Pizza on a Budget: How to Make Pizza for as Cheap as Possible (The Price May Surprise You)

How Cheap Can You Make a Pizza?

The words “cheap” and “budget” are highly subjective. Some might consider a $20 pizza cheap while others are looking for pizza under $10... maybe even $5. The most reliable way to solve this dilemma is to simply make the cheapest pizza possible and add the costs. So that is exactly what I did. This quick and delicious experiment showed just how affordable making pizza at home can be. No, I am not talking about dollar store frozen pizzas either. I am referring, of course, to authentic-ish Neapolitan pizza. Can you make homemade Neapolitan pizza on a budget and, if so, just how much does it cost to make pizza at home? Let’s get frugal and find out! 

How to Make Cheap Homemade Pizza: Making Dough for Less Dough

Total Pizza Dough Cost: $0.75-4.98/pizza

Most people already have all the ingredients to make a simple pizza dough. Flour, water, salt. Since this was applicable to me, I did not have to spend any money on the dough portion but if you do not already have flour, you’ll need to factor it into your budget pizza ingredient cost. For a 250g (about 12in) pizza the flour can cost anywhere from $0.50 for a budget all-purpose flour to $4.98 or more for premium flours like Organic Einkorn flour with the gold standard 00 pizza flour landing somewhere in the middle at about $1.37/pizza. 

Then you will need a leavening agent, typically yeast. For mine, I use a sourdough starter appropriately named Albert Einkorn. Making your own starter uses only flour and water but takes about a week to build a strong enough yeast culture. So, if you do not already have a starter and want to make a pizza right away you will need to use a pinch of active dry yeast.  

If you do not want to make your own dough, there are plenty of premade options available as well. There typically will cost a bit more although there are some very affordable options like my go-to, Trader Joe’s garlic and herb dough for only $1.49 (makes 1-2 pizzas).  

No matter the method you choose, your dough cost should remain relatively inexpensive. For the sake of simplicity, we will go with the standard 00 flour at $1.37 for a single 12in pizza for our experiment.  

Pizza on a Budget: A Simple and Cheap Pizza Sauce Recipe

Pizza Sauce Total: $0.47

The sauce is where things get a little more complicated while at the same time simpler. If you are making an authentic Neapolitan pizza you would typically opt for an uncooked sauce made of San Marzano tomatoes. These tomatoes, come from Italy and bring with them a higher price tag making them not ideal for our tight-budget pizza experiment. Instead, I took to Aldi for the cheapest canned tomato sauce I could find. The result, an 8oz can of generic tomato sauce totaling in at a whopping $0.47 and more than enough sauce leftover! 

This isn’t exactly pizza sauce (yet) but with a few adjustments it costs next to nothing to change that. For this cheap pizza sauce recipe, I used salt, pepper, olive oil, and oregano. Simply mix these and/or any other spices you like directly in the can and in seconds you have a delicious budget pizza sauce recipe ready to go. 

Best Cheese and Toppings for Cheap Homemade Pizza

Cheese and Toppings Total Cost: $2.89

Cheese and toppings are where things really start to add up. Typically, I will spend about $5 on some quality mozzarella cheese then an additional $5-10 or even more on toppings ranging from a simple margarita to a supreme pizza with the kitchen sink and anything in between. But we are shopping frugally today so I must get creative and to keep things fair, I decided this pizza must have some protein because that is the most expensive part.  

Strolling the isles of my local Aldi I initially found some sliced mozzarella for $1.49 and put it in the cart. But finding meat was a bit of a challenge as no one wants a canned-tuna pizza. The goal is to keep things as authentic as possible, this means pepperoni, prosciutto, salami, etc. Most of these were around $5-7 but provided enough for multiple pizzas. Until finally I found the perfect solution. For just $2.89 you can get not only 9 slices of salami, more than enough for a pizza, but provolone cheese as well saving us an additional $1.49. 

The Ultimate Budget Pizza Recipe: How I Made a 12 Neapolitan Pizza for Just $3.36

Cheap Pizza ingredients (With Cost): 

• Flour ($0.00) 
• Water ($0.00) 
• Yeast/Starter ($0.00) 
• Tomato Sauce ($0.47) 
• Salami and Cheese ($2.89) 
• Salt and spices ($0.00) 

Making Pizza on a Budget: Instructions

Step 1: Making the Dough. 

• In a mixing bowl add 180g warm water with sourdough starter or yeast and a pinch of salt and mix. Add 250g of flour and mix until it forms a shaggy dough ball. Cover and rest 30min.
• After 30min, stretch and fold the dough. To prevent sticking, wet hands first. Repeat 2 to 3 times with 20-30min in between. 
• After the last set of stretch and folds, cover and leave in a warm place for 2-4 hours or until you see significant rise.
• Transfer and shape dough into a ball. You can cook from here or store in the fridge until you are ready to bake.  

Step 2: Mix Pizza Sauce 

• Open the can of tomato sauce and simply mix in your spices to taste. I like to keep it simple with salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes.

Step 3: Assemble pizza 

Step 4: Bake 

• For best results a dedicated pizza oven is ideal. Preheat oven for about 30min (depending on model) and launch pizza using your pizza peel. After about 1 minute rotate 180 degrees and bake another 1 minute. Your pizza may be done at this point but if any edges look undercooked, rotate that side towards the heat source and bake an additional 30 seconds. 
• If you do not have a dedicated pizza oven, you can still get great results from a conventional home oven. This is best achieved by using 2 pizza stones (or baking sheets if you do not have stones). Place one stone on the top rack and one on the bottom rack and preheat to 500 degrees or as hot as you can get it. Using a pizza peel, transfer the pizza onto the bottom stone and bake for 3-5min. Rotate and bake an additional 3-5 minutes. Repeat, if necessary, until cheese is melted and crust is brown and to desired consistency. For a more authentic taste, wait until slightly charred. 

Step 5: Bone Apple Teeth!  

• Enjoy your delicious pizza knowing that you spent next to nothing making it. Optional: laugh at your neighbors for ordering delivery. 

Conclusion: Pizza on a Budget, is Cheap Homemade Pizza Worth It? 

Of course, results may vary depending on grocery prices in your area and what you have available in your kitchen at the time. For me personally, this fun experiment in frugality ran a total of only $3.36 for a 12in Neapolitan pizza. Sure, you could make something much better if you were to opt for better ingredients but making a whole pizza for less than the delivery fee of ordering out, it’s hard to beat. My takeaway? In no way did I feel this pizza was lacking in quality or flavor despite its low price. I will definitely be making it again in the future when the budget is tight because giving up pizza night is not a sacrifice I am willing to make!