Heart Shaped Pizza Recipe
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Learn how to create a homemade heart shaped pizza for Valentine’s Day with this easy-to-follow recipe. From shaping the dough to adding your favorite toppings, with step-by-step instructions and expert tips for creating a romantic masterpiece!
Check out this How to make Homemade Pizza post for detailed instructions and recipes for making pizzeria quality pizza at home.
This recipe is perfect for a romantic dinner, a hands-on date night, or for a pizza night with the kids. With gooey mozzarella cheese, savory pepperoni, and a flavorful tomato sauce, this heart-shaped pizza will steal the show!
You may also like: How to Proof Dough in an Instant Pot – it cuts the rise time in half.
Recipe Inspiration
I have never been a fan of going out to eat on Valentine’s Day. Crowded restaurants and overpriced, pre-selected menus do not appeal to me!
One year a local pizza restaurant delivered fliers for a Valentine’s pizza special that included a heart shaped pepperoni pizza, a red rose, and chocolates – and it was delivered! Now that is my kind of Valentine’s Day dinner!!
Mountain Mike’s still serves their heart shaped pizza, but it no longer comes with a rose or chocolates. Personally, I think mine tastes better and I can change up the toppings.
What you’ll need
- Homemade pizza dough, store-bought pizza dough, or pre-made pizza dough from a local pizza parlor.
- Homemade pizza sauce or a jar of your favorite store-bought sauce.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Shredded parmesan cheese
- Sliced, fresh mozzarella cheese
- Heart-shaped pepperoni slices
- Sliced sweet peppers – thinly sliced.
- Thinly sliced red onions
- Italian seasoning
- Crushed red chili flakes – optional
Check out the printable recipe card below for the complete recipe and detailed instructions.
Tools used
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- Parchment Paper Sheets
- Pizza Stone
- Small Heart-Shaped Cookie Cutter Set – my plastic cutter is as old as I am and no longer available. Metal cutters will cut through the pepperoni better than plastic!
- Boxed Grater for the cheese
- Pizza Peel or Large Baking Sheet Pan (rimless) – can also be used to bake the pizza.
Pizza recipe links: Italian Pizza Dough made with tipo 00 flour, Homemade Pizza Dough made with all purpose flour, and Homemade Pizza Sauce.
How to make a heart shaped pizza
Pull the pizza dough out of the refrigerator at least two hours to come up to room temperature before you are ready to bake.
Place pizza stone on the center oven rack of a cold oven. Preheat oven to 500°F for one hour to get the stone nice and hot! If not using a baking stone, just preheat the oven and bake on a cookie sheet pan.
Separate the fresh mozzarella slices, and use a heart shaped cutter to create individual hearts. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Use the heart shaped cutters to cut each pepperoni slice into heart shapes. Set aside.
Sprinkle flour on a sheet of parchment paper to help keep the dough from sticking.
Place the dough in the center and spread out into a heart shape with your hands. Pinch the bottom of the dough to a point, and gradually spread the dough upward, and outward to form the shape of a heart.
Place your finger in the center of the dough near the top of the circle, and continue shaping the round part of the heart.
If the dough springs back, allow it to rest for an additional 10 minutes.
Once you are happy with the shape, spread the pizza sauce over the large heart shaped pizza crust – leaving a clean edge around the sides.
Sprinkle the grated mozzarella over the top of the sauce, then sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese.
Spread the pepperoni hearts over the cheese, then add the mozzarella hearts.
For crispier pepperoni, place it on top of the mozzarella hearts.
Sprinkle the sliced sweet peppers and red onions over the top, and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
Slide the pizza onto a pizza peel and carefully transfer to the hot baking stone. Bake for 10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.
Remove the pizza from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Serve with a side salad, garlic parmesan chicken wings, fried zucchini, or enjoy it just as is – either way, you’re in for the perfect treat!
FAQ’s
Yes, store-bought pizza dough works perfectly fine for making a heart-shaped pizza. You can usually find pre-made pizza dough in the refrigerated or freezer section of the grocery store, or sold at your local pizza place.
No, not really. A pizza stone is preferred to achieve a light, crispy crust, but a baking sheet will also work. If you have a heart-shaped pizza pans or cake pan, you can use that for easier shaping.
Absolutely! It is actually best to prepare the pizza dough up to 3 days ahead of time. You can also prepare all of the toppings ahead of time and assemble the pizza just before baking.
The size of the heart-shaped pizza can vary depending on the size of your baking pizza stone, and how you ultimately wan to serve your pizza. One-pound of pizza dough will make one very large pizza, two medium sized pizzas, or four mini pizzas.
To prevent toppings from sliding off, make sure to spread the pizza sauce evenly over the dough and distribute the toppings evenly as well. You do not want to add too much sauce to your pizza! Press down slightly on any loose toppings to help them adhere to the cheese.
Allow pizza to cool completely and store leftovers in a zipper top bag or airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat Valentine’s heart pizza in an air fryer, the microwave, or in the oven on a low setting.
To Freeze: Once the pizza has cooled completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place it in a freezer-safe container or resealable bag. To reheat, simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake in a preheated oven until heated through.
More gourmet pizza recipes
Any pizza can be a heart shaped pizza using your favorite toppings!
- Garlic Shrimp Pizza
- Lobster Pizza
- Eggs Benedict Pizza for breakfast
- Greens Pizza with basil pesto an arugula
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza
- Steakhouse Pizza
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to see it!
Tag @cookingwithcurls on Instagram & Facebook and leave a ⭐️⭐⭐⭐⭐ review below!
Enjoy!!
Heart Shaped Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough I used Italian pizza dough – can also use premade or purchase from local pizzeria.
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese the kind sold in a block
- .25 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1 package sliced, fresh mozzarella cheese sold in the deli section
- 20 slices pepperoni
- 4 sweet peppers thinly sliced, any color
- .25 cup thinly sliced red onion
- Italian seasoning
- crushed red chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Pull the pizza dough out of the refrigerator at least two hours to come up to room temperature before you are ready to bake.
- Place pizza stone on the center oven rack of a cold oven. Preheat oven to 500°F for one hour to get the stone nice and hot! If not using a baking stone, just preheat the oven and bake on a cookie sheet pan.
- Separate the fresh mozzarella slices, and use a heart shaped cutter to create individual hearts. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Use the heart shaped cutters to cut each pepperoni slice into heart shapes. Set aside.
- Sprinkle flour on a sheet of parchment paper to help keep the dough from sticking.
- Place the dough in the center and spread out into a heart shape with your hands. Pinch the bottom of the dough to a point, and gradually spread the dough upward, and outward to form the shape of a heart.
- Place your finger in the center of the dough near the top of the circle, and continue shaping the round part of the heart.
- Once you are happy with the shape, spread the pizza sauce over the large heart shaped pizza crust – leaving a clean edge around the sides.
- Sprinkle the grated mozzarella over the top of the sauce, then sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese. Spread the pepperoni hearts over the cheese, then add the mozzarella hearts.
- Sprinkle the sliced sweet peppers and red onions over the top, and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
- Slide the pizza onto a pizza peel and carefully transfer to the hot baking stone. Bake for 10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove the pizza from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- If the dough springs back, allow it to rest for an additional 10 minutes.
- For crispier pepperoni, place pepperoni slices on top of the mozzarella hearts.
- Italian Pizza Dough is best made ahead, covered, and stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- One pound of pizza dough will make; one very large, two medium, or four mini pizzas.
- To prevent toppings from sliding off, make sure to spread the pizza sauce evenly over the dough and distribute the toppings evenly as well. You do not want to add too much sauce to your pizza! Press down slightly on any loose toppings to help them adhere to the cheese.
- To Store: Allow pizza to cool completely and store leftovers in a zipper top bag or airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat Valentine’s heart pizza in an air fryer, the microwave, or in the oven on a low setting.
To Freeze: Once the pizza has cooled completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place it in a freezer-safe container or resealable bag. To reheat, simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake in a preheated oven until heated through.
