Bruschetta Pizza with Balsamic Syrup is everything you love about the classic Italian appetizer, but with a pizza twist. Just imagine a crispy pizza crust piled high with juicy tomatoes, fresh basil, and garlic, all drizzled with a homemade balsamic reduction. If you’re craving a slice of summer (or Italy!) bursting with fresh flavors, look no further than this easy homemade pizza recipe.

Bruschetta pizza with balsamic syrup and shaved Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients You’ll Need
How to Make Bruschetta Pizza with Balsamic Syrup
Kelly’s Notes
More Tomato Recipes You’ll Love
Bruschetta Pizza with Balsamic Syrup Recipe

I’ve got big news today. Hang on to your chefs’ hats, folks. I’m launching a new perfume line called Eau de Bruschetta Pizza. Call me crazy, but something tells me I’m about to send One Direction’s Our Moment Eau de Parfum in a new direction. And that direction is called “out of business.”

“She finally referenced pizza, perfume and One Direction in the same sentence,” you say. I know, right? Took me long enough. But here we are with my latest and most favorite no-sharing-required creation: Bruschetta Pizza with Balsamic Syrup.

Warm homemade pizza dough is baked and then rubbed with garlic before being sliced and topped with a refreshingly simple mix of diced tomatoes, minced garlic and chopped basil. Finish it all off with a drizzle of sweet and tangy balsamic syrup and then tell me you don’t wish you could bottle the aroma wafting from your kitchen.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Various sizes of glass bowls containing pizza dough, minced garlic, diced tomatoes, olive oil, sugar, chopped fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, cornmeal and shredded Parmesan.

Pizza dough: You’ll need 1 pound of store-bought or homemade pizza dough for this recipe. No-yeast pizza dough works great, too!
Garlic cloves: One clove gets minced and mixed with the tomatoes, while the other gets rubbed on the hot pizza crust, infusing it with fresh, vibrant garlic flavor.
Olive oil: You’ll brush it on the dough before baking for a rich flavor and golden crust, plus you’ll add some to the tomato bruschetta mixture. Opt for a high-quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor—my go-to brand is Kosterina.
Tomatoes: Fresh, juicy tomatoes are essential for a flavorful bruschetta topping. Any variety works, but I prefer using ripe Roma tomatoes for their perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.
Fresh basil: Adds a burst of herbaceous flavor. Only fresh will do for this recipe.
Balsamic vinegar + sugar: Reducing balsamic vinegar with a bit of sugar creates a syrupy glaze that’s sweet and tangy.
Parmesan cheese: For the best texture and flavor, I recommend using freshly shredded or shaved Parmesan. It melts beautifully and adds a delicious salty, nutty flavor to the pizza.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Bruschetta Pizza with Balsamic Syrup

Prep and bake the pizza dough. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it’s about 12 inches wide and 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle an inverted baking sheet with cornmeal and transfer the dough. Brush with olive oil and bake at 500ºF until golden brown and crisp around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes.

Pro Tip: If you’re using store-bought dough, let it come to room temperature before rolling it out. This makes it easier to work with and prevents it from shrinking back when rolled. If the dough is shrinking back, let it rest for a few minutes before rolling it out again. This relaxes the gluten, making it easier to stretch.

Pizza dough shaped into a circle with a hand holding onto it. — Step 1.

Diced tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped fresh basil and olive oil in a glass bowl. — Step 1.

Make the tomato bruschetta topping. While the dough is baking, mince 1 clove of garlic and add it to a medium bowl along with the diced tomatoes, chopped basil, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Set the mixture aside.
Make the balsamic syrup. Boil the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan until it has reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Set the syrup aside to cool.

Pro Tip: Keep an eye on the vinegar as it reduces, as it can quickly go from perfect to burnt. You’re looking for a syrupy consistency that coats the back of a spoon.

A spoon covered in balsamic reduction over a small glass bowl. — Step 3.

A hand holding a raw garlic clove rubs it atop hot pizza crust fresh out of the oven. — Step 3.

Remove the pizza from the oven and immediately rub a garlic clove all over the hot pizza crust. Rubbing raw garlic on the hot crust infuses it with a fresh garlic flavor that’s more vibrant than baked garlic.
Slice, top with the tomato-basil mixture, drizzle with balsamic syrup and garnish with Parmesan cheese. Serve warm with your favorite glass of wine, white sangria or mocktail!

You don’t have to top your pizza with the balsamic glaze, but it adds a sweet, tangy burst of flavor that pairs perfectly with the fresh tomatoes and basil. It’s really easy to make, especially if you follow my notes below.

Kelly’s Notes

The balsamic syrup will thicken as it cools. Once it has cooled completely, it can be poured into a bottle and kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
If you cook the balsamic vinegar too long, it’ll turn into caramel and then eventually taffy. So when in doubt, undercook it, as it’ll thicken significantly as it cools.

Tomato bruschetta pizza topped with homemade balsamic glaze and shaved Parmesan cheese.

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Appetizer