Pumpkin Pizzas are a time-honored family tradition. These personalized pizzas make a spook-tacular addition to any Halloween party, horror movie marathon, or a fun family dinner where everyone makes their own with their preferred toppings.

Abra-Abra-Cadabra, I Wanna Reach Out & Grab Ya

Pumpkin Pizzas are so eerily easy to make, you’ll think that they’re magic! Traditionally, these were always made for us by my mom with English muffins. However, you can use whatever crust you prefer (I have included several options in the recipe below). Simply top the pizza crust of your choosing with all of devilishly delicious pizza toppings your Hallowed heart desires and finish with American cheese slices cut-outs to form a Jack-O-Lantern face and Abracadabra! You have yourself some Pumpkin Pizzas!

People Are Strange

Like so many things in my life, my adoration for Halloween (and as always, food) harkens back to my childhood. My mom and dad always made all Hallow’s Eve special for us. I remember my dad, enclosing the long front porch in black Visqueen, installing spooky spiderwebs and strobe lights, to create an eerie entrance to our home for trick-or-treaters.

The World is a Vampire

For as long as I can remember, my mom has always made Halloween special. Every year growing up, she would throw us a Halloween party. It may have been a simple gathering with just a few friends or even just us; but some years I invited nearly my entire class over. Regardless of the size of the party, it was always filled with Halloween spirit. The ghoulish spread consisted of all things black & orange: Halloween Oreos (the orange filling just tastes better), Doritos, candy spiders, and of course, Pumpkin Pizzas.

Now that I’m an adult (at least that’s what they tell me), I have carried on the Halloween Party tradition. I love to play haunted hostess, sharing my crypt-kickin’ playlist and Halloween-inspired tricks & treats with all of our guests.

Yellow Pumpkins, Yellow Moon, Yellow Candlelight

I don’t think that I would have such a fondness for All Hallows’ Eve, if not for my mom. In addition to the festive food, she would often recite Halloween poems & songs to us as kids. We’d screech with gleeful delight the line: “Trick-or-Treat!” when she sang: “Witches, Ghosts & Goblins.” But my favorite was and continues to be the poem: “Black and Gold.” I have included an excerpt and the link to the entire poem below.

“Everything is black & gold, black & gold tonight.
Yellow pumpkin, yellow moon, yellow candlelight…”

Nancy byrd turner

To read the full poem, feel free to visit the following link: https://allpoetry.com/Black-And-Gold

Pumpkin Pizzas Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Pumpkin Pizza Marinara Sauce:

• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 c. diced white or yellow onion
• 2-3 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 Tbsp. white sugar
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
• 1-2 dried bay leaves
• salt & pepper to taste

For the Pumpkin Pizzas:

• Your choice of pizza crust(s): Plain bagels, English muffins, individual-sized pizza crusts, Naan bread, flatbread, or tortillas
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• American cheese; cut into various shapes such as triangles, and Jack-O-Lantern mouths.
• Pepperoni, hamburger/sausage, and any other meat topping(s) of your choice
• Additional pizza toppings (according to your preference). These may include, but are not limited to: green bell peppers, mushrooms, black olives, fresh spinach, pineapple, and onion.

Note:

If you wish to top your pumpkin pizzas with a white sauce (versus a typical marinara sauce, as indicated in the instructions listed later in this post) feel free to check out my recipe for homemade White Wine Alfredo Sauce in the Sauced blog post for White Wine Chicken Bacon Fettuccine Alfredo. I have included the link for this post below.

Directions for Pumpkin Pizza Sauce:

1. Heat olive oil in a medium pot or saucepan on medium heat.
2. Add the diced onion and simmer on medium heat until onion begins to soften, approximately 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
3. Then, add the minced garlic to the pot and cook for an additional 2 minutes, until garlic becomes fragrant.
4. Stir in the can of crushed tomatoes, sugar, and the remaining herbs & spices. Simmer on low for at least 20 minutes (the longer it sits, the better it gets).
5. Important: Be sure to remove the dried bay leaves from the sauce and discard before consuming.

Pumpkin Pizza Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the pizza crusts of your choosing onto a cookie sheet and/or pizza stone. (Multiple pans may be necessary, depending on how many individual Pumpkin Pizzas you plan on making.)
3. Top each crust with the pizza sauce, cheese & and any toppings you wish to include.
4. Lastly, place the cheese cutouts on top of each individual pizza to create a Jack-O-Lantern face, as indicated in the photo above.
5. Bake the individual Pumpkin Pizzas for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and begins to brown.
6. Note: I like to turn the broiler in the oven on low for the last minute or so of baking. Creating a golden brown & bubbly cheese top on each pizza. Let cool on wire rack for at least 5 minutes before serving. Bone apétit!

Get More Sauced

Want more spooky Sauced recipes for the Halloween season? The links to some of my Sauced Halloween and party favorites are included below: Monster Mashloaf Meatloaf, Candy Chow Mein Spiders, and Mom’s Deviled Eggs.

You can visit: saucedblogger.com and click the Menu option for a full listing of all available recipes. Or, click the Blog option to search for a dish by keyword or phrase. Be sure to follow Sauced on Facebook and Instagram for Sauced Quickies (quick & easy recipes shared solely on my socials), & cocktail recipes on Mixology Mondays, Sauced Saturdays, and more! As always, feel free to like, comment, & share. Stay Sauced & spooky out there! Cheers!

Monster Mash Meatloaf Recipe

Candy Spiders with Chow Mein Noodles

Mom’s Deviled Eggs