Smoky Paleo Pizza Perfection

Pizza night holds a special place in our home, often marking itself as the highlight of our week! We’re huge enthusiasts of crafting delicious Paleo pizza, constantly experimenting with a vibrant array of toppings. As the seasons shift, our palates crave lighter, fresher flavors, leading us to this incredible grilled Paleo pizza. It’s a perfect culinary adventure for summer, brimming with sun-kissed ingredients and an unparalleled smoky essence. If you’ve never ventured into the world of grilling pizza, prepare to be amazed. It’s not just a meal; it’s an exciting, interactive experience that transforms your favorite dish into a memorable outdoor feast, perfect for family gatherings or a casual evening under the stars.

Grilled paleo pizza with heirloom tomatoes, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, prosciutto and fresh basil, showcasing summer flavors and gluten-free, dairy-free ingredients.

The Foundation: Crafting Your Perfect Paleo Pizza Crust

The crust is undeniably the soul of any pizza, and for a grilled Paleo pizza, it’s even more critical to get it right. While a homemade crust from scratch offers an unmatched sense of accomplishment and control over ingredients, we understand that sometimes convenience is key. For those moments, high-quality mixes and pre-made options are lifesavers.

We often turn to a fantastic homemade Paleo pizza crust recipe, which yields a delightfully chewy and flavorful base that stands up beautifully to the grill’s heat. This option allows you to select every ingredient, ensuring it aligns perfectly with your dietary needs and taste preferences. However, on busy weeknights, or when we simply want to streamline the process, a good quality mix like Simple Mills Pizza Dough Mix becomes our go-to. It’s incredibly user-friendly and consistently delivers a reliable, tasty crust. For those avoiding eggs, as I have been, Simple Mills is an excellent choice, as many Paleo mixes can be egg-heavy. We like to enhance the mix with additional seasonings – garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, dried basil, and a touch of black pepper – to infuse even more depth of flavor into the dough, making it uniquely ours.

Beyond mixes, the market is expanding with innovative pre-made frozen Paleo crusts, such as those by Cappellos. These can be incredibly convenient, requiring minimal prep time. While we haven’t extensively explored all the newer frozen options, they represent a fantastic alternative for anyone looking to enjoy a quick, healthy pizza without compromising on quality or dietary adherence. Whichever route you choose, the goal is a robust yet tender crust that can crisp up beautifully on the grill, providing the perfect canvas for your chosen toppings.

Two plates of grilled paleo pizza, featuring heirloom tomatoes, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, prosciutto, and fresh basil, ready to be enjoyed as a gluten-free and dairy-free meal.

Mastering the Grill: Essential Tips for Grilled Pizza Perfection

Grilling pizza might sound intimidating, but it’s a surprisingly straightforward and incredibly rewarding culinary technique. The good news is, you don’t need fancy equipment like a dedicated pizza stone to achieve fantastic results. A simple round baking sheet or even a standard rectangular cookie sheet will work wonders. We once found a durable round baking sheet at a garage sale, which has served us well, but before that, our trusty old cookie sheet did the job perfectly.

One of the primary benefits of grilling pizza is the unique smoky flavor it imparts, a characteristic that a conventional oven simply can’t replicate. We particularly enjoy using our Traeger wood pellet grill for this reason, as it infuses the Paleo pizza with a subtle, delicious wood-fired essence. However, any standard gas or charcoal grill will yield excellent results. The key is consistent medium heat, around 350-400°F (175-200°C), to ensure the crust cooks evenly without burning.

For the initial cook, place your parchment-lined baking sheet with the formed crust directly on the grill. This indirect heat allows the crust to firm up and begin cooking through. After about 15 minutes, once the crust has set and is slightly golden, you have an optional step that elevates the experience: flipping the crust directly onto the grill grates. This direct contact with the grates creates those coveted, beautiful grill marks and adds an extra layer of crispiness to the crust. While not strictly necessary, it’s a technique we highly recommend for an authentic grilled pizza texture. Be mindful of potential sticking if you choose this method; a lightly oiled grill grate helps. Once flipped, cook for just a few minutes before adding your toppings. This two-stage grilling process ensures a perfectly cooked crust that’s both tender in the middle and wonderfully crisp on the outside.

Close-up of a grilled paleo pizza loaded with vibrant heirloom tomatoes, tender artichoke hearts, briny kalamata olives, savory prosciutto, and aromatic fresh basil.

Seasonal Delights: The Art of Topping Your Grilled Paleo Pizza

For this particular grilled Paleo pizza recipe, our vision was to create a lighter yet incredibly satisfying meal, celebrating the vibrant and fresh flavors of summer. The entire composition is meticulously crafted to be dairy-free, ensuring it’s accessible to a wider range of dietary needs without sacrificing an ounce of flavor.

Our dairy-free sauce is a revelation in simplicity and taste: a harmonious blend of quality olive oil, finely minced garlic, and the star ingredient, nutritional yeast. If you’re new to nutritional yeast, prepare to be delighted. Brands like Bob’s Red Mill offer a superior product that delivers an unmistakable cheesy, umami depth that brilliantly mimics dairy cheese, making it an indispensable ingredient for dairy-free cooking. This sauce forms a fragrant and flavorful base, allowing the other toppings to truly shine.

The remaining toppings are a carefully curated ensemble of seasonal bounty and complementary tastes. Heirloom tomatoes, sliced into thick, juicy rounds, bring a sweet and tangy burst of freshness. Their vibrant colors also add a beautiful visual appeal to the pizza. Artichoke hearts, quartered and tender, contribute a subtle earthy flavor and delightful texture. Briny kalamata olives, halved, provide a piquant counterpoint, cutting through the richness and adding a Mediterranean flair. Thinly sliced prosciutto, pulled into small, delicate pieces, offers a savory, salty dimension and a wonderful textural contrast. Finally, a generous sprinkling of fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons and added after grilling, provides an aromatic, peppery finish, tying all the flavors together with its bright, herbaceous notes. The synergy of these ingredients creates a pizza that is not only incredibly flavorful but also distinctly summery and refreshing.

A slice of grilled paleo pizza, adorned with heirloom tomatoes, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, prosciutto, and fresh basil, resting on a plate.

Explore More Grilling Adventures

Grilling isn’t just for pizza! Expand your outdoor cooking repertoire with these other fantastic grilled recipes that are sure to become family favorites. From savory mains to delightful sides and even desserts, the grill offers endless possibilities for delicious, healthy meals.

GRILLED TERIYAKI SALMON BOWLS
GRILLED PLANTAINS
GRILLED PINEAPPLE CHICKEN

GRILLED MARINATED VEGGIES
GRILLED STEAK SALAD
GRILLED FRUIT SALAD

Your Turn: Savor the Flavor of Our Grilled Paleo Pizza

There’s no better way to embrace the warm weather than with a culinary adventure, and this grilled Paleo pizza is truly ideal for summer. You’ll absolutely adore the exquisite blend of fresh, flavorful toppings that sing with the essence of the season. More than just a meal, it’s a wonderfully interactive and enjoyable way to gather your family around a beloved dish, transforming an ordinary pizza night into an extraordinary grilling experience.

We encourage you to try this recipe and discover the magic of grilled pizza for yourself. After you’ve whipped up your own masterpiece, we’d love to hear all about it! Please take a moment to leave a comment below and share your thoughts. Your feedback and ratings help our community grow and inspire others to try new recipes. And if you capture a snapshot of your delicious creation, be sure to share it on Instagram! Tag us @realsimplegood and use the hashtag #realsimplegood. Don’t forget to give us a follow if you haven’t already, so you can stay updated on all our latest healthy and delicious recipes!

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Grilled paleo pizza with heirloom tomatoes, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, prosciutto and fresh basil long pin, highlighting the gluten-free and dairy-free nature of the recipe.


Grilled Paleo Pizza (GF + Dairy-Free)

Grilled Paleo Pizza (Gluten-Free + Dairy-Free)

This grilled Paleo pizza is filled with fresh summer flavors – all while remaining gluten-free and dairy-free! Enjoy a family-friendly pizza on the grill!

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 box Simple Mills Pizza Dough Mix (and the ingredients the box calls for)
  • (or sub the crust recipe in this post for the boxed mix)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

For the toppings:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (we love Bob’s Red Mill)
  • 1 large heirloom tomato, sliced into rounds
  • 1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, quartered (you’ll have leftovers)
  • 1/4 cup kalamata olives, halved
  • 2 oz prosciutto, pulled into small pieces (you’ll have plenty of leftovers)
  • Fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Preheat grill to medium heat or 350° Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make sure no parchment paper hangs over the edges of the pan. Set aside.
  2. Prepare the crust according to the box instructions. Before mixing, add the additional seasonings listed above (garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, dried basil, ground black pepper). Mix thoroughly to combine all ingredients and then transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
  3. Form the dough into a large round circle with your hands, pressing it out as evenly and flat as possible, aiming for approximately 1/4 inch thickness.
  4. Carefully transfer the baking sheet with the dough to the preheated grill and cook for 15 minutes. This step is crucial for the crust to firm up before adding toppings.
  5. While the crust is cooking on the grill, prepare your dairy-free sauce. In a small jar or bowl, combine the olive oil, minced garlic, and nutritional yeast. Stir well until thoroughly blended.
  6. After 15 minutes, remove the partially cooked crust from the grill. Increase the grill temperature to high heat, or approximately 400° Fahrenheit.
  7. Generously spread the prepared sauce over the crust. Then, arrange the sliced heirloom tomatoes, quartered artichoke hearts, halved kalamata olives, and small pieces of prosciutto evenly over the sauce.
  8. Return the topped pizza to the grill and cook for an additional 12-15 minutes. Continue grilling until all the toppings are heated through, the crust is golden brown and crisp, and the flavors have melded together beautifully.
  9. Carefully remove the grilled pizza from the grill. Garnish with fresh basil ribbons immediately before serving. Slice into wedges and enjoy your delicious, homemade grilled Paleo pizza!

Last Step:

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Course: Main Course

Author: Justin + Erica Winn

Cuisine: Italian

Did you make this recipe? Tag @realsimplegood with hashtag #realsimplegood on Instagram. We love to see what you make!