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It doesn’t get any more delicious than my birria pizza recipe. It’s the ultimate fusion featuring slow-cooked birria meat, gooey cheese, and spicy jalapenos baked on a chewy and fluffy crust. It’s seriously a flavor explosion!
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The ultimate fusion pizza
Birria is having its moment right now, and I am LIVING for it. Sure, classic slow-cooked birria meat is delicious in its own right, but repurposing leftovers into a pizza makes it shine. My family considers themselves pizza connoisseurs, so recreating the viral birria pizza looked to be a challenge. After one bite of my homemade birria pizza, they were converted!
My birria meat and stew pack heaps of flavor. It is sweet, spicy, tangy, and savory, and once you add cheese and a pizza crust, it’s pretty much perfect. Bonus? I’ve made it in the oven, Gozney, and Ooni (yes, I bought both of them haha!).
You may also enjoy my other birria recipes, like birria quesadilla, birria ramen, or quesabirria tacos.
Key Ingredients
- Pizza dough. Get your trusted store-bought dough, or make your pizza dough from scratch. I’ve successfully made it with my Greek yogurt pizza dough (just Greek yogurt mixed with self rising flour).
- Birria cooking liquid and meat. You’ll need this flavorful stew to sauce up the pizza, along with the meat. I’ve included my homemade recipe which is exactly what I used for this pizza. I have noticed more and more grocery stores stocking birria meat now, including Costco and Trader Joe’s (in the chilled section).
- Cheese. No pizza is complete without a generous layer of shredded cheese. I find Mexican Oaxaca cheese to have the best flavor, but traditional mozzarella cheese or cheddar cheese is fine.
- Jalapenos. Sliced and scattered on top. I find adding a little spice on top just takes this pizza to the next level.
How to make birria pizza
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1- Roll the dough out into a circular pizza base. Transfer it to the baking sheet and create raised borders to hold the toppings.
Step 2- Add the birria liquid, spread the shredded meat, layer the cheese, and evenly arrange the jalapenos on the pizza.
Step 3- Bake the pizza in a preheated oven at 250°C for 12 minutes until the cheese melts.
Arman’s tips for the best birria pizza
- Thicken the birria cooking liquid. You want the consistency of the liquid to be like classic pizza sauce. To do this, I recommend reducing it by heating it in a saucepan to make a thick, silky sauce (I find a low simmer for 15 minutes to be plenty). Alternatively, you can fold in some pomodoro sauce or sugo for a tomato-flavored sauce.
- Bake the pizza in a hot oven. Remember to preheat the oven at least 30 minutes before baking. The instant and sustained high heat helps to bake a light, crusty, and chewy crust.
- Gozney AND Ooni tested. Yes, friends. I have recently purchased both the Gozney and the Ooni pizza makers, and tested all my pizza recipes in them (including this one). If you do use either, add semolina to a pizza peel and place the unbaked pizza on top. Cook at 450F-500F for 2-3 minutes, turning it several times.
- Use a pizza stone or a serrated pizza tray. The holes at the bottom give the crust that extra CRISPY bottom and sides while keeping the middle fluffy.
If you’ve enjoyed this Birria Pizza recipe, please leave a star rating. It helps others who are thinking of making it.
Birria Pizza
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough * See notes
- 1/2 cup birria broth
- 1 cup birria meat
- 1 cup oaxaca cheese shredded
- 1 small jalapeno sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250C/420F.
- Roll out the pizza dough to a 12-inch circle, dusting with flour as needed.
- Place it on the baking sheet or pizza stone. Flatten the inside part of the dough, creating higher edges of the dough (1/2 an inch width) to reserve the birria liquid inside.
- Pour the Birria liquid onto the dough and spread it using the ladle. Sprinkle the Birria meat evenly, followed by the cheese. Top with some jalapeno pepper slices.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until the cheese melts and begins to go golden.
- Slice the pizza and serve warm with some hot sauce or more Birria liquid.
Notes
- Make a calzone. Instead of a pizza, wrap the juicy meat in the dough, shape it into a calzone, and bake it as indicated.
- Garnish with fresh herbs. Add chopped cilantro, parsley, or chives to garnish this pizza. It’ll elevate the dish with its refreshing crunch.
- Use other Mexican-style meat. Any flavorful Mexican meat works, including carnitas, beef barbacoa, or something hearty like al pastor or chicken al pastor. All of these proteins come in some form of broth too, which can work like a sauce.
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Yes! I’ve noticed Costco, Whole Foods, and other grocery stores now stocking pre-made birria meat. While (in my opinion) not as tasty as my homemade version, it’s a fabulous shortcut that works perfectly.
Yes, you can. Just use your favorite gluten-free pizza dough (I like the Scharr brand).
More creative pizzas
- Crustless pizza
- Chicken crust pizza
- Sicilian pizza
- Low calorie pizza
- Cloud bread pizza
- Or any of my pizza recipes
Originally published August 2023, updated June 2025
Where can I find birria meat?