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My favorite whole wheat pizza dough recipe is easy to make by hand or with a stand mixer, it’s naturally sweetened with a hint of honey, and it’s always perfectly chewy and delicious.
Say hello to my favorite whole wheat pizza dough! ♡
This recipe has been my go-to for homemade pizza nights for many, many years now and has become one of our readers’ favorite recipes here too! It’s surprisingly easy to make either by hand or with the help of a stand mixer, and only requires one 30-45 minute rise (conveniently the same amount of time it usually takes to prepare toppings plus maybe a side salad). Thanks to the use of white whole wheat flour, this crust bakes up to be wonderfully soft and chewy with a mild (not overpowering) whole wheat flavor. And best of all, our friends and family always absolutely love it!
I always use a hint of honey in the dough to give it a touch of sweetness. And if you’d like, you’re welcome to experiment with adding in some Italian seasonings, garlic or Parmesan to the crust too.
Everyone needs to have a great homemade pizza dough recipe in their back pockets. So if you’re looking for a healthier one to add to your repertoire, bring home a bag of white whole wheat flour and gather up your favorite pizza toppings. And let’s make some homemade pizzas together!
Whole Wheat Pizza Dough Ingredients
Before we get to the full whole wheat pizza dough recipe below, here are a few notes about the ingredients that you will need:
Warm water: It’s essential that your water is the correct temperature (between 105-110°F) in order to activate the yeast. I always recommend using an instant-read thermometer to double-check.
Honey: I prefer to use honey to lightly sweeten the dough, but you are welcome to use sugar or any other sweetener if you prefer.
Instant yeast: You will need instant yeast (also known as rapid-rise yeast) to make this crust. Be sure that your yeast is fresh and not expired so that it will properly activate.
White whole wheat flour: I love making this crust with white whole wheat flour, which does not have an overwhelming “wheat” flavor and bakes up to be wonderfully soft and chewy. Alternately, you could use traditional whole wheat flour, which will have a slightly different flavor and texture.
Olive oil: We will incorporate a bit of oil into the dough as well as brush some on top of the crust before baking.
Fine sea salt: To season the dough and bring out its best flavor.
Cornmeal: To dust the bottom of the crust and prevent it from sticking.
Pizza Dough Tips
Here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind when making pizza dough:
Be sure that the yeast has activated: If your yeast does not foam up during step 1, please hit the pause button! The yeast is likely expired and will not perform well in the recipe. It’s best to completely start over again with a fresh batch of yeast. As mentioned above, I also recommend making sure that your water temperature is between 105-110°F. If it is too cold, the yeast will not activate. If it is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
Stretching vs. rolling the dough: To achieve the best soft and chewy texture, I recommend gently and patiently stretching the dough with your hands. That said, if you are in a hurry, you are welcome to roll the dough out with a rolling pin. The texture will just be a bit more dense.
Aim to start with a round dough ball: The best way to get a round pizza is to start out with a round ball of dough. That way, it will be more likely to roll out or stretch into an even, round pizza crust.
Don’t stress about the shape: If your pizza dough isn’t perfectly round, no worries – it will still be delicious! :)
Try the orange juice trick: If you would like to minimize the “wheat” flavor in the dough, try swapping in 2 tablespoons of orange juice for 2 tablespoons of the water in the recipe. I learned this trick from King Arthur Flour years ago and have found that it really does help!
Potential Variations
Here are a few ways that you can customize this whole wheat pizza dough recipe if you would like:
Use a different type of flour: As mentioned above, you’re welcome to substitute whole wheat flour (in place of white whole wheat flour), but the dough will have a notably different flavor and texture.
Add garlic: To make a garlicky pizza dough, add in 1 teaspoon garlic powder in step 2.
Add herbs: To make an herby pizza dough, add 1 or 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning in step 2.
Add Parmesan: To make a cheesy pizza dough, add in 1 or 2 tablespoons of freshly-grated Parmesan in step 2.
Make it vegan: To make vegan pizza dough, use sugar in place of honey.
This whole wheat pizza dough recipe is easy to make, naturally sweetened with a hint of honey, and always so delicious. See notes below for stand mixer option.
Activate the yeast. (See notes below for alternate stand mixer instructions.) In a large mixing bowl, briefly whisk together the warm water, honey and yeast until combined. Let the mixture rest for 5 to 10 minutes or until the yeast is foamy.
Add the dry ingredients. Add the white whole wheat flour, olive oil, salt and stir until a loose dough ball is formed. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it by hand for 5 minutes until smooth.
Let the dough rise. Rinse out and dry the earlier mixing bowl, then mist the bowl with olive oil or non-stick spray. Form the dough into a ball, place it in the greased bowl, then cover the bowl with a damp towel or aluminum foil. Let the dough rise for 30 to 45 minutes, or until it has nearly doubled in size.
Prep the oven (and pizza stone, if using).Heat oven to 450°F. If using a pizza stone, be sure to place the stone in the cold oven and to allow it to heat gradually. Alternatively, you can bake the pizza on a flat baking sheet, which will not need to be preheated.
Roll out the dough.Turn the dough back out onto a floured surface and use your hands to flatten it into a round disk. Using your hands or a rolling pin, gently stretch the dough evenly into a 12- to 14-inch round for a thick-crust pizza, pinching the outer edges up slightly to form a rim. (Alternatively, you can cut the dough in half and roll it into two rounds for two thin-crust pizzas.)
Add toppings. Transfer the crust to a large baking sheet that has been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. (Or if you are using a pizza stone, transfer the crust to a pizza peel that has been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal.) For an extra-golden crust, brush the outer rim of the crust lightly with olive oil. Add the sauce and toppings in the center of the pizza as desired.
Bake. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven (or slide the pizza from the peel to the stone) and bake the pizza for 16-18 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the toppings are melted and cooked.
Serve.Transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Slice, serve and enjoy!
Water: I recommend double-checking the temperature with a thermometer to ensure that the yeast will properly activate. Also, if you would like to minimize the whole wheat flavor of the crust, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of orange juice for 2 tablespoons of the water. (Thanks to King Arthur Baking for the tip!)
Instant yeast: This is also labeled as rapid-rise or quick-rise yeast by some brands.
Pizza toppings: For the pizza above, I also added about 20 pepperonis, 1 small green pepper (diced), 1/4 of a red onion (thinly sliced), 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 cup pizza sauce, and a few pinches of crushed red pepper flakes after baking.
Oh man, a pizza joint next door is my dream come true and my worst nightmare!! It’s been AGES since I have had a good ‘za, and I am loving the whole wheaty goodness of this crust! I spy Friday night pizza night! Pinned!
Quick question about freezing… Do you let it rise and then freeze the dough ball to thaw and roll into a crust later? Or do you pre-make the crust and freeze that? Or would it work either way? Thanks :)
I love this and love that you also added cornmeal!! I always use whole wheat pastry flour – I’ll have to see if that would work too. Rich thanks you in advance. :)
I lived i n an older apartment building (originally a 3 story hotel) and in the basement & along the side was a great pizzeria. Not easy, that… They opened around 5pm and the smell of pizza in the lobby was tantalizing. I never tired of it. Whole wheat is guilt free…almost. :)
For those of us who are diabetic AND take a blood thinner (Coumadin/Warfarin), we must watch our Vitamin K intake and carbs. So regular flour, rice, sugar, pretty much anything rice (love my potatoes… but…. too many carbs!), not to mention ice cream, most desserts, etc. It is more frustrating than you can imagine! All those rules and boundary levels for each. Sometimes I feel like stuffing my face with tons of Asian food (rice!) and ice cream for dessert… but the shortfall is so not good at all. Diabetes affects EVERY organ in the body (I am stage 3 renal failure; just found out! due to Diabetes) and if I ignore my Vit. K levels, I can get clots that lead to stroke, heart attack, etc). …. consequently, I long for a way to make normal food acceptable. Its alot to ask someone to adapt their recipes for folks like me. Yet pre diabetes and full blown diabetes is epidemic now! Its worth it for all of us currently trying to eat right and still be able to eat — and for those coming behind me that are either in denial of their diabetes or on their way to getting it. Try to stop the merry go round and destroying your body by arresting the way we currently eat.
Can you direct me to a website that addresses this or how to adapt your recipes.
Hey Bert, thank you for sharing your situation — I’m sorry to hear about your struggle with Diabetes. I hope that you’ll find the tips on these pages to be helpful:
So for those of us who do not own a stand mixer and would do all this by hand, would kneading take the place of mixing the dough for five minutes on low speed? Thanks.
Hey”. I’ve done the GSF course twice now and I’m now a big fan of your blog! So I’m super excited about a whole grain pizza crust. Can you give any more details about the freezing process?
Omg. This looks so good! Look at all of that melted cheese. I have to admit, my pizza consumption has been lacking for the past two months (ugh, wedding dress woes), but I canNOT wait to make up for that after next weekend!!!
Hi Ali, You mention you used your favorite whole wheat flour- can you share which brand you have a preference for? I’m still looking for a great whole wheat flour for baking and would appreciate hearing what has worked best for you.
Hey Ali – we made pizza for dinner tonight using your dough recipe. And loved it! We too are trying to cut out as much of refined sugars and flour as possible so this was perfect. I cut honey to 1 Tbsp. and made two thin crust pizzas – one margherita and second classic pepperoni. Super delish. Thanks for recipe.
Ali, we made this over the weekend; it was my first attempt at homemade pizza dough. Wow, it was so delish and super easy! My husband took one bite and declared that we never needed to buy the dough balls from the grocery store again. Thanks for another great recipe. An added bonus is that it’s GSF friendly! :)
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Tayellio, that’s awesome, check you out! We’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed this! We’ve found that once you try homemade dough, and get used to making it, it’s impossible to go back to the store-bought stuff. :)
THANK YOU for posting this amazing recipe! My sweetheart and I have been committed to eating clean and healthy as part of our fitness lifestyle. It can be so difficult to do, especially with all the yummy looking commercials constantly playing on the television! I made this crust for dinner last night and absolutely loved it! We even went back for seconds. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you sharing this recipe, you are truly a game changer!!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
You’re so welcome, Stacey! We’re happy to hear you and your love are fans of this pizza dough, thanks for letting us know! :)
Hey, could you sub whole wheat pastry flour for white whole wheat? I’ve heard that it absorbs water differently. Will that throw off the recipe? It looks fantastic. I’m planning on making it today!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Angie! We haven’t tried that, so we honestly can’t say if you could use an equal amount or not. Maybe you could play around with a mixture of the two?
Do you think it’s possible to make this dough ahead of time and put it in the fridge to chill before baking? Btw I made this dough last night and it was a complete hit with my fam, totally my new standby for sure!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Yes, we think that should be fine — we hope you enjoy! :)
This whole wheat white pizza crust was great. I liked the way you fixed up toppings. I did it the same way. I am trying to eat more healthy. I like to use reduced fat cheese and pepperoni. I am a thick pizza crust girl too. I plan to make this again. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing with us, Pam — we’re glad to hear you enjoyed it!
What is your favorite whole wheat flour you referenced in your post? I love finding great whole wheat alternatives and none of your recipes have failed me! Love your blog.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Mette! We like King Arthur Flour’s white whole wheat flour. We hope you enjoy the dough, and we’re so glad you enjoy the blog! :)
Do you have the nutritional stats on this type of pizza?could diabetics eat this?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Jimmy! We’re sorry but we are unsure of the nutrition facts/amount of calories in this recipe. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!
Made this for dinner for my roommate tonight and we loved it! I used white sugar instead of honey and only 1 tbsp as I am trying to watch my sugar intake. I don’t have a mixer but kneading it by hand worked perfectly, although the dough was a bit sticky and sloppy. We topped it with some pizza sauce, sauteed veggies, bacon and mozzarella. Thanks for the recipe!
I make this twice a month and freeze half of it for one of those, “ What’s for dinner?” kinda nights. Fast, easy and delicious! I used a little more honey than the recipe asked for. Yum.
I loved it, the dough is so easy to work with as it is very soft and pillowy, the amount of flour in the recipe is perfect. I added some Italian seasoning before adding the flour and it was SO good! Making it again tonight, we’re hooked! Thanks so much!
I made this as written outside of a couple things. I didn’t have cornmeal so I cooked the pizza on parchment paper on a sheet pan and it worked just fine. I also mixed the dough by hand. I made one, thick crust pizza— it turned out perfectly. Will definitely be making this again!
I mixed this dough in bread machine. Ran out of honey- had to use molasses. Didn’t use the cornmeal- and yet it was excellent. Thank you for such a great recipe!!!
That is an intriguing recipe for a dough. Boy, I would struggle to with the smell of pizza taunting me 24/7, don’t blame you!
Oh man, a pizza joint next door is my dream come true and my worst nightmare!! It’s been AGES since I have had a good ‘za, and I am loving the whole wheaty goodness of this crust! I spy Friday night pizza night! Pinned!
Quick question about freezing… Do you let it rise and then freeze the dough ball to thaw and roll into a crust later? Or do you pre-make the crust and freeze that? Or would it work either way? Thanks :)
I love the sound of this recipe! I have never made my own pizza dough but this is the perfect reason to try ;)
Thank you, I hope you enjoy it! There’s nothing like homemade pizza! : )
I could eat pizza everrrrday. I’ve had some bad experiences with wheat dough so I def want to try this out. Thanks for sharing :)
I need to visit you ASAP so I can try this pizza joint! Love this recipe, btw!
I love that you added honey in there! It must be very delicious dough ;-)
WOW – that pizza is gorgeous, whatever the crust. Want to try it next week with my cooking apprentice, SEW
I love this and love that you also added cornmeal!! I always use whole wheat pastry flour – I’ll have to see if that would work too. Rich thanks you in advance. :)
Yes! This is right up my alley! Whole wheat ends up tasting better than white in my opinion. I’m pumped to try this!
Always on the hunt for a good dough recipe! Gonna have to try this one..
I lived i n an older apartment building (originally a 3 story hotel) and in the basement & along the side was a great pizzeria. Not easy, that… They opened around 5pm and the smell of pizza in the lobby was tantalizing. I never tired of it. Whole wheat is guilt free…almost. :)
Ha, almost guilt free. ;) And I know — the smell is amazing. I had forgotten just how much I love pizza!
Ali,
Yum! Bell peppers were on sale so I overbought. Now I can use red & gold & the extra dyno kale, too! Thanks.
For those of us who are diabetic AND take a blood thinner (Coumadin/Warfarin), we must watch our Vitamin K intake and carbs. So regular flour, rice, sugar, pretty much anything rice (love my potatoes… but…. too many carbs!), not to mention ice cream, most desserts, etc. It is more frustrating than you can imagine! All those rules and boundary levels for each. Sometimes I feel like stuffing my face with tons of Asian food (rice!) and ice cream for dessert… but the shortfall is so not good at all. Diabetes affects EVERY organ in the body (I am stage 3 renal failure; just found out! due to Diabetes) and if I ignore my Vit. K levels, I can get clots that lead to stroke, heart attack, etc). …. consequently, I long for a way to make normal food acceptable. Its alot to ask someone to adapt their recipes for folks like me. Yet pre diabetes and full blown diabetes is epidemic now! Its worth it for all of us currently trying to eat right and still be able to eat — and for those coming behind me that are either in denial of their diabetes or on their way to getting it. Try to stop the merry go round and destroying your body by arresting the way we currently eat.
Can you direct me to a website that addresses this or how to adapt your recipes.
Thanks. (a discouraged cook!)
Hey Bert, thank you for sharing your situation — I’m sorry to hear about your struggle with Diabetes. I hope that you’ll find the tips on these pages to be helpful:
-https://www.diabeaties.co.za/recipes/adapting_recipes/-adapting_recipes.htm
-https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/diabetes-recipes-cooking-tips-diabetic-friendly-meal
-https://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/nutrition-101/diabetic-recipes
-https://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/diabetes/diabetic_diet_quick_tips
Best of luck to you!
There is nothing like homemade pizza. It’s so much better in so many ways.
So for those of us who do not own a stand mixer and would do all this by hand, would kneading take the place of mixing the dough for five minutes on low speed? Thanks.
Hey”. I’ve done the GSF course twice now and I’m now a big fan of your blog! So I’m super excited about a whole grain pizza crust. Can you give any more details about the freezing process?
Do you have a recipe for pizza sauce?
I don’t yet, but will make a note to share my go-to recipe hopefully sometime soon!
Omg. This looks so good! Look at all of that melted cheese. I have to admit, my pizza consumption has been lacking for the past two months (ugh, wedding dress woes), but I canNOT wait to make up for that after next weekend!!!
Ahhhh – you’re so close!!! Cheers to next weekend! :D
Your pizza looks amazing! I can’t wait to try out this dough recipe!
Hi Ali, You mention you used your favorite whole wheat flour- can you share which brand you have a preference for? I’m still looking for a great whole wheat flour for baking and would appreciate hearing what has worked best for you.
Hey Ali – we made pizza for dinner tonight using your dough recipe. And loved it! We too are trying to cut out as much of refined sugars and flour as possible so this was perfect. I cut honey to 1 Tbsp. and made two thin crust pizzas – one margherita and second classic pepperoni. Super delish. Thanks for recipe.
Hey Katya, I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe, you’re so welcome! : )
Hey,
Quick question can I use this dough on a stove top to make it for a breakfast dough
This turned out perfectly! Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome, glad to hear that, Louise!
Ali, we made this over the weekend; it was my first attempt at homemade pizza dough. Wow, it was so delish and super easy! My husband took one bite and declared that we never needed to buy the dough balls from the grocery store again. Thanks for another great recipe. An added bonus is that it’s GSF friendly! :)
Tayellio, that’s awesome, check you out! We’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed this! We’ve found that once you try homemade dough, and get used to making it, it’s impossible to go back to the store-bought stuff. :)
Wholewheat pizza is my favourite! I’m actually got some dough rising in the breadmaker right now! <3
That sounds lovely! We hope you enjoy the recipe!
I made this last night! So soft and yummy, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Alicia, we’re happy you enjoyed it! Isn’t homemade pizza dough so fun?! :)
This dough recipe is amazing. Making it again for sure. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Jessica, we’re so happy you loved it!
THANK YOU for posting this amazing recipe! My sweetheart and I have been committed to eating clean and healthy as part of our fitness lifestyle. It can be so difficult to do, especially with all the yummy looking commercials constantly playing on the television! I made this crust for dinner last night and absolutely loved it! We even went back for seconds. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you sharing this recipe, you are truly a game changer!!
You’re so welcome, Stacey! We’re happy to hear you and your love are fans of this pizza dough, thanks for letting us know! :)
Hey, could you sub whole wheat pastry flour for white whole wheat? I’ve heard that it absorbs water differently. Will that throw off the recipe? It looks fantastic. I’m planning on making it today!
Hi Angie! We haven’t tried that, so we honestly can’t say if you could use an equal amount or not. Maybe you could play around with a mixture of the two?
#Gimmiesomeoven these were delicious! I made it into two thin crust pizzas :)
Thanks Vanessa, we’re so glad you liked the recipe! :)
This looks amazing! I’m excited to try it out. Try using half mozzarella and half Monterey Jack on your pizza it adds a bit extra to the flavor.
Thanks Tracy — we hope you enjoy! :)
Do you think it’s possible to make this dough ahead of time and put it in the fridge to chill before baking? Btw I made this dough last night and it was a complete hit with my fam, totally my new standby for sure!
Yes, we think that should be fine — we hope you enjoy! :)
This was wonderful! I made it last night and we did two small pizzas on my grill it was great!
Thanks Angie – we’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I made this today for lunch and it came out awesome ! My husband and I both agreed it’s a keeper . Thank you for the recipe .
We’re so glad to hear that, Janet — thanks for sharing with us! :)
This whole wheat white pizza crust was great. I liked the way you fixed up toppings. I did it the same way. I am trying to eat more healthy. I like to use reduced fat cheese and pepperoni. I am a thick pizza crust girl too. I plan to make this again. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Thanks for sharing with us, Pam — we’re glad to hear you enjoyed it!
What is your favorite whole wheat flour you referenced in your post? I love finding great whole wheat alternatives and none of your recipes have failed me! Love your blog.
Hi Mette! We like King Arthur Flour’s white whole wheat flour. We hope you enjoy the dough, and we’re so glad you enjoy the blog! :)
Can you post a picture of the flour you use? King Arthur? I’ve never bought white-wheat flour…thanks!
Anne
Do you have the nutritional stats on this type of pizza?could diabetics eat this?
Hi Jimmy! We’re sorry but we are unsure of the nutrition facts/amount of calories in this recipe. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!
Made this for dinner for my roommate tonight and we loved it! I used white sugar instead of honey and only 1 tbsp as I am trying to watch my sugar intake. I don’t have a mixer but kneading it by hand worked perfectly, although the dough was a bit sticky and sloppy. We topped it with some pizza sauce, sauteed veggies, bacon and mozzarella. Thanks for the recipe!
I make this twice a month and freeze half of it for one of those, “ What’s for dinner?” kinda nights. Fast, easy and delicious! I used a little more honey than the recipe asked for. Yum.
This recipe was great. I will make it again. Thank you!
I loved it, the dough is so easy to work with as it is very soft and pillowy, the amount of flour in the recipe is perfect. I added some Italian seasoning before adding the flour and it was SO good! Making it again tonight, we’re hooked! Thanks so much!
I made this as written outside of a couple things. I didn’t have cornmeal so I cooked the pizza on parchment paper on a sheet pan and it worked just fine. I also mixed the dough by hand. I made one, thick crust pizza— it turned out perfectly. Will definitely be making this again!
You didnt give it a second rise after you put it on the baking stone?
I mixed this dough in bread machine. Ran out of honey- had to use molasses. Didn’t use the cornmeal- and yet it was excellent. Thank you for such a great recipe!!!
Haven’t tried it yet. Wanting the carbs… nutrition information
Can you use regular whole wheat flour instead of the white whole wheat flour?
Been looking for a good pizza dough recipe and this one turned out great!
Just came outta the oven– looks great! I used organic sprouted ww flour and maple syrup instead of honey to make it vegan :)