30 Topping Ideas to Spice Up Your Pizza Game

Everyone enjoys making homemade pizza, but there may come a time when you’re out of topping ideas. This article presents 30 ideas of what you can put on your pizza, from familiar favourites to unconventional, gourmet options.

30 Pizza Topping Ideas

You can put almost anything on a pizza, but our list below ranks the best options (and combinations) to help you make an incredible pizza.

Pepperoni

No top-10 pizza ranking is complete without the pepperoni pizza. When in doubt, use pepperoni—that is, if you don’t mind a bit of spice. You don’t need any other unique ingredients to make this pizza—just some tomato sauce and cheese, and you’ve got yourself a delicious pizza.

Mushrooms

One of the all-time best pizza toppings includes the mushroom. You can use mushrooms in combination with other toppings or pepper them on top of the cheese, and you’ve got yourself a complete pizza.

Chicken

Chicken is a topping that is excellent with other toppings, sauces, and all kinds of cheeses. You can try a classic BBQ chicken pizza or indulge in a combination of chicken and feta or chicken and tomatoes spread on a pesto base.

Bolognese

Bolognese may seem like an unusual pizza topping, but it’s surprisingly delicious. Add some mozzarella and grate some parmesan on top when you take the pizza out of the oven. A splash of fresh basil on top can also add a new taste to your pizza. And it’s a bonus to use your leftover topping from the day before to make a special meal.

Sausage

If you wish to make an authentic Italian meat pizza, you need sausage. It’s best to combine it with other toppings for pizza, such as cured meat or vegetables. Kale also goes great with sausage, and it’s an excellent way to make your pizza a little healthier.

Salami

Salami is an excellent alternative if you enjoy pepperoni pizza but want to diversify a bit. It’s not as spicy, and you can combine it with all the best pizza cheeses or add leafy greens (basil, spinach) to freshen up the taste.

Prosciutto

Prosciutto is a great addition to most anything—pizza is no exception. This is one of the best gourmet pizza topping ideas, as it allows for many combinations. It pairs exceptionally well with blue cheese. And a traditional Italian recipe of prosciutto and rocket salad is a must.

Ham

Ham is a simple yet classic topping. You can combine it with whatever you want—mushrooms, artichokes, olives. Your ham pizza also goes well with a side salad. But the best compliment to a ham topping is fruit, especially pineapple.

Pineapple

Pineapple is one of the more unusual pizza toppings, but it can be delicious when combined with the right ingredients. You can always make a Hawaiian pizza with pineapple and ham or experiment with caramelised pineapple, which goes great with bacon.

Bacon

Bacon is loved in all forms, especially as a topping, as you can combine it with almost anything. The use of bacon is an excellent way to round up our top 10 pizza toppings. Some more unconventional combinations with bacon include pineapple and potatoes with rosemary.

Cheese Combo

You don’t need meat to make a delicious pizza. You can try one of the most common pizza cheese blends or make the famous Quattro Formaggi pizza—the Italian four-cheese delicacy. Combine any of your favourite types of cheese and mix them.

Goat Cheese

If you don’t want to consume too much cheese, you don’t need to combine different kinds. We recommend opting for just one type: goat cheese. This is an inviting pizza toppings idea because it gives your pizza a fresh taste and pairs well with greens and garlic—making goat cheese pizza an enticing vegetarian option.

Aubergine

Aubergine is one of the most pizza-friendly vegetables. It goes well with meats (sausage, lamb), cheeses, or other vegetables. For best results, we recommend using crème fraîche as a base on your aubergine pizza instead of the classic tomato sauce—giving your pizza a fresh, creamy aftertaste.

Zucchini

One of the best pizza topping ideas for a vegetarian pizza is zucchini. This fresh, green vegetable is ideal with other vegetables. It’s superb with chilli peppers and mint and goes great with various nuts, especially cashews. Add some mozzarella, and you’ve got yourself a hearty, healthy meal.

Artichokes

Artichokes are a delectable addition to any pizza, especially as a sole topping. You can, however, combine them with spinach and cream or sun-dried tomatoes, making a low-calorie pizza in no time.

Broccoli

When considering types of pizza toppings, we must mention the healthy broccoli topping—so you don’t need to feel so guilty for indulging yourself in a pizza. Combined with sausage or only cheese, your broccoli pizza is a treat.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes don’t need to be used only as a pizza base; they also make for an excellent topping. Whether you decide to couple fresh tomatoes with mozzarella or use sun-dried tomatoes topped with herbs and spices, you can’t go wrong.

Olives

One of the most favourite vegetarian pizza topping ideas is the addition of olives. Green or black, diced or whole, olives are a delicious topping. You can combine them with mushrooms or tomatoes or only with cheese. An additional enticement is that they also taste great when you reheat the pizza.

Potatoes

In addressing more unusual toppings, we present the potato. This may come as a surprise, but potatoes pair well with pizza dough. And if you wish to give it more flavour, sprinkle a bit of rosemary on top. Throw in cheese, and you have a complete pizza.

Pumpkin

If you’re after homemade pizza toppings and ideas to enrich the flavour of your pizza, pumpkin is the answer. We recommend adding thin slices of pumpkin or using (leftover) pumpkin squash to spread over the surface for a homemade topping. You can also combine it with many toppings, including feta, chicken, sausage, zucchini, basil.

Hot Peppers

Peppers are great on pizza. Hot peppers are even better. Whether you prefer red, hot chillies or green jalapenos, you can cut them up and put them on your pizza. You can also combine them with something else, but they have enough flavour by themselves.

Caramelised Onions

Pizza topping ideas must include caramelised onions. Of course, many use freshly diced onion on top of their pizzas, but caramelised onion is the perfect combination with mushrooms and pork.

All-Vegan

Vegetarian toppings are included with other toppings on our list, but we didn’t forget about the popular all-vegan option. We recommend tasty cauliflower dough, and for the toppings, any vegetable will do. And using a pizza stone for baking enhances your pizza’s taste significantly. You can also add some lean meats for a healthy meal.

Avocado

The avocado is one of the most desired fruits on a pizza. What’s best about avocados is that they combine well with sweet and savoury toppings. You can make many excellent pizza topping combinations with a single avocado—mix avocado with ricotta or salmon or add syrup and dried fruits for a dessert.

Eggs

Who said eggs can’t go on pizza? You can make a deliciously simple pizza with cheese and other toppings and put a poached egg on top to create an Eggs Benedict pizza. It’s warm and filling, and you can even eat it for breakfast.

Seafood

If you’re a seafood lover, there’s no reason not to put it on pizza. Many interesting pizza toppings include seafood: shrimp, anchovies, scallops, prawns. You must, however, pre-cook seafood before using it on pizza. And make sure you drain it of all liquid before you place it on the dough, and you’ll have an incredible gastronomical adventure.

Smoked Salmon

Even though salmon is seafood, using smoked salmon on your pizza is in a league of its own. The salmon for your pizza doesn’t need to be precooked—simply place it on top after the pizza comes out of the oven. (You don’t even have to bake it.) It makes for an excellent union with avocado, and it’s also great with spring onions and horseradish.

Deep-Dish Topping

When we scrutinise pizza topping ideas in the UK, it’s unfortunate that deep-dish pizza doesn’t always pop up. You can make your own deep-dish pizza. Your meats and vegetables should go on the bottom of the dish, topped with cheese, and the sauce goes on top. If you’re not confident enough to make one, you can still order a deep-dish pizza from one of the great pizza chains you have right here in the UK.

Seeds and Nuts

Seeds and nuts may seem strange for different pizza toppings but can make great additions to main-course and dessert pizzas. Simply dice or chop your nuts up and strew them on top. Seeds and nuts add a fun crunch to whatever is on the pizza. The best nut options for this pizza include pine nuts, crumbled peanuts, sliced almonds, and crushed walnuts. And nuts go very well with honey, making an irresistible sweet pizza.

Fruit

Fruit is the main ingredient of dessert pizza—even though you can balance some fruits with meat to make a sweet-and-savoury combination, like Hawaiian pizza. But no pizza topping ideas list would be complete without the best and most popular pizza fruits: pears, apples, peaches, pineapple, and figs.

Conclusion

We have presented something for everyone. Whether you’re a meat-lover, a strict vegetarian, or want to try something new, you can find plenty of ideas in our guide to help you build your own favourite pizza. Our top list of toppings should help with what to put on pizza.