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Cheesy Gouda, Bacon and Pumpkin Pizza. Homemade pizza dough topped with a spicy pumpkin pizza sauce, kale, and sharp cheddar cheese. Then sweet, creamy, and melty gouda cheese is also added along with a topping of crisp salty bacon. Once out of the oven, finish with a thinly sliced green onion. If you adore the flavors of fall, this is your pizza!
Sometimes I take a look back at older recipes from years ago, even all the way back to our first year of HBH. I either ask myself, “what was I thinking”, or I mumble, “hmm, that sounds pretty delicious”.
It’s usually either one or the other, but either way, it’s fun. This pizza is inspired by a pizza I made years ago. This is my updated variation and it’s so yummy!
I had originally shared a pumpkin pizza recipe with the brand, Wisconsin Cheese. The sounds of a spicy pumpkin pizza with salty bacon sounded unique and really delicious. It’s actually a pizza I’ve wanted to recreate for a while now.
Once I began working on updating this recipe I became more and more excited. I just love this pizza! It’s the perfect pizza for these cold fall months!
It’s a tinsy bit spicy with just the slightest touch of sweetness. There’s also melty cheese and a little salty crunch thanks to the bacon. So yummy!
Here are the details
Step 1: the dough
I use the dough recipe from the HBH Every Day cookbook. It’s my go-to and the pizza dough I use almost every week when we have pizza night.
This time, however, instead of using water, I ended up using a pumpkin beer in the dough. It’s such a flavorful addition if you’re making homemade pizza dough!
Simply mix warm water with yeast and add about a cup of pumpkin beer. Then add flour, bread flour, and salt. I knead the dough with a stand mixer for about 5 minutes, then let it rise for an hour or so. And then it’s ready to go, nothing fancy! It’s my favorite pizza dough!
Alternatively, feel free to pick up your favorite store-bought dough. I love the options from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. Just make sure your dough is at room temperature. This will make shaping your pizzas much easier.
Step 2: the pumpkin sauce
This is the heart of the pizza and what makes it so delicious.
Take canned pumpkin purée and mix it together with chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Then mix in your favorite hot sauce, I love Franks.
It’s almost like a spicy pumpkin buffalo sauce. Again, it’s different, but such a wonderful flavor. You have to trust me!
Step 3: everything else
Now, push or roll the pizza dough out. Spread the pumpkin sauce over the dough and add a handful of shredded kale. You could also use chopped broccoli, that would be really great too. It’s actually what I used when I first made this pizza 10 years ago.
Now, add sweet, melty gouda cheese and sharp cheddar cheese. It’s a great combination with the spicy pumpkin sauce.
Finish the pizza with lightly crisped bacon. The bacon adds a salty umami flavor that’s just DELICIOUS. It might sound odd with the pumpkin, but it really is wonderful.
Step 4: bake, eat, and enjoy
Throw the pizza into a super hot oven and cook until the cheese is bubbling up and the bacon is looking perfectly crispy.
And that’s it. Top with thinly sliced green onion, cilantro, and honey, then slice, eat, and enjoy!
I’ve made this pizza a few times recently and it’s always a hit! A great fall pizza for sure. Looking forward to sharing this with family in a few weeks as we head into the busy holiday season!
Looking for other pizza recipes? Here are some favorites
Caramelized Shallot and Bacon Goat Cheese Pizza
Rosemary Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza
Pull Apart Roasted Garlic Pizza Dip Sliders
Pesto Pizza with Feta Stuffed Crust
Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Easy Sheet Pan Tomato Herb Pizza
Pesto Potato Burrata Pizza with Spicy Arugula
Lastly, if you make this Gouda, Bacon and Pumpkin Pizza, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Bacon Gouda Pumpkin Pizza
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 313 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- sea salt
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1/2 pound pizza dough, at room temperature
- 1 cup shredded kale
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded gouda cheese
- 4 slices cooked bacon
- honey, for serving
- fresh cilantro and green onion, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.2. In a bowl, mix the pumpkin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, hot sauce, and season with salt. 3. On a lightly floured surface, push the dough out until it's thin (about a 10-12 inch circle). Transfer the dough to a baking sheet. Spoon/spread half the pumpkin sauce over the dough and reserve the remaining sauce for another pizza. 4. Top with kale, cheddar, gouda, and bacon. 5. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling. Remove from the oven, Top with honey, cilantro, and green onions. Slice and enjoy!
I made this tonight and it was sooo good! The flavors just work so well together. Can’t wait to make it again 🙂
Love to hear this Keona!! Thanks a lot for trying this pizza and sharing your feedback! xT
Thanks for another yummy recipe, Tieghan! I am a wimp when it comes to spice, so I’ll cut down on the hot sauce next time maybe by half, but that’s just me haha. All-around, flavors were delish and my husband loved it too!
Hey Alessia,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your review, so glad it was a hit! xT
This was a surprising combination of flavors that worked beautifully! I may explore using the pumpkin base more regularly!
Hey Pam,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your review, so glad it was a hit! xT
I was wondering is the bacon should actually be cooked before? Since it’s gonna cook in the oven? We don’t have fully cooked bacon available here in Ukraine so I’m going to use a regular one. Just not sure if it’s not gonna overcook this way. Love your recipes!
Hi Esther,
Yes, you are going to want to cook your bacon before using it as a topping on the pizza, you could cook it in a skillet or in the oven:) I hope this helps! xT
Made this for Halloween night and it was delicious! I used broccoli instead of kale because that’s what I had, and it was so good! My husband asked me to make this next Halloween too. Looks like a new Halloween tradition!
Hi Kristen,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks for giving it a try! xx
What are the ingredients amounts for your pizza dough recipe? You don’t list them.
Hey Kelly! Here is my pizza dough recipe! xT
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/essentials/
Hi! This was so incredibly yummy. Even my small children devoured it and I didn’t think they would like these flavors. I arranged the bacon to look like a jack-o-lantern so it was spooky. You are so talented and come up with such amazing flavor profiles! I am constantly looking at your website when I can’t come up a dinner idea. I think I will make this a Halloween meal tradition! Thank you!
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Have a Happy Halloween! 🙂 xT
Golly! Wouldn’t think this would be good! But that spicy pumpkin “marinara” sauce is absolutely the best! The combo is delicious! Little kick of spice! Highly recommend!
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you’re having a great Halloween weekend! 🙂 xT
My husband and I made this tonight, 10/10 recommend. And the honey for dipping! Such a perfect fall pizza night dinner.
So glad you are enjoying this recipe! Thanks so much! xT
Not bad, but I think the pumpkin mixture could do with some cooking to help with the flavor before putting it on the pizza. As is, it’s all a bit mushy and bland.
For what it’s worth, I tried the beer-in-pizza-dough trick suggested above. I also made another one with just water. There is absolutely no difference, so don’t waste your beer.
Thank you so much for the input!
May I use spinach instead?
Absolutely! xT
Hey Tieghan,
Been awhile since I’ve written a comment. I love experimenting with new pizzas. It’s our Friday night tradition – great pizza, cocktails that match the season and cribbage with my husband, so looking forward to trying this one (his favorite is your Roasted Butternut Squash Prosciutto Pizza with Caramelized Onions). Did you use smoked or regular Gouda? I’ve only used smoked so not sure if the consistency is different between the two.
Thanks!
Donna
Hi Donna! Thank you so so much! This is such a sweet comment! I usually use regular gouda 🙂 xT
Does this girl listen to how many times she says “you guys” in her videos? Or on air? She might want to get some help. It’s so hard to listen to!
Then don’t. Otherwise be kind.
Is this why you come to this page? Be miserable somewhere else.
Hey Romy! I would unfollow if you do not enjoy. Have the best halloween weekend! xx
If it bothers you, why listen?
You do realize asking a rhetorical question about “this girl” makes no sense when you’re sending a reply directly to her? Go be rude somewhere else.
I LOVE listening to her. She is natural and fun, like you’re hanging with a friend! BTW this pizza is the bomb!
YUM! I was very curious how all these flavors would go together and it ended up perfect! I followed the recipe exactly and enjoyed every bite! Tieghan never lets me down. Making again tomorrow!
Thank you so much Courtney! So glad you loved this pizza! xT
Made it tonight but used premade TJ’s flatbreads & pancetta instead of bacon & skipped the kale. Love love loved it! And love you 😘
This pizza sounds amazing but I only see “0” listed as the quantity for a number of the ingredients such as the pumpkin puree, kale and cheeses. Please provide the amount for these ingredients!
I’m a long time follower of your but unfortunately this is my first comment. I regularly make your recipes from both your website and your books. You are extremely talented and consistently create innovative and delicious recipes with amazing flavor combinations.
Thank you!
Hi Linda! I’m so sorry about that! The recipe has been fixed now! Thank you so much for being apart of the HBH community and trying out the recipes! xT