This deep dish Apple Pizza bake combines apples, caramel sauce, and pizza dough into a simple dessert full of rich, comforting flavor. It’s a warm dessert that’s great for sharing or for curling up and enjoying straight from the skillet.
Golden cinnamon-sugar dough, sauteed apples, and a drizzle of caramel create a dessert that’s easy and satisfying. This caramel apple bake is made with everyday ingredients like brown sugar, chopped apples, and my homemade quick pizza dough. I like to serve it on weekends when we want something warm and sweet without spending hours in the kitchen.
Looking for more ways to use up apples? Other baked apple desserts like a caramel apple dump cake and skillet apple crisp are worth a try,
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: Uses simple ingredients and comes together quickly, making it one of the best apple and caramel recipes for busy days.
- Comforting Flavor: Combines warm cinnamon, tender apples, and rich caramel for a classic fall taste kind of like a classic skillet apple pie but in pizza form and way easier to make!
- Budget-Friendly: Made with pantry staples and fresh apples, making it affordable for any household.
- Family Friendly: A crowd-pleasing dessert that kids and adults both enjoy.
Apple Dessert Pizza Ingredients
- Pizza Dough: Made from a quick homemade recipe that’s easy to prepare with basic pantry ingredients; letting the dough rest makes it soft and easy to shape for this dessert.
- Apples: Choose firm, tart apples like Granny Smith or Honey Crisp for a good balance of sweetness and texture. Fresh, crisp apples hold up better when baked.
- Brown Sugar: Adds rich sweetness and helps create the caramelized sauce with the apples. You can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Cinnamon Sugar: A mix of ground cinnamon and granulated sugar that adds warm spice and sweetness to the dough balls.
- Butter: Provides richness and helps soften the apples during sauteing. Use unsalted butter so you can control the salt level in the recipe.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Apple Pizza Variations
- Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free pizza dough or puff pastry alternative to make this dessert safe for gluten-sensitive diets.
- Add Nuts: Sprinkle chopped pecans or walnuts over the apple mixture before baking for extra crunch and a nutty flavor.
- Spiced Up: Add a pinch of nutmeg, cloves, or ginger to the cinnamon sugar mix for a warm, spiced twist.
- Fruit Mix: Combine apples with baked pear slices or other seasonal fruits to add layers of flavor and a variety in texture.
- Maple Twist: Replace the brown sugar with pure maple syrup in the apple mixture for a deeper, natural sweetness.
How to Make an Apple Pizza Bake
Get ready to enjoy warm, gooey caramel apple pizza with just a few simple steps. First, preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly oil a 10-inch cast iron skillet or oven-safe pan to prevent sticking.
Step 1: Prepare the Dough Balls. Shape the pizza dough balls and then dredge them in the cinnamon sugar until fully coated. Place them in a lightly oiled 10-inch skillet, covering the bottom completely.
Step 2: Combine the Apples. Melt butter in a separate pan, then add cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, and chopped apples.
Step 3: Cook the Apples. Saute until the apples soften.
Step 4: Pour the cooked apple mixture evenly over the dough balls in the skillet.
Step 5: Finish and Serve. Bake your apple dessert pizza at 350°F for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then drizzle caramel on top before serving.
Expert Tips
- Select firm, crisp apples for the best texture. Use apples like Granny Smith or Honey Crisp for your baked caramel apple pizza. These varieties hold their shape well during baking and balance the sweetness of the caramel.
- Roll dough balls evenly and coat completely in cinnamon sugar. This ensures a flavorful, golden crust without any raw dough spots.
- Saute apples just until softened. Overcooking can make the apples mushy, so keep an eye on the texture for the best bite.
- Let the dessert cool slightly before drizzling caramel. This prevents the caramel from melting too much and keeps the topping thick and gooey.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Leftover apple pie pizza can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Warm leftover baked apple slices gently in the oven at 300°F for 10-15 minutes to maintain the crispness of the dough and soften the apples evenly. Avoid the microwave if possible to keep the texture intact.
- Make Ahead: Prepare the dough balls and apple mixture separately and store them covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Assemble and bake just before serving for the freshest results.
Serving Suggestions
Whether you're serving this apple cinnamon pizza for a cozy weekend brunch or wrapping up a hearty dinner, this sweet dish fits right in.
- Enjoy as a sweet brunch treat alongside sweet cherry rolls, a Monte Cristo sandwich, and this skillet spinach frittata.
- It makes a delicious, easy weeknight dessert, especially after comforting dishes like chicken and dumplings or Dutch Oven pot roast.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Store-bought pizza dough or biscuit dough can save time and still give you great results. Just be sure it’s thawed and soft enough to roll into balls.
The apples should be fork-tender but not mushy. Look for bubbling caramel around the edges and golden, puffed dough on top.
Absolutely. Use a larger baking dish or divide between two skillets. Keep an eye on the baking time, as it may need a few extra minutes.
More Delicious Dessert Recipes
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Get the Recipe
Baked Caramel Apple Pizza Skillet
Equipment
- 10" cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- pizza dough https://www.dutchovendaddy.com/quick-pizza-dough
- ½ cup cinnamon sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 apples finely chopped
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly oil a 10 inch skillet.
- Cut dough into small pieces and roll into loose balls.
- Dredge dough in the cinnamon sugar making sure to completely cover.
- Place cinnamon balls in skillet making sure to push them close together to cover the whole skillet.
- In a separate skillet melt butter. Add cinnamon, brown sugar, salt and apples.
- Saute until apples are softened.
- Pour apple mixture on top of cinnamon balls and put in oven.
- Bake at 350 for 30 mins.Let cool and drizzle caramel on top.
Notes
- Use crisp apples like Granny Smith to keep your baked caramel apple slices from turning mushy during baking.
- Roll dough balls evenly and coat fully in cinnamon sugar for a sweet, golden finish every time.
- Don’t overcook the apples when sauteing—softened, not mushy, is what you want before baking.
- Let the dish cool slightly before adding caramel so the topping stays thick and gooey instead of running off.
Nutrition
Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
D says
Tasty!!!!
Spencer Adams says
This dessert is so amazing, I love the apples paired with the pizza dough and the caramel!
John W. says
This recipe is so delicious!
Edward says
One of my favorite desserts! Thank you so much for this yummy treat!
Cami says
Yum!