Easy Calzone Recipe
Easy Calzones make for a fun lunch or dinner. A calzone is like a stuffed pizza pocket, filled with all the classic toppings – meat, cheese, and your choice of sauce wrapped in Pizza Dough.
Prep a handful of these to have on hand throughout the week. They reheat really well and are perfect for packing work or school lunch.
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Hi there! My name is Natalya and I run the blog Momsdish. If you already follow me, you know I can’t get enough of easy meals that require simple ingredients. This recipe is no different. Trust me, you’re going to love this homemade calzone recipe.
What is a Calzone?
Calzones are Italian turnovers that are stuffed with an array of ingredients. Pretty much anything that goes on a pizza can go into a calzone.
The fillings are placed on one half of the circular shaped pizza dough. The dough is then folded over, pinched and sealed, coated with an egg wash or olive oil, and baked in the oven until golden brown.
What is the Difference Between Calzones and Stromboli?
If you love calzones, you have probably tried its close cousin, stromboli. Stromboli vs Calzone – what sets them apart? Although both have similar ingredients, the way they are sealed is different. Calzones are pinched and sealed like empanadas and are handheld, while a stromboli is rolled up and sliced.
Calzone Dough
If you’re in a pinch, grab any store-bought pizza dough to make your calzone. If you want to elevate your home cooking game, make your own pizza dough.
As you’re rolling your dough out, pay special attention to the thickness. You want to make sure that the dough is thick enough to hold all the toppings and be folded over without breaking. ¼-inch thickness is the sweet spot.
Calzone Filling
Here are some different variations for you. Mix-and-match your ingredients to make the perfect calzone for your tastebuds:
- Cheese – Mozzarella, parmesan, sharp cheddar, feta and goat cheese.
- Meats – Salami, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, ham, bacon, chicken, Italian sausage, steak strips or meatballs.
- Veggies – Mushrooms, bell peppers, pepperoncini, marinated artichokes, spinach and red onions.
- Sauce – Use a red pizza sauce or white sauce.
- Dip – Each your calzone plain or dip your calzone in a little homemade marinara or ranch.
How to Make Calzones
Calzones at home are super easy. The best part about calzones is everyone can customize their own. Gather a ton of ingredients, lay them out and let your friends and family go at it! Follow these simple instructions to nail it every time:
- Divide pre-made pizza dough into equal portions and roll into a circle.
- On one half of the dough, spread all of your selected ingredients.
- Fold over and tightly crimp the edges.
- Cut air vents, brush with oil and sprinkle on parmesan. Bake at 475F for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.
For Larger or Smaller Calzones: Baking time may need to be adjusted based on the size of your Calzone.
Storing Calzones
To Freeze: Once you have prepared your calzones, you can freeze them while they are raw or cooked. Either way, place them on a baking sheet and allow them to completely freeze in a single layer. Then, store them in an airtight container or freezer-safe plastic bag.
To Reheat: Thaw frozen calzones in the refrigerator for 3 hours, or add more cooking time if heating from frozen. Bake raw calzones according to recipe instructions. Bake cooked calzones for half the time or until they are heated through.
Other Quick Lunch Recipes
- Reuben Sandwich – with a wonderful homemade Russian dressing.
- Philly Cheesesteak – A timeless sandwich with tender beef and cheese.
- Fish Tacos – Nothing says party like fresh, fish tacos drizzled in a tangy aioli.
- Costco Chicken Bake – A copycat recipe for the famous chicken bake.
- Pizza Rolls – A kid’s favorite and fun twist on making pizza.
Easy Calzone Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb pizza dough
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup pepperoni
- 1/2 cup salami
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475 °F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with oil.
- Divide the dough into 8 equally sized pieces. Roll each piece into a 1/4" thick circle.
- Place the filling on half of each circle (pizza sauce, ricotta, pepperoni, salami and shredded mozzarella). Make sure to leave the edges clean to allow for sealing the calzone. Fold the side over the filling and crimp the edges.
- Place calzones on a baking sheet, leaving space apart. Cut a small vent on the top of each calzone. Brush the tops with oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natalya Drozhzhin
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I was reading the comments before making. I see some folks mentioning that the parchment burned or the bottom was a bit soggy. I just took a bakers cooling rack and used that after spraying with oil, placed them on that in the pan. Turned out great. Thanks for the recipe. Was wondering if these would work in an air fryer as well?
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me, Brett! I haven’t tested that but I did read online that calzones can be baked in an air fryer at 325˚F for 12 minutes, turning after 8 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. Let me know how it goes if you test that out.
Match this great Calzone with pizza sauce made easy.
3 oz tomato paste.
15 oz tomato sauce.
1 Tablespoons dried oregano to taste.
2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning.
½ teaspoon garlic powder.
½ teaspoon onion powder.
½ Tablespoon garlic salt.
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
1 teaspoon sugar.
Mix it all together an hr beforehand to let the spices incorporate.
I would love to see a video on this! 😃 I’m not great with dough and I had a hard time making them. I’m sure they will be delicious though.
Hi Renee! Thank you for the suggestion. Maybe we can film a video for it in the future.
Hi Natasha!! Love this recipe. Baked on parchment paper. No burning. The only problem I had was a soggy bottom!! Next time I may leave the sauce out. Love your videos too!❤️
Angela
Thanks for sharing, Angela. We’re glad that you love our Easy Calzone Recipe!
A pizza stone is a must if you don’t want a soggy bottom. My calzone always turn out crispy on both side. No parchment needed with the stone.
THIS WAS SO GOOD OMG 5STARS THE WAY THE CHEESE MELTED WAS SOOO GOOD I DEF WOULD DO AGAIN 5 STARS FOR U
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for the wonderful feedback.
Such an easy recipe. This is my third time using this recipe. Halved the dough and made 4 calzones and a pizza. Definitely a keeper.
Hi Rica! Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you enjoy this recipe!
Would these be able to freeze? Like making homemade hotpockets?
HI Amanda, you sure can, we have a section in this recipe sharing exactly how to store Calzone, freeze and reheat. See the “Storing Calzones” Section. I hope this helps!
Tried these today and they came out perfect, with a golden crust. Having some undercooked insides were a worry I had, but they were cooked to the core. Much appreciated.
That’s wonderful! Thank you for sharing. I’m so glad it was enjoyed.
I am truly a novice cook, so when
I saw “easy” in the title I knew it was a good one for me.
I followed the recipe with one exception, i did not use ricotta cheese at all. The rolling of the dough was the hardest part.
These turned out PERFECT.
Nice and crispy outside, soft doughy inside. I use internet
Recipes alot, and this one is truly
One of the best. No question I’ll
Be making these again. Thanks for a simple and really delicious recipe.
That made my day brighter! Thanks a lot for sharing that with us, we appreciate it!
How many times do I need to make the pizza dough recipe for 2lbs of.pizza dough for these?
I have made the calzones with already made dough and they were a hit. Now I want to make the dough from scratch? Thank you!!!
Hi Jackie! You just need to make the pizza dough one time as written and that will be enough to make these calzones. I hope that helps.
I make this All The Time. It’s the #1 meal at our house. (I make plain cheese, just ricotta and mozzarella, but others sometimes grill up onions or peppers to use in the filling, and I heat up some marinara sauce for my husband to dunk his in.)
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Jennifer!
If you add pizza sauce and cheese inside and fry them you have a panzarotti, a South Jersey treat.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I made these with ground turkey meat, tomato basil sauce and and cheese, so goood. Boys rated 10/10
Hi Diane! That sounds yummy! I’m so glad it was a hit.
I halved the dough and made a large calzone. Family said it was delicious and asked me to make another one tomorrow.
That’s wonderful Elaine! I’m so glad it was a hit!
Super easy weekend lunch! I roasted eggplant slices and used those instead of pepperoni. Delicious! Took 10 min to put together.
I’m so glad it was quick and delicious for you! Thank you or your great review, Elizabeth!
Making this today. Used your pizza dough recipie. Looking good so far.
I hope you love this!
This is amazing and easy!! I substituted out the salame and added Canadian bacon and Italian sausage.
That sounds good, thanks a lot for sharing!
But how can I find your recipes through all the commercial clutter?
Hi Eric, the ads are the only way we can provide recipes for free to our readers. We found most people would rather see an ad than have to pay a subscription.
Seeing that we are being petty… I select what is an adblocker for $1,000.
LOL – good one, Cutter.
Also, looking forward to making this recipe.
Perfect recipe! Easy to follow, squirm, and delicious. 10/10 would recommend!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Todd!
I will let you know if it is authentic or not. I lived in Italy for 3 years so I know how amazing they are. They do put artichokes in Italy but I don’t like that.
Sounds good!
Hi, can you omit the meat toppings and just use sauce cheese and ricotta? What are some other toppings you can use?
I haven’t tried other toppings but feel free to do an experiment!
Calzones can have any toppings you want. If you’re vegetarian, you can do ricotta with spinach and parmesan and mushrooms and combine basically any veggies you want. Calzones are as versatile as pizza. Put anything in them that you would put on a pizza.
no u are not allowed to do that. you cannot choose your own fillings. sorry.
DUDE,you can pick and choose your fillings (like u can on a pizza).In fact, u can also use different types of sauces.So sorry.
Okay funny! 🤣. The “sorry” at the end was a great touch.
Using your pizza dough recipe, how many calzones would it make in total? Also, how big do you make a circle of dough for one calzone?
Hi Dawn the serving size is 8 for this recipe.
475 is too high for parchment paper. Paper burns at 450 – hence the title Fahrenheit 451! This could be why some commented that the bottom of their calzone burned
Hi Dee, we have little parchment exposed and haven’t had that issue. Spraying the pan and baking right on it will work.
As an alternative, you can spray the cooking tray with some oili and spread cornmeal to prevent it from sticking. This is the traditional way.
Same thing happened to me. A little scorched. Would tuck it under more next time.
I’m looking forward to trying this. I have a question – the recipe calls for 2 lbs pizza dough, but your dough recipe doesn’t have a weight. Is is one dough recipe for the 2 lbs?
Hi Lori, one recipe for pizza dough will work for this recipe.
My grandkids love these. I’ve used pizza dough from a can, crescent dough, and frozen bread dough. All are excellent.
Sounds great, Bonnie! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve never seen sauce inside a calzone in any pizza shop. In NY and NJ it’s always on the side. Interesting.
DeeDee, you are completely correct, Calzones do not have any sauce inside, that would make it lean toward being a Stromboli instead. Calzones are for dipping in a side sauce.
I’ve made these twice and although they taste great, my calzones keep opening up when in the oven spilling out all the cheese. I’ve tried to seal them two different ways but failed both times. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Panay! Are you cutting air vents for them? Also, be sure to not overfill the Calzones. You can try sealing the dough with some water, just lightly brush some water underneath the top fold where it attaches to the bottom fold. I hope that helps.
I’ve had them made with ricoots cheese. I didn’t like them because it was too heavy. I think I’d like it with mozzarella instead.
Hey Natasha , for the oven temperature are you sure it should be 475 instead of 375? . I tried the calzone and completely burned. I was thinking maybe it’s just a typo
Hi Monica, that’s right, we used a temperature of 475 Fahrenheit. Ensure your oven is calibrated and your pizza is not too close to the burners on regular bake mode.
I made this tonight without salami since I didn’t have any on hand. But it was still yummy! Just added extra pepperoni. Toddler approved! I love how you put the cost to make on the recipe!
That’s wonderful, glad your toddler loved this too!
My second batch of these was way better than the first. There was a little bit of a learning curve for me. Three suggestions – do not overstuff (which I really wanted to do!), use non-stick aluminum foil instead of parchment paper, and Trader Joe’s herb pizza dough makes great calzones.
Thanks a lot for your suggestions, Cindy! That is so helpful.
Not worth making. I have tried better ones in my life, though I believed in your recipe.
Hi Camille, sorry to hear that you didn’t like the recipe. Can you be more specific as to what happened when you tried this?
I attempted to make this last night. Did not know my dough needed to rest 4-5 hours 🙁 let it rest and the. Refrigerated it till tonight. My dough would not stretch out. I tried and tried. Kept shrinking back. So I gave up and went to plan B real quick. Used a can on biscuits I had in the fridge just to make dinner. I followed the dough recipe from here. I’ll try again another time and use the dough right away instead of putting it in the fridge. Otherwise really good.
I hope you give it another try soon Tiffany!
I just made some calzones the other day, very similar to yours. I make them small and fry them in vegetable oil, they are amazing. They must be small circles no bigger than 6 inches and then fold them over. It takes your calzones to a new level. Try it once, ,are them exactly as you did here but instead oof baking them, fry them. They must be small however.
That’s nice, thank you for sharing that with us!
This is what we call a PANZEROTI in southwestern Ontario—the BEST!!!! But def a treat for once in a while LOL😋
I am going to try the calzone and 1 thing I like to cook pizza in is my cast iron pans and then baking in the oven. perfect cook everytime. Ty for always having something fun to try….
Diana
Oh I bet this is so good in a cast iron pan! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I am trying to develop my cooking skills so I decided to make calzones. I made the pizza dough, and the pizza sauce from scratch. I was nervous because once I tried to make bread and it came out the consistency of a rock. This time was different. I can’t believe how delicious these were, the dough was soft and yummy, I put ricotta, mozzarella, basil and fetta inside and I cant believe I actually pulled it off. I am really proud of myself, thanks Natasha.
Calzones are so good! You should be proud, Brooke! I’m happy you gave this a try, pulled it off, and loved it!
Hi I made a full size calzone with salami, procuttio ,and pepperoni Mozzarella and ricotta cheese it tasted good but the ricotta looked like it was cottage cheese instead of creamy any ideas or suggestions
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Diane! I’m glad you enjoyed that. I imagine the type of ricotta used may impact the outcome. If you take a look at my recipe photos, you’ll notice we start wyou’lleamy ricotta.
Followed recipe bit the temp was to high and burned the bottom of all the calzones ruined our dinner
Hi D, did you possibly have the oven set to convection mode? That would possibly be why they are overcooked. I also recommend getting an in-oven thermometer to check if your oven runs too hot.
If I fill these with Italian sausage do I need to cook the sausage first?
Hi Debra, I would pre-cook the meat if putting inside of a calzone.
Since moving to New Zealand almost 2 years ago, my husband has been begging for a calzone! We haven’t found them here. He will be thrilled when i surprise him this weekend! We love your recipes!
Exciting! I hope he loves it and I’m sure he will be surprised and happy. Please update us on how it goes.
Hi Natasha. Can I use instant dry yeast and what would be the measurement? And aI know that I would have to add it directly to the flour and not cure it in the water like regular yeast. Thanks in advance.
Hi Barbara, I haven’t tried this with instant yeast so I’m not sure how that will affect the rise in the fridge, but other readers have reported trying it and following the same method.
Hi Natasha, I love all your recipes. So i’m making the dough from scratch. Once I remove the dough from the fridge, can i use it right away or do i let it sit for some time?
I recommend letting it rest. The dough will be much easier to work with if you let it rest at room temperature before using it.
Hi i made your pizza dough to use for pizza rolls and it came out yummy. dough was nice ans soft with little crust.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
so cheesy
We love a good, cheesy Calzone! I hope you loved this recipe!
I made these last night for dinner and they turned out fantastic. I brushed the tops with butter to keep them soft.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Lisa!
Natasha is Natalya your sister
No, but we are friends.
Oh I said that because she is also Ukrainian. Thanks for the info
Wonderful recipe especially with your pizza sauce. Unfortunately I did not look to see my parchment paper is rated at 425. It burned up pretty bad. It did ruin one of the calzones. I will stick with the sheet only next time lol. Also I could not find parchment paper in the store rated past 450. So maybe remove it and just suggest we use a pan at such a high heat.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
I haven’t made this recipe (yet) but make pizza all of the time using parchment in a 550 oven. I leave the parchment under the dough for about two minutes, then pull it and let the pizza cook directly on the steel/stone. The edges of the paper will turn brown but they don’t catch fire and your pizza (or calzone in this case) will be crisp and delicious. Good luck!
I made these for the first time tonight and they were delicious! They came out golden brown on top but the bottom of the calzones had some moisture and were a little doughy. How can I fix this for next time?
Hi Dorothy, it is best to bake right away, so the dough doesn’t get soggy from absorbing the filling & sauce, that is likely the culprit, but it’s hard to say without being there.
Maybe make a video of this recipe.
Thanks for suggesting that, Cynthia.
Hello Natasha,I very much enjoy your recipes but I find it very annoying that the measurements given are all in imperial tables. I would have thought that if you have a channel seen globally you would take the time to convert them into metric. Thank you
Hi Alice, you can convert the ingredients. Just click on Jump to recipe and click Metrics to convert it.
I’ve had dozens of calzones in my life, but none of them had ricotta cheese. Is that necessary for this recipe?
Hi Traci, we love this recipe with cheese. I haven’t tried making another version of it but feel free to to an experiment and share with us how it goes.
Can this dough be used to do fruit filled puff pastry?
Hi Ericka, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise but I think it’s worth experimenting with. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
Just made calzones for lunch using these steps and your pizza dough instructions…. So delicious!!! I have always thought making dough would be so daunting. This was simple, fun and oh so delicious. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 🙂
You’re welcome! That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
If you use bell pepper, onion, mushrooms do they need to be precooked before using in a Calzone?
Hi Rhonda, I would pre-cook the veggie toppings if put inside of a calzone.
I put raw diced green peppers and mushrooms in mine and they come out perfect!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Valerie!
We loved them! So good! And my picky eater asked for seconds! Thank you!
Hi Heather, I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you!
Awful recipe. Not “easy” at all.
The dough doesn’t stay it’s form. The details for the recipe aren’t very detailed on how to get the dough to stay in its circle- or how to cut it- also the time for it is way too long, I set the fire alarms off because I followed directions and it was too long and burnt them.
Did you possibly use an air fryer or convection baking? Those two methods would need adjustments. Also, some ovens run hot, so it may be that you need to remove it sooner.
How far in advance can I make them before cooking them the same day.
Hi Michelle, it is best to bake right away, so the dough doesn’t get soggy from absorbing the filling & sauce.
If you bake them on a pizza pan with air holes on the bottom of the pan the crust will not turn soggy no matter how far in advance you make them- mine are always crispy on the bottom-this recipe is great!
Can I make these calzones in a air fryer as well
Hi Debbie, I haven’t tested that but I did read online that calzones can be baked in an air fryer at 325˚F for 12 minutes, turning after 8 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. Let me know how it goes if you test that out.
these are amazing you must try them
Thank you for your great comments and recommendation, Karen.
My hubby, who is majorly fussy, loves all your recipes; esp this one. Always wants seconds !
And he’s not a ‘seconds’ kinda guy. You’ve spoiled him. Now you must adopt him (and can you adopt me as well??).
Haha, thanks to you and your husband for trusting my recipes! I’m happy to know that he enjoyed it. I hope you will both love every recipe that you will try.
Love. ❤️🥰
I actually cried while trying this recipe. My dough kept shrinking back into a tiny little circle (store bought). Any tips? However, when they were done baking, my kids told me it didn’t matter HOW LONG it took me to make these, I MUST make them again. The flavor and everything else was wonderful. Any helpful tips on rolling out the pesky dough? Thanks for all the good yummies!! 🙂
Hi Jenny, make sure to give the dough adequate amounts of time to rise including the cold fermentation in the fridge. Also, the dough will be much easier to work with if you let it rest at room temperature before using it.
Making calzones this weekend. I just made your pizza dough. Your calzone recipe calls for 2# of pizza dough. Does your pizza dough recipe make 2#? I don’t know if I need to use both of the dough balls or just one. And I’m loving your recipes! I have another printed stack ready to try! Thank you!
Hi Susan, you would use the full batch of pizza dough (which makes about 2 lbs of dough) to make the calzones. I’m so glad you are loving our recipes. Thank you for sharing that with me.
Delicious, easy – loved them!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you for sharing your review with me!
That really looks tasty wil try soon ….thanks for sharing
I hope you love it!
hi Natasha,
thank you so much for this recipe. i made it friday night and my kids and husband couldn’t have enough of it. i had to make it again on Saturday and doubled the recipe and it was still not enough. my son who is a picky eater so loved it that i earned the “best mom in the WWW” title LOL.
i also made the Instant Pot whole chicken recipe and it was so so so good.
Then i made the creamy mac and Cheese recipe and it was also a hit.
lastly, i made the Apple Pie Turnover. This one was to die for. thank you for all the delicious recipes. i will be making more.
P/S. i had to buy an airfryer and an Instant pot last weekend as well LOL
Wow, that is so awesome! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, it makes me feel inspired to create more videos and recipes for you all.
Hi Natasha,
Could you make a video for the calzone recipe please?
Hi Vannita, there’s no video for this but thanks for your suggestion!
Natasha Do you have a cookbook I can purchase. You are a very good cook or should I say Chef. Thank you Sylvia
Hello Sylvia, I am currently working on a cookbook. Sorry as it’s taking a while but I’ll definitely share it with you all when it’s ready!
Yay! Looking forward to it. My family thinks I’m the best cook in the world because of you. Thank you!
Great to hear that, Andrea. You are very welcome and I hope you and your family will love every recipe that you will try!
hi..i love your recipe and make it today for my kids..calzone recipe is so easy to make..thank you very much for sharing..you are a great inspiration..lovelove
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
I see nothing in the instructions, as to what the filling consists of? Is it assumed that you just mix everything but the dough together, and it is the stuffing?
Hi Patricia, we used the filling ingredients listed in the recipe card (pizza sauce, ricotta cheese, salami and pepperoni along with shredded mozzarella but you can change up the filling based on your preferences). I hope you love the calzone recipe!
Your recipe calls for ricotta cheese but no mention about adding to Calzone in your instructions
Hi Robert, I notated the print-friendly recipe at the bottom. It is also photographed for visual reference. I hope that helps.
My kids loved these! We had them for lunch today and they were gone in no time!
Hi Anna, I am so happy to hear your kids loved the calzones! Thanks for sharing that with me.
How do you suggest cooking the calzones in the air fryer?
Hi Barbara, I haven’t tested that but I did read online that calzones can be baked in an air fryer at 325˚F for 12 minutes, turning after 8 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. Let me know how it goes if you test that out.
One of our favorite take out items. We used your recipe it was delicious!
I love being able to recreate favorites at home. Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
Looks so good! Can’t wait to try this one.
It is so good, I hope you like it!
Finally, a calzone recipe ! Thank you Nathasha ! How about baking them on a pizza stone in the oven ? This is how I bake pizza with your dough recipe, would that work ? If yes, what temperature ?
Hi Julie, that should work on a pizza stone. I would bake at the same temp as this recipe states, but you could preheat the pizza stone in the oven and bake on the hot pizza stone. Keep an eye on it as it might finish up faster on a hot stone.