Matzo (sometimes spelled matza or matzah) is a type of Jewish flatbread that contains no yeast. It’s mostly eaten during Passover when the Jewish faith prevents them from using yeast in their food. This is similar to Catholics giving up meat during the 40 days of Lent.
Lots of people enjoy matzo though, regardless of their religion or the time of year. And matzo flour is becoming a popular ingredient in pizza dough. So let’s check out some common matzo pizza recipes. They range from quick-n-easy to quite complicated so pick your battle!
[ez-toc]1. Weelicious Matzah Pizzas
You can buy matzah at the store, just like you can buy lasagna sheets or pre-made pizza dough. Matzo sheets are usually square, and this recipe uses four of them topped with red sauce, broccoli, and mozzarella. Use chunky sauce sparingly – one tablespoon per sheet. You don’t want it soggy. Quick-baking helps too, no more than 5 minutes till the cheese melts.
2. Slender Kitchen’s Matzo Pizza
Whether you’re starting with cheese, sauce, or oil is a matter of preference and practicality. But matzo is generally crispy and square-shaped, so that needs extra attention. For this matzo pizza recipe, the cheese goes under the sauce and pre-bakes to keep the matzah crunchy. You can opt for low-moisture cheese to help reduce the liquid levels in your pizza.
3. Cavity Cop’s Kosher Matzo Pizza
For easy Passover recipes, you can easily substitute matzo for bread, pizza dough, and even pasta sheets. Then top as you please for the perfect kosher pizza or lasagne. The matza here is already docked so you just need a chunky tomato sauce and kosher mozzarella. If you’re not strictly following kosher guidelines, the salt and cheese don’t necessarily have to be kosher.
4. Skinny Taste Matzo Pizza
Passover pizza is a quick dish because the matzo cracker is pre-baked. So you only need to cook the pizza long enough to melt the cheese, which generally takes less than five minutes. Of course, you need to keep your toppings and seasonings kosher – so no ham, bacon, or pork, sorry! Remember to dust the pizza stone or foil (or use parchment) to stop it from sticking.
5. Risa’s Quick Matzah Pizza
Risa’s recipe uses mozzarella and ricotta cheese. The latter isn’t common on pizza (you’ll see it more often in lasagna). But the crispy cracker can handle ricotta without getting too mushy. Risa puts her sauce below her cheesy toppings though. So if you go this way, serve the pizza soon after baking. If it sits too long, it may get soggy. Olives are a good topping too.
6. Matzo Pizza for Kids
When you’re cooking for kids, focus on timing, color, and mess. Use cute shapes and textures to sneak past their fussy eating habits. And ideally, you want something they can eat with their hands. It’s more clean-up for you, but if they have fun eating, they’re more likely to clear their plates. This kids’ matzo pizza has spaghetti sauce for speed and convenience.
7. Elana’s Matzah Pizza
Elana’s matzo pizza recipe is the best shortcut you can find. All her ingredients are store-bought – matzah crackers, chunky ragu in a jar, and pre-shredded cheese from Kraft. The trick is ensuring these products are kosher, so if you’re cooking during Passover, pay extra attention to where the ingredients came from and how they’re prepared. Always pre-heat!
8. Serious Eats Matzo Pizza Recipe
The reason chunky red sauce is preferred for matzo pizzas is their liquid content. Chunky sauces are naturally thicker, so there’s less soup or juice to inadvertently soften the cracker. This recipe uses canned tomatoes. Press them by hand to maintain the lumpy texture. Or strain them and use the solid sections rather than the liquid. Here, the cheese goes first.
9. Matzo Brei Pizza
If your matzo pizza recipe layers the cheese before the sauce, bake the matzo with cheese on it before adding the sauce and toppings. This way, the cheese melts into a greasy protective layer that keeps your sauces and cooking fluids from seeping into your matza cracker. Or you could mix beaten eggs with crushed matza to form a less absorbent pan-fried brei pizza base.
10. Martha Stewart’s Matzo Pizza
Yes, her pizzas do look classier. So if you’re trying to impress your Jewish crush (or mother-in-law), take a few tips from Martha. Her matzo pizza is topped with an egg fried sunny-side-up. The red sauce and fresh basil give gorgeous plating points as well. The matzo is baked with sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan first to seal in the crunch. Then add the toppings.
11. Sam’s Matza Brei Recipe
For those who prefer a more step-by-step approach to recipes, watch Sam the Cooking Guy. And as he says, even if this isn’t religious practice for you, a matzo brei patty makes an amazing breakfast. It’s basically eggs and crackers so it’s ideal for munchies, hangovers, and energetic starts to your kids’ morning routine. Add jam and any (kosher?) pizza toppings.
12. Four-Ingredient Matzo Pizza
You’d think a matzo pizza recipe can handle lots of toppings because it’s so stiff and sturdy. But think of matzah like potato chips – they’re slight and crunchy with minimal ‘upper body strength’. So stick to light toppings, just like you would with any thin-crust pizza. This one only has four ingredients – and it includes alternative recommendations for sliced toppings.
13. Old School Matzoh Pizza Recipe
Pizza is a cheeky way to introduce kids (and non-Jewish friends) to kosher cooking. Traditionally, you can spread chopped liver or cream cheese on matzo and nibble it as a snack. But for a more elaborate dish, slather the matzo cracker with tomato sauce, finely grated mozzarella, and any other topping you enjoy. Toaster ovens are perfect for this.
14. Today’s Parent Matzo Pizza
Many parents struggle to get their kids to eat their vegetables. And during Passover, Jewish parents might fight over too much matza! So if your kids and teens are being difficult, offer their matzah rations in pizza form. Use leftover spaghetti sauce (or kosher canned pasta sauce) and top with cheese and thinly sliced mushrooms, olives, onions, or sweet peppers.
15. Zilana’s Matzah Pizza
Cheese blends give your pizza recipe extra depth and flavor. But mingling mozzarella with cheddar also brightens the visual appeal of your plating. And if the blending process is too much work, you could buy pre-mixed chezzarela. It’s a store-bought mix of shredded cheddar and mozzarella. If you’re cooking for kids, skip the red sauce and squeeze out some ketchup.
16. What Jew Wanna Eat Matzah Pizza
Not all believers are … reverent. So if you like your kosher dishes with a little bit of edge, try some of Amy’s Sweet Noshings. Her … colorful cookbook has lots of tongue-tingling recipes, including this WJWE matzah pizza. Try this matzah margherita. And yes, Amy encourages gentiles to go a little nuts with bacon, dates, blue cheese, or salami as additional toppings.
17. Jewish Food Network’s Matzah Pizza
Matzo pizzas can get kids to eat (and enjoy) traditional food. But did you know it can get them cooking too? Here’s a simple recipe for matzah pizza sauce that will have your children begging to help out in the kitchen. And while Abigail can clearly make Bean Dad proud, remind your kids there’s an adult pointing that camera at her, so no, they can’t cook alone …
18. Matzoh Farfel Pizza
Maybe you want to ‘make’ pizza dough instead of just painting colored sauces on store-bought crackers. Here’s an easy option. Buy farfels instead. Soak them in hot water, drain them, mash them into eggs, and bake to make a matzoh omelet base. Top with mushroom sauce, minced garlic, and diced onions (or their powders) and bake until the cheese melts.
19. Scott’s Matzah Pizza
If you’re looking to make matzo from scratch, here’s a quick demo. It’s a thin crust recipe without yeast so it won’t need much kneading or rising – just matzah flour and water. This is DIY matzo dough so Scott uses unglazed tiles and an IR gun in place of a pizza stone. Poke the raw matzah with a fork or pizza docker, bake it to a crisp, then add red sauce and cheese.
20. Ou Kosher Matza Pizza
Matzah pizza is a convenient snack for gentiles. And a lot of us enjoy it. Just grab a box from the grocery store, add ketchup and cheese, and pop it in the toaster oven. But if your matzo pizza recipe is part of your religious practice, be more careful about the toppings. This kosher recipe uses soaked matza farfel baked in eggs and topped with strips of American cheese.
21. Leftover Matzo Pizza
When you’re cleaning out the fridge, you can buy pizza dough and top it with a melange of leftovers. You can even stir fry them or egg-fry them for added flavor. But if you’re sorting the leavings of Passover, matzo makes an awesome pizza base. You can use ketchup as a pizza sauce and top the matzah with shredded cheese, leftover seder parsley, and olives.
22. Jamie Geller’s Pizza Brei
This web page (and its embedded video) have tons of matzah recipes for your Passover feast. But right now, we’re checking out that pizza brei. Soak the matzah in hot water then drain them and break them into a skillet. Add seasoned, beaten eggs to the skillet and flip your matzah omelet aka brei. Spread red sauce over the brei then follow with shredded cheese.
23. Speedy Romeo’s Matzo Pizza
The easiest matzo pizza has ketchup, American cheese singles, and boxed matza. They’re usually square and are cut into pub-style pieces. But this upgraded shmura matzoh pizza is round and has chili flakes and chunks of mozzarella instead of shreds or slices. This elevates the flavor profile (and the visuals) of your Gothamist pizza. And yes, you may add pepperoni.
24. Ragu Matzo Pizza
It’s always nice when manufacturers suggest easy recipes. It helps you get more value from basic processed ingredients. And this matzo pizza recipe from Ragu is a good example. Just grab two sheets of matzoh and a cup of Ragu pasta sauce. Spread it evenly across the two crackers and follow with a cup of shredded mozzarella. Bake for 8 minutes in the oven.
25. Rakusen’s Veggie Matzah Recipe
You could argue that all matzo pizza recipes are vegetarian – it’s mostly just cheese, tomatoes, olives, and basil. But here’s a version for invested vegetarians. The matzah base is topped with aubergines (we call them eggplants on this side of the pond), avocado, and hummus. You can use store-bought hummus and partially cook the veggies before topping.
26. Microwave Matzah Pizza
Ovens are nice. But if all you have access to is a microwave, you can still cobble a tasty matza pizza. And it’ll be ready in under a minute so it’s a perfect fix for speedy cravings. Just don’t burn yourself eating it! In the spirit of quickies, use bottled marinara and sliced cheese singles (without overlaps!) to top your boxed matzah. The microwave won’t brown it though.
27. Ras Talon Matzo Pizza
This pizza recipe seems straight out of a college dorm room. Just look at the ingredients – matza, ketchup, and yellow cheese. No fuss about cheese types or seasonings. They’re listed below as optional though, in case you want some guidance. Typical pizza herbs work best – basil, oregano, or Italian seasoning. Bake the pizza on parchment paper to avoid sticking.
28. Gluten-free Matzo Pizza Recipe
Yes, you can buy gluten-free matzah at the store. But this matzo pizza recipe shows you how to make the matza yourself. Your gluten-free cracker dough will use flour ground from brown rice, potatoes, millet, and corn starch. Plus xanthan gum for binding and psyllium husk for fiber. The pizza toppings stay simple – chunky canned tomatoes, basil, oregano, and cheese.
29. Bud Rebels Matzo Pizza
It’s worth noting that you can buy shmura matzo (round matzo) in a box as well. But it does cost a lot more, so check that credit card first. If your wallet allows it, this video shows how you can make a quick shmura pizza with the boys. Since it’s so fast and simple, you can customize everyone’s pizza with their preferred sauce and toppings then microwave for a minute or two.
30. Vegan Matzah Pizza
Matzo pizza recipes are largely crackers and cheese with tomato sauce. That can be tough for vegans because dairy is off their list. So try this vegan matzah pizza with vegan cheese (made from nuts, agar, or coconuts). This version has vegan pesto sauce as well. And the thematic suggestion list offers tons of toppings from tofu and chickpeas to soyrizo vegan sausage.
31. Leaf TV Matzo Pizza Three Ways
We’re closing the list with three types of matzo pizza toppings. Start with Yehuda matza or any other brand. For Mediterranean matzah, use hummus on the base. Follow with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and basil. Option 2 – shredded cheese, zucchini, and mushrooms. The 3rd version has fresh persimmons, dried apricots, dried cherries, almonds, and berry honey.
What’s your favorite matzo pizza recipe? Show us how to make it in the comments!
Barbara is an enthusiastic food-exploring person that goes through different culinary experiences. She got inspired by creating a pizza blog post after she tasted one of the best-selling pizzas in Toledo.