Learn how to freeze Pizza Dough. It’s smart to make a double or triple batch so you can freeze half of the dough for the next time you’re craving pizza.

Here are two methods for freezing homemade pizza dough whether you want to use freezer-safe zip containers or Tupperware. 

Homemade pizza dough stored in containers for freezing

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Pizza dough can be frozen in any quantity, whether it’s a full-size pizza or smaller single pizzas. You can store the dough in the freezer for 3-4 months and just thaw overnight before using it. 

Important: The dough needs to be done with the rising/fermentation process or at the point when the dough is ready to use. With our pizza dough, we let it go through the cold fermentation process overnight first to let the yeast work in the dough. Once it’s done with the cold fermentation process (before bringing it to room temperature for an hour), it can be frozen. Read more about Cold Fermentation below.

2 Ways to Freeze Pizza Dough:

Ziplock or Freezer Bag Method: Arrange the dough in a deep, oiled baking pan with some room to expand, cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for cold fermentation, then place the entire pan into the freezer for 24 hours. Once the pizza dough is frozen, transfer each piece of dough into its own freezer zip bag or food saver bag.

Tupperware Containers: Lightly oil the bottom and sides of your Tupperware containers. Place pizza dough into the containers, cover and refrigerate for the overnight cold fermentation (so there’s no need to transfer it later), then transfer containers to the freezer.

Oiling containers and adding pizza dough for freezing

To Thaw Pizza Dough: 

  • If using Zip Bags: Remove dough balls from the freezer and transfer them onto a baking pan lined with flour or semolina flour. Dust the tops with flour so plastic wrap doesn’t stick to the dough then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (8-12 hours).
  • If using Tupperware containers: Place containers in the refrigerator overnight to defrost. Cold defrosting is the BEST method to thaw pizza dough.
Frozen pizza dough in Tupperware containers

To Use the Defrosted Dough: 

Keep dough at room temperature for 1 hour before baking for it to soften and relax. Shape the dough according to our pizza dough recipe instructions. Don’t miss our favorite recipes for red pizza sauce and white pizza sauce.

Defrosted dough ready for forming pizza

Pro Tip: If working with multiple dough pieces, keep the remaining pieces covered so they don’t dry out.

Common Questions:

What is Cold Fermentation? 

Fermentation is critical to great pizza dough and cannot be skipped. Letting the pizza dough rest in the refrigerator overnight allows the yeast time to weaken gluten-forming proteins. This makes the dough easier to stretch and shape and creates an aromatic and soft crust with air pockets that bubble in the oven.

How long can I freeze pizza dough?

Store pizza dough in the freezer for up to 3 months. If it is vacuum-sealed, it will keep up to 4 months.

Can I re-freeze pizza dough? 

Once pizza dough has been frozen and thawed, you should not freeze it again. 

Can I freeze pizza sauce? 

Red pizza sauce freezes well. We usually use half of our pizza sauce and freeze the other half for later. 

How to freeze pizza sauce

It’s so easy to freeze pizza dough and we love having a having the option to enjoy homemade pizza or Calzones when the craving comes.

More Freezer-Friendly Recipes:

Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

How to Freeze Pizza Dough

5 from 16 votes
Author: Natasha Kravchuk
How to Freeze Pizza Dough
Pizza dough can be frozen in any quantity, whether it’s a full size pizza or smaller single pizzas. The most important thing is to freeze the dough after the cold fermentation is in the fridge is complete and the dough is ready for use. Be sure to cold thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using it. 
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 4 people

Instructions

Ziplock or Freezer Bag Method:

  • Arrange the dough in a deep, oiled baking pan with some room to expand, cover pan with plastic wrap and let it do the overnight cold fermentation in the refrigerator.
  • Transfer the pan with dough into the freezer overnight. Once frozen, remove each piece of dough from the baking pan and transfer into its own freezer zip bag or foodsaver bag and store in the freezer for 3-4 months.

Freezing Dough in Tupperware:

  • Lightly oil the bottom and sides of your Tupperware containers.
  • Place pizza dough into the containers, cover and refrigerate for the overnight cold fermentation (so there’s no need to transfer it later). You can also place dough into tupperware after the cold fermenation is done. Cover tightly with lids and freeze up to 3 months.

To Thaw Pizza Dough:

  • If using Zip Bags: Remove dough balls from the freezer and place them onto a baking pan lined with flour or semolina. Dust the tops with flour so plastic wrap doesn’t stick to the dough then cover and thaw in the refrigerator overnight (8-12 hours).
  • If using Tupperware containers: Place containers in the refrigerator overnight to defrost.

To Use Pizza Dough:

  • Keep dough at room temperature for 1 hour before baking so it softens and relaxes and is easier to stretch. Shape the dough according to our pizza dough recipe instructions. 

Nutrition Per Serving

258kcal Calories47g Carbs8g Protein5g Fat1g Saturated Fat1g Polyunsaturated Fat1g Monounsaturated Fat707mg Sodium1mg Potassium1g Fiber6g Sugar1mg Calcium3mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
How to Freeze Pizza Dough
Amount per Serving
Calories
258
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
5
g
8
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Sodium
 
707
mg
31
%
Potassium
 
1
mg
0
%
Carbohydrates
 
47
g
16
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
6
g
7
%
Protein
 
8
g
16
%
Calcium
 
1
mg
0
%
Iron
 
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: How to
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to freeze pizza dough
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 258

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

Read more posts by Natasha

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Stephanie
    December 22, 2023

    First, LOVE THIS RECIPE! We froze half of the dough for the first time. I took the dough out of the freezer and put it in the fridge. Do I HAVE to use it the next day or how long is it good for?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      December 22, 2023

      Hi Stephanie! Before freezing, we have kept this dough in the refrigerator for up to 1 wk. I think it would be fine to use it several days later once it’s thawed. Just test it because it can also start to develop a very sour taste if it’s going bad.

      Reply

  • Yolanda
    July 27, 2023

    Hi Natasha, so we knead the dough after defrosting is that correct? I have done this recipe twice and my kids love it!!! but will like to make some to freeze, want to get it right though..lol

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 27, 2023

      Hi Yolanda, I talk about this a bit more in the recipe post under “To Use the Defrosted Dough:”. We didn’t kneed it more. Simply keep dough at room temperature for 1 hour before baking for it to soften and relax and then shape the dough according to our pizza dough recipe instructions. I hope this helps.

      Reply

  • austin
    April 16, 2023

    What size containers do you have in the picture? your link is for mixed sizes. and how many grams of dough do you have in the container? Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      April 17, 2023

      Hi Austin, it depends on how much dough I make, but I usually use the 16 oz or the 32 oz containers.

      Reply

  • Lisa
    December 15, 2022

    After taking it out of the freezer to transfer to ziplock bags, my pizza dough is frozen to the container. I did use oil. I am not sure what happened.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      December 15, 2022

      Hi Lisa, are you using the thawing instructions listed above: Place containers in the refrigerator overnight to defrost. Cold defrosting is the BEST method to thaw pizza dough. Also, it sounds like you are mixing the two methods (tupperware and ziploc bag). Please see the section titled: “2 Ways to Freeze Pizza Dough:”

      Reply

  • Rick V
    December 10, 2022

    After retarding the dough in the fridge do you punch it down or squeeze the air out of it and form a solid ball before you freeze it?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      December 15, 2022

      Hi Rick, I don’t do any additional punching down of the dough outside of the instructions in the recipe. The slow cold fermentation ensures that the dough doesn’t rise too much so it should not be an issue.

      Reply

  • Farrah
    November 22, 2022

    Hi, thank you again for the great tips. I make 630 gram flour version divided into two pizza balls. Store each in a 7-8 cups container for cold fermentation. 2 questions :
    1- Do I need a small hole in the lid for gas to escape, if not, how do I get the gas out?
    2- can I put this container with the hole in the lid in the freezer after fermentation is completed or do I need to cover the hole before freezing.

    Thank you in advance for input
    Farrah

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 23, 2022

      Hi Farrah, I don’t have a hole in my containers, and it works out well each time!

      Reply

  • Glenn Savoie
    June 23, 2022

    Can I make this pizza dough, form it into shape, put topping and sauce on, then freeze it? That way my kids can just pull it out of the freezer, and pop it in the oven just like store bought frozen pizzas?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      June 23, 2022

      Hi Glenn! I have not tested this but it’s worth experimenting with. Let us know how it works out.

      Reply

  • Barbara Kendziera
    May 30, 2022

    Wondering if I can use 00 flour and if so does that change amounts?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      May 30, 2022

      Hi Barbara, I haven’t tried those substitutions, so I can’t speak to that. Substitutions may hinder the recipe outcome. I always suggest making a recipe as written the first time around.

      Reply

  • Alicia
    May 7, 2022

    Amazing! I make so many of your recipes and the pizza dough and pizza sauce were amazing. I have already placed some in the freezer and can’t wait for another pizza pie.

    Reply

  • Alan Buonforte
    March 30, 2022

    Hi Natasha. First let me say that your pizza dough recipe is amazing, and my pizzas turn out awesome.
    However, my problem stems from freezing it. After the cold fermentation in the fridge for 18 hours (dough is in 1.5-liter glass bowls with covers), I then freeze it. The problem is after it’s thawed, the dough in the bowl is very flat. It does not look the same as when it went into the freezer. And it’s hard to stretch. Am I doing something wrong?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      March 31, 2022

      Hi Alan, I had this in the post but not in the print-friendly so maybe it was missed. I just went ahead and added it to the print-friendly, but when using refrigerated pizza dough, make sure to let it rest at room temperature for an hour for the dough to relax and become easier to stretch.

      Reply

  • Diane Greggo
    March 7, 2022

    Hi I made the pizza twice already and love it. Next I’m going to experiment and make a rectangle pizza in a pan on the stone to get the bottom crispy, also it’s going to be bbq chicken.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 7, 2022

      That sounds great! I’m glad you enjoy this recipe! It is so versatile and I love how you can be creative with it.

      Reply

  • Megan
    February 22, 2022

    Why do you divide the dough into fours? The recipe linked is just for one pizza dough and not shown to be divided at any time. Thank you for clarification!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 24, 2022

      Hi Megan, you are welcome to design it into two if you would like.

      Reply

  • Susan
    February 17, 2022

    I’ve been looking for a pizza that doesn’t have oil as one of its ingredients. Oil to help the dough not stick is fine. I am going to make the dough tomorrow. I am very excited. The cold process was a revelation to me and again I am very excited to add that to my pizza process. I think you are a wonder and I am glad I found your pizza video on Pinterest.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 17, 2022

      Thank you for your good comments. I hope you love this and every recipe that you will try!

      Reply

  • Julie
    July 7, 2021

    Love your pizza dough! It’s the best I’ve tasted. I want to have a pizza party but I’m kind of slow at putting it together so I was thinking can I pre-bake the crust a little and then freeze it and then use it later in the week for the party?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 7, 2021

      Hi Julie, I have not tried pre-baking this to freeze to advise on the outcome, if you happen to experiment I would love to know how you like that.

      Reply

  • Linda
    June 20, 2021

    Hello! What size Tupperware is best to use? Thank you

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 21, 2021

      Hi Linda, we used these Tupperware Containers HERE. They can also be found in our favorite kitchen tools in our Amazon Affiliate Shop HERE.

      Reply

      • Lori Gerry
        November 2, 2021

        Which size container do you use for freezing the dough? The link has multiple size containers.

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          November 2, 2021

          Hi Lori, it depends on how much dough I make, but I usually use the 16 oz or the 32 oz containers.

          Reply

          • Lori Gerry
            November 4, 2021

            For your restaurant style pizza dough where you cut it in half to make 2 crusts, is the 16 ounce container a sufficient size to let each one cold ferment in the frig and then put in the freezer?

          • Natashas Kitchen
            November 4, 2021

            Hi Lori, that should work great! I always use the 16oz or size bigger.

  • Teji Singh
    June 15, 2021

    Nice Recipe.Thank you.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 15, 2021

      You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

  • Sharon S Kiser
    June 12, 2021

    I’ve been making your fabulous pizza dough. THE BEST EVER! I’d like to try freezing the dough. You say to let it ferment in the refrigerator before freezing. But do I first let it have the rising time at room temp, then refrigerate, then freeze? Thank you for being so generous with your recipes and kitchen tips.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      June 13, 2021

      Hi Sharon, let it go through the entire rising process detailed in our pizza dough recipe. You want the dough to be at the point where it’s ready to use for making pizza (before taking it out of the fridge to let it rise for 1 hour and bake it).

      Reply

  • Kristyn
    June 11, 2021

    Love your tips!! We love making homemade pizza dough & having it already made & in the freezer, makes life easier!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 11, 2021

      If we can find a way to make it easier, we will! I’m so glad this is helpful to our readers!

      Reply

  • Valentina
    June 11, 2021

    I LOVE this idea! I am going to make a bunch of this homemade pizza dough and freeze it for the summertime! My kids love the taste of this dough and it’s so great to work with!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      June 11, 2021

      Yes, that is so smart for summer pizza cravings. It’s remarkable how the defrosted dough tastes just as good as fresh. We just made a batch of pizzas today from our frozen pizza dough.

      Reply

  • Sara Welch
    June 11, 2021

    This is such a great idea for busy weeknights! An awesome idea to plan ahead; definitely giving this a try!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      June 11, 2021

      Thanks, Sara! It really is so convenient. We enjoyed our frozen pizza dough for lunch today and it’s always a treat!

      Reply

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