How To Make Pizza Pepperoni

This Homemade Pepperoni Pizza has everything you want—a great crust, gooey cheese, and tons of pepperoni. The secret to great pepperoni flavor? Hide extra under the cheese! Who needs delivery?

Nick has been creating recipes for home cooks for almost 12 years. He is the author of Love Your Leftovers and has contributed to Simply Recipes since 2017.

So when I decided to make pizza at home, I knew it needed to be better than your average delivery. It needed tons of pepperoni, a nice crust, great flavor, and maybe even a surprise or two to put it over the top.

Pepperoni Pizza Recipe

First, on the dough: Don't get overwhelmed! If it's your first time making pizza at home, just buy the dough. You can usually find pizza dough at the grocery store, or some pizza places will sell you a one-pound ball of dough for a few bucks.

I don't believe this pizza works well as a deep dish, Chicago-style pizza, but there are still two baking options I'd recommend. (There are more, but let's keep it simple!)

Use a pizza stone: This is my favorite way to get a great crust, but it does require some equipment. You need a pizza stone and a pizza peel (the thing you use to slide the pizza onto the stone). If you have those two things, though, you can open up a pizza joint in your kitchen! This is a reliable, low-stress method once you get the hang of it. The pizza ends up being a bit more freeform, and you can make the crust nice and thin, which I like. A large pizza cooks in 12-14 minutes on a hot stone.

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

Use a cast iron skillet: If you don’t have a pizza stone, put your dough into a large cast iron skillet, and press it out and up the sides a bit. You'll get a slightly thicker crust than you would with the pizza stone, but not deep-dish thickness. Set the skillet on your stovetop for two minutes over high heat (this helps form a crispy crust), then transfer it to your oven to finish baking.

When you get a really good pizza from a brick oven pizza place, the ovens are HOT—way hotter than you can realistically get from a home oven. But the rule still stands that the hotter your oven, the crispier and more delicious your crust will be.

So, crank up your oven to 500 ̊F or even 550 ̊F if your oven can handle it. If you are using a pizza stone, let the stone preheat for 20 minutes so it gets nice and hot as well.

Homemade Hawaiian Pizza W/ Pepperoni + Jalapeños

There are so many different kinds of pepperoni in the store these days, and you can use any of those options for pizza. For my money, though, I prefer small, thinly sliced pepperoni so they get a nice char on top. If you go with thicker pepperoni slices, you'll have a chewier texture. It's personal preference!

I always find it lame when I get a pepperoni pizza that has, like, five pieces of pepperoni on it. But if you pile on a ton of pepperoni, you end up with a greasy mess.

The best way to reheat pizza is in a skillet, cast iron or similar. Add a drizzle of oil over medium heat, and then add the pizza. Then cover the skillet, and cook the pizza until the cheese has melted and the crust is crispy again, about three to four minutes.

Pepperoni Pizza With Homemade Dough Recipe

This is something I picked up from a local Colorado pizza spot. (Shout out Beau Jos Pizza!) They serve their pizza with honey butter on the side, which is great for dipping the crust. I made the honey butter for me, but my kids were happy to scarf it down, too.

I can always count on my kids to eat a pizza, but since they normally eat delivery, it was nice to show them that pizza can be made at home, too. And it turns out Dad makes a good pizza! I used my trick of hiding pepperoni under the cheese to tell my kids there was Bonus Pepperoni on the pizza, and could they find it?! (Yes, yes they could.)

When I served this to my kids, I half hoped they would reject it for some reason so that I'd have a curveball for the report card, but nope. Pizza is pizza. It's always a winner.

Make Homemade Pizza With Store Bought Dough

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2, 000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.Pizza with pepperoni is a classic that everyone loves! You can order pepperoni pizza for takeout, but I promise that you will like making it yourself even better.

French Bread Pepperoni Pizza

I’ve been making pizza at home all the time lately! I have perfected my Homemade Pizza Dough recipe and this Bread Machine Pizza Dough recipe, and I realized that once the dough is made, a delicious pizza is only about 15 minutes away.

If a pepperoni pizza is too basic for what you’re looking for today, you should check out my BBQ Chicken Pizza or Chicken Alfredo Pizza. You can turn so many delicious meals into a pizza version that you can eat with your hands!

You can make homemade pizza dough and homemade pizza sauce ahead of time and keep it in your freezer so that you always have it on hand!

Homemade Pizza Dough

A Light Meal: Serve Pepperoni Pizza with a salad to create a simple and easy dinner. Olive Garden Salad or a Ceasar Salad is my go-to.

Make pizza and wings! Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings go perfectly with pepperoni pizza. This combo is perfect for game day or a fun Friday night dinner. You can also just make a Buffalo Chicken Pizza and cover both bases with one dish. Don’t forget the Blue Cheese!

Have a Pizza Party: Make Pizza Dough and let everyone choose their own toppings. I like to shape the dough into personal-sized pizzas (6 inches or so) when we have a make-your-own pizza dinner.

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza (with Fresh Dough!)

Other Finger Foods: Snacks and appetizers served with pizza are great for a casual party. Try my Cream Cheese Rangoons, or make a dip to share like Cheeseburger Dip or Baked Feta Dip.

You can bake your pizza on a sheet pan instead! First coat the pan with olive oil, then form the dough into a circle or a rectangle on the pan. Add the toppings, then bake in a preheated 450°F/230°C oven for 15-25 minutes. Keep an eye on things. If the bottom crust seems done but the top needs more time, switch to the broiler to finish the job.

Yes, the air fryer is a great way to cook smaller pizzas. All air fryers will cook a little bit differently, but I like to cook pizza in the air fryer for 5-7 minutes at 400°F/200°C.

Pepperoni Naan Pizza (with Homemade Pizza Sauce)

You can follow this method to make a homemade pepperoni pizza that uses shortcuts like pizza sauce and dough from the grocery store. It will still be delicious and you’ll save yourself a bit of time.

I love fresh pepperoni pizza! It’s a favorite meal at my house, and now it can be at yours too. Pin the recipe for later!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook , Instagram , or Pinterest !

Grilled Pepperoni Pizza Recipe

A classic pizza topped with mozzarella cheese and spicy pepperoni can be made at home for a fraction of the price of takeout. You’ll love this homemade pizza pie.

Calories: 312 kcal , Carbohydrates: 26 g , Protein: 15 g , Fat: 17 g , Saturated Fat: 7 g , Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g , Monounsaturated Fat: 6 g , Trans Fat: 1 g , Cholesterol: 42 mg , Sodium: 1011 mg , Potassium: 127 mg , Fiber: 1 g , Sugar: 4 g , Vitamin A: 301 IU , Vitamin C: 1 mg , Calcium: 195 mg , Iron: 2 mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

Copycat Sbarro™ Pepperoni Pizzas Recipe

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