Candy Cane Pizza is a festive holiday twist on a classic family favorite dinner. It's fun to make and fun to eat!
We're all about fun and festive holiday food here this time of year at Urban Bliss Life!
Foods like our easy pull-apart cheesy bread and our Christmas charcuterie board are fun to make -- and fun to eat!
And if you're searching for a unique holiday appetizer or a festive twist on a family favorite, this Candy Cane Pizza is perfect.
Shaped like a classic candy cane, this holiday treat brings a bit of Christmas magic right to your table. And, it’s so easy to prepare.
Whether you’re hosting a holiday gathering or simply want to bring a little seasonal cheer to your weeknight dinner, this pizza is as fun to make as it is delicious to eat.
Candy Cane Pizza is bound to become a new family tradition for the holiday season. Our whole family loves this pizza, and we hope you will, too!
Jump to:
🌟 Why this recipe works
Home cooks will love this holiday pizza for so many reasons.
- Quick and easy: Refrigerated dough saves time, and I've got step-by-step photos down below so you can see how to make this delicious festive pizza.
- Fun and festive: the candy cane shape adds big holiday vibes to any dinner table or party.
- Simple ingredients: You only need a few simple ingredients that are easy to find in any local grocery store.
- Easy to customize: Feel free to add or substitute your favorite pizza toppings. This is a great recipe that allows you to create a dish the whole family will love. You can divide it into parts where each family member can add their own fave toppings!
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Refrigerated Pizza Dough: Convenient and quick to use; just roll it out and shape it.
- Pizza sauce: Use your favorite store-bought or homemade pizza sauce for a robust base.
- Mozzarella cheese: Use your favorite shredded Mozzarella cheese. Feel free to mix in cheddar cheese or other melty cheeses.
- Pepperoni: Pepperoni slices or turkey pepperoni are classic toppings.
- Parsley: Parsley will add flavor and a beautiful touch of green. You can substitute or also add fresh basil, oregano, or Italian seasoning.
- Olive oil: Brush extra virgin olive oil over the dough before baking. This makes it extra crispy and flavorful!
✅ Step-by-step instructions
This is an easy recipe, but there are some steps that can be challenging to describe in writing. So here are step-by-step photos to show you how to make this candy cane pizza. You'll find more detailed instructions and the full ingredients list with measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F degrees.
- Cut out two pieces of 12-inch long parchment paper and place on a flat work surface so that the pieces overlap by about 2 inches.
- Photo 1: On a large cutting board, roll out the pizza crust dough and stretch out parts as needed to form a rectangle. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the rectangle in half, lengthwise.
- Photo 2: Place one rectangle half on top of the other.
- Photo 3A: use a pizza cutter or knife to cut out 8 or 9 triangles.
- Photo 3B: Immediately separate the triangles so that the top and bottom halves don't stick together.
- Photo 4: Arrange the triangles in a row on the prepared parchment paper, with the pointed edge on the left and the long side on the right, with the long sides of dough overlapping just a bit. Press down on the long sides to secure one piece to the next.
- Photo 5: Spread a little pizza sauce over the long sides of the dough, just about 1½ inches from the long straight edge up the triangles.
- Photo 6: Sprinkle cheese over the pizza sauce.
- Photo 7: Then place slices of pepperoni over the cheese, overlapping the slices a bit.
- Photo 8: Take each pointed end of dough end fold over the long straight edge just enough to fold under and seal. Continue until you've folded over all of the triangles. You should now have one long rectangular piece of stuffed pizza dough.
- Photo 9: Carefully curve the top part of the dough to the left to create a candy cane shape. Then carefully transfer the parchment onto the back of a baking sheet.
- Photo 10: Using a pastry brush, lightly brush half of the olive oil over the pizza dough.
Bake at 400°F for 9-12 minutes.
Lightly brush the remaining olive oil over the fully baked pizza dough. Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the top of the candy cane pizza just before serving.
Optional: if you have excess pizza dough, you can create a bow to place on top of the candy cane pizza.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
Yes! Prepare the pizza dough and shape it into a candy cane, then add the sauce and toppings right before baking.
Try swapping pepperoni for salami, mushrooms, or olives for a vegetarian twist.
Wrap leftover pizza in aluminum foil or in an airtight container. Reheat sliced candy cane pizza in the air fryer.
🍽 Serving ideas
This holiday twist on pizza is fun to serve at Christmas Eve, Christmas, or as a great dinner any night of the week.
Serve it with a festive salad like this Christmas Wreath Salad. Pizza is always great with some garlic knots, or serve it with our festive version: this easy Christmas Tree Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
If you're serving wine with dinner, here are two wines -- one white wine and one red wine -- that I recommend pairing with candy cane pizza.
- Chianti: The bright acidity of Chianti complements the tomato sauce and cuts through the richness of the cheese.
- Chardonnay: A lightly oaked Chardonnay pairs beautifully, enhancing the creamy cheese and balancing the pepperoni's savory notes.
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you'll need:
- Cutting board: Use a large, sturdy cutting board to cut the dough and also to shape the pizza.
- Baking sheet: You'll transfer the candy cane pizza on the parchment paper from the cutting board to the back of a baking sheet to bake.
- Pizza cutter or sharp knife: For slicing the pizza dough triangles.
- Small spoon: To spread the tomato sauce evenly.
More holiday recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Candy Cane Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (8 ounce) tube of refrigerated pizza crust
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 28 slices pepperoni
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F degrees. Cut out two pieces of 12-inch long parchment paper and place on a flat work surface so that the pieces overlap by about 2 inches.
- On a large cutting board, roll out the pizza crust dough and stretch out parts as needed to form a rectangle.
- Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the rectangle in half, lengthwise.
- Place one rectangle half on top of the other, and use a pizza cutter or knife to cut out 8 or 9 triangles. Immediately separate the triangles so that the top and bottom halves don't stick together.
- Arrange the triangles in a row on the prepared parchment paper, with the pointed edge on the left and the long side on the right, with the long sides of dough overlapping just a bit. Press down on the long sides to secure one piece to the next.
- Spread a little pizza sauce over the long sides of the dough, just about 1½ inches from the long straight edge up the triangles.
- Sprinkle cheese over the pizza sauce.
- Then place slices of pepperoni over the cheese, overlapping the slices a bit.
- Take each pointed end of dough end fold over the long straight edge just enough to fold under and seal. Continue until you've folded over all of the triangles. You should now have one long rectangular piece of stuffed pizza dough.
- Carefully curve the top part of the dough to the left to create a candy cane shape. Then carefully transfer the parchment onto the back of a baking sheet.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly brush half of the olive oil over the pizza dough.
- Bake at 400°F for 9-12 minutes, just until the pizza crust is a light golden brown and is cooked through.
- Lightly brush the remaining olive oil over the fully baked pizza dough. Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the top of the candy cane pizza just before serving.
- Optional: if you have excess pizza dough, you can create a bow to place on top of the candy cane pizza.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
Leave a Reply