French onion soup, but make it pizza! Just imagine a golden crust topped with caramelized onions and melted cheese, all topped with fresh, peppery arugula. If you’re a fan of the rich and comforting flavors of the classic soup, you’re going to love this homemade French Onion Pizza recipe.
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There are few foods more comforting than pizza—especially when that pizza is made in your very own oven and piled high with your very own homemade toppings. Enter caramelized balsamic onions: A rich reduction of white onions and sugar simmered for hours with tangy balsamic. Add them to burgers, grown-up grilled cheese and best of all, pizza.
Start with a recipe for homemade pizza dough brushed with garlic-infused olive oil and layered with caramelized onions and thick curls of gruyere. Send it to the oven then top it all off with a generous heap of fresh arugula. Crispy, cheesy DIY pizza perfection without a splatter of marinara sauce or a single cardboard box in sight.
Why You’ll Love Pizza with Caramelized Onions
- Simple yet sophisticated. Despite its gourmet appeal, this recipe is surprisingly easy to make.
- Completely customizable. Get creative with the toppings! Add some crispy bacon for extra indulgence, sprinkle on some fresh herbs for added flavor, or experiment with different types of cheese to suit your preferences.
- Fresh arugula. Topping the pizza with a dressed arugula salad adds a refreshing contrast to the rich flavors of the caramelized onions and cheese.
- Made with 8 simple ingredients.
- Onions: You can caramelize any type of onion and have a beautifully golden and flavorful result. I prefer to use a sweeter onion, like Vidalia but use whatever you have on hand, including red onions and even shallots, as they can still be caramelized to perfection.
- Balsamic vinegar: Balances out the sweetness of the onions with a touch of acidity and helps to deglaze the pan. While any will do, I personally love the rich and complex taste of aged balsamic vinegar.
- Sugar: I prefer to add a little sugar when caramelizing onions to draw out their natural sweetness. White or brown sugar can be used.
- Pizza dough: If you have the time, I highly recommend trying your hand at homemade pizza dough—it’s surprisingly simple and yields fantastic results. But, if you’re short on time, you can absolutely use 20 oz. of store-bought dough, or try my recipe for no-yeast pizza dough. Just let the dough come to room temp before shaping to make it easier to work with.
- Olive oil and garlic: Combine these two ingredients to create a flavorful garlic-infused oil, perfect for brushing atop the pizza crust. Any olive oil works, but I love the robust flavor of Kosterina olive oil.
- Gruyere cheese: Its nutty undertones make it the perfect partner to the caramelized onions. Swap: Swiss cheese or fontina would also be delicious.
- Arugula: Before adding to your pizza, dress the arugula with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper. It’ll wilt quickly so avoid doing this until just before serving and use a light hand when tossing everything together.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Plan Ahead: To save time, you can prepare the caramelized balsamic onions in advance and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Fire up the oven and get ready to elevate your pizza night with every cheesy, caramelized bite!
- Start by caramelizing the onions. The goal is to cook them low and slow, allowing the natural sugars to slowly caramelize and develop a rich, golden-brown color and deep flavor. Patience is key; resist the urge to turn up the heat to speed up the process, as this can result in burning. This process will take about 1.5 hours.
- Roll out the dough and transfer it to an inverted cookie sheet. Using an inverted cookie sheet for baking the pizza helps create a crispy crust by allowing for better heat circulation around the dough. Plus, it makes it easier to transfer the pizza to and from the oven. If you don’t have a pizza stone, this is a great alternative!
- Layer on the toppings. Brush with the garlic-infused olive oil, add half of the shredded gruyere, then sprinkle on the prepared balsamic onions and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake the pizza in a preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through to ensure even cooking. If the edges begin to brown too quickly, cover them with aluminum foil to prevent burning while the center finishes baking.
- Garnish with the dressed arugula and serve.
When it comes to pizza side dishes, I love to keep things light and refreshing. Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad or Steakhouse Tomato Salad would both be delicious served alongside this French onion pizza.
- If your dough keeps springing back, let it rest for a few minutes before rolling it out again. This allows the gluten to relax, making it easier to shape.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of cornmeal on your baking surface before placing the dough to prevent sticking and aid in easy transfer in and out of the oven.
- Don’t overload the pizza with toppings, as this can weigh down the crust and prevent it from baking evenly.
- If you’re feeling adventurous, consider adding a sprinkle of crispy bacon or some thinly sliced prosciutto. The salty-sweet combo pairs beautifully with the savory onions and cheese.
- Oven temperatures and positions may vary, so make sure you are baking your pizza on the middle rack and check it frequently.
- Cut your pizza into perfect slices using a Mezzaluna knife, which features a sharp, curved blade with handles on both ends and is used in a rocking motion to chop, slice and dice with speed. It’s my latest kitchen gadget find!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, caramelized onions freeze well and can be stored in an airtight container for several months. Thaw them in the refrigerator before using.
The best way to reheat leftover pizza is by using an oven or a skillet. Preheat your oven to 375°F and place the pizza slices directly on the oven rack or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the crust is crispy and the cheese is melted.
For a perfectly shaped pizza crust, I recommend starting from the center and working outward when shaping your dough. Aim for a uniform thickness of approximately ¼-inch as you roll out the dough.
Ingredients
For Caramelized Balsamic Onions:
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 medium white onions, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
For Pizza:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups shredded gruyere
- 1 recipe The Ultimate Pizza Dough, or 20 oz. store-bought pizza dough
- Cornmeal, for dusting sheet tray or pizza stone
- Chopped chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the onions. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes.
- Add the onions, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes until onions are soft.
- Add the sugar and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
- Add the balsamic vinegar and reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking the onions, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour until they are very soft and dry. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 500ºF.
- Roll out the prepared pizza dough on a lightly floured surface until it is roughly ¼-inch thick.
- Invert a cookie sheet and sprinkle it liberally with cornmeal. Transfer dough to cornmeal-dusted sheet tray. (See Kelly’s Notes.)
- Combine the olive oil and garlic and brush it over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border along the edges. Top it with half of the shredded gruyere, then sprinkle on the prepared balsamic onions and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake pizza for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating half-way through, until crust is fully baked and golden brown.
- Garnish with chopped chives, slice and serve.
Kelly’s Notes
- You can use a pizza stone in place of the inverted cookie sheet.
- If your dough keeps springing back, let it rest for a few minutes before rolling it out again. This allows the gluten to relax, making it easier to shape.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of cornmeal on your baking surface before placing the dough to prevent sticking and aid in easy transfer in and out of the oven.
- Don’t overload the pizza with toppings, as this can weigh down the crust and prevent it from baking evenly.
- Oven temperatures and positions may vary, so make sure you are baking your pizza on the middle rack and check it frequently.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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I made my own pizza dough for this recipe. I am always looking fir different topings, so thank you! My pizza was delicious! The only thing I didn’t use was cheese. I don’t eat it, no, I am not odd. I doubled the veggies!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I experienced caramelized balsamic onions on a pizza for the first time on vacation last week and now pizza will never be the same again. So I found your recipe and tried it tonight — excellent! Will definitely be making this again and again.
Thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Kelsey!
This pizza is very flavorful!
Some suggestions: Next time I think I will cut the salt and sugar on the onions in half, at least! When the onions cook down all the way, they are left WAY too potent. Onions also create their own sweetness when they are carmelized, so adding sugar may not even be necessary. All the sugar turned the onions into a big, carmely mass when they cooled, which was hard to spread about the pizza.
It still tasted addictingly good with the sweetness and spiciness, but I could only bring myself to eat one slice, because the onions were too strong.
Next time, I will get it right. Thanks for the great idea!
Made this pizza added roasted potatoes…OH MY …it was soooooo good.
Thanks for great recipe
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Heather!