Name: Easy Homemade Cheese Calzone Recipe
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cup Flour (all purpose); 1 1/2 cup Water; 1 1/2 tsp Yeast (active dry); 1 1/2 tsp Salt; 1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil (extra virgin); 1 1/2 tsp Sugar; 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese (shredded); 1 cup Tomato Sauce; 1 Egg

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This cheese calzone recipe will easily replace your carry out pizza orders! This recipe is simple, delicious, and fun for the whole family.

If your family loves all things pizza, this is the recipe for you. A few simple ingredients bring this cheese calzone recipe to the dinner table, while skipping the cost and questionable ingredients of carry out.

Homemade pizza dough takes these easy calzones to the next level for your weeknight dinners.

Plus, the contained nature of a calzone makes this a fantastic meal prep option for freezer meals as opposed to regular homemade pizzas.

What You’ll Need for this Cheese Calzone Recipe

Ingredients

Flour: All-purpose flour works great here & keeps things simple.
Salt: Choose your favorite like pink Himalayan, Celtic grey, or sea salt.
Yeast: Active dry yeast or instant yeast.
Olive Oil: The more authentic, the better the Italian flavor in your calzone.
Sugar: I flip-flop between using granulated sugar and honey depending on what is in my pantry.
Mozzarella Cheese: I like mozzarella cheese the best for pizza recipes, but you can also add ricotta cheese for added creaminess.
Tomato Sauce: Grab your favorite store-bought or home canned pizza sauce.
Egg Wash: Adding an egg wash to the outside of the calzone adds a golden finish.

How to Make this Easy Homemade Cheese Calzone Recipe

Bloom the Yeast

A glass measuring cup with water and yeast being mixed to activate the yeast.

Measure out 1 1/2 cups of filtered water and heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds. You want the water to be warm to the touch, but not hot enough to test it with your finger.

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of dry active yeast and 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar or honey to the warm water to allow the yeast to bloom. Stir until the yeast and sugar are dissolved, and let sit for 5 minutes or until frothy.

Note: if you are using instant yeast in place of active dry yeast, you can skip the step of letting the yeast bloom until frothy. Instant yeast is already activated unlike active dry yeast.

Combine the Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer combine the 3 1/2 cups of flour with the 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and stir to combine.

Mix the Dough for the Calzones

Create a well in the center of the flour in the mixing bowl.

Add the yeast, water, and sugar mixture to the flour and salt.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the bowl as well.

A mixing bowl of flour with a well in the center. A glass measuring cup is pouring yeast and water into the center.

A small glass of olive oil being added to a mixing bowl.

Mix the dough until well combined. I use a stand mixer, so this step doesn’t take a lot of elbow grease.

If you are hand-mixing, use a sturdy wooden spoon to mix the dough until well combined.

Kneading the Calzone Dough With or Without a Stand Mixer

This dough is a well hydrated dough, meaning that the water content is higher than many other doughs. A sticky dough like this one, won’t pull away from the sides and get smooth like sturdier doughs.

However, this higher hydration dough yields a much more tender, fluffy dough because of the lighter flour content.

If you are using a stand mixer, allow the mixer to knead the dough using the dough hook attachment for about 5 minutes on medium low speed. The dough will still stick to the sides of the bowl a bit, and won’t be smooth on top.

That’s ok!

Once the dough has been kneaded for 5 minutes, preform a few rounds of stretch and folds.

If you aren’t using a stand mixer, don’t worry about hand kneading for the same amount of time, you’ll just have to do a few extra stretch and folds to develop the dough (detailed below).

Stretch and Folds

To do stretch and folds, wet your hands well so that the dough doesn’t stick.

Start on one side of the bowl and lift that side of the dough up. You want to stretch the dough as much as you can without tearing the dough.

Once you’ve lifted the dough on one side, fold it across the top of the dough to the other side.

A mixing bowl with a ball of dough being stretched over to perform stretch and folds.

A mixing bowl with a ball of dough being folded over to perform stretch and folds.

Turn the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat this step. Stretch the dough up, and fold it over.

As you repeat this step, you’ll notice the dough tightening up.

Once the dough is unwilling to stretch, you know you’ve completed your stretch and folds.

Allow the Dough to Rise

Once you’ve completed the stretch and folds, drizzle about 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the dough, and flip the dough ball so that the seam from the stretch and folds id on the bottom.

A mixing bowl with a dough ball that has been lightly oiled with olive oil.

Cover the dough and allow it to rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

I like to preheat my oven and sit the dough on the stove top as it preheats to keep it warm.

A mixing bowl covered with a clean tea towel on a warming oven.

Assemble the Calzones

After the dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Don’t overdo the flour, just use a light dusting to prevent sticking.

If you don’t want to use my pizza dough recipe, store-bought pizza dough works fine as well following the rest of the recipe.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees as you assemble.

Using a bench scraper or a knife, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.

Gently spread the dough into 6-8 inch rounds. Try not to smash the dough so that you don’t remove all the air from the dough.

Raw pizza dough pressed into round shapes about 6-8" in diameter on a wooden counter.

Add 2-3 spoonfuls of sauce to the calzone dough. Make sure to leave the edges clean, as if making a pizza, so that the edges can seal when you fold it over.

Add about 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce.

Small pizzas topped with cheese and tomato sauce to make this cheese calzone recipe.

Carefully fold the calzone in half so that the edges meet and make a half moon shape.

Press the edges together to seal the cheese inside.

Fresh dough in half moon shapes filled with cheese and sauce to make cheese calzones.

Bake the Cheesy Calzones

Place the calzones on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Beat one large egg to make an egg wash and brush the beaten egg wash over the top of each calzone.

A basting brush adding an egg wash to raw dough before baking.

Put the calzones in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Before cutting into the calzones, allow them to cool for 5 minutes so that the sauce and cheese filling doesn’t pour out.

A wooden cutting board with 4 cheese calzones sitting on it cooling after baking.

Enjoy!

Can I Add Fillings to This Cheesy Calzone Recipe?

My family’s favorite way to enjoy these calzones is simply filled with cheese, however, you can add your favorite toppings!

If you are someone who enjoys a supreme pizza, you might better enjoy a larger variety of fillings.

Consider trying things like

Browned Italian sausage
Pepperoni
Italian seasoning
Black olives
Sliced mushrooms
Green or red peppers
Sliced tomatoes
Fresh basil
Ricotta cheese even adds an additional creaminess.

Serving Cheesy Calzones

Serve your pizza night favorites when you whip up this homemade calzone recipe!

Fresh garden salad
Marinara sauce for dipping
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Homemade chocolate milk

Storing Cheesy Calzones

These cheesy calzones will last up to a week in the refrigerator in a ziplock bag.

Preparing these as a meal prep option is a great idea too!

To freeze, allow them to freeze on a baking sheet for 1 hour before transferring to a ziplock bag.

These last well up to 6 months in the freezer.

Reheating this Cheese Calzone Recipe

In the Oven

From fresh: Place in a cold oven on a baking sheet. Turn the oven on to 375 degrees and heat for 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through.

From Frozen: Place in a cold oven on a baking sheet. Turn the oven on to 375 degrees and heat for 20-25 minutes, or until warmed through.

In the Air Fryer

From fresh: Place in the air fryer for 10 minutes on 375 degrees, or until warmed through.

From Frozen: Place in the air fryer for 20 minutes at 325 degrees, or until warmed through.

Why Should I Make Homemade Calzones

A bench scraper cutting a fresh cheese calzone.

If you want to take control over the ingredients your family is eating, learning how to make your favorite things from scratch is a great way to simplify what you’re eating.

Store bought pizzas contain preservatives and ingredients that aren’t often found in the home kitchen.

Carry out pizzas have even more mysterious ingredients since their recipes may be proprietary.

Additionally, making these from scratch will save money on your grocery bill!

A carry out pizza can start at $14 each, and a store bought frozen pizza can be about $6 each. This entire recipe is just a few dollars to make! Plus you save on gas and tips!