Margherita Pizza Vs. Cheese Pizza – Know The Differences

We have different kinds of pizzas, and while you may not like one, you will most likely enjoy another. Whenever you talk of Italian pizzas, the first one to come to mind is the Margherita pizza. But when you come back home, then you will most likely hear of cheese pizza.

These two styles of pizza are quite common, but not many people know their differences.

What is Margherita pizza?

For those who have at least seen it, the first thing we think of is that it’s a name we give to any cheese and tomato pizza, but no, that’s not it.

The pizza often comes with cheese, tomato, and basil to mimic the Italian flag colors. I don’t think you have to confuse- Margherita and cheese pizza as they look very different.  

If you have been studying anything pizza-related, you will understand that Italians take their pizza too seriously. This is why the Margherita is one of the pizzas protected by the Associazione, Verace Pizza Neapolitan.

To date, they still require you to make it the traditional way if you call it the pizza Neapolitan. Otherwise, if the pizza doesn’t meet the set standards, they call it any pizza.

But why is it still called so?

Back in 1889, king Umberto and Queen Margherita visited Naples for business. At the time, they were already too tired of eating regular French food. So they decided to try the local ‘peasant food.’ At the time, people thought it was just some peasant food that they couldn’t even sell in major hotels.

So she asked the pizza maker at the time by Raffaele Esposito’s name to make the pizza. And she liked the pizza he made to mimic the Italian flag. It was the one with tomatoes, cheese, and basil.

She liked it so much she kept ordering her people to go and get it. The pizza maker and the wife then gave it a Name-Pizza Margherita. From then, this pizza type started to spread across Italy and to the world. To date, they still make it the same way in Italy.

What is a cheese pizza?

This one usually comes with different types of cheese as the toppings, but then it uses even other dairy products. So it’s just the pizza crust without the toppings but with cheese and different kinds of cheese at that.

So they will mostly even use processed or modified cheese, and of course, it has mozzarella cheese together with other different types of cheese.

So then you will have mozzarella, parmesan, provolone, cheddar, Romano, ricotta, among others.

People confuse these two because they use cheese as the toppings without too much additional.

Now what you would mostly call cheese pizza outside the US is also what we call plain pizza. We give it the name because the regular New York pizza often has cheese too. So when you call it the cheese pizza, it would easily confuse.  

The significant similarity between these two is that they are both classic Italian pizzas. They both feature the use of a lot of cheese. Nevertheless, they are still different, and no one wants to order one and be given another.

Is Margherita pizza healthy?

We can’t say that it has most of the nutrients your body needs. But then we have to mention that they make it with freshly made ingredients from Italy.

You don’t expect to get micronutrients (iron, zinc, and iodine from it. You won’t even get the vitamins like B12. Nonetheless, the use of cheese, basil, and some tomatoes make it a little healthier than most other pizzas in the market.

Contrary to what we think of cheese, it just so happens to be healthy in a way. It may contain fats but let’s not forget that it also has calcium in large amounts essential for our bone health.

Your Margherita, like any other food, will only be unhealthy if you eat it in excess, but if you remember only to eat enough or, better said, in moderation, then it’s great for your body.

Let’s talk of the toppings.

They don’t use the same toppings. The basic is that they use cheese, but even the cheese can be different.

Pizza Margherita has mozzarella cheese only and preferably the fresh mozzarella.

They use the mozzarella di bufala. You can then add on some fresh tomatoes from Italy. If you can’t find this, then you will need to use San Marzano canned tomatoes.

Finally, add in some fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil, and then yum.

How to cook it

You will need to cook it at a very high temperature in a wood oven. Of course, this also goes on to impart smoky flavors on it.

For the cheese pizza

You don’t need to follow the strict guideline that governs the way you make the Margherita. But this doesn’t also mean you won’t have some ingredients you find on the mozzarella. If you have the fresh mozzarella, it will always work as well.

However, they don’t always use this kind of cheese to leave it to the fancy pizzeria restaurants. You can also use the grated mozzarella style of cheese, and it will always work correctly too.

They will have different types of cheese like parmesan, fontina, cheddar, parmesan, and more. So this is why you can quickly tell the difference between the Margherita and the cheese pizza. They will come in white to cream color. At the same time, the Margherita has three colors.

What is the cheese pizza made of?

You will need the all-purpose flour or the bread flours; then, you must also have the salt, yeast, and some olive oil for the dough. For the toppings, you can use different types of cheese, as we had already suggested above.

Nowadays, though, you will have some people decide to use some sauce. This is then what makes it almost similar to the regular Margherita pizza. They will make the sauce delicious by spicing it up a little.

Is cheese pizza healthy?

I know you expect me to tell you that it is, but it’s not going to give you most of the nutrients you need. Also, you make it using regular cheese, which means that it contains a lot of fat, and the milk is not one of the healthy aspects of life.

Since you use the dough with wheat flour and dairy cheese, you are sure it’s not healthy. But it has some of the perfect nutrients, like the calcium you get from the cheese. Therefore, it is advised that when you are eating it, you should do so in moderation.

What is Margherita pizza made of?

As we have already said, the traditional Margherita pizza has a standard way in which you should make it. It features the bread dough and then the toppings and lastly the cheese.

In this case, the dough often has water, flour, and yeast but with salt too. You will need to take the San Marzano tomatoes sauce with some cheese for the toppings but don’t forget the basil to create the Italian flag colors.

The sauce is not any other sauce as it has a lot of spices to flavor it, thus making it even tastier.

Neapolitan vs Margherita pizza

Even if you don’t know any other pizza type, you will most likely already be knowing the Neapolitan and the Margherita pizza.

Neapolitan is generally the pizza that was guarded by the Associazione of neapolitano Verrazzano pizza. This then means that they guard the way to make the pizza. There are different types of Neapolitan pizza, but then again, there are different ways of making them.

Margherita is just one of the many Neapolitan pizzas. Notice that the Neapolitan pizza has different types of toppings, too that’s why it comes in different names, remember. Therefore, if you go on to add some oil, you can be sure to have the best pizza.

Caprese pizza vs Margherita pizza

Pizza Caprese is almost the same as the pizza Margherita with the difference being in olive oil. If you look at the recipe, you will see many similarities, but some people like to give their pizza just a little more zing.

Usually, the pizza uses tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, balsamic olive oil, and basil. Your regular pizza Margherita though, uses tomato, mozzarella, and basil.

So this is more about the preference. But the crust will almost be the same, and the toppings will create a slight difference.

Which one is better?

Whether you like the Margherita pizza or the cheese pizza is all about the pizza preference, remember. They both are the simpler versions of pizza you may have, so you should choose them based on personal preference.

But if you are going to make it at home, it’s much easier to make the cheese pizza, especially since you don’t need the complicated rules to make them. You will easily make the crust and add the toppings and then set it on the table for your loved ones.