The Easiest Way To Avoid Burnt Basil On Pizza

Ever since the invention of the margherita pizza, a dish with an origin linked to Italian royalty, basil and pizza go together like peanut butter and jelly. However, with that fresh pop of green, herbaceous deliciousness comes a burn risk. In fact, it's easy to burn fresh basil to a blackened crisp in the oven, even within just minutes of cooking. The leaf is delicate and easy to scorch; once the oven's heat evaporates all of its water content, it leaves a wilty, crispy leaf behind. But if that has happened to you like it has happened to us before, fret not. 

Here's a key tip to remember when adding fresh herbs like basil to your pizza: Add the basil or other herbs before topping the pizza with cheese. This means slathering the sauce over the pizza dough first, then layering on the fresh basil, and then blanketing the herbs with cheese. This way, the cheese acts as a barrier, and while it melts into gooey deliciousness, the basil beneath it will not burn into charred nothingness in the oven. It will release its beautiful and aromatic flavors into the pizza, thanks to the heat. Now, while that may be the easiest way to avoid burnt basil on pizza, it is not the only way. 

Instead of hiding the basil under the cheese, you can hide it under other toppings, like your proteins and veggies. Another way to avoid burning basil in the oven is to blend or incorporate it directly into the sauce. You get all of basil's flavors without having to worry about burning it in the oven. You can also use a pesto sauce, like our bright and fresh pesto recipe, instead of a marinara-based sauce on the pizza. Alternatively, drizzle the pesto sauce over the pizza while it's in the oven or after it's done cooking.

Of course, hiding the basil under the cheese or in the sauce means hiding its beautiful green color. While the flavor will be there, the aesthetics won't. Thus, another easy way to add basil to pizza is to simply add the fresh leaves after you pull the pizza out of the oven. Doing this will ensure no one burns or destroys any of the basil, leaving the herbs fresh, wholly intact, and beautifully green.