Learn how to freeze Pizza Dough. It’s smart to make a double or triple batch so you can freeze half of the dough for the next time you’re craving pizza.
Here are two methods for freezing homemade pizza dough whether you want to use freezer-safe zip containers or Tupperware.
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Pizza dough can be frozen in any quantity, whether it’s a full-size pizza or smaller single pizzas. You can store the dough in the freezer for 3-4 months and just thaw overnight before using it.
Important: The dough needs to be done with the rising/fermentation process or at the point when the dough is ready to use. With our pizza dough, we let it go through the cold fermentation process overnight first to let the yeast work in the dough. Once it’s done with the cold fermentation process (before bringing it to room temperature for an hour), it can be frozen. Read more about Cold Fermentation below.
2 Ways to Freeze Pizza Dough:
Ziplock or Freezer Bag Method: Arrange the dough in a deep, oiled baking pan with some room to expand, cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for cold fermentation, then place the entire pan into the freezer for 24 hours. Once the pizza dough is frozen, transfer each piece of dough into its own freezer zip bag or food saver bag.
Tupperware Containers: Lightly oil the bottom and sides of your Tupperware containers. Place pizza dough into the containers, cover and refrigerate for the overnight cold fermentation (so there’s no need to transfer it later), then transfer containers to the freezer.
To Thaw Pizza Dough:
- If using Zip Bags: Remove dough balls from the freezer and transfer them onto a baking pan lined with flour or semolina flour. Dust the tops with flour so plastic wrap doesn’t stick to the dough then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (8-12 hours).
- If using Tupperware containers: Place containers in the refrigerator overnight to defrost. Cold defrosting is the BEST method to thaw pizza dough.
To Use the Defrosted Dough:
Keep dough at room temperature for 1 hour before baking for it to soften and relax. Shape the dough according to our pizza dough recipe instructions. Don’t miss our favorite recipes for red pizza sauce and white pizza sauce.
Pro Tip: If working with multiple dough pieces, keep the remaining pieces covered so they don’t dry out.
Common Questions:
Fermentation is critical to great pizza dough and cannot be skipped. Letting the pizza dough rest in the refrigerator overnight allows the yeast time to weaken gluten-forming proteins. This makes the dough easier to stretch and shape and creates an aromatic and soft crust with air pockets that bubble in the oven.
Store pizza dough in the freezer for up to 3 months. If it is vacuum-sealed, it will keep up to 4 months.
Once pizza dough has been frozen and thawed, you should not freeze it again.
Red pizza sauce freezes well. We usually use half of our pizza sauce and freeze the other half for later.
It’s so easy to freeze pizza dough and we love having a having the option to enjoy homemade pizza or Calzones when the craving comes.
More Freezer-Friendly Recipes:
- Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches
- Homemade Corndogs
- Make-Ahead Breakfast Burritos
- Fluffy Homemade Waffles
- Lemon Bars
How to Freeze Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1 Pizza Dough Recipe, divided into 4 portions
- 2 tsp olive oil, to grease the pan or tupperware
Instructions
Ziplock or Freezer Bag Method:
- Arrange the dough in a deep, oiled baking pan with some room to expand, cover pan with plastic wrap and let it do the overnight cold fermentation in the refrigerator.
- Transfer the pan with dough into the freezer overnight. Once frozen, remove each piece of dough from the baking pan and transfer into its own freezer zip bag or foodsaver bag and store in the freezer for 3-4 months.
Freezing Dough in Tupperware:
- Lightly oil the bottom and sides of your Tupperware containers.
- Place pizza dough into the containers, cover and refrigerate for the overnight cold fermentation (so there’s no need to transfer it later). You can also place dough into tupperware after the cold fermenation is done. Cover tightly with lids and freeze up to 3 months.
To Thaw Pizza Dough:
- If using Zip Bags: Remove dough balls from the freezer and place them onto a baking pan lined with flour or semolina. Dust the tops with flour so plastic wrap doesn’t stick to the dough then cover and thaw in the refrigerator overnight (8-12 hours).
- If using Tupperware containers: Place containers in the refrigerator overnight to defrost.
To Use Pizza Dough:
- Keep dough at room temperature for 1 hour before baking so it softens and relaxes and is easier to stretch. Shape the dough according to our pizza dough recipe instructions.
Nutrition Per Serving
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For the first time, I just used the dough recipe and then utilized the toppings that I had available. This dough is wonderful and easy as well with your directions and the recordings as well. Thank you for making this so easy. My husband even commented that it was better than what we can buy in our small town which is so true.
Thank you so much, Kay! I’m glad it was enjoyed.
This is hands down THE BEST pizza dough! My husband built a pizza oven and we have been searching for a good dough recipe for years. This is IT! The flavor is great, the texture is perfect and it’s super easy. I did add a bit more salt, but that’s my preference. The crust is everything we were looking for. It’s crisp on the outside and moist & perfect on the inside. This may sound dramatic, but I can’t tell you how hard it is to find a good dough recipe for pizza. I love your recipes and videos- they are all great! Thank you!!!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Becky! I’m so glad you found a favorite on my blog, also how exciting to have built your own pizza oven! That’s so awesome.
Can I make the dough into pizzas and freeze as a ready made pizza for the freezer after the overnight in the fridge?
Yes, you can freeze them as ready-made pizzas!
Not only is this pizza dough delicious but your method is incredible and easy to understand! You’ve made making sourdough pizza crust simple and we will never go back to any other kind of crust! The bubbles and the rise and the crisp crust and the edges… I could go on and on and on!
Question… Can I still freeze it if I’ve done the full fermented rise in the fridge for several days?
Hi SaraAnne, Yes, you can freeze the sourdough pizza dough after the ferment. I recommend diving it into the portions you want and ensure the dough is wrapped well or in an airtight container. When you are ready to use it, you can thaw it overnight in the fridge and then let it come to room temperature before using it. I hope that is helpful.