Homemade Peach and Arugula Pizza

Fresh peaches overflow our fruit bowl lately. We eat them as they are, slurping over the kitchen sink, and we blend them into smoothies, but this peach and arugula pizza is our favorite way to enjoy this blushing fruit.

Peppery arugula and sweet-tart peaches love to flavor-play off each other. Bring red onion and balsamic dressing into the mix, and balance all with hardwood smoked cheddar cheese—we’re talking big taste dimensions.

Click here to PIN this Peach and Arugula Pizza recipe!

Robbie and I like to throw casual pizza parties, where guests gravitate to the highboy chairs at the bar counter for cocktail chatter, and to watch me roll and adorn pizzas. I have 2 well-seasoned pizza stones; when a hot pizza exits the oven, a new one moves in. We dive in as they come out, with the cook/entertainer/me taking breaks for sips.

Homemade pizza is so good–prepare to be shocked at how much people will eat in a sitting. Make just the one pizza here, or double this recipe and make two. Prep all the ingredients ahead and put in smaller bowls on a tray. Portion the proofed dough and keep it in the fridge until you roll it out.

Maybe I’m a masochist, but I try to make every pizza unique, using different ingredients on top of each. Our last party, the surprise hit was this balsamic-splashed peach and arugula pizza.

You want to choose peaches that are more tart than sweet, and a day short of super-ripe. Slice the red onions so thinly they practically melt into the crust, and find the spiciest arugula you can get your hands on.

Make your pizza even more amazing with my homemade whole wheat crust. Thin crispy nutty whole wheat crust, with peaches, arugula, balsamic red onion, and smoky cheese on top–oh yeah! (If you don’t have time to make crust from scratch, get your pizza mojo rolling with a purchased pre-made dough—see below.)

Peach and Arugula Pizza recipe details:

• Tillamook (affiliate link) makes several different smoked cheddar cheese—I found the smoked medium-sharp at Costco.
• You can buy balls of freshly made dough to roll, top and bake at Trader Joes’s and Whole Foods. Some artisan bakeries and pizzerias will sell you a bit of their dough, ask them.
• Prep all the ingredients ahead and put in smaller bowls on a tray. Have the dough portioned and waiting in the fridge.
• A hot pizza stone yields a super crisp crust. No stone? Use a baking sheet or a round pizza pan and allow a few more minutes for the pizza to bake. When it’s warm, in the summer, we bake our pizza outside, on the grill. Here’s another pizza recipe telling you how to cook pizza on the grill.

• Sprinkle a long-handled pizza peel with cornmeal, so pizzas don’t stick to the peel and so they slide easily from assembly to oven. If you don’t have a pizza peel, use a rimless baking pan sprinkled with cornmeal.
• Please oh please, don’t let want of equipment keep you from homemade pizza–just sprinkle a baking pan with cornmeal, then assemble and bake the pizza right on the pan.

When peaches are in season you’ll want to make these other peachy recipes:

• Farmer’s market inspired–this peach and chiogga peach salad with candied pecans.
• Try this Spicy Peach and Tomato Salsa with your next Mexican theme dinner or simply as a dip for crunchy corn chips.

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Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Homemade Peach and Arugula Pizza

Makes one (12-inch) pizza. About 8 slices.  Figure a half of a pizza or more per person, because everyone will want a taste of each uniquely topped pie! And remember–leftovers are highly desirable.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Keyword: pizza, peaches, arugula, homemade

Servings: 1 12-inch pizza

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

• 7 to 8 ounces pizza dough (½ recipe Whole Wheat Pizza Dough)
• Cornmeal , as needed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ½ red onion , thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 3 to 4 ounces smoked cheddar cheese , grated, about 1 1/4 cups
• 1 peach , cut in half, and into thin slices
• 3 huge handfuls arugula , cut in 2-inch pieces

Instructions

• Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, salt in a bowl. Add a generous grind of the black pepper.
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. If you have a pizza stone, place it on the middle rack of the oven.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough quite thinly into a 13-inch round.
• If you are using a pizza stone and peel, sprinkle the pizza peel generously with cornmeal. (see notes if you don’t have a stone or peel or if you have one and not the other)
• Transfer the crust to the pizza peel. Generously brush with some of the balsamic dressing.
• In a bowl, toss the onions with a tablespoon of so of the balsamic dressing, and then scatter the onions evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border.
• Sprinkle with about ¾ of the cheese.
• Toss the arugula with the remaining balsamic dressing. Scatter on top of the onions and cheese. Arrange the peach slices over the arugula. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Give everything a generous grind of black pepper.
• Gently jiggle the pizza peel to make sure the pizza will slide off easily. Tip the peel to the back of the preheated baking stone, and pull it away quickly, releasing the crust onto the stone. Bake until the crust is brown, 8 to 10 minutes on the stone. (see notes)
• Remove the pizza stone from the oven, and place on a trivet or heatproof surface. Cut the pizza in wedges and serve. Alternatively, leave the pizza stone in the oven and slide the baked pizza back onto the peel or a rimless baking pan, then transfer to a serving platter.

Notes

• No stone? Use a baking sheet and allow a few more minutes for the pizza to bake.
• If you don’t have a pizza peel, use a rimless baking pan sprinkled with cornmeal.
• Don’t let lack of equipment keep you from homemade pizza. Just sprinkle a baking pan with cornmeal, then assemble and bake the pizza right on the pan.

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