 480°F or 250°C for 5 to 7 minutes, then use the broiler function for the last minute to make it golden-brown on top.
    flatbread with tomato and mozzarella

HUMMUS TOPPING

  • Arrange flatbreads on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and pierce with a fork.
    Bake in a preheated oven at 480°F or 250°C for 5 to 7 minutes.
    Flatbread pizza without toppings and hands
  • Spread a generous layer of hummus. Add crumbled falafel.
    Drizzle with tahini sauce, top with pickled red onions, and garnish with fresh parsley, olive oil, and sumac.
    flatbread pizza with hummus, falafel, tahini sauce, and pickled onions

Video

Flatbread Pizza (2 toppings)

Notes

Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 flatbread out of 4 without topping.
STORAGE
Make ahead: Flatbread pizza is best eaten immediately. If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in a dark corner of your kitchen for up to a day.
If the topping has dairy, store it in the fridge. Reheat them in the oven or air-fryer before eating them.
Refrigerator: You can make the dough in advance and let it sit in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Remove it from the refrigerator for 2 hours before shaping it into dough balls.
Freezer: It’s best to freeze the dough after the first proofing. Shape the dough into balls, put them in an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw at room temperature for a few hours before flattening the dough balls.
ALSO ON THIS PAGE

Nutrition

Calories: 357kcal, Carbohydrates: 75g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 0.2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Potassium: 112mg, Dietary Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin B6: 0.1mg, Vitamin C: 0.003mg, Vitamin E: 0.1mg, Vitamin K: 0.3µg, Calcium: 17mg, Folate: 199µg, Iron: 4mg, Manganese: 1mg, Magnesium: 22mg, Zinc: 1mg
Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below or mention @theplantbasedschool on Instagram. We are also on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok.

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”OiRSWddL” upload-date=”2023-08-26T08:19:11.000Z” name=”Flatbread Pizza” description=”Flatbread pizza combines two beloved recipes: a crunchy yet tender flatbread base with creative and mouthwatering toppings.

Whether you like a classic tomato and mozzarella or a Middle Eastern hummus and tahini sauce topping, this is the perfect recipe for a beautiful dinner with friends and family.” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]


Nico and Louise in the kitchen

Hi! We are Nico & Louise

Welcome to The Plant-Based School, a food blog with easy, tasty, and wholesome recipes.

Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients.

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6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I always use this recipe when making pizza nights, it’s very reliable and always comes out good. Thank you for this!

    1. Hi Mars,
      That’s great – I’m very happy to hear (and we’re honoured to contribute to your pizza nights!)
      Thank you so much for leaving a comment 🙂
      Kindest, Louise

  2. 5 stars
    I tried the Californian and the Italian flatbread pizza and they are so delicious! Thank you for sharing these yummy recipes!

    1. Ciao Maggie, I am really happy to hear you liked them!! Those two are also my favourites 😊 Enjoy your day!
      Nico

    2. I make these regularly, they are so easy but so tasty. I’m also loving all your new recipes, which I am going to try very soon. You must be working very hard! Thank you for all the yummy ideas, much appreciated.

      1. Thanks Rachel, I’m delighted to hear you like the pizzas! And we’re very happy you like the new batch of recipes too, thanks for the feedback.
        It’s our pleasure, thanks so much for following along. Cheers, Nico