Pickle Pizza

Garlic white sauce, mozzarella and sharp cheddar, pickle slices, and fresh dill. Sounds unhinged, eats incredible.

Time: 15 min | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 3 | Published: 2026-07-24

Trust me on this one. Pickle pizza went viral for a reason: briny-sour pickles against a garlicky cream sauce and sharp cheddar is a genuinely great flavor combination, not a stunt.

The base is the same five-minute garlic white sauce family as my alfredo pies, butter, garlic, flour, milk, Parmesan. The cheddar matters here, its sharpness stands up to the pickles where straight mozzarella would get steamrolled.

Pat the pickle slices dry before they go on, it's the difference between a crisp pie and a wet one. Fresh dill after the bake seals the deal. Make it once for the novelty; you'll make it again for real.

Ingredients

Garlic White Sauce

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
• salt
• pepper
• PIZZA

Pizza dough

• 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup sharp cheddar cheese
• parsley
• pickle slices
• olive oil
• fresh Parmesan cheese
• dill

Directions

1. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a saucepan. 1 tbsp butter
2. Add 1 grated garlic clove; cook for 30 seconds. 1 clove garlic, grated
3. Whisk in 1 tbsp flour, then slowly add 2/3 cup milk. 1 tbsp flour, 2/3 cup milk
4. Simmer for 2–3 minutes, stir in 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Pizza
   You'll know it's right: Simmer until the sauce coats a spoon, 2-3 minutes. The Parmesan goes in off the boil.
5. Refer to any dough recipe listed on my page. This was my "New York-ish" Dough.
6. Stretch the dough and evenly spread sauce.
7. Top with 1.5 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup sharp cheddar, parsley, and pickle slices.
   You'll know it's right: Pat the pickle slices thoroughly dry on paper towels first, wet pickles flood the pie. Distribute so every slice gets a few.
8. Brush crust with olive oil.
9. Bake on a hot stone/steel at 550°F for 5–8 minutes, until bubbly and golden.
   You'll know it's right: Pull when the cheese is bubbly with golden spots and the pickle edges have just started to frizzle.
10. Finish with fresh Parmesan and dill.
    You'll know it's right: Fresh dill and Parmesan after the bake, dill is like basil, the oven kills it.

Troubleshooting

Watery pizza

Wet pickles straight from the jar. Pat them properly dry on paper towels, both sides. This is the make-or-break step.

Pickle flavor took over everything

Overloaded the slices. Enough for a few per slice, spaced out. The garlic sauce and cheddar need room to balance.

Sauce was gluey

Over-thickened the roux. One tablespoon of flour, milk added slowly. It should coat a spoon, not hold its shape.

Bland despite the pickles

Regular mild cheese blend. The sharp cheddar is doing real work here. Don't sub it for more mozzarella.

Dill tasted like nothing

Baked it. Fresh dill after the oven, always. Dried dill in the sauce is fine, fresh on top is the finish.

Nutrition (2 slices (1/4 of a 14-inch pie)): 360 calories, 16g protein, 36g carbs, 17g fat.