✔ Published · new Halloween recipe with string cheese web + mini pizza options
Spider web pizza is a cheese pizza decorated with a sour cream spider web and black olive spiders. It is an easy, kid-friendly Halloween dinner made with store-bought dough in about 35 minutes.
How Do You Make Spider Web Pizza? (Quick Answer)
Bake a cheese pizza at 475°F (245°C) for 12 to 15 minutes and let it rest 3 minutes. Pipe 4 to 5 rings (or a spiral) of sour cream thinned with milk from the center outward, drag a toothpick from the center to the edge 8 times to form a web, and add spiders made from halved black olives with thin olive-strip legs.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Thin the sour cream with a splash of milk and pipe it onto the warm, not piping-hot, pizza. Too thick and the lines break; too hot and the web melts into the cheese.
Why You'll Love This Spider Web Pizza
- Weeknight-easy: store-bought dough, jarred sauce and 35 minutes.
- Kids can decorate, dragging the toothpick and building olive spiders.
- Two web methods: a creamy piped web or a baked string cheese web.
- Scales up: make one big pizza for dinner or mini pita pizzas for a party.
- Any toppings work, since the web sits on top of whatever pizza your family likes.
Piped Web or String Cheese Web?
There are two popular ways to make the web. The piped web goes on after baking and gives the sharpest look; the string cheese web bakes on and melts into the pizza for a gooier result.
| Web method | When to add | Look | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sour cream or ranch, piped | After baking | Crisp white lines, clean web | Photos and parties |
| String cheese strands | Before or for the last 5 min of baking | Melty, rustic web | Cheese lovers |
| Provolone strips | Last 3 to 5 min of baking | Wide, soft web | Quick and easy |
| White garlic sauce | After baking | Creamy, savory lines | Grown-up flavor |
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Preheat the pan. A pan or stone heated for 20 minutes at 475°F gives a crisp bottom instead of a pale, doughy one.
- Use low-moisture mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella releases water and makes a soupy surface the web slides around on.
- Thin the sour cream just enough. It should flow from the bag in a steady line but hold its shape, like thick yogurt.
- Let the pizza rest 3 minutes. Piping on a just-out-of-the-oven pizza melts the web into the cheese.
- Wipe the toothpick. Clean it after every drag for sharp web lines.
- Cut olives for kids. Whole olives are a choking risk for children under 4; the thin sliced legs and halved bodies are safer, or chop them smaller.
Spider Web Pizza
8
slices20
minutes15
minutes290
kcal35
minutesSpider web pizza: a 14-inch cheese pizza baked at 475°F (245°C) for 12 to 15 minutes, then decorated with a spider web piped from thinned sour cream and dragged with a toothpick, plus black olive spiders. Serves 8 slices in about 35 minutes.
Ingredients
- For the Pizza
1 lb pizza dough, store-bought or homemade, at room temperature
1 tablespoon cornmeal or flour, for the pan
1/2 cup pizza or marinara sauce
2 cups low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
1 tablespoon olive oil, for brushing the crust
- For the Web and Spiders
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon milk, to thin the sour cream
6 pitted whole black olives (large or jumbo)
Directions
- Bake the Pizza
- Heat the oven to 475°F (245°C) with a pizza pan, baking sheet or pizza stone inside for at least 20 minutes.
- Stretch the dough into a 14-inch round on a sheet of parchment dusted with cornmeal. Spread the sauce to within 1 inch of the edge and scatter the mozzarella evenly. Brush the rim with olive oil.
- Slide the pizza, on its parchment, onto the hot pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the cheese is bubbling with a few brown spots. Rest for 3 minutes.
- Make the Web and Spiders
- Stir the sour cream with the milk until smooth and pipeable, then spoon it into a zip-top bag and snip a tiny corner. While the pizza is still warm, pipe 4 to 5 evenly spaced rings, or one continuous spiral, working from the center outward.
- Drag a toothpick or skewer from the center to the edge through the rings 8 times, evenly spaced like clock hands, wiping it between drags. This pulls the rings into a spider web.
- For each spider, halve an olive lengthwise for the body. Slice another olive half crosswise into thin strips for 8 legs. Arrange 2 or 3 spiders on the web, then slice and serve.
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Variations
- String cheese web: pull 3 to 4 sticks of string cheese into thin strands. Lay 8 spokes and rings of strands on the pizza for the last 5 minutes of baking.
- Mini spider pizzas: top 6 pitas, English muffin halves or small tortillas with sauce and cheese and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 8 to 10 minutes. Each gets its own small web and spider.
- Pepperoni spider: use a pepperoni slice as the body and thin strips of bell pepper as legs.
- Pizza toast: for a fast lunch, decorate this pizza toast with a mini web.
- Homemade crust: start from this Roberta's-style pizza dough for a chewier base.
Storage and Reheating
- Room temperature: don't leave pizza out for more than 2 hours, since the cheese and sour cream are perishable.
- Fridge: wrap slices or store in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. More detail: how long pizza lasts in the fridge.
- Reheat: in a skillet over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, or at 375°F (190°C) for about 8 minutes, until steaming hot. The sour cream web softens when reheated; scrape it off and re-pipe if you like.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Sour cream too thick: the line breaks and won't drag into points.
- Piping on a scorching pizza: the web melts and spreads.
- Too much sauce: a wet top makes the web bleed pink.
- A cold pan: the crust stays pale and soft underneath.
What to Serve With Spider Web Pizza
Round out the meal with a crunchy salad or one of these side dishes for pizza. For a Halloween party table, add mummy hot dogs, mummy jalapeño poppers and Halloween popcorn, or browse more Halloween recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make a spider web on pizza?
Pipe 4 to 5 rings of thinned sour cream, ranch or white sauce onto a baked pizza from the center outward, then drag a toothpick from the center to the edge 8 times. For a baked web, lay thin strips of string cheese in a web shape before baking.
What can I use for the spider web besides sour cream?
Thick ranch dressing, garlic white sauce, crème fraîche or Greek yogurt all pipe well after baking. For a baked web, use string cheese pulled into thin strands or thin strips of sliced provolone, added for the last few minutes of baking.
How do you make olive spiders?
Halve a large black olive lengthwise and set it cut side down for the body. Slice another olive half crosswise into thin arcs and arrange 4 on each side as legs. A smaller olive half or a slice can be the head.
Can I make spider web pizza ahead of time?
Bake the pizza up to 2 hours ahead and reheat it at 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes, then add the web and spiders just before serving. Leftovers keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge; reheat until steaming hot.
What temperature do you bake homemade pizza at?
Bake pizza made with store-bought or homemade dough at 475°F (245°C) for 12 to 15 minutes on a preheated pan or stone. Thinner crusts bake faster; deep-dish needs a lower 425°F (220°C) and longer.
Can I add meat toppings?
Yes. Add pepperoni or cooked crumbled sausage under the cheese. Raw sausage won't cook through on top of pizza, so brown it to 160°F (71°C) first and drain it.
