This sourdough discard pizza is so quick, easy, and delicious that you'll want to make it multiple times a week. I love working with this dough — it's fun to whip up on a busy weeknight with whatever toppings I have on hand.
It's perfect for game days, parties, or sleepovers for the kids. If you love sourdough discard bread recipes, you'll also love my sourdough discard ciabatta rolls — If you are looking for another easy way to use up sourdough discard, try my sourdough pie crust and sourdough chicken pot pie!
Quick Look: Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust
⏱️ Ready In: about 1 hour 35 minutes 🔥
Bake Time: 15–17 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 1 sheet-pan pizza (about 8 slices)
✨ Calories: ~270 per slice
🥄 Main Ingredients: sourdough discard, flour, mozzarella, pizza sauce
🌿 Dietary: Vegetarian (as written, without sausage)
💛 Why You'll Love It: a quick same-day weeknight pizza with a flavor-packed seasoned crust
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Same-day and fast. No long ferment — this goes from bowl to table in about 90 minutes, most of it hands-off.
That seasoned crust. Olive oil and a homemade onion-garlic-Italian seasoning brushed onto the dough is what makes this taste like more than a basic crust.
A great use for discard. Fed or unfed starter works, so it's a smart weeknight way to use up your starter, just like my sourdough discard garlic knots, burger buns, and hot dog buns.
Fits a standard sheet pan. No pizza stone required — it bakes up soft and fluffy on a regular sheet pan.
Endlessly customizable. Top it however you like, from classic pepperoni to BBQ chicken.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Easy Substitutions & Variations
- Instructions
- Expert Tips
- What Makes This Recipe Special?
- Sourdough Pizza FAQs
- Sourdough Pizza Troubleshooting Guide
- Storage
- Other Savory Recipes to Consider
- Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust
- Food safety
Ingredients
For the dough:
- Warm water, baker's yeast, and sugar — to bloom the yeast for a quick rise.
- All-purpose flour and salt — the structure and seasoning.
- Sourdough discard — fed or unfed; adds flavor and uses up your starter.
- Olive oil — for a tender, flavorful crust.
For the dough seasoning:
- Onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt — brushed on with oil for that signature flavor.
For the toppings:
- Pizza sauce — your favorite jarred or homemade.
- Mozzarella cheese — use a high-fat (whole-milk), low-moisture mozzarella for the most restaurant-like flavor. Buy it in block form and shred it yourself — it melts and browns far better than pre-shredded, which is coated in anti-caking starch.
- Grated parmesan, spinach, red onion, Italian sausage (all optional) — and anything else you love.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Easy Substitutions & Variations
Gluten-free: Use a gluten-free sourdough discard and a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Vegan: Use a non-dairy shredded cheese (Follow Your Heart and Violife are my favorites).
Spicy: Top with chili pepper flakes before or after baking.
BBQ: Swap the pizza sauce for BBQ sauce and top with shredded chicken and red onion.
Kid-friendly: Classic pepperoni never fails — a hit alongside my same-day sourdough crescent rolls for a casual dinner.
Instructions
1. Bloom the yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let rest about 5 minutes, until the yeast blooms and looks foamy.
2. Make the dough and rise. Add the sourdough discard, olive oil, flour, and salt. Mix on low with a dough hook until it forms a smooth ball, then knead 5–10 minutes until it passes the windowpane test. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, stir the crust seasoning together in a small bowl.
3. Stretch and season. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place the proofed dough on the pan and stretch it across to your desired thickness — I go fairly thin since it puffs up.
Perforate the dough all over with a fork, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with the pizza seasoning.
4. Sauce, cheese, and top. Spread pizza sauce over the crust, leaving a border for the edges. Add the shredded mozzarella and your toppings.
5. Bake. Bake for 15–17 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted and bubbling. For a crispier crust, broil for 1–2 minutes at the end.
Weigh your ingredients! Using a kitchen scale ensures your measurements are accurate, which is key for getting consistent results in baking. It takes the guesswork out of measuring and helps your recipes turn out exactly as intended every time.
Expert Tips
1. Use block mozzarella, shredded fresh. A high-fat, low-moisture mozzarella shredded from a block melts smoother and browns better than pre-shredded bags (which contain anti-caking agents that keep the cheese from melting cleanly). It's the single biggest upgrade for restaurant-style flavor and that golden, bubbly top.
2. Don't skip perforating the dough. Poking the stretched dough all over with a fork keeps it from puffing into big bubbles and prevents a soggy, undercooked crust.
3. Season the crust itself. Brushing the dough with oil and the seasoning blend before saucing is what makes this crust stand out — don't save the flavor just for the toppings.
4. Stretch it thin. The dough puffs as it bakes, so stretch thinner than you think for the best texture.
5. Broil for crispness. A quick 1–2 minute broil at the end gives you crispy edges and extra browning on the cheese.
What Makes This Recipe Special?
Most quick pizza doughs are forgettable — a bland vehicle for the toppings. This one builds flavor into the crust itself: olive oil and a homemade onion-garlic-Italian seasoning brushed right onto the dough before it ever sees sauce.
Combined with the subtle tang of sourdough discard, you get a crust worth eating on its own. Looking for more savory sourdough recipes? Try my sourdough discard cornbread or my sourdough cornbread muffins!
It's also genuinely weeknight-friendly. Thanks to a little added yeast, you don't need an overnight ferment — the dough is ready in about an hour. Pair that quick crust with good block mozzarella shredded fresh, and you've got pizza that rivals delivery, using up the discard you'd otherwise toss. It's the same everyday-practical appeal as my soft sourdough sandwich bread.
Sourdough Pizza FAQs
The added yeast does the heavy lifting on the rise, since the discard isn't an active leaven. It's what makes this a quick, fluffy, same-day crust. You can skip it and do a long ferment instead, but the crust will be thinner.
The added yeast does the heavy lifting on the rise, since the discard isn't an active leaven. It's what makes this a quick, fluffy, same-day crust. You can skip it and do a long ferment instead, but the crust will be thinner.
Yes. Wrap it and refrigerate for up to 3 days, then let it come to room temperature and rise before stretching. A warm oven with just the light on is a great spot for that final rise.
Yes, before or after baking. To freeze unbaked, flash-freeze the topped pizza on the sheet pan first so it holds its shape, then transfer to a freezer-safe container.
A simple salad and some sourdough discard garlic butter dinner rolls, sourdough discard pretzel bites, or same-day sourdough dinner rolls make it a full spread.
Sourdough Pizza Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Soggy or undercooked crust | Dough not perforated | Poke thoroughly with a fork before topping |
| Cheese didn't melt/brown well | Pre-shredded cheese | Use block mozzarella, shredded fresh |
| Crust too thick/bready | Stretched too thick | Stretch thinner; it puffs as it bakes |
| Yeast didn't bloom | Water too hot/cold or old yeast | Use warm (not hot) water and fresh yeast |
| Edges not crisp | Underbaked | Broil 1–2 minutes at the end |
Storage
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for 5–7 days.
Freezer: Freeze (baked or unbaked) for up to 6 months. To freeze unbaked, flash-freeze on the sheet pan first so the pizza keeps its shape.
Other Savory Recipes to Consider
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Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Stand Mixer or mixing bowl
- Sheet pan or pizza pan
- Pastry brush for spreading olive oil
Ingredients
For the sourdough pizza dough:
- 142 g warm water ½ cup + 2 Tbsp
- 5 g baker's yeast 1½ tsp
- 12 g sugar 1 Tbsp
- 12 g salt 2 tsp
- 300 g all-purpose flour 2½ cups
- 100 g sourdough discard ⅓ cup
- 15 g olive oil 1¼ Tbsp
For the pizza seasoning:
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the optional toppings:
- ½ –¾ cup pizza sauce
- ½ cup high-fat whole-milk, low-moisture mozzarella, shredded from a block
- Grated parmesan to taste (optional)
- ⅓ cup spinach chopped (optional)
- ¼ cup red onion optional
- ½ cup Italian sausage optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let rest ~5 minutes until bloomed and foamy.
- Add the sourdough discard, olive oil, flour, and salt. Mix on low with a dough hook until a smooth ball forms, then knead 5–10 minutes until it passes the windowpane test.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, stir the crust seasoning together in a small bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place the dough on the pan and stretch it to your desired thickness (thin is best — it puffs up).
- Perforate the dough all over with a fork, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with the pizza seasoning.
- Spread the pizza sauce over the crust, leaving a border. Top with the shredded mozzarella and your toppings.
- Bake for 15–17 minutes, until golden and bubbling. For a crispier crust, broil 1–2 minutes at the end.
Notes
- For the most restaurant-like flavor, use a high-fat (whole-milk), low-moisture mozzarella bought in block form and shredded yourself — it melts and browns far better than pre-shredded.
- For a crispier crust, broil 1–2 minutes after baking.
- Store in the fridge for 5–7 days. Freeze for up to 6 months (flash-freeze unbaked pizzas on the pan first).
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove or oven.
Shauna says
Our favorite pizza crust recipe! I get so many compliments on my homemade pizza! Thank you for this super easy recipe!
Audrey says
I'm so glad you all enjoy the recipe!! It's one of our favorites too 🙂
Shauna says
Can I refrigerate the crust? We loveeeee this recipe but I’ve never tried to refrigeratorate it. I usually just make it right away!
Audrey says
Sure! I'd wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for up to 3 days or so. When you're ready, take it out and let it rise like normal. You can also put it in your oven with just the oven light on to provide a gentle warmth that will give it a boost to rise!
annie says
why add yeast?
Audrey says
Hi Annie! The added yeast is there to help the crust rise since it isn't relying on the sourdough starter as a leaven. I created this recipe as a way to make a quick, delicious, and fluffy crust while using up sourdough discard. You are welcome to try the recipe without the yeast by either doing a round of long fermentation or bake it as is without yeast (this will be a much thinner crust). Let me know if you try either way! It will still be tasty 🙂