Mashed potato pizza is one of those things that you might think is weird or gross when you hear it, but I promise it is really good.
It turns out that mashed potatoes and pizza are made to be together.
Mashed Potato Pizza Origins
It’s possible it was seen somewhere else first, but my first experience with mashed potato pizza was in New Haven, CT at a place called “Bar.”
Over the years, I’ve put my own twist on this pizza, but it’s all in tribute to the original!
Mashed Potato Pizza Video
Homemade Pizza Dough
Let’s make the dough first. Pizza dough is something that really needs to rest for a good amount of time to mature in flavor and get nice and elastic. I typically like to make mine the day before I intend to cook. To start, combine the yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil, and water in a bowl.
Add your flour and bring all of the dough into a ball. When it looks like the below you can start kneading it. If you have a fancy mixer you can beat it with the paddle attachment for 10 minutes and save yourself a workout.
If, like me, you rely on pure brute strength to make awesome pizza (Ok. I eventually got a mixer, but still make dough by hand occasionally), then you’ll need to knead this dough for at least ten minutes but probably closer to 15. Eventually it will become very smooth. Then it is time to rise. Pour a bit of olive oil in your bowl and lightly coat your ball of dough. This will make sure it doesn’t dry out.
Let it rise at room temperature for two hours.
After the rise, you can punch it down and cut it into two balls. If you must, you can use them right away, but they will be much better if you let them chill in the fridge for at least a day. They can keep for a few days though if you coat them in a bit of olive oil. If you do put them in the fridge, let them rise at room temperature for an hour before using them.
Now we need to make the toppings for this Mashed Potato Pizza. I’m assuming you know how to make bacon (crispy is better for this recipe, you can also bake bacon in the oven).
You also probably know how to make mashed potatoes, but if not, just cut up the potatoes into cubes and boil them in lightly salted water for about 10 minutes until they fall apart when poked with a fork.
Then mash them up with the garlic, milk, and butter. I actually like mine a bit on the chunky side. It gives the pizza a good texture.
For the sprouts, I recommend slicing then thin and then tossing them with a tablespoon or two of bacon grease. That will make sure they get crispy on the pizza!
Making and Baking the Pizza
Next, preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone in it.
Forming a pizza takes a bit of practice. If it is your first time, go slow and be patient. The dough is very forgiving if you made it correctly. It will be very elastic.
Take a ball and roll it out into a circle. With light pressure start working it from the inside out. Once you feel comfortable feel free to pick it up and stretch it over your knuckles a bit. It shouldn’t rip if you keep it moving by lightly rotating it around your hand.
If you are feeling brave, you can give it a toss!
Once you have a rough circle that is the size you want and the thickness that you want, slap it on a pizza peel that has been dusted with corn meal or flour. If you don’t have a peel, you can use a baking sheet. The sheet just makes it a bit harder to slide it into the oven. I used one for years though before I got a peel.
Feel free to make a decorative crust or just leave it flat. Whatever makes you happy. Personally, I just leave it flat.
When your dough is on the peel, drizzle on some olive oil and add your mashed potatoes in a single, even layer.
Next, add your grated cheese and sweet, sweet bacon and lots of sprouts.
Feel free to sprinkle on some dried basil, pepper, and salt at this point also.
Carefully slide the pizza into the oven. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Try not to drool on the oven door.
Take out your Mashed Potato Pizza, the crust should be crispy and great. The cheese should be lightly browned. Wait a few minutes, slice, and eat a piece right away.
I cannot express how good this recipe is. If you like pizza, you will love this. If you don’t like pizza, then you will probably still like this. If you don’t, then I’m not sure we can be friends.
Want a meaty pizza? Try this Sausage and Mushroom pizza!
My Mashed Potato Pizza Recipe
Mashed Potato Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
Pizza dough (This makes two pizzas. From Alton Brown's recipe.)
- 4 Cups bread flour
- 4 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 ¾ Tablespoons Kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 ½ Cups lukewarm water
- Flour, for dusting
- Olive oil for rising the dough.
Mashed Potato Pizza:
- 4 medium Russet Potatoes
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces bacon, crumbled
- 1 pound grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 pound Brussels Sprouts
Instructions
- It’s best to make the dough a day in advance. Start by combining the yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil, and water in a bowl.
- Add your flour and bring all of the dough into a ball. When it looks like the below you can start kneading it. If you have a fancy mixer you can beat it with the dough hook attachment for 10 minutes and save yourself a workout.
- To knead by hand, scoop dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 15 minutes until dough is very smooth.
- Pour a bit of olive oil in your bowl and lightly coat your ball of dough. This will make sure it doesn’t dry out.
- Let it rise at room temperature for two hours.
- After the rise, you can punch it down and cut it into two balls. If you must, you can use them right away, but they will be much better if you let them chill in the fridge for at least a day. They can keep for a few days though if you coat them in a bit of olive oil. If you do put them in the fridge, let them rise at room temperature for an hour before using them.
- For the toppings, cut up the potatoes into cubes and boil them in lightly salted water for about 10 minutes until they fall apart when poked with a fork. Then mash them up with the garlic, cream or milk, and butter. I actually like mine a bit on the chunky side. It gives the pizza a good texture.
- Cook bacon until crispy in a skillet which will take 10-15 minutes. You can also bake the bacon in a 350 degree oven for 15-18 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone in it.
- To form a pizza, take a ball and roll it out into a circle. With light pressure start working it from the inside out. Once you feel comfortable feel free to pick it up and stretch it over your knuckles a bit. It shouldn’t rip if you keep it moving by lightly rotating it around your hand.
- If you are feeling brave, you can give it a toss!
- Once you have a rough circle that is the size you want and the thickness that you want, slap it on a pizza peel that has been dusted with corn meal or flour. If you don’t have a peel, you can use a baking sheet. The sheet just makes it a bit harder to slide it into the oven.
- Feel free to make a decorative crust or just leave it flat. Whatever makes you happy.
- Sprinkle a bit of olive oil over your dough. Since we aren’t using a sauce, we need to add a bit of moisture on the bottom. Then lump on your mashed potatoes. Don’t be stingy. This is the base of the pie.
- Next, add cheese, bacon, sprouts (sliced thin and tossed with bacon grease), and a pinch of pepper and salt.
- Carefully slide the pizza into the oven. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
- Take out your pizza and the crust should be crispy and great. The cheese should be lightly browned. Wait a few minutes, slice, and eat a piece right away.
Video
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Here are a few other great pizza recipes!
- Is it worth it? Homemade Pizza Dough
- Homemade White Pizza Sauce
- Skillet Deep Dish Pizza
- Grilled Veggie Pizza from Kitchen Confidante
Natasha – 5 Star Foo
This is a great-looking pizza! Wonderful recipe!
Lauren
Wow – this is setting the bar for pizza pretty high, but I think I'll have to try this soon! Who would've thought mashed potato and pizza?
Marting Lewis
Great, that's going on the menu tonight!
Nicole
That sounds sooooooo good! One of my favorite pizzas in Sicily had roasted potatoes, rosemary, and smoked cheese, but I've never tried mashed potatoes! I want some!!
Alex
Mmmmm, carb-loading. Looks great. Love the photos too
Natalie
ok man.
I gotta say, this is a scroll down post. The first photo I saw of it, I was trying to envision the taste- and all I could think of was a pile of pile of mushiness on some bread. But as I scrolled, I really warmed up to the idea. Really. I want to eat this. Maybe tonite.
Especially the bottom one you did w/ broccoli and cheddar. And bacon exites me anyway. Way to go man- this is seriously inventive- and a completely new and exciting concept for me. I will be trying this pronto, and will let you know how awesome it is.
Karolinka27
I expect that the next time I see you, you will make this for me. I LOVE this pizza. Also I think a pizza stone will be among my first purchases when I return to the states. I am hungry for this pizza right now. Why do you do this to me N.?
RecipeGirl
Looks pretty darn good. I might add a little sour cream on top of that mashed potato and bacon one! Yum!
Justin
Sweet – this is a great idea – clicked through from http://www.garrettkern.com and I love your blog. I’ll have to be back regularly.
Aisha
Excellent! I should try it tonight
SoCal Pastry Chef
OMG… I love this pizza. I promise to give you credit… but HOT DAMN! I'm making this bad boy!
Jenny
What a great idea!! Will have to try a veggie version! Thanks for sharing… :-D
Shirley
At the ripe old age of 60, I discovered that all pizza doesn’t have to have a tomato base. I think your potato pizza is fabulous, and I’m going to try it.
Melissa
I love that this is the most popular post on your site. Well deserved! :) Soooooooo good (even if I have to pick the broccoli off).
PhilipJ
LOVE THIS POST!!! New Haven Pizza is the best on the planet. I go to bar all the time when I am home. I am up in Ithaca, NY now and there is ZERO good pizza. Little fact about Bar and New Haven pizza in general. All the best pizza places got their skills from Pepe's and Salle's and opened their own joints. I go to Bar because there is usually much less of a wait. Same great pizza. These people up here don't even know what a good crust is.
ErinL
I do something similiar but call it pierogie pizza. Mashed potatoes, sauteed onions, and cheddar cheese. And you can add sauerkraut too!
Stephanie
Looks pretty good. I think I would like it.
Lea
So how as the camera?? What kind? I recently got a new camera (Canon Rebel) and am stumped trying to get the macro lens to work in combination with NO flash! ugh!
We have a place here in town that has mashed potato pizza… totally rocks! Carb binging ftw!
Nick
@ Lea. I got the same camera. The rebel XSi… I haven’t purchased a macro lens yet, but I’m not sure I would be much help… I’m sort of learning as I go.
It sure is a lot of fun though.
Shannon
Wow…that last picture looks exactly like one I got at a local pizza place a while back. Definitly going to try this recipe, ’cause that was the best pizza I’ve ever had!
Anna
In Turkey, they sell rolls and stuff on the street every day, and you can get rolls with cheese inside, or olives, or mashed potatoes. It was such a revelation to realize how wonderful a combination potatoes and bread is. I salute you.
Chef Jimmie
add grilled onions to your mashed potatoes, and top with shredded cheddar cheese…bam, pierogie pizza!
Chef Clintonia
A wonderful idea indeed, it would make an excellent addition to my menu. i think i would add some pepers however
Jularat
My mouth is watering !!
Justin
My very own mashed potato pizza is baking in the oven as we speak! I cannot wait to try it! Ill let everyone know how it turned out.
Lou
That looks and sounds great, thanks for sharing!
Dipen
My family loves this pizza so much that we go to Bar in New Haven once a week to have this pizza. We add broccoli and fresh basil to the pizza and it tastes fantastic.
The Bar version has parmesan cheese in its base, but the recipe above doesn’t. Don’t know how much difference parmesan cheese makes to this pizza.
Carl
Wow! I grew up near New Haven and am a great fan of Pepe’s white clam pie (never got a chance to go to Sallie’s). I make pizza every Sunday and just read about a restaurant in Salt Lake (near where I live now) that makes a pizza with mashed potatoes, bacon and asparagus pieces. They call it “The New Haven”. You’ve given me the base, so all I need to add is the asparagus. I’ll let you know how it turns out on Sunday night!
SHAWN
Ive been looking for a good crust recipe for the pizza stone yours works well.THANKS. But seriously give BAR a run for their money come on have some respect!
Gretchen
Just browsing your page… this recipe looks awesome! I love me some pizza and I will defintely be giving this a try. Sure I will get some weird looks from the fam, but I'm getting used to it with everything else I am making them try out!
Allison
Did you cook the broccoli before you baked the pizza? I want to make this for my husband and want to get it right. Thanks!
Nick
I don't really ever cook the broccoli before I add it to the pizza. It usually gets nice and charred but not soggy at all which is the problem if you overcook it.
Theoretically, you could blanch it for a few seconds and then add it, but I just cut up the florets into pretty small pieces and that works like a charm.
Good luck with it. It's one of my favorite pizzas!
Allison
Thanks for the tip. I made it for dinner tonight and it was excellent! I'm thinking of trying a different spin on it next time and doing a sort of potato skin version.
Julia
Hi
Thanks for the recipe. I found it after eating at Bar in new haven and loving their mashed potato and broccoli pizza. I made yours last night and it came out pretty good. Mine got all big and puffy though? It did not look like yours. I don't have a pizza stone and I cooked it after two hours rising? Do you have any ideas as to why mine came out puffy? I rolled it out pretty thin maybe not ting enough though.
Either way it was very good and I intend on having the leftovers for breakfast. Thanks for the great recipe and the handy pictures, I love pictures while I am cooking!
Luc
I had the same thing happen to me tonight! Mine was extra puffy, but it was ultra delicious! Nonetheless, we stepped up the bacon game.
karen
I love mashed potatoes, well potatoes of any kind. Although I didn't do it, I wanted to have a mashed potato bar with a gravy fountain at my 50th bday party. didn't have a party, went on vacation instead. keep it up love to read your blog. Your method of pizza in a cast iron skillet has kept me making pizza at home, I was ready to give up.
Stacy
We ate the Garlic Mashed Potato Pizza at Bar, too! My cousin worked there. Could not believe how incredible it tasted. Decided to recreate it at home, but I’ve made mine with a garlicky white sauce as the base. Thought it might be good with a bit of smoked gouda too. Thanks for sharing your version.
Kim
We made up a “bar-like” mashed potato pizza recipe too… we sautee minced garlic in the olive oil before sprinkling it on, and add plain mashed potatoes. Something about the crunchy little garlic pieces makes me happy. We also use Parmesan instead of mozzarella, but the bacon doesn’t always stick so well.
SO YUMMY!
karen
oh my god i can’t wait until i’m done with this diet!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ole
i will try today!! so great!! http://www.ccchinachic.com
Krishna Shiwdin
I almost cried after reading. bravo good sir.
Grey
Oooh, very interesting! I am intimidated by home-made dough but may have to get over that to try this. Not everyone in my house eats bacon (some of us are vegetarians) so I may try with thinly sliced and sauteed tempeh.
Nick
Heya! You can also use store bought dough if you want. You can pick up a 1 pound bag of dough for a few bucks at most stores. Good luck!
Leanne Downey
Oh my carbs! I was dubious when I read “Mashed Potato Pizza”, but now I think I need this in my life… I’m not sure if I should thank you or shake my fist at you ;) Also, congrats on the baby news!
Nick
Thanks Leanne! It’s all very exciting. (And you should definitely give the pizza a shot. It’s worth the carbs. ;)
RK
This looks so good! My sister just recently told be about the pizza she had at a Canadian national pizza chain– description Spicy Perogy
An inspired combination of sour cream, smoky bacon and BP’s Favourite Cactus Cut Potatoes with pizza mozzarella and cheddar, topped with green onion and a generous dollop of sour cream
Nick
Whoa. That sounds pretty amazing!
Kate
Looks great! They have a similar pie at my neighborhood pizza place, Otto , and it’s great! I’ll have to give this a try! They also have a bunch of really good unusual pizzas great for inspiration when I’m making my own at home. Can’t seem to replicate their crust though.. *sigh* http://www.ottoportland.com/menu.html
Potato Recipes Blog
Hi Nick,
Your delicious recipe has been nominated as one of the “Best 20 Potato Recipes from the Week 37 of 2014”. You can vote for it here: http://potato-recipes.org/best-potato-recipes/20-delicious-potato-recipes-week-37-2014-september-8-september-14/ (position #8).
Nick
Cool! Thanks!
sandra
ya la voy hacer me gusta las pizza gracias, seguiré visitándolo
Desiree
Made this pizza and it was delicious…. YUMMY!!! I didn’t put the brussel sprouts, but I did use the potatoes and bacon… This is a must recipe to make again… Thanks :)
Danial Kougl
I’m a Lakota from deep in the reservation in South Dakota. My cousin graduated from Yale and I went to see her. She took me to Bar and we had that pizza. That was fifteen years ago. My sister recently moved to Dallas, and I told her that she should try a mashed potato pizza if she ever got the chance. She told me that it sounded gross, and that I shouldn’t be so insensitive to her as it was the day before her birthday. (Don’t ask, we have an odd sense of humor) Then, this morning I googled it and came upon this recipe. Imagine my surprise to find that you’d drawn your inspiration from the EXACT same place. I sent her the recipe this morning. Probably ruined her birthday. I have to give you my most profound and sincere thank you for allowing me to do that.
Nick
Hahaha. Happy to help sir!
Kevin
I miss the pizza at New Haven’s Bar so much. The mashed potato pizza was the best! I had never heard of mashed potato pizza before moving to New Haven, and it quickly became a favorite. Now that I am in Ohio, it is the one thing from New Haven that I truly miss. Thanks for the recipe!
Suraj
Big fan of the Bar pizza as well… out of curiosity, have you ever tried making this pizza with a sauce (like a white sauce or tomato sauce)? Do you think the potatoes and cheese are sufficient?
Nick
Heya, I’ve done a potato pizza with red sauce, but kept the potatoes in chunks. Just boiled them and seasoned them and added them more as a topping, but for this version the mashed potatoes is actually the sauce. That’s how they do it at Bar also. I haven’t tried mixing the mashed potato with a sauce… I worry that it would be too saucy…
A A
My friends and I were just planning a date to go to BAR specifically for their mashed potato pizza…I will absolutely have to try this recipe at home!!!
Yani
Don’t know if your till replying to this recipe, but….. Do you think this would work on a scilian type crust? I have recipe for “Nonna’s pizza dough and it’s great dough but it is the doughy bread like kind.
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Maureen
First time I had mashed potato pizza was at Bar so. That was around December 1997. It was not on the menu but recommended by the bartender. I live in South Florida and have dreamed about having mashed potato pizza again. Last weekend I was fortunate to visit Bar again. The mashed potato pizza was on my wish list and I was not disappointed. My wish list had also included a steamed Maine lobster which I also got on this trip. I am a happy girl. Those things you just can’t get in the Florida Keys
Anna
Living in IN there is no good pizza joint. I have been craving a mashed potato and bacon pizza and since I wasn’t going home back to CT, found this recipe. Tried my first hand last night to make pizza dough and the topping. Oh my let me tell ya it was FANTASTIC. It was like eating at GGs pizzeria in Milford. Thank you so much. Clams casino pie is next.
Nick
So glad you liked it Anna! Thanks for the comment!
annie
I experienced mash potato pizza at BAR a few years ago, but with a tomato sauce. It was Amazing. Am about to try your recipe. Yum. Thank you!