Neapolitan Pizza Ingredients

Neapolitan pizza is famous for doing a great deal with very few ingredients.

At its simplest, the pizza can be built from:

• flour
• water
• salt
• yeast
• tomatoes
• mozzarella
• basil
• extra-virgin olive oil

That simplicity is exactly why ingredient quality matters.

Quantities are easiest to judge by watching a professional handle them, and Naples classes supply every ingredient, so you can see the proportions before buying anything yourself. Check live dates before you plan around one.

Ingredients at a Glance

Dough

• Tipo 00 pizza flour
• water
• salt
• yeast

Margherita

• tomato
• mozzarella
• basil
• olive oil

Marinara

• tomato
• garlic
• oregano
• olive oil

Why So Few Ingredients Matter

Nothing in a Neapolitan pizza has anywhere to hide. The dough is four ingredients, the Margherita adds four more, and the Marinara swaps the mozzarella and basil for garlic and oregano. Every one of them shows up in the finished pizza, so the sections below take them one at a time, starting with flour because everything else depends on it.

Other Naples Food Experiences You Might Enjoy

In the Centro Storico you can book pizza-making classes with a working pizzaiolo, pizza and tiramisu workshops and pizza and gelato classes, all with ingredients supplied.

1. Flour

Pizza-specific Italian Tipo 00 flour is a traditional choice.

Good flour should absorb water, develop gluten, tolerate your fermentation and stretch without tearing.

Strong white bread flour can also work extremely well.

See Best Flour for Neapolitan Pizza.

2. Water

Water hydrates the flour and influences dough texture, stickiness, extensibility and fermentation.

Ordinary good-quality drinking water is usually fine.

3. Salt

Salt contributes to flavour, gluten strength and fermentation control.

Around 2.5–3% relative to flour is a useful range.

4. Yeast

Yeast produces the gas that contributes to the airy crust.

Both fresh yeast and instant dry yeast can work.

Long fermentation requires surprisingly little yeast.

5. Tomatoes

San Marzano tomatoes are strongly associated with Neapolitan pizza.

They are valued for sweetness, balanced acidity and fleshy texture.

Other excellent whole peeled tomatoes also work.

See San Marzano Tomatoes for Pizza.

6. Mozzarella

Two important options:

Fior di latte

Cow’s-milk mozzarella.

Mozzarella di bufala

Buffalo mozzarella.

Drain fresh mozzarella before baking.

See Buffalo Mozzarella vs Fresh Mozzarella.

7. Fresh Basil

Basil adds freshness, aroma and herbal contrast.

A few leaves are enough.

8. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Use a small drizzle.

The pizza should not be swimming in oil.

Ingredients for One Margherita

1 x 245–250 g dough ball
60–80 g crushed tomatoes
70–90 g mozzarella
3–5 basil leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients for One Marinara

1 x 245–250 g dough ball
60–80 g crushed tomatoes
1 small garlic clove
Dried oregano
Extra-virgin olive oil

What Is in the Dough?

Only:

Flour
Water
Salt
Yeast

A practical home formula:

600 g pizza flour
370 g water
17 g salt
0.5 g instant dry yeast

See Neapolitan Pizza Dough Recipe.

Does Neapolitan Pizza Use Sugar?

Traditional-style dough generally does not require sugar.

At high oven temperatures, extra sugar can cause rapid burning.

Does the Dough Contain Olive Oil?

Traditional-style dough generally does not need it.

Oil is more commonly used as a topping.

What Ingredients Make Pizza Soggy?

The biggest moisture sources are tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, mushrooms and watery vegetables.

Control quantities.

Best Ingredients for a Home Oven

If your oven runs around 250°C (our guide to pizza oven temperature explains why that matters):

• use less tomato
• drain mozzarella thoroughly
• avoid too many wet toppings
• use moderate hydration

Traditional vs Modern Ingredients

Modern Naples pizzerias may use regional cheeses, cured meats, seafood, seasonal vegetables, pistachios and truffles.

The underlying principle remains balance. For topping combinations, see our guide to the best pizza toppings, and for where to taste the modern versions, our guide to the best pizza in Naples.

Ingredient Substitutions

No 00 flour?

Use strong bread flour.

No San Marzano tomatoes?

Use excellent whole peeled plum tomatoes.

No buffalo mozzarella?

Use fior di latte.

No pizza oven?

Use a stone or steel in your domestic oven.

Common Mistakes

• too much yeast
• buying any flour labelled 00 without checking its use
• cooking tomato sauce for hours
• using mozzarella straight from brine
• using too much cheese
• adding sugar to high-temperature dough
• overloading toppings

Learning Ingredients in Naples

A pizza-making class can show you how much of each ingredient professionals actually use.

That practical sense of quantity is often more useful than buying increasingly expensive ingredients.

The Neapolitan Pizza and Tiramisu Cooking Class supplies the flour, yeast, San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and basil, sends you home with printed recipe cards, and is rated 4.9/5 by over 1,600 guests from around €20. The Neapolitan Pizza and Tiramisù Making Class (4.7/5, around 990 reviews) specifies buffalo mozzarella DOP and San Marzano tomatoes from Campania, which makes it the closer match if you want to taste the ingredients at their best.

Compare pizza-making classes in Naples →

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the ingredients in Neapolitan pizza?

Flour, water, salt and yeast form the dough. Traditional toppings include tomato, mozzarella, basil, garlic, oregano and olive oil.

Does the dough contain oil?

Usually not in traditional-style Neapolitan pizza.

Does it contain sugar?

Usually not.

What cheese is used?

Fior di latte and mozzarella di bufala.

What tomatoes are used?

San Marzano tomatoes are strongly associated with the style, though other high-quality whole peeled tomatoes work.

Final Thoughts

Neapolitan pizza is a lesson in restraint.

The challenge is not finding more ingredients.

It is learning to use a small number of ingredients properly.

Ready to Book?

The Naples pizza making class — dough from scratch, wood-fire oven, pizza and tiramisu — is rated 4.9/5 by over 1,600 guests. Classes from €20. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.