This recipe will have you ditching classic pizza for a crispier homemade pizza made with phyllo dough! Layers of flaky phyllo topped with loads of bright vegetables, fresh herbs, and a little chicken make this easy phyllo dough pizza in minutes! Serve it for a light dinner or as a flatbread appetizer.
The last time you looked up, “What to make with phyllo dough,” you probably found some delicious answers including, of course, spanakopita and baklava! But, how about something new… like phyllo dough pizza?! Yes, I said pizza made with phyllo dough!
Layers of flaky phyllo (or filo) pastry make a special, “fancy”, pizza crust that is so light and crispy, you’ll fall in love! Brush your uncooked phyllo layers with olive oil, add a layer of cheese, and top with veggies, olives, and if you’ve got some leftover rotisserie chicken, shred some and scatter them on top.
Once you stick your phyllo dough pizza in the oven, it will take, oh, maybe 15 to 20 minutes for the phyllo layers to turn nice and crispy. You’ll have a hard time waiting to slice it up!
I love serving this Mediterranean pizza when I have guests over, because the phyllo dough crust just gives it an air of the gourmet.
In this post
Ingredients you’ll need for phyllo dough pizza
Here is what I used to make this phyllo pizza, feel free to change the toppings and use what you have on hand:
- Phyllo dough - You’ll need 12 sheets (12-inch by 17-inch) of thawed, room temperature phyllo pastry.
- Extra virgin olive oil- Good olive oil is key here to generously brush each sheet of phyllo dough to ensure it turns out flaky and crisp.cheese- I used some shredded mozzarella and feta cheese
- Vegetables - tomatoes, green bell peppers, and red onions
- Fresh parsley
- Optional meat- I used leftover rotisserie chicken, shredded.
- Crushed red pepper - A sprinkle of red pepper flakes or Aleppo-style pepper adds subtle heat, but you can leave it out.
How to make this phyllo pizza recipe
With just a little time and prep, you can have perfectly flaky phyllo dough pizza. Here’s how you make it (printer-friendly recipe below):
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees F and prepare your thawed phyllo sheets by laying them flat and covering them with a very lightly damp towel to keep the phyllo from drying out and breaking.
- Assemble the phyllo pizza crust. Brush a large baking sheet with extra virgin olive oil so the phyllo does not stick. Lay a few sheets of phyllo at a time and brush with extra virgin olive oil. Repeat until you have used about ½ of the phyllo dough. Sprinkle about ½ of the shredded mozzarella, then continue layering the rest of the sheets, brushing with olive oil as you have done before, until you have used up all the phyllo sheets.
- Add the pizza toppings. Brush the topmost layer of the phyllo crust with olive oil and sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella and feta cheese. Add the pizza toppings evenly (minus the parsley). If the tomatoes are very juicy, give them a quick pat with a paper towel to dry them a bit. Sprinkle the toppings with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Cut and bake the pizza. Carefully cut the phyllo dough pizza into 3-inch squares You should have about 12 squares
- Bake. Place the sheet pan on the middle rack of the heated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the phyllo is cooked through and crispy.
Tips for working with phyllo dough
- Thaw it overnight. Because phyllo dough is sold frozen, you'll need to thaw it for 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Bring the phyllo to room temperature. Remove it from the fridge about an hour before assembling the phyllo pizza to bring it closer to room temp. Phyllo sheets are much easier to handle when they’re at room temperature and not straight out of the cold fridge.
- Cover with a damp cloth. A common reason why so many are nervous to work with phyllo is how it tends to dry out and break. To help prevent this, lay the phyllo on a large tray and cover with a slightly damp towel while you work on layering and brushing one sheet at a time with olive oil. The little bit of moisture will help keep the phyllo pliable.
How to serve it
This veggies pizza with phyllo crust is the perfect appetizer for a little crowd; it makes 12 crispy pizza squares! But you can also serve it as a light dinner with a big salad to go along.
Leftovers and storage
Leftover phyllo dough pizza will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place it on a lightly oiled baking pan and bake at 350 degrees F until heated through.
More savory phyllo recipes
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Sheet Pan Phyllo Dough Pizza with Vegetables (Crispy Pizza Dough)
Ingredients
- 12 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
- 1 to 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 green bell peppers, washed, dried, chopped
- ½ red onions, chopped
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted, chopped
- 1 cup rotisserie or roasted chicken, shredded, optional
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and black pepper
- crushed red pepper, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Brush a sheet pan with extra virgin olive oil.
- Lay 3 sheets of phyllo down in the prepared sheet pan and brush with the olive oil. Repeat with another 3 sheets of phyllo, brushing the top with extra virgin olive oil. At this point, you should have used ½ of the phyllo sheets.
- Now add half of the shredded mozzarella cheese and a little feta cheese.
- Continue laying phyllo sheets, repeating the same process until you finish all the phyllo sheets you have.
- Coat the very top sheet with the olive oil and add the rest of the cheese.
- Evenly spread the veggies, olives, fresh herbs, and all the pizza toppings you have.
- Cut the pizza carefully into three-inch squares. You should have 12 squares.
- Bake on the center rack of the heated oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the phyllo edges turn golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from oven and serve!
Video
Notes
- Tips for working with phyllo dough: Since phyllo dough is sold frozen, thaw it in the fridge overnight. Bring it to room temp before use by setting it on the counter for about an hour before you start working with it. And when you are assembling your phyllo dough pizza, cover the phyllo with a clean, damp cloth to keep the sheets moist.
- How to serve phyllo pizza? This homemade pizza makes a great small appetizer to feed a crowd. For a light meal, serve it with a big salad.
- Leftovers and storage: Phyllo dough pizza will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat it in a 350 degrees F heated oven on a lightly oiled baking sheet until heated through.
- Visit our shop to browse our all-natural and organic spices, olive oils, and much more!
Nutrition
*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2014 and has recently been updated with new information and media of readers' benefit.
this is confusing to me... I do the 6 sheets, adding OO at the third sheet... then I add half the mozz, but somehow repeat the process for each individual sheet? Where does the other half go? Just on top? If so, then what process am I completing for the 6 individual sheets?
I'm just going to wing it tonight, but would love to know what happens during that portion of the process.
THANKS
Dave
What size of pan should used?
Hi, Peggy! We used one that was 13 by 18 inches. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Brought this to bookclub, and we all love it! So good!
Yay! Thanks, Nancy!
I want to make this ahead of time....is this something that could be made ahead of time and refrigerated?
Hi Joan, if you like, you can prep the fresh ingedients ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until ready to assemble. It's best to make this the day you plan to serve it, although leftovers will heat well in the oven.
Can you please make a video on this recipe? I've been cooking for years but illiterate in working with phyllo dough. I've attempted a couple dishes with it, but they came out looking pretty sad.
Thanks for your hard work. Keep those recipes coming. I need to cut back on the olive oil though; I've gained a lot of weight lately.
Wow! This was outstanding! I love all the interesting flavors. Thank you, I cant wait to make this again!
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it, Anne!
It's interesting Suzy, I also ended up with a few sheets of unused phyllo dough this week -- I used them on the bottom of my feta and spinach frittata dish before placing in the over. Just another level of yum and no leftover phyllo 🙂
4 of your recipes in 5 days - this Is also delicious. I was concerned about the phylo dough sticking to pan so lined the bottom with parchment paper. Allowed us to not cut it beforehand and slid it right out onto a cutting board. Where I will alter next time is I believe it needs some wonderful garlic. Maybe add minced garlic with the veggies or put some in butter/oil mixture for dough or both! Never can have too much garlic.!
Wow, Susan! I'm honored! And this is one oldie-but-goodie recipe. Thanks for checking it out!
Can’t tell you how many times I have made this. Yummy beyond words. Making it again as I type this. Altered this way:
Added 4 cloves of minced garlic and minced in with tomatoes - yum!
Used roasted diced tomatoes (drained juice)
No olives - not a family favorite
Hello, Suzy!
I found your blog a few months ago while searching for a tabbouleh recipe. I subscribed immediately and have loved all your recipes (I try to make at least 1 or 2 a week, usually more!). I just made this phyllo pizza - now that I know how to use phyllo (thanks to you), I want to use it for everything! I was blown away by the excellent flavor in this dish just from a few simple veggies, chicken, and herbs. Wow!
I decided to try more Mediterranean dishes because I love the flavors. My children now ask when I make a new recipe, "Mama, is this Mediterranean?" They are so excited to try each new dish and I'm thankful that they've enjoyed most of them, as has my husband. You've even inspired me to cook more seafood. Thank you for all these wonderful, flavorful, delicious recipes!
Emily, thank you so much for taking the time to share! I loved hearing from you! And I'm honored you're enjoying the recipes. Wow! This one is an oldie-but-goodie for sure. So glad you reminded me of it!
I love the idea of the stuffed crust! (layering in the mozzarella under a sheet of fillo) I plan to try this recipe very soon as it looks amazing. Thanks for posting!
Thank you, Lauren! Honestly, this is one of my go-to recipes...you can use any ingredients you already have with phyllo/fillo as your base! Such a versatile dough. Hope you check out more of my phyllo/fillo recipes!
Really gotta try phyllo dough one of these days.