This Chocolate Chip Dessert Pizza is so easy to make with just 10 ingredients! My recipe features a homemade pizza crust, cream cheese sauce, plenty of melty chocolate chips, and a crumbly streusel topping.
The BEST Dessert Pizza Recipe
We’re taking pizza night up a notch with today’s dessert pizza!
Picture it now: chewy, yeasty crust, sweet cream cheese sauce, mouthfuls of melty chocolate chips, and a buttery streusel topping…sound pretty good? Now what if this dessert pizza was not only incredibly easy to make, but also 100% from-scratch? Jackpot, right?!
Today’s recipe was inspired by a chocolate chip pizza from Zach’s and my favorite pizza place in college. It wasn’t the best pizza place, but it was an all-you-can-eat deal where you paid about 5 bucks for unlimited pizza and soda and a mostly-wilted salad bar, and it was a college student’s dream.
The highlight of every visit was the dessert. There were a few fruity varieties (like raspberry cheesecake pizza), but I bypassed them all for the chocolate. Naturally, I wanted the recipe, but despite persistent interrogation of at least three employees, nobody seemed to be able to tell me what was actually in it!
Much (delicious) research ensued before I finally got the recipe down, and the rest is history. This was one of the first recipes I shared on the blog and has remained one of my most popular recipes ever since (for good reason!).
What You Need
My dessert pizza recipe is simple to make with just 10 ingredients (including water, not pictured above). Here are the important ones:
- Yeast. We’re using instant yeast today, which means there’s no proofing or rising time. So easy!
- Flour. Make sure you know how to measure flour properly. All-purpose flour works just fine here, but bread flour will yield crispier results (if that’s your thing!).
- Cream cheese. Just like with my cream cheese frosting, we need to use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese here.
- Chocolate chips. I use mini semisweet chips, but you can really use whatever you prefer.
- Melted butter. Instead of cutting cold butter into the streusel with a pastry blender, we’ll use melted butter instead. It produces the same result with less time and effort!
SAM’S TIP: While some recipes opt for sugar cookie dough for their crust, my recipe uses a real homemade pizza dough for the crust, which keeps this a true pizza and keeps the recipe from being too sweet. It’s simple to make though (please don’t be intimidated by the yeast!) and comes together quickly.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Dessert Pizza
- Prepare the dough by combining the flour, yeast, and salt, then add the water and stir until the dough forms a ball.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
- Form the dough into a 12″ circle and place on a parchment lined pizza pan. Pinch the edges to make a crust.
- Prepare the sauce by combining the softened cream cheese with sugar and vanilla. Spread this over your prepared dough, then sprinkle with chocolate chips.
- Make the streusel by tossing melted butter with the vanilla, flour, and sugars until lumps form.Use a fork to combine thel ingredients and don’t mix for too long. You want crumbly bits, not a paste! Evenly sprinkle over the crust.
- Bake at 500F for 7 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving!
SAM’S TIP: If your pizza dough is very sticky (think too sticky to manage), you can add 1 tablespoon of additional flour at a time until it is manageable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just make sure to wrap it really well before storing in the fridge.
Wrap your dessert pizza well with plastic or foil (or store in an airtight container) and place in the fridge. You can either enjoy your leftovers cold from the fridge or warm them up in the microwave or oven.
You could, but my homemade crust is super easy to make and tastes SO much better than anything you’ll buy in the store. It really makes all the difference in terms of flavor and texture here!
This is one of my favorite recipes on the blog. I hope you love it just as much as I do!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Chocolate Chip Dessert Pizza
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups (185 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup (155 ml) warm water
“Sauce”
- 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (175 g) mini chocolate chips
Streusel
- 3 Tablespoons butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon (50 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (66 g) sugar
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar tightly packed
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 500F (260C) and line a pizza pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, and salt and stir well.1 ½ cups (185 g) all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- Add water and stir until ingredients are mostly combined. Use your hands to continue to combine until the dough is cohesive enough to form a ball.⅔ cup (155 ml) warm water
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes (until elastic). If needed, add additional flour 1 Tablespoon at a time if dough is too sticky and sticks stubbornly to your hands.
- Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.
- Roll dough out into a 12” circle and transfer to prepared pizza pan. Pinch edges or gently fold over to form a crust.
Toppings
- Prepare your cream cheese “sauce” by cutting your cream cheese into 8 pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 10 second intervals, stirring between each, until cream cheese is easy to stir.8 oz (225 g) cream cheese
- Add sugar and vanilla extract, stir well.¼ cup (50 g) sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spread cream cheese “sauce” evenly over pizza dough.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly overtop and press/spread into the “sauce”. Prepare your streusel.1 cup (175 g) mini chocolate chips
Streusel
- Add vanilla extract to melted butter, stir, and set aside.3 Tablespoons butter, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, use a fork to mix together flour and sugars.⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon (50 g) all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup (66 g) sugar, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- Add butter mixture and use a fork to combine until mixture resembles coarse crumbles.
- Sprinkle evenly over pizza
- Bake pizza in 500F (260C) oven for 7 minutes or until streusel turns a golden brown.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool for several minutes, then slice and serve.
Notes
Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Leftover dessert pizza can be enjoyed warm or cold.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This chocolate chip dessert recipe was originally published 04/29/2014. Photos and text have been updated and recipe has been updated for clarity and to include metric measurements
nlt
Do you think Pillsbury crescent roll dough would work for the crust?
Sam
I think it would work, it would be a different flavor than using a regular pizza crust and you’ll have a flakier crust but you could definitely do it!
HOWEVER, I would definitely decrease the oven temperature and probably cook a bit longer, use the crescent roll package for guidelines but my instinct would be to cook somewhere around 375 F for around 15 minutes.
Jean
Where is the Crust recipe?
Sam
Hi Jean! I used this Crust recipe (I didn’t write my own): http://www.fearlesshomemaker.com/2012/08/thin-crust-pizza/
Just be sure to omit the Italian seasonings and toppings, but follow the instructions otherwise to make the dough.
Hope this helps!
Debbie Reinhart
Can’t seem to get the link to open for the crust recipie. Did the address change?
Sam
Hi Debbie,
You can go ahead and use this crust recipe that I have here: https://getbonusform.info/raspberry-white-chocolate-dessert-pizza/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I’m not sure what’s going on with the link, I’ll have to look into it when I get back to my computer (I’m out now), but I might just have to add the crust recipe I just sent you to this recipe.
Have a great weekend, and I hope you love this pizza, it’s so good! 🙂
Jeanine
Do you really set the oven for 500 degrees? I’ve never set mine that high to bake anything, so I want to make sure that’s not a typo. 🙂
Sam
Yup! 500 (Fahrenheit, of course) it cooks pretty quickly. I wouldn’t recommend lining your pizza pan with parchment paper, though (as seen in photo) because most isn’t oven safe at that temperature. 🙂
Kayla
This looks exactly like the dessert pizza from a pizza place in Derby, KS. The only place I know with it. I haven’t had it since I was a kid! Can’t wait to try this out!!;
Kristy
Wanna try this! Did you bake the crust at all before adding the toppings?
Sam
Nope, I did not bake the crust beforehand, it all cooked at the same time just like “real” pizza. Let me know how you like it! 🙂
ATasteOfMadness
Dessert pizza? I am so in! This looks amazing!
Kathy @ Olives & Garlic
I can’t blame you for licking the spoon, these look insanely delicious. I’ll just do twenty jumping jacks while they bake and won’t feel guilty about eating them.
Sam
Sounds like a good plan to me! 😉
Kathi @ Deliciously Yum!
I have seen a couple of dessert pizzas over the years, but never a chocolate chip one. Love, love, love this, Sam. Wish I could have a slice right now!!
Sam
🙂 Thanks Kathi!
Polly @ Tasty Food Project
Chocolate chips and pizza?! Sounds heavenly and looks incredibly delicious!
Sam
Thank you Polly!!
Gloria // Simply Gloria
Sam, I’m seriously drooling right now. I’m in love with the whole idea of having chocolate all over this amazing crust. Can’t wait to make this for the boys… they LOVE dessert pizza!
Sam
Thanks Gloria, let me know how they like it! It’s definitely my favorite! 🙂
Chris @ Shared Appetite
Hahahhaa your opening paragraphs made me laugh about the pizza place! Hysterical! And so, so true.
And this pizza… holy guacamole it sounds ridiculously good!!! I want it now!
Sam
🙂 thank you Chris!
Kathy @ Olives & Garlic
WOW. All i can say is WOW. I want. Drool. 🙂
Sam
Hahah, thanks Kathy! 🙂
Cindy @ Pick Fresh Foods
Yum, this dessert pizza looks amazing! That streusel topping looks delicious! I can’t wait to whip this up. I know I’ll have some happy people in my house 😀 Pinning!
Sam
Thank you Cindy! I just made it for the 3rd time in about a week for my family today 🙂
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely
Holy Moly Sam! This dessert pizza sounds a-mazing! Now this is a pizza I can get behind. I seriously can’t wait to make this! Pinned : )
Sam
Thank you Natalie!! It’s definitely my favorite pizza ever 😉
Amy @ Fearless Homemaker
Hooray, I’m so glad this crust was a success! The pizza looks SO divine – I would kill for a slice or two right now!
Amy @ Fearless Homemaker
PS – Just shared a link to your post/recipe on my Facebook page – hope that’s okay! =)
Sam
Definitely OK, I appreciate it very much! 🙂
Sam
Thanks Amy! And the crust was fantastic, definitely a keeper! Thanks so much for sharing it 🙂