Calzones

This easy homemade Calzones recipe includes pizza dough stuffed with your favorite pizza toppings for a customizable dinner that everyone loves. Calzones can be made in advance or frozen for an easy freezer meal.

Want more Italian recipes? Try Chicken Parmesan, Homemade Lasagna, or Manicotti!

We can thank the Italian’s for the culinary masterpiece of Calzones! A Calzone is like a folded over pizza, baked with any number of pizza-style toppings inside including meats, cheeses, or veggies. Calzones are hand held like a sandwich, and often dipped in sauces like our easy pizza sauce or marinara.

Calzones are similar to Stromboli, the biggest difference is in the way the dough is sealed around the filling; Stromboli are rolled and calzones are folded.

Ingredients Needed:

• Pizza dough: One pound of pizza dough will make approximately 4 large calzones. I like to make my easy homemade dough (makes 2lbs) in the morning and leave it covered in the fridge until ready to assemble. Store-bought dough can also be used.
• Meat (precooked): Pepperoni, ham, sausage, Canadian bacon, chicken, bacon.
• Vegetables: Bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, spinach, jalapeno, zucchini, artichoke hearts, olives.
• Cheese: Shredded mozzarella is preferred, but you can use your favorite kind.
• Pizza Sauce: We don’t add sauce inside, to prevent the calzones from getting soggy, but serve sauce on the side for dipping, instead. Pizza sauce or Marinara sauce goes with most any type of calzone, or serve with white garlic sauce, ranch, Alfredo, or bbq sauce for a bbq chicken filled calzones.

How to make Calzones:

Preheat Oven to 450ºF (or air fryer to 370ºF). Set pizza stone in oven to get hot while oven preheats (or use a baking sheet turned upside down).

Roll Out Dough: Divide pizza dough into 8 portions. Roll a piece into a flat disk, about 1/4inch thick.

Add Toppings: Add about ¼ cup of toppings to one side, including a generous sprinkle of cheese. Fold the other half of dough over the toppings then seal the edges together.

Bake or Air Fry: Place calzones on a large piece of parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, make a slit on top of each (for steam to escape while baking). Lightly brush tops with beaten egg, then sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.

• Bake: Transfer calzones on parchment paper to the hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven then bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.
• Air Fryer Calzones: Spray the pan and place 2-3 calzones in a single layer. Cook for 5-6 minutes, then flip, and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

Serve: Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving then enjoy the best calzones with warmed pizza sauce, for dipping.

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:

To Make Ahead: Pizza dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated. Chop and prepare filling ingredients up to 3 days in advance, depending on freshness of ingredients. Pizza sauce can be made 1 week ahead.

To Freeze: 

• Baked Calzones: Allow to cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Microwave or bake from frozen or thawed, until warm.
• Unbaked Calzones: place prepared homemade calzones on a baking sheet and flash freeze for 1 hour. Transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 400 degrees for 30-45 minute, or until warmed through and golden.

More Pizza Recipes:

• Air Fryer Pizza
• Cheeseburger Pizza
• White Pizza (Pizza Bianca)
• Pesto Veggie Pizza
• Easy Grilled Pizza
• Chicken Alfredo Pizza

I originally shared this recipe October 2020. Updated June 2023.

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