Ladenia, The Greek Pizza

Jenny Skrapaliori-Graves | Last Updated: April 3, 2025

A Ladenia olive oil pie, Greek pizza on a wooden board.

This authentic Greek pizza is called Ladenia and comes from the island of Kimolos. It is a fantastic vegan pizza with a bread-like crust and a few ingredients like tomatoes, onions, oregano, and extra virgin olive oil.

If you’re a fan of our delicious Ladenia, you’re in for a treat with our Greek Pizza with Feta, Eggplant Buratta Pizza, and Pita Pizzas!

Overview

What is Ladenia?

Ladenia, or olive oil pie, is an easy, traditional Greek pizza recipe from the island of Kimolos. The recipe was created with Venetian influences. The island was under Venetian rule in the Middle Ages. The recipe was based on the few products produced by Kimolos at the time.
It’s a vegan pizza since it has no cheese. It is also perfect for Greek Lenten, which does not have dairy and animal products.
Fun fact. In Greece, we love dipping bread into our tomato salad; it is such a treat. The juice from the tomatoes and onions, mixed with olive oil, is a bite made in heaven. We call it “papara,” which means soaked, as in bread soaked in the liquid. This is what this pizza reminds me of when I eat it. A delicious little bite of crusty bread dipped in my salad.

Here is what you need

All-purpose flour. You can use bread flour or whole wheat flour as well. I have not tried this pizza with gluten-free flour.
Active yeast.
An onion. Cut in half and thinly sliced.
Ripe tomatoes. Also thinly sliced.
Dried oregano.
Sugar. Just a tiny bit for the crust.
Sea salt, and freshly ground pepper.
Extra virgin olive oil.

Optional toppings

Sliced bell peppers, all colors.
Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced.

*Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

How to make Ladenia

Prepare the toppings

In a bowl, mix the sliced tomatoes with the onion slices. Add three or four tablespoons of oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper.

Start the dough

Mix the warm water, 1 tsp sugar, and 2 teaspoons active yeast in a cup. Set aside for about 15 minutes, until the mixture rises slightly and froths.

In a large and deep bowl, add the flour, sea salt, yeast mixture, and olive oil and knead for about 4-5 minutes until all the olive oil is absorbed and the dough is soft and elastic.

Let the dough rest

Cover with cling film and set aside in a warm environment for about 1 hour until it rises and almost doubles in volume.

Assemble

Open the dough with your hands and fingers in a circle of about 14 inches/38 cm diameter.
Transfer it to a floured pizza peel if you have one; if not, transfer it directly to the pizza stone and assemble it there.

Add the tomatoes and onions to the dough, leaving a small border around the pizza.
Sprinkle with oregano, coarse salt, and freshly ground pepper and bake for about 20-30 minutes until the onions are slightly caramelized on the surface and the dough is browned below.

Tips

You can use store-bought pizza dough in a pinch.
I love how versatile this recipe is. With the addition of crumbled feta, olives, and herbs, you can quickly transform it into our Greek pizza with feta recipe. You can also add a handful of baby spinach or arugula on top, some goat cheese crumbles, and a sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil.
Make it a regular pizza. Add mozzarella cheese under the tomatoes and onions before baking.