Tartufo Truffle Pizza With Mushrooms and Truffle Cream

Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)

• Yield: 1 12-inch pizza, 4 servings
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 22 minutes, including oven preheat

Quick Ingredients

• 1 lb pizza dough, brought to room temperature while the oven preheats
• 1 tablespoon fine semolina or cornmeal, for the peel or baking sheet
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon for brushing the crust
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch for the truffle cream
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons black truffle paste or truffle pâté
• 4 oz low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, shredded
• 3 oz fontina cheese, shredded
• 10 to 15 g fresh black truffle, shaved just before serving

Do This

• 1. Place a pizza stone or steel in the oven and preheat to 500°F for 45 minutes.
• 2. Sauté mushrooms in olive oil and butter over medium-high heat for 7 to 9 minutes, then add garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper.
• 3. Stir together mascarpone, heavy cream, Parmesan, truffle paste, and a pinch of salt to make the truffle cream.
• 4. Stretch the dough to a 12-inch round on a semolina-dusted peel or parchment-lined baking sheet.
• 5. Brush the crust with olive oil, spread on half the truffle cream, then top with mozzarella, fontina, and mushrooms.
• 6. Bake at 500°F for 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust is puffed, browned, and crisp at the edges.
• 7. Drizzle with the remaining warmed truffle cream and finish with shaved black truffle. Slice and serve immediately.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Restaurant-level flavor at home: Creamy white sauce, earthy mushrooms, melted fontina, and fresh black truffle make this feel truly special.
• No red sauce needed: The truffle cream acts as a rich, savory base while keeping the pizza elegant and balanced.
• Crisp crust, creamy center: A hot oven, preheated stone or steel, and pre-cooked mushrooms help create the best texture.
• Luxury ingredient, approachable method: Fresh truffle is used as a finishing touch, so its aroma stays bright and nothing complicated is required.

Grocery List

• Produce: Cremini mushrooms, garlic, fresh thyme, fresh black truffle
• Dairy: Mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, fontina cheese, unsalted butter
• Pantry: Pizza dough, olive oil, fine semolina or cornmeal, all-purpose flour for dusting, kosher salt, black pepper, black truffle paste or truffle pâté

Full Ingredients

For the Pizza Base

• 1 lb pizza dough, refrigerated or homemade, brought toward room temperature while the oven preheats
• 1 to 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, for handling the dough as needed
• 1 tablespoon fine semolina or cornmeal, for the pizza peel or baking sheet
• 1 teaspoon olive oil, for brushing the outer crust

For the Mushrooms

• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Truffle Cream

• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons black truffle paste or truffle pâté
• 1 pinch kosher salt

For the Cheese and Finish

• 4 oz low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, shredded
• 3 oz fontina cheese, shredded
• 10 to 15 g fresh black truffle, shaved very thinly just before serving
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, optional, for finishing

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the oven and warm the dough

Place a pizza stone or baking steel on the middle rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 500°F for 45 minutes. This long preheat is important because the hot surface gives the pizza a crisp, blistered bottom.

At the same time, place the pizza dough on the counter, still covered, so it can lose its chill and become easier to stretch. If your dough is very cold or stiff, let it sit for the full 45 minutes. Keep it covered so the surface does not dry out.

Step 2: Cook the mushrooms until savory and concentrated

While the oven preheats, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms in an even layer and cook for 5 minutes without stirring too much at first. This helps them brown instead of steam.

Continue cooking for another 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their moisture and the pan looks mostly dry. Stir in the minced garlic, 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the mushrooms cool slightly.

Step 3: Make the truffle cream

In a small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup mascarpone, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan, 2 teaspoons black truffle paste, and a pinch of kosher salt. Mix until smooth and spoonable.

The texture should be thick but easy to spread. If it feels too stiff, stir in an extra 1 teaspoon heavy cream. Set half of the truffle cream aside for spreading on the pizza before baking, and reserve the other half for drizzling after the pizza comes out of the oven.

Step 4: Stretch the dough

Lightly flour your hands and work surface. Gently press the dough into a round, then stretch it into a 12-inch circle, leaving the outer edge slightly thicker for the crust. Try not to force the dough; if it snaps back, let it rest for 5 minutes, then continue stretching.

Sprinkle a pizza peel with 1 tablespoon fine semolina or cornmeal. Transfer the stretched dough to the peel. If you do not have a pizza peel, place the dough on a sheet of parchment set over the back of a baking sheet.

Step 5: Assemble the white truffle pizza

Brush the outer edge of the dough with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Spread half of the truffle cream over the center of the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Use a light hand here; the remaining cream will be added after baking, when the truffle flavor will be more aromatic.

Scatter the shredded mozzarella evenly over the pizza, followed by the shredded fontina. Spoon the cooked mushrooms over the cheeses, spreading them out so each slice gets a generous amount.

Step 6: Bake until crisp and bubbling

Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone or steel. Bake at 500°F for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating once after 6 minutes if your oven has hot spots. The pizza is ready when the crust is puffed and deeply golden in spots, the cheese is melted, and the bottom feels crisp when lifted with a spatula.

If you are baking on parchment, slide the pizza onto the hot stone or steel with the parchment underneath. After 5 minutes, carefully pull the parchment out with tongs and continue baking directly on the hot surface for the crispest crust.

Step 7: Finish with warm truffle cream and shaved black truffle

While the pizza bakes, gently warm the reserved truffle cream just until loose and drizzleable. You can do this in a small saucepan over low heat for 30 to 45 seconds, or in the microwave in 5-second bursts. Do not boil it, because too much heat can dull the truffle flavor.

Transfer the baked pizza to a cutting board. Drizzle the warm truffle cream generously over the top. Immediately shave 10 to 15 g fresh black truffle over the pizza using a truffle shaver or a very sharp mandoline. Finish with a few extra thyme leaves if you like, then slice and serve right away.

Pro Tips

• Use low-moisture mozzarella: Fresh mozzarella can release too much water on a white pizza. Low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella melts beautifully while keeping the crust crisp.
• Do not skip pre-cooking the mushrooms: Mushrooms hold a lot of water. Cooking them first concentrates their flavor and prevents a soggy center.
• Add fresh truffle after baking: Heat can weaken the delicate aroma of fresh truffle, so shave it over the finished hot pizza at the very end.
• Keep the truffle cream balanced: Truffle paste is earthy and rich. Start with the measured amount, then add a tiny bit more after tasting if you want a stronger truffle flavor.
• Let the oven fully preheat: A pizza stone or steel needs time to absorb heat. The full 45-minute preheat gives the crust its best texture.

Variations

• Wild Mushroom Tartufo Pizza: Replace half of the cremini mushrooms with oyster, shiitake, or chanterelle mushrooms. Cook them the same way, until their moisture has evaporated.
• Truffled Egg Pizza: Crack 1 large egg into the center of the pizza after the first 6 minutes of baking, then bake for 4 to 6 minutes more, until the white is set and the yolk is still soft.
• No Fresh Truffle Version: If fresh black truffle is unavailable, finish the pizza with 1 tablespoon jarred black truffle slices and an extra 1/2 teaspoon black truffle paste stirred into the finishing cream.

Storage & Make-Ahead

This pizza is best served immediately, while the crust is crisp and the shaved truffle is most aromatic. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat slices on a baking sheet in a 400°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or until hot and crisp at the edges. Avoid microwaving if possible, as it softens the crust and can make the cream separate.

To get ahead, sauté the mushrooms up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate them in an airtight container. The cheeses can be shredded 1 day ahead. The truffle cream can be mixed up to 24 hours ahead, but for the best aroma, wait to shave the fresh black truffle until the pizza is baked and ready to serve.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 620 kcal | Carbs: 53g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Sodium: 890mg | Cholesterol: 88mg