How Long to Cook Pizza in the Oven (Every Type) (2026)

For homemade pizza in a regular oven, crank it as hot as it goes (usually 475–500°F) and bake 10–15 minutes. Thin crust runs shorter; thick or loaded pies run longer. Using a preheated pizza stone or steel speeds things up and crisps the bottom. For frozen pizza, follow the box (typically 12–18 minutes), and skip the microwave if you want a crispy crust.

In a dedicated pizza oven at 800–950°F, everything changes — a pizza cooks in about 60–90 seconds. At that speed you don't walk away; you turn the pizza every 20 seconds like a little merry-go-round so it chars evenly. Fast and furious, in the best way.

Forget the clock for a second and look at the pizza. It's done when the crust edges are golden-brown (or spotted with char in a hot pizza oven), the cheese is fully melted and bubbling, and the bottom is firm and crisp when you peek underneath with a peel or spatula. A pale, floppy bottom means give it another minute or two.

Every oven runs a little different, so use these signs more than the timer, especially the first few times. Once you learn your oven's personality, you'll just know. Trust your eyes and your nose — they don't lie about pizza.

The single biggest speed-and-quality upgrade in a regular oven is a pizza stone or steel, preheated a full 45–60 minutes on the top rack. It acts like a hot pizza-oven floor, cutting cook time and crisping the bottom beautifully. It's the closest thing to a cheat code for home pizza.

Also: don't overload your pizza (a soggy, heavy pie takes forever and never crisps), and always fully preheat the oven before the pizza goes in. In a pizza oven, give it 15–20 minutes to heat the stone. Do those things and your pizza cooks faster and comes out better. That's how we roll — hot and quick.