Cheeseburger Pizza turns a classic bacon cheeseburger into an easy, family-friendly dinner with seasoned ground beef, crispy bacon, melted cheddar, and fresh burger toppings piled onto a pizza crust. Instead of using a heavy sauce underneath, this version gets its burger flavor from red onion, lettuce, tomatoes, and a drizzle of mayo added after baking.
I love this recipe because you get that hot, cheesy beef and bacon layer underneath while the fresh toppings stay cool and crisp on top. It’s also easy to make your own with favorite cheeseburger toppings like pickles, onions, ketchup, mustard, or burger sauce.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Burger night or pizza night? Now you don’t have to choose! This Cheeseburger Pizza is a fun way to shake up two family favorites, and it’s especially great when everyone likes their burgers a little differently.
- Perfect for picky eaters. Leave off anything the kids don’t love or let everyone add their favorite toppings to their own slices.
- Great for casual get togethers. Set out extra burger toppings and sauces so everyone can customize their pizza at the table.
- Easy to switch up. Go mushroom and Swiss, add smoky BBQ flavors, or keep things simple with American cheese and pickles.
- A fun change from takeout. It has that pizza night feel while giving you something completely different from your usual pepperoni or cheese pie.
Ingredients
Meat: Go with 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef for this Cheeseburger Pizza. It has more fat and flavor than extra lean beef and stays juicy as it cooks. Crispy crumbled bacon adds even more classic burger flavor.
Cheese: Cheddar is our go-to for that classic cheeseburger taste, but you can use any good melting cheese you love. American, Monterey Jack, or Swiss are all delicious options.
Fresh Toppings: Lettuce, tomatoes, and red onion go on after the pizza comes out of the oven, so they stay cool and crisp against the hot beef, bacon, and melted cheese. Pickles are another great addition!
Sauce: We finish our pizza with a drizzle of mayo, but you can swap in ketchup, mustard, Big Mac Sauce, or Fry Sauce.
Crust: Keep things easy with a premade pizza crust or flatbread, or start by baking your favorite homemade pizza dough. They all make a great base for this Cheeseburger Pizza.
How to Make Cheeseburger Pizza
STEP ONE: Preheat your oven according to the directions for your pizza crust. If you’re using our homemade pizza dough, shape it on a greased pizza pan and par-bake it at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. While the oven heats, cook the bacon until it’s almost crispy, then set it aside to cool before crumbling. Brown the ground beef with salt and pepper, breaking it into small crumbles as it cooks, and drain off the excess grease.
STEP TWO: Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the crust, then add the cooked ground beef and bacon. Bake according to your crust’s directions, since the temperature and cook time will vary depending on the type you use. You’ll know the pizza is ready when the cheese is melted and bubbly, and the crust is heated through with crisp edges.
STEP THREE: While the pizza bakes, chop the lettuce, tomatoes, and red onion. Add them as soon as the pizza comes out of the oven so you get that delicious contrast of hot, melty pizza and cool, crisp burger toppings.
STEP FOUR: Drizzle mayo over the top in a swirl or zig-zag, then slice it up and dig in! If you’re using a different burger sauce, add it here instead so it stays front and center rather than disappearing into the baked toppings.
Tips for Success
A few simple tricks will help you get the best flavor and texture from your Cheeseburger Pizza every time!
- Give the crust a burger bun finish. Brush the edges with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds before baking for a fun nod to a classic sesame seed bun.
- Don’t overcook the meat. Cook the ground beef just until browned and the bacon until almost crispy. They’ll both cook a little more once the pizza goes into the oven.
- Choose where you want your sauce. For more sauce in every bite, spread a thin layer of burger sauce over the crust before adding the cheese. We prefer adding mayo or another sauce as a drizzle after baking, which gives you plenty of burger flavor without adding extra moisture to the crust.
- Grate your own cheese. Freshly shredded cheese melts more smoothly than the pre-shredded kind and gives you that gooey, melty layer we’re after.
- Don’t forget the pickles! If pickles are a must on your cheeseburger, they’re just as good on your pizza. Add them before baking or pile them on with the fresh toppings afterward.
Make Ahead and Storing Leftovers
You can get a head start on dinner by prepping most of the ingredients earlier in the day. Make your pizza dough and let it rise according to the recipe, cook and crumble the bacon and ground beef, shred the cheese, and chop the veggies. Store everything separately in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble your pizza.
For leftovers, remove as much of the lettuce and other fresh toppings as you can before storing the pizza in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep extra lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and sauce separate so they stay fresh and can be added after reheating.
To reheat, warm the pizza in a 350-degree F oven or air fryer until the cheese is melted and the crust is crisp again. Then add fresh toppings and another drizzle of mayo or your favorite burger sauce before serving.
What to Serve on the Side
Cheeseburger Pizza is pretty hearty on its own, so I like to keep the sides simple. Our bacon broccoli slaw is a great match because it’s cool and crunchy with plenty of tang to balance out all that beef, bacon, and melted cheese.
You could also serve your pizza with air fryer French fries or sweet potato fries for the full burger joint experience. For something a little lighter, add a simple green salad, fresh veggies with green goddess dip, or some fruit on the side. It’s an easy dinner to round out depending on what your family is in the mood for.
FAQ
Can I use mozzarella instead of cheddar?
Yes! Mozzarella will give you that stretchy pizza cheese pull, but it won’t have quite the same classic cheeseburger flavor as cheddar. You can also use a combination of the two for the best of both worlds.
Should I cook the ground beef before putting it on the pizza?
Yes. Brown and drain the ground beef before adding it to the pizza. This makes sure the beef is cooked through and keeps excess grease from soaking into the crust.
How do I keep the lettuce from wilting?
Add it only after the pizza comes out of the oven and serve the pizza right away. If you know you’ll have leftovers, add lettuce to individual slices instead of covering the entire pizza so the remaining slices are easier to store and reheat.
*This post originally posted on 06/11/2018.
Cheeseburger Pizza Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 inch pizza crust (see note)
- ½ pound ground beef
- 6 slices bacon
- ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- ¼ cup tomatoes chopped
- ¼ cup lettuce chopped
- 2 tablespoons red onion peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or sauce of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven according to the package directions for your 12 inch pizza crust. If using our homemade pizza dough, shape the dough on a greased pizza pan and par-bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes.
- Cook ½ pound ground beef, breaking up the meat, until it's cooked through. Drain any excess grease. Cook 6 slices bacon until almost crispy, flipping as needed. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once cool, crumble it into pieces.
- Spread ½ cup cheddar cheese evenly over the pizza crust. Top with the cooked ground beef and bacon.
- Bake the pizza according to the package directions for your crust. If using our homemade pizza dough, return the topped pizza to the 400 degree F oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven.
- While the pizza is still hot, top with ¼ cup tomatoes, ¼ cup lettuce, and 2 tablespoons red onion. Finish with a zig-zag or swirl of 2 tablespoons mayonnaise over the top of the pizza. Cut into 6 slices and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use a premade pizza crust, flatbread, or homemade pizza dough. Cooking temperatures and times will vary depending on the crust you choose, so follow the package directions when using a premade crust.
- For an easy mayo drizzle, spoon the mayonnaise into a food storage bag, snip off one corner, and use it like a piping bag to make a swirl or zig-zag over the pizza.
- Sauce options: We like to drizzle mayo over the pizza after baking, but you can use Fry Sauce, Big Mac Sauce, ketchup, mustard, or your favorite burger sauce instead. For a saucier pizza, spread a thin layer of sauce over the crust before adding the cheese, beef, and bacon.
Nutrition
More Pizza Night Favorites
Can’t get enough homemade pizza? Switch up your next pizza night with one of these easy, flavor-packed favorites!
- Crescent Roll Pizza
- Taco Pizza
- Bacon & Egg Breakfast Pizza
- BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Air Fryer Biscuit Pizzas
- Shrimp and Pineapple Pizza
- Bacon & Bison Low Carb Pizza
- Pesto Pizza
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