How to Make the Trader Joe’s Pizza That’s Taking Over TikTok

Updated: Sep. 22, 2023

Pizza? Trader Joe's? We're sold!

Safe to say there are a lot of clever food trends that come from TikTok. Like burrata bowls, cowboy caviar, apple pie cinnamon rolls… the list goes on. But when a trend involves two of our favorite things—Trader Joe’s and pizza—we’re all in. Or as Gen Z says on TikTok, “say less.”

This viral Trader Joe’s pizza uses all kinds of clever Trader Joe’s-specific toppings, which means you can pick up all the ingredients in one place. And if you frequent Trader Joe’s already, then some of them are probably in your refrigerator!

Is Trader Joe’s spicy pizza good for you?

Here’s the good news, pizza lovers: You could definitely consider this meal healthy. The fluffy bed of arugula on top gives you that fix of green. (It’s practically a salad, right?) Plus, a registered dietitian created the pizza.

@blaircooleydietitian Spend date night at home with us 🤍 if you like spicy, this one’s for you! we love a Trader Joe’s recipe – this one is SO easy. If you don’t like spice, omit the bamba sauce, use regular cured meats/prosciutto, and omit red pepper flakes – still delish 🤌 #traderjoesfoodreviews #traderjoesrecipe #traderjoesdatenight #traderjoesdatenightchallenge #traderjoeseasyrecipe #datenightathome ♬ original sound – Blair | Dietitian

The viral Trader Joe’s Pizza was the vision of Blair Cooley, a dietitian based in Houston. The recipe was part of her “date night in” and is a recipe she makes regularly—and her followers love it.

It’s important to note that “healthy” tends to be subjective; what’s healthy for one person may not be healthy for another. Keeping your meal balanced—like pairing a slice or two of pizza with a side salad—will help keep this meal nutritious.

How to Make the Viral Trader Joe’s Pizza

The original recipe creator didn’t set specific measurements for her Trader Joe’s pizza, so we’ve made some guesstimates on measurements for the ingredients. As always, feel free to make it your own by adding more or less of the toppings!

Ingredients

  • Trader Joe’s Garlic and Herb Pizza Dough
  • Cooking spray (olive oil or avocado oil)
  • 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s Garlic Spread Dip
  • 1/3 cup Trader Joe’s Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce
  • 1 piece burrata, torn into pieces
  • 4-6 Trader Joe’s Marinated Fresh Mozzarella balls, sliced in half
  • 8-10 slices Trader Joe’s Spicy Uncured Charcuterie Selection
  • 1/3 cup sliced roasted red bell peppers
  • 1-2 handfuls fresh arugula
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Trader Joe’s Balsamic Glaze
  • Dash red pepper flakes

Directions

Step 1: Preheat the oven

Prep your oven to 450°F. While the oven is preheating, find a 13×9-inch casserole dish. Cooley used a glass dish, but a ceramic or stainless steel one would also work.

Step 2: Prepare the dough

Spray the pan with cooking spray, then place your pizza dough on the pan. Using your fingers, dimple the dough until it spreads wide enough to cover the bottom of the pan, making room for those delicious toppings.

Editor’s Tip: It’s easier to work with dough that’s at room temperature. So before you even start, let your dough sit out for 30 minutes either in the packaging or in a clean bowl so it relaxes and warms up, making it easier to shape.

Step 3: Add your ingredients

Top your Trader Joe’s spicy pizza with all the toppings that will bake on the pizza (yes, there are more toppings after you bake to add as well). Start by spreading the Trader Joe’s Garlic Spread Dip so it covers the surface (leaving some room for a crust), followed by the Bomba sauce. Evenly spread out the torn burrata, sliced mozzarella, charcuterie meats (feel free to get creative with your selection!) and roasted bell peppers.

Step 4: Bake for 20 minutes

Place the pizza in the pan and bake it for 20 minutes. For a crispier crust, place your pan on the bottom rack of your oven.

Step 5: Top with fresh ingredients

Once the pizza is out of the oven, top it with handfuls of fresh arugula. Feel free to get generous! Then drizzle the top using Trader Joe’s Balsamic Glaze and a little bit of that marinated oil from the container of mozzarella balls. Sprinkle on red pepper flakes (the more you add, the spicier it gets!) then slice it up.

How to Make the Trader Joe’s Pizza Your Own

Try making your own dough

While Trader Joe’s does make weeknight pizza easier thanks to premade dough, you can try your hand at making your own crust with our pizza dough recipe.

Play around with the toppings

Cooley does use a lot of Trader Joe’s specific foods, but if you’re nowhere near a Trader Joe’s, that doesn’t mean you can’t try to make your own version of this viral pizza at home. Feel free to get creative with your toppings—like using ricotta cheese or a homemade pizza sauce. You could even skip the balsamic blaze and replace it with a spicy hot honey.

Use different meat combinations

This pizza uses an assortment of charcuterie fixings, but that doesn’t mean you have to use the same kinds. Cooley says prosciutto also works well with this recipe, a sweet soppressata or a spicy salami. Or simply keep the pizza vegetarian and skip the meat altogether.

Make it thin

Using a casserole dish makes a thicker pan pizza, but you could also attempt a thin crust pizza if that’s more your style. A pizza stone helps to cook a thin crust pizza easily. Prep the pizza on a large piece of parchment paper and slide it onto a preheated pizza stone for a crispy and evenly cooked pie.

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