Grilled Cheeseburger Pizza Recipe

Are you using your grill to the fullest? Sure, you're likely grilling up burgers, hot dogs, and veggie kabobs, but are you exploring the depths of what this appliance has to offer? If you're ready to take your grilling skills to a whole new level, it's time to grill some pizza. And what better type of pizza to grill than a cheeseburger pizza?

Recipe developer Kate Shungu brings us this recipe that has all the classic flavors found in a cheeseburger: ground beef, pickles, special sauce, and, of course, cheese. Shungu says, "This recipe is perfect for summer grilling. The dough puffs up nicely on the grill, gets those gorgeous grill marks, and has that fantastic grilled flavor."

While this dish can be served on its own, Shungu recommends serving it with a light side dish. "A leafy green salad makes a great accompaniment," she says. May we suggest a sweet kale salad recipe, perhaps?

To make this grilled cheeseburger pizza, you can start by gathering your ingredients. You'll need prepared pizza dough, mayonnaise, pickle relish, ketchup, yellow mustard, ground beef, salt, colby jack cheese, water, sesame seeds, pickle slices, and chopped lettuce.

The sesame seeds in this recipe are completely optional, although they do provide that classic burger bun essence. Shungu tells us, "For this recipe, we are trying to mimic a classic cheeseburger (for example, a Big Mac). Since a Big Mac is served on a sesame seed bun, we added the sesame seeds to the crust for both flavor and texture."

Now, it's time to roll out the prepared dough to a 12-inch round or oblong shape and get it on the grill. If you are new to grilling or nervous about the pizza dough sticking, Shungu has some tips. She advises, "You'll want to clean your grill grates well with a grill brush. Then, you can lightly oil the grates using a paper towel dipped in a little vegetable oil," holding the paper towel with tongs so you don't burn yourself. "This will ensure that the pizza won't stick, especially if food is prone to sticking to your grill."

Grill the dough on one side only for 3-4 minutes, or until you begin to see grill marks on the dough. Then, remove it from the grill.

We don't know about you, but we feel that a cheeseburger isn't complete without special burger sauce. Prepare the sauce for this cheeseburger pizza by adding the mayo, pickle relish, ketchup, and mustard to a small bowl. Mix these ingredients together until a smooth sauce is formed.

Shungu also points out to readers that she's also developed a copycat Big Mac sauce recipe, which includes a few extra seasonings for that signature McDonald's flavor. Feel free to use that or her simplified version provided in this recipe.

Next, sauté the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and cooking until the meat is no longer pink. This should take about 5 minutes. Season the beef with salt, and set aside until the next step.

Last but not least, it's time to put all the components together. "The trick here is to grill the pizza on one side, flip, and THEN add the toppings," Shungu instructs. "This creates a sturdy base for the toppings, so they don't fall off when sliding the pizza onto the grill."

Spread the sauce onto the grilled side of the dough. Then, layer on the meat, followed by the cheese. Finally, to stick the sesame seeds onto the crust, dip your fingers in water and run them along the edge of the pizza, then sprinkle the seeds on the dampened edges. 

And now for the best part: Grill the pizza for about 4-5 minutes until the crust becomes crispy and the cheese melts. Top with pickle slices and shredded lettuce like a true burger, and serve!

This pizza is so delicious that there will likely not be leftovers, but should you have any, Shungu says they do keep in the refrigerator. "The lettuce on top will wilt over time — just remove it and add more shredded lettuce if you prefer that the leftovers be as crunchy as the original," she advises.