Say hello to your new favorite pizza night indulgence: Garlicky Kale and Bacon Pizza! This recipe is all about bringing the flavors of your favorite pizzeria right into your own kitchen. With crispy bacon, hearty kale and a garlicky kick, each bite is packed with flavor that’ll have you coming back for more. It’s easy, it’s cheesy and it’s guaranteed to be a hit at your next pizza party!
Table of Contents
Kale, meet bacon. Bacon, meet kale.
Now that everyone has been introduced, I can let you in on a little secret. Those crispy kale chips piled on the pizza dough up above are tossed in bacon fat. I repeat: bacon fat.
It all happened so quickly. There was kale. And there was leftover bacon grease. And there was no question in my mind what was happening next. I straight up Les Miserables’d this pizza. I dreamed a dream and that dream was bacon fat kale chips and that dream just came true.
This pizza is many things, but saucy it is not. This is a sauce-free zone. No one misses marinara when you’re feasting on the trifecta of bacon, mozzarella and garlic. And bonus points to anyone who can guess what the crust is brushed with…
- Pizza dough: You’ll need 1 pound of store-bought or homemade pizza dough. If you do go the homemade route, my recipe has just five ingredients.
- Cornmeal: Sprinkling the baking sheet with cornmeal will prevent the pizza dough from sticking to it.
- Bacon: Make sure to use thick-cut bacon, which will hold up better to being crisp and then baked. (Regular bacon might become too well-done before the pizza’s ready).
- Kale: Before tearing the kale into 1-inch pieces, you’ll need to remove it from its stem. To do so, grip the base of the stem and use your other hand to pull the greens off of it.
- Olive oil: Tossing the kale with a little olive oil will ensure it bakes up soft-yet-crispy.
- Garlic: Kale pizza with garlicky greens? Yes, please! Mincing the garlic will allow you to evenly distribute it when tossing. You could also use a garlic press.
- Mozzarella: Use fresh mozzarella for this homemade pizza recipe. It’s the one that’s round in shape and is usually sold in 8-ounce balls (you’ll use 6 ounces here).
- Red onions: Thinly slicing the red onions will ensure they cook quickly (the pizza will only be in the oven for 10 minutes, after all).
- Parmesan cheese: Nutty and salty, grated Parmesan is the pop of deliciousness this pizza is begging for.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Preheat the oven to 500ºF. Roll the pizza dough into a 12-inch circle. If the dough isn’t stretching like you want it to, let it rest for a few minutes, then try stretching it again.
- Prep the baking sheet. Turn a baking sheet over and sprinkle it with cornmeal. Place the pizza dough on the baking sheet.
- Cook the bacon. Add the diced bacon to a large skillet or pan and cook until crisped. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon (leaving behind most of the fat) and transfer to a large bowl along with 2 teaspoons of bacon drippings. Add the kale, olive oil and garlic and toss to combine.
- Add the mozzarella. Place the mozzarella in an even layer on the pizza dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges.
- Place the remaining toppings on. Add the kale mixture on top of the mozzarella, then scatter the red onions on top of the kale. Brush the ring of exposed crust with the reserved bacon drippings.
- Bake. Place the pizza in the oven for about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through so that the pizza bakes evenly (the back of the oven is hotter than the front).
- Top and serve. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and slice.
- The pizza dough can be rolled into any desired shape, including round, rectangular or free-form, for a more rustic look.
- You can use a pizza stone in place of the inverted baking sheet.
- Oven temperatures and positions may vary, so make sure you are baking your pizza on the middle rack and check it frequently.
- The kale leaves must be well coated in the bacon drippings and olive oil or they will burn before the dough is fully baked. And it may seem like a large amount of kale, but pile it high atop the dough, as it’ll cook down significantly once baked.
Leftover pizza with kale will keep in the fridge, stored in an air-tight container, for up to 3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
For this bacon pizza, you will need to cook the bacon before adding it as a topping. If you didn’t, the bacon wouldn’t be crispy as the fat wouldn’t render.
There are some different ways to reheat leftover pizza, but one of my favorites is to use an air fryer. Reheating pizza in a 400ºF air fryer for just a couple of minutes will make it crispy.
- Air Fryer Pizza Pockets
- Cheesy Garlic Bread Pizza
- The Best French Bread Pizza with Burrata
- Pepperoni Pizza Pasta
- Everything Bagel Breakfast Pizza
- Or any of these Homemade Pizza Recipes!
Ingredients
- 1 pound store-bought or homemade pizza dough
- Cornmeal, for dusting baking sheet
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 2 1/2 cups curly kale leaves, torn into 1-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 ounces mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onions
- Shredded Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500ºF.
- Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface until it is roughly 12 inches wide and 1/4-inch thick. (See Kelly’s Notes.)
- Invert a baking sheet and sprinkle it liberally with cornmeal. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet.
- Cook the diced bacon in a medium sauté pan set over medium-low heat until a majority of the fat has rendered. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon to a large bowl, along with 2 teaspoons of the bacon drippings. Add the kale, olive oil and garlic to the bowl, tossing to combine.
- Arrange the mozzarella slices in a single layer on the pizza dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Evenly scatter the kale-bacon mixture on top of the cheese then top the kale with the sliced red onions. Brush the border of the pizza dough with the reserved bacon drippings.
- Bake the pizza for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating it half-way through, until the crust is fully baked and golden brown. Remove the pizza from the oven to a cutting board, sprinkle it with Parmesan cheese, and slice and serve.
Kelly’s Notes
- The pizza dough can be rolled into any desired shape, including round, rectangular or free-form, for a more rustic look.
- You can use a pizza stone in place of the inverted baking sheet.
- Oven temperatures and positions may vary, so make sure you are baking your pizza on the middle rack and check it frequently.
- The kale leaves must be well coated in the bacon drippings and olive oil or they will burn before the dough is fully baked. And it may seem like a large amount of kale, but pile it high atop the dough, as it’ll cook down significantly once baked.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Loved this! Added some lemon wedges for serving, which gave an outstanding tart contrast to the deep flavours of the kale and bacon. Will definitely make again!
Yay! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
We make a different pizza just about every Friday, last week we made a white clam pizza that was fantastic, did not think it could be topped, but your garlicky-kale pizza won out, it was fantastic, we have a lot of kale in the garden and a lot just sits there unused, It was awesome!!
WOW! Love hearing this, Rich! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe :)
Oh my this is amazing. So many fantastic things were happening in my mouth all at once. We made a pizza dough that was self rising flour with Greek yogurt and I added thinly sliced tomatoes to the pizza. It was amazing. Oh I also brushed the dough with some of the oil/grease/garlic juice before placing toppings on. Amazing. Will be making a lot. Wow. Thank you for sharing this!
Woohoo! Love hearing this, Molly!
This is one of my favorite pizza recipes. I started making it when I just didn’t know what to make with kale. It is really seriously delicious.
Love reading this, Helen! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
Made this today for some stay at home mom girlfriends! Super good, and an excellent way to burn off some kale from the fall garden!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Angela!
This is a great idea!
I’ll definitely make this healthier version of the typical pizza at home.
I am always trying to venture out and add a twist to my pizza. Garlic and bacon??? I’m convinced :)