4 Easy Tips for Hosting the Perfect Backyard Pizza Party

For Sunday favorites with Cindy and Mary Ann today, I thought I would share my top 4 easy tips for hosting the perfect backyard pizza party. We were just in Scottsdale for a wedding, and one night my sister had everyone over for a pizza-making party. It was a fun way to get everyone involved. A lot of prep could be done ahead, making the pizza party experience much more enjoyable.

1. A great pizza party starts with the right tools

Authentic pizza ovens that cooks the pizza at high heat is the most important tool. The pizza-making process stays the same, but a home pizza oven with high cooking heat is the key to restaurant-style pizzas. 

Ooni Outdoor Pizza Oven

Ooni has several different options, including size and the type of fuel it uses. My sister has this one, but we prefer the smaller portable pizza oven. The Ooni pizza ovens range from $1,199.00 down to $299. We are also looking into this brand, which has excellent reviews and is priced considerably less. Let me know in the comments if you have a pizza oven and what kind!

​Sliding Pizza Peel

I’m not one for having a lot of gadgets that are super specific for one thing, but after using this sliding pizza peel once, I would have to say it’s worth the hype! I had never even heard of a sliding pizza peel, but it did save us from having a pizza turn into a calzone! So if you want a successful pizza party, this might be a tool to add to your list!  

Other tools to have on hand:

• ​Rolling pin
• Pizza cutter or pizza chopper
• Pizza stone
• A turning pizza peel specifically for Ooni pizza ovens

2. Prep ingredients ahead of time

For the ultimate pizza party, you’ll want to offer a variety of toppings. I always make my own dough, but of course, you can purchase it at many grocery stores or Trader Joe’s. So, aside from making sure you have enough dough balls, you’ll want to prepare the toppings.

We used this gorgeous large tray from Serena & Lily to prepare the toppings. My sister lined it with a clean dish towel and used a mix of bowls or separate containers to hold each topping. Some had to be sautéed, and others had to be chopped, shredded, or diced. Here’s the list of items we used for our pizza night! 

You will also want to add a clean, damp towel to use as you make the pizzas. Adding toppings like crumbled goat cheese and then moving on to another dry ingredient means you will need access to clean your hands. Since this is in the backyard, away from a sink, we had a few damp towels on hand. 

Pizza Toppings:

• Sautéed onions
• Crumbled cooked sausage
• Sauteed sliced mushrooms
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Goat cheese
• Provolone cheese
• Peeled shallots
• Thinly sliced pepperoni
• Chopped garlic
• Thinly sliced Meyer lemons
• Fresh basil and thyme
• Homemade pizza sauce (post coming soon with our homemade pizza sauce recipe)
• Red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, and sea salt
• Olive oil 
• Hot honey

3. Create an inviting atmosphere

My sister’s backyard is ideal for hosting parties. She has a table that can sit up to 16 people under a pergola with gorgeous lighting, perfect for a dinner party. While we don’t have quite the setup she has, our backyard has hosted many pizza parties. I think having enough seating, even if it means using indoor chairs around a large outdoor table. Or even a folding table or two, depending on the number of guests is all you need.

With great food, drink, incadescent string lights, and candles, you will have the best backyard pizza party for guests of all ages. Of course, you’ll also need a great playlist. My sister searched “rehearsal dinner” and found several fun playlists on Spotify. And since we all were gathered in Scottsdale for a wedding, that seemed pretty apropos. 

4. Dessert 

For dessert, we wanted something easy and self-serve. We put out a few containers of gelato and several toppings for a self-serve gelato bar, like going to a gelateria, but in the comfort of your home at the end of a lovely evening. It was dark when we set out the gelato and toppings, but you can see the idea in this post. 

More Sunday Favorites

Footed Bowls

I love footed bowls for everyting from fruit to floral arrangements. The one I’m using from Terrain is no longer available, but I’ve rounded up a few of my favorites at every price point.

French at Heart

The newest cookbook from the authors of The Cook’s Atelier, Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini realeased on April 8th. I immediately sat down and read it cover to cover. I’d heard a little about their story, but this book shares more and has the most beautiful food and lifestyle photography from their home in the Beaune countryside.

If you love all things french like us, you will love French at Heart and The Cook’s Atleier. You can read our post about our visit to their shop in Beaune here.

Let’s see what Cindy and Mary Ann found this week!

Cindy Hattersley Design

You can read Cindy’s Sunday favorites here.

Classic Casual Home

You can read Mary Ann’s Sunday favorites here.