Recipe for Pizza in an Instant Pot

This recipe for Instant Pot pizza is perfect for a quick lunch or snack and incredibly simple to make. You can either use refrigerated pizza dough or your preferred homemade crust recipe rolled thinly. Another option is mini ready-made pizza dough like Mama Mary's or Mia, which fits neatly in a 7-inch baking pan, allowing you to cook two at once.

Get creative with your pizza toppings! Consider adding sautéed mushrooms, thinly sliced red onions, bell peppers, or switching out the pepperoni for browned ground beef or ham.

This recipe utilized a 6-quart Instant Pot.

Ingredients

• 1 can refrigerated pizza crust

• 4 tablespoons pizza sauce, store-bought or homemade

• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded, or a blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses)

• 7 to 10 slices pepperoni, or about 3 dozen mini-slices

• 2 to 3 tablespoons olives, sliced

• You have the option to serve with 1 teaspoon of optional crushed red pepper flakes.
  

• Parmesan cheese, optional, for serving

Steps to Make It

01.  Get all the ingredients ready.

02.  Set up a trivet inside the Instant Pot's inner pot and pour in 1 cup of water.

03.  Apply nonstick cooking spray on a 7-inch baking pan.

04.  Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface until it's about 7 1/2 inches by 15 inches. Place the baking pan upside-down on one end of the dough and cut around it with a sharp knife. Any extra dough can be rolled up and refrigerated for up to 3 days for another pizza.

05.  Fit the circle of dough into the pan, shaping a crust along the edges.

06.  Spread pizza sauce evenly over the dough.

07.  Layer shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni slices, and sliced ripe olives on top of the sauce.

08.  Fold a 24-inch piece of foil into thirds. Put the folded foil on the countertop, place the pan in the center, and cover the pan tightly with another sheet of foil.

09.  Use the foil as handles to lower the pan into the Instant Pot.

10.  Seal the lid, set the Instant Pot to pressure cook (high pressure), and time it for 15 minutes.

11.  When the time's up, follow the manufacturer's quick release instructions. Remove the pan and discard the foil.

12.  Use a flexible spatula to transfer the pizza onto a cutting board. Cut it into four wedges or smaller pieces for appetizers.If you like, top it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes before serving.

Recipe Variations

• Chicken Alfredo Pizza: Swap out the red sauce for pre-made Alfredo sauce and add roughly 1/3 cup of diced chicken along with a handful of fresh baby spinach leaves. Add a generous sprinkle of 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese on the surface. Follow the cooking instructions accordingly.
• Hawaiian Pizza: Spread the red sauce on the pizza as instructed, then layer with approximately 1/4 to 1/3 cup each of finely diced ham and pineapple. Finish by adding 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese or a blend of cheeses. Cook following the provided directions.

Tip

• You can make two pizzas simultaneously by stacking two pans, as long as they're not too tall. Prepare both pizzas, tightly cover them with foil, and stack them on the trivet. Cook according to the instructions for 15 minutes. Afterward, take out the pizzas and rearrange them in the Instant Pot by placing the top pan at the bottom and the bottom pan on top. Seal the lid and continue cooking on high pressure for an additional 5 minutes.