This easy cilantro corn pizza recipe is perfect for summer! We're working with a quick homemade pizza dough, plus grilled sweet corn, fresh cilantro, gruyere cheese, and fresh mozzarella.
This cilantro and sweet corn pizza is like a big bite of summertime.
Our cheesy superstars here are shredded gruyere cheese and fresh mozzarella. Pair that with a perfect sweet-and-smoky burst of flavor from some grilled sweet corn (which, let's be real, is basically like candy) and a handful of fresh cilantro, and you're in business!
A few notes on ingredients
Grilling the corn
The most time consuming step here is grilling the corn. Cook the corn on an outdoor grill if you have one (you can do this a few days in advance and keep the corn in the fridge - we love meal prepping grilled corn this way!) If you don't have a grill, you can char your corn on a stovetop grill pan, use a cast iron skillet, or give it a quick spin under the broiler in your oven. Learn more: How to grill corn without a grill.
The grilling step lends a ton of flavor to this pizza. Still, if you're in a hurry, you can skip this step and use uncooked corn (or even frozen/canned corn!)
Use your favorite pizza dough
Store bought or homemade pizza doughs both taste great in this recipe!
You can throw our quick pizza dough together in just a few minutes, or grab a pre-made dough from the store to save time.
Our favorite way to bake homemade pizza
We love using a baking steel for a light, crispy, flavorful pizza crust. Be sure to preheat your oven and baking steel for 30-60 minutes before baking to ensure the surface is nice and hot! A pizza stone also works well here.
How to bake pizza with a stone or baking steel:
Lay a piece of parchment paper over a cutting board or flat baking sheet, then press your pizza dough into shape on top of the paper.
Add your toppings, then use the cutting board to slide your pizza and the parchment onto your hot baking steel (just like a pizza peel!)
When pizza is ready, use tongs to carefully pull it out of the oven and onto a cooling rack or cutting board. This method can take a bit of practice, but it's worth it for that ultra-crispy crust!
Riffs and Substitutions
This pizza is so forgiving: Mix it up and use whatever you have on hand! Some of our favorite swaps:
- Add extra toppings. Sliced jalapeño, roasted garlic cloves, bell peppers, sliced tomatoes, and diced zucchini are all delicious additions to this pizza. (You could even top it with our favorite dijon corn salsa!)
- Swap the cilantro for fresh basil or parsley.
- Add some protein. Grilled or shredded chicken and cooked Italian sausage are both great here.
- Mix up the cheeses. We love this mix of gruyere + mozzarella, but you can use any cheese combo you like! White cheddar, crumbled goat cheese, havarti, fontina, parmesan, and asiago are all good on this pizza.
- Grill this pizza! This recipe is great on the grill. Just shape the dough normally, brush the top with oil, then carefully lay it over a hot grill (oil-side down). Cook for a minute or two until the dough just starts to bubble up, brush the top with more oil, then flip the dough over, quickly add your toppings, and cook another 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted.
A few FAQs
We like using a baking steel or pizza stone for best results! Preheat your oven and baking steel for 30-60 minutes before baking, then use a pizza peel (or a cutting board or flat baking sheet) to carefully transfer your prepared pizza to the hot stone (we like using a piece of parchment paper to make it easier to slide the pizza around). When pizza is ready, use tongs to carefully pull it out of the oven and onto a cooling rack or cutting board.
Grab some pre made store-bought dough or use our 15 minute pizza dough recipe for a quick option! You can also use your go-to pizza dough recipe if you already have a favorite.
Yes! If you want to mimic the crispy crust you get with a pizza stone, you can put a sturdy sheet pan - one that you know doesn't warp in high heat - into the oven (if it has edges, turn it upside-down it so it's easier to slide the pizza on) to preheat for 30 minutes or so, then slide your pizza onto the hot baking sheet. You can also make this recipe into a pan pizza: just press the dough into shape right on a baking sheet or pizza pan, top, and bake!
Cilantro Corn Pizza
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
- Category: Pizza
- Cuisine: Italian-American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This easy cilantro corn pizza is perfect for summertime!
Ingredients
- 2 large ears sweet corn, grilled and with the kernels cut off (about 1 cup)
- 1 batch of your favorite pizza dough
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into small pieces (about ½ cup)
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (you can eyeball this - just use a big handful)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 500° Fahrenheit with a baking steel or pizza stone inside. For best results, let the oven heat at least 30-60 minutes so the steel can get nice and hot.
- Lay a piece of parchment paper over a large cutting board. Stretch out your pizza dough and lay it on the parchment (this will make it easier to slide the pizza in and out of the oven!)
- Drizzle olive oil over pizza dough, then top with shredded gruyere and torn mozzarella cheese.
- Spread grilled corn kernels out over the pizza, then top with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- When oven is hot, gently slide pizza (still on the parchment paper!) onto the hot baking steel. Bake 10-15 minutes until the crust is lightly browned and the cheese is bubbling. Note: The exact bake time will vary based on your oven, equipment, and dough: check on the pizza every few minutes and pull it out of the oven as soon as it looks done!
- Use a pair of tongs to carefully pull pizza out of the the oven and onto your cutting board. Transfer to a wire cooling rack for 5-10 minutes (this helps the crust stay crispy!)
- Return pizza to the cutting board, top with fresh chopped cilantro, then slice and serve immediately.
Notes
Additions and substitutions. Use 1 cup pre-shredded mozzarella instead of fresh if you like. Mix up the cheeses (white cheddar, fontina, havarti, and goat cheese are all good here). Add extra toppings (grilled chicken, cooked Italian sausage, jalapeños, roasted garlic, tomatoes). Use basil or parsley instead of cilantro if you prefer. Frozen or canned drained corn are both fine here if fresh corn isn't in season.
Can I bake this pizza without a baking stone or pizza steel? Yes! If you have a sturdy sheet pan - one that doesn't warp in high heat - you can use that in place of a pizza stone (if your sheet pan has edges, turn it upside down in the oven to make it easier to slide the pizza on and off). Pop the sheet pan in the oven while it heats, but you don't need to heat it for any longer than that (like you would for a baking steel). You can also make this recipe as a pan pizza - just press the dough into a pan, top, and bake!
Do I have to heat my oven to 500° F? Nope - you can absolutely use a lower oven temperature if you prefer! We find that the high temperature yields the best crust, but we've also baked this pizza at 450°F and 475°F with great results: just make sure you give your baking steel or pizza stone plenty of time to heat up (ideally 30 minutes to an hour) and extend the cooking time if you need to.
Keywords: summer, pizza, grilling, vegetarian
Jessica
This is my go-to summer pizza. The gruyere gives it a ton of flavor and I love the sweet and the crunch from the corn. I've also made it with basil instead of cilantro and with leftover chicken on top.
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
We're SO happy to hear you this pizza is one of your favorites! We love the addition of chicken!