Sweet grilled corn, fresh rosemary, mozzarella, and gorgonzola mingle together on an easy homemade pizza dough that’s grilled for maximum flavor and a perfect char.
Summertime is for grilling just about anything you can get your hands on. Almost anything from corn and peaches to chicken and veggies is fair game for the grill, and that smoky char brings irresistible flavor. Grilling pizza, crostini, and flatbread is another way to flex those grilling muscles, and this charred corn and rosemary grilled pizza is a summertime stunner. The recipe comes from blogger Erin Alderson, the whole foods force behind the vegetarian blog Naturally Ella, and the author and photographer of The Easy Vegetarian Kitchen. Erin’s pizza is full of summery flavor. It’s perfect as written, though I couldn’t help but take a couple of liberties with it. There’s no sauce, but you won’t miss it. Once the pizza dough cooks on one side, flip it and sprinkle garlic on the dough. The direct contact with the heat from the crust will infuse the garlic flavor even more. Gorgonzola cheese (this one is a favorite) brings mega sweetness with a hint of funk and gets added after the pizza is pulled from the grill but still hot so it held its texture a little more. I love adding some flecks of red pepper flakes and this wild garlic flaked sea salt crystals on top, to accentuate the awesome flavors even more. A drizzle of hot honey before serving would also be a super yummy addition.
What’s in This Charred Corn and Rosemary Grilled Pizza
This vegetarian pizza is proof you don’t need a lot of ingredients to deliver big flavor. Fresh summer corn gets a delicious smoky char from the grill, garlic, and rosemary bring earthy aromatics, and gorgonzola lends a sweet tang. The homemade pizza dough is simple to make, but you can easily use store-bought.
- Honey
- Active dry yeast
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- All-purpose flour
- White whole wheat flour
- Cornmeal (fine-ground) — for the bottom of the pizza to help prevent sticking
- Fresh corn
- Rosemary
- Garlic
- Fresh mozzarella
- Gorgonzola
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
- Flaky sea salt
How to Make This Charred Corn and Rosemary Grilled Pizza
Even with homemade dough, this pizza comes together simply and relatively quickly. If you don’t have the time, you can easily use store-bought pizza dough, and if you don’t have a grill, you can make this pizza in the oven. Here’s how to make it:
Make the Pizza Dough
Let the yeast activate. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or in a bowl and using a wooden spoon), combine the water, honey, and yeast. Let sit until the yeast activates, 5 to 10 minutes.
Bring the dough together. Stir in the olive oil, sea salt, unbleached all-purpose flour, and ½ cup of white whole wheat flour. Turn on the mixer and mix until the dough comes together, adding 1 tablespoon of the white whole wheat flour at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky.
Let the dough proof. Remove from the mixer, cover with a warm damp towel, and place the bowl in a draft-free spot to rise for 1 hour.
Prep your grill. After the dough has had time to rise, punch it down and preheat the grill to medium-low heat.
Grill the corn. Shuck the corn and remove any silks still left. Rub the corn with ½ tablespoon of olive oil and place on the grill. Cook, turning occasionally until charred, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly, then remove the kernels from the cob.
Prep your pizza. Sprinkle the cornmeal on a cutting board or pizza peel and turn the dough out onto the cornmeal and roll into a 14-inch circle. Brush the top with ½ of the olive oil. Place the crust olive oil-side down on the grill and cook until puffed and browned. Flip and brush the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil onto the dough, then sprinkle on the garlic, rosemary, cheese, and charred corn kernels.
Get grilling. Grill the pizza until the cheese has melted and the crust has a nice char. If the crust is cooking too fast, move the pizza to a cooler part of the grill.
How to Cook This Pizza if You Don’t Have a Grill
No grill? No sweat. Here’s how to cook this pizza in the oven:
Preheat your oven to 500°F. If you have a pizza stone, place that on your oven rack.
Bake the pizza for 12 to 15 minutes or until the crust is browned and the cheese is bubbling.
Play With Your Pizza
Everyone loves pizza but too often, vegetarian options are the same old, same old, limited to a smattering of green bell peppers, mushrooms, black olives, and onions. Whatever the mega meat-man combo had left over. Erin’s take on pizza is entirely different. Her cookbook features a base homemade recipe with assorted vegetables and a crust that is very similar to the one I make at home with a touch of honey that makes the crust just a little bit sweet and softly supple. As with all of the recipes in her book, Erin then delivers four more variations.
Spring: Scallion and Spinach Pizza with ricotta and oregano.
Summer: Charred Corn and Rosemary with mozzarella, garlic, and crumbled gorgonzola.
Fall: Pear and Blue Cheese with pecan pieces and a drizzle of honey.
Winter: Roasted Sweet Potato and Adobo with poblano peppers and a limey creme fraiche sauce.
What to Serve with This Grilled Pizza
- Greek Salad with Avocado
- THE BEST Caprese Salad
- Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons
- Arugula Salad with Shaved Parmesan
- THE BEST Kale Salad with Parmesan and Pine Nuts
- Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing and Roasted Chickpeas
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Charred Corn and Rosemary Grilled Pizza
Ingredients
- For the Pizza Crust
- ½ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour , divided
- Find-ground cornmeal , for rolling
- For the Pizza
- 1 recipe homemade pizza crust
- 2 ears sweet corn
- 2 tablespoons olive oil , divided
- 2 tablespoons rosemary
- 2 clove garlic , minced
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella , torn or shredded
- 2 ounces Gorgonzola , crumbled
Instructions
- To make the crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or in a bowl and using a wooden spoon), combine the water, honey and yeast. Let sit until the yeast activates, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the olive oil, sea salt, unbleached all-purpose flour, and ½ cup of the white whole wheat flour. Turn on the mixer and mix until the dough comes together, adding 1 tablespoon of the white whole wheat flour at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky. Remove from the mixer, cover with a warm damp towel, and place the bowl in a draft-free spot to rise for 1 hour.
- After the initial rise, punch down the dough and preheat the grill to medium-low heat.
- Shuck the corn and remove and silks still left. Rub the corn with ½ tablespoon of the olive oil and place on the grill. Cook, turning occasionally until charred, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly, then remove the kernels from the cob.
- Sprinkle the cornmeal on a cutting board or pizza peel and turn the dough out onto the cornmeal and roll into a 14-inch circle. Brush the top with ½ of the olive oil. Place the crust olive oil side down on the grill and cook until puffed and browned. Flip and brush the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil onto the dough, then sprinkle on the garlic, rosemary, the cheeses, and charred corn kernels.
- Grill the pizza until the cheese has melted and the crust has a nice char. If the crust is cooking too fast, move the pizza to a cooler part of the grill.
Nutrition
More Corn Recipes You’ll Love
- BLT Corn Salad
- Chilled Corn and Crab Soup
- Zucchini and Fresh Corn Salad
- Mexican Corn Pasta Salad
- Grilled Corn Salad with Tomato and Avocado
- How to Make THE BEST Grilled Corn on the Cob
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This was surprisingly yummy! For a sauceless pizza, it was very creamy! The rosemary makes it very savory, and the charred corn gives it such a unique twist. You don’t even miss that there is no meat!
The only change I made, was using crushed pepper olive oil as a base.
I will make this lots!!
Can’t wait to try this – we’ve never put gorgonzola on a homemade pizza, but it’s definitely time. Thank you for the inspiration!
Grilled corn on pizza? Game. Changer. Love, love, LOVE this idea!!
Oh! That looks yummy!
Girl, you WIN at grilled pizza. This is just gorgeous! And I loved the interview with Erin, too – what an amazingly talented lady. <3
I’ve never put grilled corn on a pizza before, but I think I need to start!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
This pizza is proof: vegetarian food is not boring! Loved reading all the background on Erin’s book. Looks like a great cookbook!
I love that charred corn, what a great looking pizza!
I adore corn on pizza! This is perfect for upcoming hot summer nights!
Also, I love the feature on Erin. She is crazy talented!
What a beautiful way to feature Erin and her cookbook! And you know, I’ve toyed around with going vegetarian for a long while – you inspire me! I know I can do it, but then I think of bacon and just can’t quite make the switch 100%. But I do love to eat mostly vegetarian when I can, and this pizza looks incredible!
Yes, bacon. Oh bacon. That’s a toughie to give up!
Oh, girl. I love anything with corn. This pizza looks amazing!
A striking recipe and such a lovely interview. As someone who eats mostly vegetarian, I’ve been following along with Erin’s post for quite some time. So nice to learn more about her here!
What a beautiful pizza, so perfect for summer!
Such a huge fan of Erin’s!! I want to eat every recipe she makes! Love this post!!
This pizza is just stunning. Let’s grill ALL THE THINGS! I love Erin’s blog, so I really enjoyed reading this post. Thanks, Heidi!
I recently made pizza with corn on it and now wish I had grilled it first!
I freaking love Erin’s blog! And can’t wait to get a copy of her book! Definitely need to try this pizza recipe – very fun flavours!!
I’m so glad to hear you’re a fan too, she has really expanded my way of thinking about vegetarian food.