Pizza Toasts

Pizza toasts (Mediterranean-style) that are better than Hailey Bieber's. They are vegetarian, more budget-friendly, healthier, and super crispy with a mildly spicy sauce, melty mozzarella, and fresh vegetable topping. These make one of the best quick and easy dinners, light lunches, or snacks for busy days without the hassle of making pizza.  

Do you love pizza but don't have the time to make one from scratch?

Well, these pizza toasts have the crispiness of a toast and the flavors of a pizza without all the time and work you have to put on to make homemade pizza.  

They are perfect for busy weekdays! It takes just 10 minutes to prep and 10 to cook and they are quite satisfying and delish. They are as quick to make as this crème brûlée yogurt toast!

These also make a great vegetarian (after) school snack.

Ready?

Why you'll love this pizza toast recipe

• Quick and easy: These pizza toasts take about 20 minutes to be ready (faster than homemade pizza) and are simple to make. All that you have to do is toast the slices of bread with olive oil in a griddle or large cast-iron skillet, top with the sauce, cheese, and fresh vegetable topping, and then bake in the oven until the cheese has melted. 

• Versatile: You can use different hard-crusted bread, sauce, cheese, and toppings every time. 
• Portable: You can take these to work, school, picnics, and get-togethers. 
• Budget-friendly: These cost less than Hailey Bieber's because they are made with common ingredients. No need for truffle oil or burrata. 
• Healthy: We used sourdough bread which has a low glycemic index, fresh mozzarella that is lower in fat than regular melting cheeses, and fresh vegetables plus extra-virgin olive oil. These pizza toasts are vegetarian and high-protein! 

Ingredients and Substitutions

To make this pizza toast recipe, you'll need:

• 4 slices of sourdough bread (or any other hard-crusted bread of your choice)

Pizza Sauce:

• 2 garlic cloves

• 4 large fresh basil leaves plus an extra for the topping and garnishing

• ⅔ cup arrabbiata sauce (or marinara or Pomodoro sauce if you prefer) 

• Salt and freshly grated black pepper to taste

• 4 slices of fresh mozzarella, quartered (or about 1 cup of shredded mozzarella if you prefer)

Topping:

• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes), red or different colors

• ¼ cup kalamata olives, halved (optional), or other olives of choice

• A pinch of red pepper flakes, optional (skip if you don't enjoy spicy foods)

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus extra to toast the bread

• Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

• Grated parmesan cheese, to sprinkle on top (optional) 

How to make pizza toasts

1. For the pizza sauce: Using a mortar and pestle, smash garlic with a pinch of salt until forming a paste. PIC. 1 Then, add the basil leaves and smash more until forming almost a paste, Stir in the arrabbiata sauce and some freshly ground black pepper and set aside. If you prefer, use just good-quality sauce and skip all the smashing and mixing to reduce prep time.   
2. For the fresh veggie topping: In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, olives, 6 thinly sliced basil leaves, a pinch of salt and pepper plus red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and lemon zest. PIC. 2 Reserve!
3. Toast the bread: Heat a griddle or large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until very hot. Place the slices of bread onto the skillet and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil on both sides (about 2 tablespoon for 4 slices). Let the bread toast for 2-3 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. Then, flip the slices using a large metal spatula or tongs, and repeat the toasting process. Transfer them to a large baking sheet. PIC. 3
4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
5. Meanwhile, arrange the pizza toasts. Thinly spread about 2-3 tablespoon of the prepared sauce on top of each toast (the amount will depend on the size of your bread slice), top each with 4 pieces of fresh mozzarella cheese, and spoon the fresh veggie topping evenly among them. 
6. Bake for about 5 minutes or until the cheese melts. Remove them from the oven, sprinkle some grated parmesan on top, and serve them right away with a drizzle of EVOO if desired. PIC. 4

 WATCH OUR QUICK VIDEO FOR THE STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS!

Variations

One of the pros about these pizza toasts is you can easily adapt them to suit your diet and taste. 

• Bread: You can use any sandwich bread, bagels, small naan, or any hard-crusted bread to make pizza toast bread, garlic bread for a garlic toast pizza, or Texas toast for making a Texas toast pizza. 
• Sauce: Use a pizza sauce, homemade or store-bought, or any other you enjoy such as marinara sauce! 
• Cheese: Any melting cheese would go well on these easy pizza toasts.
• Toppings: Whatever you would put on a pizza, you can put on these -- although the bread surface is smaller than a pizza crust. It can be plant-based or a variety of meats such as pepperoni, cooked bacon, shredded chicken, and ground sausage. Use your favorite pizza topping! 
• Herbs: Use any fresh or dried herbs such as oregano, basil, parsley, etc.

What to serve with Pizza Toast

Although our pizza toasts are perfect on their own, here are a few sides you can pair them with:

• Air fryer potatoes wedges
• Air fryer zucchini fries
• Healthy yuca fries
• Air fryer asparagus
• Green salad
• Air fryer broccolini
• Homemade coleslaw with bacon
• Roasted carrots and parsnips

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are pizza toasts healthy?

Our Mediterranean pizza toasts are healthy and also portion-controlled. They satisfy your pizza cravings without all the fat and are smaller than a regular pizza. 

Can you make pizza toast in advance?

We don't recommend making these in advance as they are best made and eaten fresh. But you can certainly prepare the sauce and toppings in advance and keep them chilled in a separate airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.  

Make sure to toast the bread right before preparing these pizza toasts so they will be crispy! 

Are pizza toasts gluten-free or low-carb?

It depends on the bread you use. For gluten-free pizza toasts, use gluten-free bread. For low-carb pizza toasts, use low-carb bread.

Does sourdough bread have a low glycemic index?

Yes! Although it is not a low-carb bread, it can be consumed in moderation by those with PCOS and diabetes because it won’t spike insulin.

Are pizza toasts vegan?

If you use vegan cheeses and keep our vegetable topping, these can be vegan. 

Expert Tips

• Make sure to heat the griddle or cast-iron skillet very well over medium heat before adding the bread slices to the pan. 

• Toast the bread until crispy!  The time will depend on the type of skillet you use and how potent is the flame of your stovetop.

• Always spread a thin layer of sauce over the toast. This will avoid your toast to become soggy quickly!

• The best the sauce, the tastier the pizza toasts!

• Use only melting cheeses such as mozzarella and gruyere, etc

• Use toppings that you enjoy for pizzas and toasts! 

• Bake the pizza toast in the oven just enough for the cheese to melt.  You can also bake pizza toast in air fryer. For that,  preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F and then bake pizza toasts for about 2-3 minutes or until the cheese melts. 

How to store pizza toast

These pizza toasts are best eaten right away. Although the recipe calls for a thin layer of sauce, the bread toasts can still become soggy under refrigeration. They are so quick to make, you won't have trouble making them fresh every time.

Other pizza recipes

• Homemade Margherita Pizza
• Shrimp Pizza
• Breakfast Pizza (Pizza Portuguesa)
• Kitchen Blender Pepperoni Pizza

Other pizza bites: 

• BBQ Chicken Pizzadilla
• Pizza Empanadas
• Pizza Bombs
• Bagel Bites

PIN & ENJOY!