The Viral Pizza Lava Toast Is Good, but Here’s How To Make It Even Better

If you've spent any time on social media lately, you've probably seen a slew of videos showing you how to make "Pizza Lava Toast." A simple double-decker toast filled with cheese, pizza sauce and topped with more cheese and classic pizza toppings.

I was hooked as soon as I saw this video and knew I had to try it for myself, but I had a few ideas on how to make it even better. Here’s how you can easily elevate Pizza Lava Toast at home.

How Do You Make Pizza Lava Toast?

1. Choose Your Bread

It starts with bread. Many of the recipes I saw use white sandwich bread, but almost any bread would work well. I recommend grabbing a special loaf from the bakery section of your grocery store, since the bread is really the star of the show here, it's worth using a high-quality option!

2. Go For a Double Toast

I saw some versions that start with untoasted bread (the whole thing gets toasted at the end) but other toasted the slices before and after topping. After experimenting with both methods, I found that toasting the bread first was the best way to firm up your bread to help it support all those toppings. It also ensures you’ll get a crispy, crunchy bite instead of a soggy sandwich. 

3. Skip Shredded Cheese

You’ll need to buy sliced cheese or a block of cheese for slicing for pizza lava toast. That’s because you’ll be stacking slices along the edges of your toast to build a brick wall. This cheese fortress is what puts the “lava” in lava toast.  

4. Make a Well

After you've made a border of cheese around one slice of toast and topped with the other slice of toast, you need to form a well in the top toast. A regular size spoon (the kind in your silverware drawer) works well. Use the back of your spoon to press the top slice into the bottom slice, right in the middle of your cheese fortress. This is the well in which you’ll add your sauce.

5. Add Your Toppings

Add your sauce of choice (see below for some options), a few slices of cheese and a handful of toppings and bake or toast once more until the cheese is perfectly melted. 

Tips For Making Pizza Lava Toast Even Better

1. Add Some Oil

Brush some olive oil, mayo or butter on your bread before toasting it. That simple touch instantly boosts flavor and eye appeal.

2. Pick a High-Quality Bread

The traditional pizza lava toast uses white sandwich bread, but since this dish is mostly bread, why not use something more flavorful? Try sourdough, rye, ciabatta or challah—almost any bread makes a delicious base.

3. Try a Mix of Cheeses

Stick with at least one type of cheese that melts well for most of the cheese in the recipe like mozzarella, fontina, or provolone. Then experiment with adding more flavorful cheeses for the rest. Try feta cheese, goat cheese, sharp cheddar, gouda, ricotta, Pepper Jack, blue cheese, and/or Parmesan.

4. Switch Up the Sauce

Pizza sauce is standard, but why not mix it up with pesto, hummus, hot sauce, BBQ sauce, salsa garlic oil or olive tapenade? Or consider giving your pizza sauce a face-lift by adding crushed red pepper, fresh cracked black pepper, fresh chopped oregano or a dash of balsamic vinegar? Try to match your sauce to your bread and toppings. Think of your favorite pizza flavors and combinations to help if you get stuck.

5. Get Creative with Toppings

Be creative! Pickled red onions, pepperoncinis, roasted red pepper slices, olives and really any vegetable or meat make for great pizza toast toppings. Just remember that you’re working with a pretty small surface area, so be mindful to not over do it. A tablespoon or two of chopped ingredients is likely all you’ll have room for. Don’t forget to save the fresh herbs and other extras for finishing.

Pizza Lava Toast Combinations To Try

• Hot Honey BBQ Peach Pizza Lava Toast: Challah bread + Monterey Jack & Gouda cheeses + barbecue sauce + peach slices, crumbled bacon, chopped fresh chives, and hot honey
• Pesto Pizza Lava Toast: Sourdough bread + mozzarella and feta cheeses + pesto sauce + tomato slices, torn fresh basil, and ground black pepper
• Red & Green Goat Pizza Lava Toast: Crusty whole grain bread + mozzarella and goat cheeses + pizza sauce + baby spinach, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar