Homemade Calzone Recipe

This Homemade Calzone recipe takes pizza night to the next level.  Using a simple pizza dough, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and your favorite fillings, you can make this portable pizza pocket for dinner, appetizers or snacks any night of the week.

The Best Homemade Calzone Recipe

There are so many things to love about these Homemade Calzones.  Not only are they easy, cheesy and delicious, they are also super convenient.  Once you’ve got your pizza dough, they really only take about 30 minutes to make and bake.  Plus, you can freeze them and reheat any time you need a quick meal, or snack on the go!

Our family loves to make personal-sized Homemade Calzones that are filled with each person’s favorite ingredients.  Pro-tip: bake them on a sheet tray with parchment and write each person’s name to keep track!  

Homemade Calzone Ingredients

• Flour – we use all-purpose flour but you can also use bread flour.
• Salt – salt is important for the flavor and for the structure of any bread, so don’t forget to add it!
• Water – warm water is best because it helps to wake up your yeast.  It should be between 95-110 degrees F.  
• Yeast – we use active dry yeast in this recipe, which needs to be proofed.  (check out our Homemade White Bread recipe for more info on activating yeast).  If you use instant yeast, you can skip the proofing step and just mix the dough together, knead and then let rise.
• Sugar – we use regular granulated sugar, but you could also substitute honey.
• Olive Oil – you can substitute any other cooking oil that you’d like to use.  It’s best to use something with little flavor, like avocado oil.
• Mozzarella Cheese – purchase this pre-shredded to save yourself an extra step.  Either whole milk or part-skim will work great.  
• Pepperoni – this is a family favorite at our house, but you can either omit this ingredient or try something else that your family prefers.
• Marinara Sauce – use your favorite store bought brand, or you can make your own Homemade Marinara Sauce if you are feeling up to it!
• Egg Wash – we use a simple egg wash of whole eggs and water to brush onto each calzone just before baking.  It helps the garlic salt and Parmesan stick, and gives a nice shine to the dough.
• Garlic Salt – you can either purchase garlic salt, or make your own using half salt and half garlic powder.  You could also substitute Italian seasonings, instead.
• Parmesan Cheese – any type of grated Parmesan cheese will work well to sprinkle onto your calzones just before baking. 

How to Make Calzones

1. Make the calzone dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast and mix well.  Let it sit for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes frothy and bubbly. Once your yeast has proofed, add a cup of flour, the salt and cooking oil and mix with the dough hook to combine. Add the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and stir until it’s all combined.  Continue to mix and knead on low speed for about 2 minutes. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest for about 30 minutes, or until about doubled.
2. Shape the calzones. Punch the dough down and divide into 6 pieces.  On a lightly floured surface, shape each piece of dough into a ball and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a 6-8″ circle.
3. Fill the calzones. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce onto one half of each circle of dough and spread it evenly, making sure to stay at least 3/4″ away from the edges. Sprinkle about 1/4-1/3 cup of shredded cheese evenly over the marinara sauce, and then layer your pepperoni (or other toppings) over the top of the cheese.
4. Seal. Fold the dough in half, over the filling, and press to seal the edges tightly. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed lightly with cooking spray, leaving at least 2″ between each calzone.
5. Egg wash. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water and brush a thin layer of this egg wash over the top of each calzone using a pastry brush. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and/or garlic salt, then poke a couple holes into the top of each calzone to allow steam to escape.
6. Bake. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let them cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Calzone Fillings

• Marinara sauce
• Buffalo sauce
• BBQ sauce
• Pesto
• Mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Ricotta cheese
• Shredded provolone
• Pepper jack cheese
• Meats (pepperoni, sausage, sliced ham, mini meatballs, shredded chicken)
• Herbs (basil, cilantro, oregano, rosemary)
• Veggies (banana peppers, sauteed onions, bell peppers, green onions, spinach, mushrooms, black olives)

Tips for Making Calzones

1. Don’t overfill them!  It’s tempting, we know, but if there is too much filling it will be difficult to seal them and they will more than likely pop open in the oven.  
2. To save yourself some time, make your pizza dough in advance.  You can make your dough the day before and let it sit in the cooler.  That way, all you’ll have to do is roll, fill and bake.  You can also freeze your dough for later (see below).
3. Using an egg wash makes your calzones nice and shiny, but it also helps your seasonings stick and keeps them sealed shut.
4. If you have any dough left over, make mini calzones for a fun snack or appetizer.
5. Don’t forget to poke a couple of holes into each calzone so that steam can escape.  They’ll be less likely to burst this way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing and Reheating

• Refrigerator: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Freezer: Transfer to freezer bags and store for up to 2 months in the freezer.
• To reheat: reheat in a 350 degree oven until warmed through (about 15-30 minutes depending on the size), or microwave on high for 1 minute at a time until warmed through.

More Homemade Pizza Recipes

• Homemade Cheesy Breadsticks
• Pull Apart Garlic Bread
• French Bread Pizza
• Homemade Stuffed Crust Pizza
• Grilled Pizza Dough
• Pizza Skulls
• Pizza Sliders
• Olive Oil Dipping Sauce
• More Pizza Recipes
• More Easy Dinner Ideas

There are so many things to love about these Homemade Calzones.  Not only are they easy, cheesy and delicious, they are also super convenient. Using a simple pizza dough, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and your favorite fillings, you can make this portable pizza pocket for dinner, appetizers or snacks any night of the week.