Last updated on January 12th, 2024 at 07:50 am

Is it cheaper to make pizza at home from scratch


homemade pizza from scratch
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We think that you don’t know many people that don’t like pizza. You can buy pizza on almost any corner of the street or in every grocery store. But what about homemade pizza? Is it really worth the effort of making it from scratch? From a taste point of view, we think that it’s worth it. But what about from a budget perspective, is it really cheaper to make pizza at home from scratch?

Making homemade pizza is cheaper than buying frozen pizza from the store or ordering a restaurant delivered pizza. It costs 5,41$ to make pepperoni pizza or 4,75$ to make Margherita pizza at home if you follow the pizza recipe used in this post. Making pizza at home from scratch will save you up to 93$ a year compared to store-bought frozen pizza. But if you order delivery from a famous pizza delivery place, you can save up to 222$ a year with making pizza at home from scratch.

I’ve written a complete “is it cheaper” analysis of the most popular foods cooks make at home.

(BREAD, PIZZA, PASTA, FRIES, BEEF JERKY, LASAGNA, CHEESECAKE, GRANOLA BARS, GLUTEN-FREE BREAD, MAYONNAISE, GNOCCHI, GUACAMOLE, GROUND BEEFBROWNIES, HUMMUS)

I outlined the costs and buying guides for the ultimate savings.

How to make homemade pizza that is cheap and delicious

Some of you might ask, is it worth taking the time to make a homemade pizza? It sure is! Homemade pizza is a bit different from a restaurant pizza, but you can adapt almost any part you like. If you like a thicker crust, use more dough; if you want less tomato paste, put in less, you can even decide on any toppings you desire.

The perfect homemade pizza crust

Making pizza at home from scratch is very easy. The most challenging part is making the dough. There are thousands of recipes online to create the perfect pizza crust. To get the desired taste, you only need to adapt the basic recipe a little bit to get the perfect results.

the basic ingredients for making pizza dough at home and getting that perfect crust are:

  • White flour
  • Warm water
  • Yeast
  • Salt

What makes homemade pizza good or bad, the essentials

How you combine the basic four ingredients will determine the result. You need to follow eight essential things that impact the pizza dough, baked pizza crust, and overall structure of the pizza.

  1. Less yeast means longer leave time
  2. To much yeast means a different taste of the crust
  3. To little water will get you a crumbly dough and dense when baked
  4. To much water and you will end up with batter for ciabatta
  5. Under kneading the dough will result in sort of biscuit dough (the rising will be more difficult)
  6. Not enough time to rest (should usually rest at least an hour) will result in a flatbread type of crust because the dough will be to tight
  7. Cold oven when putting the pizza in, will result in bready and more chewy crust
  8. Hot oven (at least 500F 260C) will result in a crispy crust

homemade pizza dough made from scratch profamilychef.com

Can you freeze homemade pizza

Can you freeze the pizza you made at home from scratch? Sure! You just need to freeze it after you bake it. So, cool it down first after baking, cut it into serving sizes, and put it in a container suitable for freezing. Before consuming it, the pizza will be better if you defrost it first. Pizza can stay in a freezer for up to 3 months.

If you freeze unbaked pizza, the dough will not be the same after you defrost it. It will be soggy, and after you bake it, you will end up with hard flat pizza dough.

How much does it really cost to make pizza at home from scratch

There are many recipes available for making pizza at home from scratch. In this analysis, we took the most common pizza recipe that home cooks make from scratch.

The ingredients in the recipes are taken from A beautiful plate website. If you want to check how the pizza is made, click on the blog link and follow the recipe directions. But if you like prosciutto style homemade pizza you can check our pizza recipe on pro family chef website.

Homemade parmesan pizza baked in oven at 500F profamilychef.com

How is the cost of making pizza at home from scratch calculated

To define the right price for making pizza at home, we needed to calculate and take into consideration the following parameters:

Measurement to grams: we calculated the measurement of each ingredient into grams to get the sum weight of ingredients for pizza.

Average product price: for each ingredient, we checked the latest prices online and calculated the average price of ingredients per ounce, which are included in the pizza recipe.

Price per ingredient: the price for each ingredient is calculated to match the amount used in the recipe.

Example: the dough calls for 2 1/2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour, which is 300g. The average price for 5lb (2260g) white flour is 6.95$. If 25lb (11340g) is 33$ than 300g is 0.87$. Meaning 2 1/2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour in pizza recipe costs 0.87$.

Sum weight of pizza: to get the total weight of pizza, we summed the weight of all ingredients for unbaked pizza in grams. This is how we can compare the weight of unbaked frozen box pizza to the unbaked pizza recipe we took for calculation.

When comparing the weight of the restaurant delivered and homemade pizza, both weights ware taken from baked pizza.

Electricity cost: we calculated electricity cost for baking pizza in the oven. Ovens use 1000 to 5000 watts, with an average modern oven using around 2400 watts on medium to high heat. The calculation also includes the average electricity rate in the USA which is 13.19 cents per kilowatt-hour (updated April 2020)

Time, utensils, and cookware: We did not include time cost or the purchase cookware and utensils into the calculation.

I’ve written a complete “is it cheaper” analysis of the most popular foods cooks make at home.

(BREAD, PIZZA, PASTA, FRIES, BEEF JERKY, LASAGNA, CHEESECAKE, GRANOLA BARS, GLUTEN-FREE BREAD, MAYONNAISE, GNOCCHI, GUACAMOLE, GROUND BEEFBROWNIES, HUMMUS)

I outlined the costs and buying guides for the ultimate savings.

The table shows that it costs 4.75$ to make 36 oz (1023 g) pizza at home, which makes two 10 inch pizzas. But if you want to make a pepperoni pizza, it will cost you just a bit more as the base can be the same.

How much does it cost to make homemade pizza from scratch? 
HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH Quantities Quantities in grams Cost
Unbleached all-purpose flour 2 1/2 cups 300 g $0.87
Sugar 1 tsp 4.2 g $0.03
Active dry yeast 1/2 tsp 1.41 g $0.01
Kosher salt 3/4 tsp 4.34 g $0.03
Warm water 7 fl oz 206 g $0.00
Extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp 4.44 g $0.08
Semolina or all-purpose flour 2 tbsp 17 g $0.05
PIZZA SAUCE
San Marzano or canned tomatoes 1 cup 225 g $1.05
Garlic clove 2 cloves 10 g $0.08
Extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp 4.44 g $0.08
Freshly ground black pepper 1/4 tsp 0.58 g $0.01
Kosher salt 2-3 large pinches 1.08 g $0.01
TOPPINGS
Grated parmigiano-reggiano 3 tbsp 44.1 g $0.78
Fresh mozzarella cheese 7 oz 198 g $1.53
Basil leaves 5 large 2.5 g $0.04
Pepperoni 20 slices 40 g $0.66
Electricity (oven)
baking time 20 min.
$0.10
Cost of homemade pizza Margherita
(Two 10-inch pizzas)
$4.75
Cost of homemade pizza with pepperoni
(Two 10-inch pizzas)
$5.41
SUM weight pizza Margherita unbaked 36 oz (1023 g)
SUM weight pizza Pepperoni unbaked 37.5 oz (1063 g)

Is it really cheaper to make pizza at home and how much money you save

Is it cheaper to make homemade pizza from scratch? Yes, it is! Homemade pizza, which will feed 2-4 people, costs 4.75$.

To calculate the saving and price difference between homemade pizza, a store-bought box of frozen pizza, and restaurant delivered pizza; we took into consideration an average consumption of pizza per year per person in America.

Americans eat an average of 46 slices of pizza per year. This amounts to 23 pounds of pizza per year.

  • 23 pounds equals 10432 g of pizza per person per year

Savings for Box of frozen pizza compared to homemade pizza

The calculation shows that it is cheaper to make pizza at home from scratch when comparing it to the store-bought frozen pizza. You can save up to 7$ a month and up to 93$ a year if you make pizza at home from scratch.

Is it cheaper to make pizza at home from scratch – Store bought vs Homemade
Weight/Quantity Frozen Store-bought Homemade from scratch Savings homemade
Pizza with pepperoni 17.89 oz box (507 g) $3.98 $2.23 $1.75 per pizza
Pizza Margherita 15.5 oz box (439 g) $5.99 $2.04 $3.95 per pizza
Pizza with pepperoni Average consumption per person per month
1.91lb (869 g)
6.82 3.82 $3.00 per month
Pizza Margherita Average consumption per person per month
1.91lb (869 g)
11.86 4.04 $7.82 per month
Pizza with pepperoni Average consumption per person per year
23lb (10432 g)
$81.89 $45.88 $36.01 per year
Pizza Margherita Average consumption per person per year
23lb (10432 g)
$142.34 $48.48 $93.86 per year

Savings for restaurant delivered pizza vs homemade pizza

The calculation shows that it is definitely cheaper to make pizza at home from scratch when comparing it to the restaurant delivered pizza. You can save up to 18$ a month and up to 222$ a year if you make pizza at home from scratch. Dominos pizza price and weight were taken from Business insider post where they calculated the best pizza value.

Is it cheaper to make pizza at home from scratch – Restaurant delivered vs Homemade
Weight approximate Price Price homemade from scratch Saving homemade
Dominos 33 oz box (935g) $11.40 $2.23 $9.17 per pizza
Average consumption per person per month
1.91lb (869 g)
22.57 4.04 $18.53 per month
Average consumption per person per year
23lb (10432 g)
$270.90 $48.48 $222.42 per year

In general, cooking at home is cheaper than eating out. Check out how to save from 1720$ to 4303$ with homemade food.

Best tools we recommend to start making perfect homemade pizza

#1 Presto 03430 Pizzazz Plus Rotating Oven

This is such a convenient gadget to start with on your pizza making. It’s all in one oven, which is perfect for any household. You can put it on a table, and your kids can watch how their favorite pizza is being baked. It’s also perfect for parties because pizza can stay warm for a longer time.

>> Check price on Amazon <<

#2 Kitchy Pizza Cutter Wheel 

When you bake your pizza, you will want to cut it. Here is where a pizza cutting wheel comes in handy. It’s a sharp tool that cuts a pizza into slices in seconds. This pizza cutter is also dishwasher safe, and you can easily sharpen it with your favorite sharpening tool.

>> Check price on Amazon <<

 

#3 Cuisinart AMB-14PP Chef’s Classic Nonstick Bakeware 14-Inch Pizza Pan

To bake your pizza, you need a good and sturdy pan. This steel-constructed aluminum pan with a lifetime warranty and dishwasher safety is the only 14-inch plate you will need to bake your pizza.

>> Check price on Amazon <<

* The prices for ingredients and products in our tables are average prices take from various websites. The prices are not taken directly from Amazon.
* Pro family chef utilizes affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of our product links, Pro family chef will receive a small commission at no cost to you. This helps support us, and allows us to keep providing tips, reviews, guides, and content for you.

PIN Homemade mozzarela pizza baked in oven at 500F profamilychef.com

 

 

Rok

I am a kind of person that would sneak a taste out of grandma’s pot when I was barely tall enough to reach it. I grew up in kitchens full of love and liveliness and have spent my whole live learning, experimenting and succeeding in the art of cooking. At Pro Family Chef, every day is an opportunity for a new meal and a brand new flavor. I created this website to connect people that love to cook, with the products designed to make their cooking easier, hassle-free and rewarding every time.

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