Grilled Individual Heart-Shaped Pizzas

I know heart-shaped pizzas aren’t the most unique idea around. Although when I’d decided to make them this year for Valentine’s Day and blog them, I didn’t realize quite how prevalent they were. Once homemade heart-shaped pizzas were on my radar, though, I started to see them everywhere. I call it the New Car Effect. Once you decide to purchase a particular make and model of new car, you realize every other driver has one.

Grilled heart-shaped pizzas are far tastier though.

Olive pizza for me, pepperoni for my guy, and a super-mini cheese pizza for the little one.

And no matter if it’s not the most unique idea I’ve ever had, I suppose. It’s still a perfect choice for Valentine’s Day, especially individual-sized pizzas so that everyone can top theirs with exactly what they want, no matter their dietary preference. We love homemade pizza here in our vegetarian/carnivore home so much that every Friday night is pizza night. We each customize our own pizza – his usually has pepperoni, mine olives – and all enjoy an easy, budget-friendly dinner.

I made these grilled pizzas indoor on a grill pan – no way we’re breaking out the barbecue in this cold, gray, drizzly muck. I whipped up our very favorite homemade pizza crust for grilling, shaped the crusts like hearts, and then slathered them with our very favorite homemade pizza sauce and other toppings.

Making a heart-shaped pizza crust is easier than you probably think. Here’s how you do it.

How to make a heart-shaped pizza crust

Shape your pizza into a circle, like you normally would.

With your thumb and forefinger together, push the top down toward the center of the crust to create the top of the heart.

Pinch the bottom and pull to create the point at the bottom of the heart.

Yep. That simple. (Here’s a great video from Serious Eats that shows you how, too.)

Ooh, and how about more pizza for dessert? I love this strawberry-covered, heart-shaped brownie pizza from i am baker.

Prep: 3 hrs

Cook: 10 mins

Total: 3 hrs 10 mins

Grilled Individual Heart-Shaped Pizzas

No ratings yet

Use your outdoor BBQ or a grill pan indoors to cook up homemade individual heart-shaped pizzas for Valentine's Day - or any day you're feeling the pizza love.

Print Pin Rate

Yield: 8 individual pizzas

Ingredients

• 1 batch homemade pizza dough (feel free to use store-bought crust, but you may want to brush your grill or grill pan with your favorite cooking oil to help ensure no sticking)
• Pizza sauce
• Shredded mozzarella cheese along with any other cheeses you'd like to add (we sometimes add a bit of Parmesan and a little sprinkling of sharp cheddar)
• Toppings of choice (pepperoni, olives, sausage, onions, tomatoes, basil ... the options are endless)

Instructions

• Cut the pizza dough into 8 pieces, each about the size of a tennis ball.
• Stretch each piece into a circle, then shape into hearts by pushing in the top and pinching then pulling down on the bottom.
• Let dough sit for about 10 minutes to rest and rise.
• With the grill on medium-high (about 350-400 degrees), transfer crusts to the grill and cook until the crust puffs on top and gets grill marks on the bottom, about 3 minutes. If the dough sprouts any big bubbles, go ahead and pop them if you can.
• Transfer the crust to a cookie sheet or large platter, grilled side up.
• Spread the sauce on the pizza, add toppings, cover with cheese, and transfer back to the grill. Cook until pizza crust is cooked through, the toppings are hot, and the cheese is bubbly, about 3 – 4 minutes. If you have a barbecue with a lid, cooking them covered at this stage helps heat the toppings.
• Remove from the grill to a pizza peel or large baking sheet. Serve.