Cheeseburger Pizza

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If you love burgers and pizza, this recipe is for you! Cheeseburger pizza is topped with burger sauce, cheddar, pickles, and seasoned ground meat for a dinner that’s the best of both worlds.

We love pizza night at my house, and whenever it’s time to make some pies, I try to make at least one that is different from the standard cheese and pepperoni.

I love using leftovers to make pizzas like chicken bacon ranch pizza or BBQ pulled pork pizza. These meaty, saucy options always hit the spot!

My family also loves burgers, so I decided to add another pizza into our rotation: cheeseburger pizza.

This pizza has all the classic burger flavors, from a ketchup-based sauce to seasoned ground beef to a pickle topper.

Pickles on pizza? Trust me. 

You’ll love this easy, delicious cheeseburger pizza recipe!

Ingredients for cheeseburger pizza

You’ll need:

Pizza dough – Make your pizza dough from scratch, or purchase your favorite.

Many grocery stores now sell their own refrigerated pizza doughs. If you choose to use a pre-baked pizza dough, you might want to reduce the baking time. Follow the package directions.

Ground beef – This recipe uses 8 ounces of ground beef. If buying a 1-pound package, you can either make 2 pizzas, or freeze the other half for another night.

Onion – Instead of diced onion on top of the pizza, we sauté the onion with the beef for extra flavor.

Spices – Don’t forget to season your beef! This recipe uses salt, pepper, and paprika.

I like to use smoked paprika. Sweet or hot paprika will also work.

Ketchup – For the base of our sauce, we start with ketchup. You could also use plain tomato sauce.

Mayonnaise – Creamy mayonnaise helps transform the ketchup into a burger sauce. 

Mustard – Classic yellow mustard is a must on burgers, so we add it to the sauce for that tangy flavor.

Pickle relish – Optional, but I love the addition of pickle relish to the burger sauce. It helps add pickle flavor to every bite!

Mozzarella – Use finely shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese, not fresh mozzarella balls.

Cheddar – Any variety of cheddar cheese will do, from mild to extra sharp. Use your favorite!

Sliced pickles – It might seem odd, but pickles are the perfect finish for this pizza!

I used bread-and-butter pickles. Dill pickles are also delicious.

How to make this recipe

If making pizza dough from scratch, mix the ingredients together and let rise in a warm place.

When you’re ready to make the pizza, preheat the oven to 450°F.

Put a small amount of oil in a sauté pan and set over medium-high heat.

Add the ground beef and chopped onion. Cook, breaking the beef into small pieces, until no pink remains.

Mix together the salt, paprika, and pepper, and sprinkle over the meat. Stir well to coat the meat and onion in the spices.

Remove from heat and drain the excess grease from the meat. Set aside.

To make the special sauce, combine the ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, and pickle relish in a small bowl, mixing until blended. Add more mayo or mustard as desired.

Roll out or press pizza dough into a pizza pan or baking sheet, creating a slight rim all around the edge.

Spread the sauce onto the crust in an even layer. Save any extra sauce for serving.

Add half of the mozzarella and half of the cheddar. Then, top with the beef and onion, and scatter on the remaining cheese.

Arrange pickles on top of the cheese, using as many slices as you like.

Bake the pizza for 12-15 minutes, until the crust is golden and cheese is melted.

Let cool briefly before slicing and serving. If you like, drizzle the pizza with reserved sauce.

Recipe suggestions

Just like with burgers, you can customize your toppings to your heart’s content.

Try it with ground turkey or bison instead of beef, or even ground chicken.

Add pieces of chopped crispy bacon or pickled jalapeños.

Instead of the homemade burger sauce, you could use your favorite bottled variety, or use barbecue sauce instead.

Add some heat with a few dashes of hot sauce stirred into the burger sauce or the cooked beef.

Brush the edges of the dough with an egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds for an even more burgery meal.

After cooking, top with chopped fresh tomatoes or shredded lettuce. Or, drizzle on extra burger sauce or mustard.

Make this cheeseburger pizza for your next pizza night!