Pissaladière Recipe
Looking for a simple and tasty Pissaladiere recipe? You’ve come to the right place! This classic Provençal specialty is one of my all-time favorites, especially in summer. I love serving it as an appetizer or a quick light meal with a crisp green salad. Here’s my easy, foolproof version — inspired by the traditional Niçoise Pissaladière — that you can easily make at home.
Ingredients for a Traditional Pissaladiere
You don’t need many ingredients to prepare this famous Pissaladiere — and they’re very affordable too! Here are the key essentials. You’ll find full measurements in the recipe card below.
- Dough: I prefer the traditional version with dough that ressemble to a pizza dough, but a puff pastry also works great for a crispier (and slightly richer) result! I’ll show you how to make the dough from scratch, but store-bought pizza dough works just fine if you’re short on time.
- Yellow onions: The star of this dish! The key is to slowly caramelize them until soft and sweet before adding them to the dough.
- Anchovies in olive oil: For that signature salty, briny flavor.
- Black olives from Nice: A must for an authentic Pissaladiere.
- Herbes de Provence: To delicately season the topping. You can also make your own homemade Herbes de Provence or use an Italian seasoning.
👉 📌 Géraldine’s Tip: I always add a splash of balsamic vinegar to the caramelized onions. It gives them a gorgeous color and a deliciously rich flavor. Give it a try, it makes all the difference!
How to Make This Pissaladiere Recipe
Here’s how to prepare your Pissaladiere in 3 easy steps:
- Make the dough: Mix flour, instant yeast, lukewarm water, olive oil, sugar and a pinch of salt. Knead lightly and let the dough rise until doubled in size.
- Caramelize the onions: Slowly sauté the onions in olive oil over low heat until soft, sweet, and golden.
- Assemble and bake: Roll out the dough, then top with caramelized onions, anchovies, black olives, and Herbes de Provence. Bake at 410°F (210°C) for 10–15 minutes. That’s it — enjoy!
Ideas for variations
Want to mix up this traditional Pissaladiere recipe? Try these delicious twists:
- Red onions: For a more original version, replace yellow onions with red onions.
- Tomatoes and capers: Replace the black olives with cherry tomatoes and capers.
- Sardines: Replace anchovies with canned sardines – they’re delicious too!
- Vegetarian: For a vegetarian or even vegan version, replace the anchovies with sun-dried tomatoes.
What to serve with a pissaladière?
Here are some tasty ideas to serve with Pissaladiere for a perfect French-style aperitif or light dinner.
🥂As an aperitif
For a Summer party or aperitif, slice the pissaladière and serve it with a few homemade French snacks such as:
- Salmon rillettes
- Green tapenade
- Homemade hummus
- Small glasses filled with a cold cucumber soup for a touch of freshness
🍽️ As a main course
You can also serve pissaladière as a main dish, accompanied by :
- A simple green salad with a good Dijon mustard vinaigrette
- A beautiful tomato and cucumber salad, a grilled zucchini, feta and mint salad, or a more consistent French potato salad.
- A soup to keep with the theme with this easy recipe for tuna and tomato soup or the classic Bouillabaisse!
Recipe card
Pissaladière Recipe
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Ingredients
Pizza dough
- 2 cups + 1 tablespoon of flour 250 g
- 2/3 cup lukewarm water 137 ml
- 1 teaspoon dry yeast 3.5 g
- 1 teaspoon salt 6 g
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Toppings
- 3 large yellow onions (1.5 lb or 750 g)
- 12-20 anchovy fillets in oil
- 14 black olives
- 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning or a mix of thyme, rosemary, oregano
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar optional
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Pizza dough
- Pour the flour, sugar and dry yeast into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a food processor. Mix (with the hook if you’re using a food processor) and gradually add the warm water* until the ingredients form a paste.
- Mix in the salt** and olive oil, and knead for 3-4 minutes until smooth.
- Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a clean towel and leave to rest for 1.30 to 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge for a slow rise. The dough must double in volume.
Caramelized onions
- Mince the onions and sauté in a large skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. Allow to caramelize for 10 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.
- Continue cooking over medium heat until the onions are golden brown (15-20 more minutes), adding a little water they start to stick to the skillet. Finish by adding the balsamic vinegar (optional) and stir.
Assembly and baking
- Preheat oven to 410 °F (210°C), fan oven.
- Roll out the pizza dough into a circle about 11-12 inches (28-30 cm) in diameter on a lightly floured work surface. Pinch the edges to form a border.
- Spread the caramelized onions over the dough and sprinkle with herbes de Provence. Arrange the anchovies and black olives in a grid pattern.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until the edges of the pissaladière are golden brown. Let stand for a few minutes on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
More Provencal recipes
- Vegetable Tian à la Provençale
- Bouillabaisse (easy recipe)
- Tomatoes à la Provençale
- Tarragon Pesto
- Apricot Tart with Almond Cream
Frequently Asked Questions
Pissaladière is a culinary specialty from the Nice region of France. It’s basically a tart made of a pizza dough traditionally topped with caramelized onions, anchovies and black olives. Often served as a starter or aperitif, I personally like to serve it as a main course, accompanied by a salad.
Pissaladière can be refrigerated for 3 days in a tightly closed container.
To reheat your pissaladière while keeping the dough crisp, I recommend putting it in the oven at 180 °C for 5 to 10 minutes. Avoid the microwave, which will soften the dough. If you’re reheating it in individual portions, baking on a hot tray or directly on the oven rack will give perfect results!
Yes, you can! Place the whole pissaladière or some slices in a freezer bag or airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
t’s possible to have both! Traditionally, pissaladière is eaten lukewarm or at room temperatureThis allows you to fully appreciate the melting onions and fragrant anchovies.
But it’s also delicious cold, perfect for a picnic or summer buffet. Personally, I like it warm, just out of the oven or slightly reheated.
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Merci Dana!