Carbonara Pizza with Crispy Pancetta
Dinner doesn’t get much better than this carbonara pizza, topped with a cheesy, eggy cream sauce, crispy pancetta, and loads of black pepper.
What you’ll love about this recipe:
- Easy enough for Friday pizza night. Store-bought pizza dough keeps prep simple. The homemade sauce makes it delicious.
- Easy to customize. Swap pancetta for bacon, add a little arugula, or finish it with an egg for an extra carbonara-inspired touch.
- Quicker than delivery. Mix up the sauce while your oven preheats. The pizza itself bakes in about 10 minutes!
A Carbonara-Inspired Twist on Pizza Night
Do you ever see a place online and immediately think “OMG I need to go there!”?
That’s what happened when I saw a video about Forno Tony, a Roman bakery and pizza shop in Rochester, New York. Rochester is about 4 hours away from us, but it was the perfect stopping point on my way to a girls weekend in Ohio, so I made a detour.
The counter-service restaurant (really more of a deli) is tiny, packed, and smells incredible the second you step inside. They sell their Roman-style pizzas by weight instead of by the slice, which makes it really easy to try different ones. I immediately made a beeline for one topped with pistachios and red onions, then asked the server what their favorite was and ended up with a big piece of carbonara pizza.
When I tell you it’s one of the best things I’ve ever tasted, that might be an understatement. The carbonara sauce was rich and eggy, like the very best carbonara pasta. The pancetta was porky. And there was tons of black pepper to cut through the richness. I couldn’t finish my lunch, and I was sad to leave it behind.
This is my attempt at recreating that flavor at home and I think I did a pretty darn good job. I even adapted it to be an easy recipe that you can make after work on a weeknight. I made it three times in three weeks, it was just that good!
If you love carbonara, or if you’re just looking for something deliciously indulgent, you’ll definitely want to try this pizza recipe.
Ingredients
Pizza dough. I’ve been using poco bero dough (they sent me a box to try out and I’m hooked), which comes frozen in 10-ounce balls. Pull it out in the morning and it will be ready to go by dinner time. If you’re using a 1-pound dough ball from the store, you’ll want to make a batch and a half of the carbonara sauce and use a little more mozzarella, but you should be ok keeping the original amount of pancetta.
Pancetta. Pancetta is basically bacon that hasn’t been smoked. It’s fatty, salty, and full of rich pork flavor that gives carbonara its iconic flavor. It also crisps up beautifully, making it an amazing pizza topping! You could also swap bacon if you prefer, but your pizza will have a smokier flavor.
Egg yolks. Essential as the base of any carbonara sauce!
Heavy cream or whipping cream. This isn’t traditional in carbonara but is necessary here to keep the eggs from just scrambling on your pizza. It keeps the sauce saucy!
Pecorino Romano cheese. For more salty, savory flavor. You can swap in grated Parmesan if that’s what you have.
Low moisture mozzarella. Low moisture mozzarella melts beautifully without getting greasy like fresh mozzarella can. I also lose using a blend of mozzarella and provolone. You don’t need a lot, just enough to make your pizza feel like a pizza.
Freshly cracked black pepper. And lots of it.
Pro Tips for the Best Carbonara Pizza
Don’t overload the sauce. A thin, even layer is all you need. Too much cream sauce can weigh down the crust and make the center soggy. The sauce packs a ton of flavor, so a little goes a long way!
Cook the pancetta first. Giving it a head start in the skillet renders some of the fat and crisps it up for a great texture. We’ll add some of the rendered fat into the sauce so every bit has that porky goodness.
Let the dough warm up. Cold pizza dough tends to spring back when you try to stretch it. If yours was refrigerated, let it sit at room temperature for 30–60 minutes before shaping. If it was frozen, set it on the counter in the morning and it should be ready to go by dinner.
Go heavy on the black pepper. It cuts through the richness of the other ingredients and is what really makes this pizza pop!
Finish with something fresh. A side salad with a vinegary dressing is a great way to balance all that cheese and cream and cleanse your palate between bites.
Frequently asked questions
Chances are you won’t have any, but if you do you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
My favorite way to reheat pizza is in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cover it for a few minutes to help the cheese melt while the bottom gets crispy again.
You can also reheat slices in a 330°F air fryer for 4-7 minutes.
Jarred carbonara sauce can be tricky to find, but it does exist. I know I’ve gotten a great one from Trader Joe’s before , and it would work really well on this. Don’t be tempted to use Alfredo sauce though, it lacks the eggy base and isn’t the same at all.
Other recipes you might like:
- Easy Bruschetta Pasta
- One Pot Sausage and Broccoli Pasta
- One Pot Lemon Ricotta Spaghetti
- Easy Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets (No Egg, No Flour)
Carbonara Pizza with Crispy Pancetta
Ingredients
- 10 ounces prepared pizza dough room temperature
- 3 ounces diced pancetta
- 2 large egg yolks
- ⅓ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
- 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper plus more for finishing
- ¾ cup low-moisture mozzarella shredded
- 1 teaspoon olive oil for the crust
- Flour as needed for shaping
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 500℉ or as hot as it will go. Once the oven is preheated, add an empty sheet pan and let it heat up for at least 5 minutes while you prepare the ingredients.
- Add 3 ounces diced pancetta to a skillet over medium heat and cook until the fat renders and the pieces begin to crisp, about 4–5 minutes. Set aside.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together 2 large egg yolks, ⅓ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano, 3 Tablespoons heavy cream, 1 Tablespoon of the rendered pancetta fat, and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Sprinkle the pizza dough with flour, then stretch it into a roughly 12-inch round. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil. Transfer to the hot pan and bake for 4 minutes, just until the surface begins to set.
- Remove the crust from the oven. Spread the carbonara mixture in a thin, even layer, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge. Scatter ¾ cup low-moisture mozzarella over the top, then top with the crispy pancetta.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 5–7 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden and the cheese is bubbling.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and top it with more freshly cracked black pepper. Slice and serve hot.
