Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

Mouth-watering Homemade Pepperoni Pizza is wonderfully crispy every time. Achieve the perfect slice right at home!

Bring pizza night to the table in no time at all with this delicious Homemade Pepperoni Pizza. Use Homemade Dough, Sauce, and Pizza Seasoning for a more gourmet approach, or save some time with store-bought! Either way, you’ll be the dinnertime hero.

Close up of a baked homemade pepperoni pizza on a pizza peel.

Everybody’s Favorite

Americans like to celebrate food, all types of food from all kinds of places. There is even a national Pepperoni Pizza day on September 20th.

Everyone loves a good slice of pizza, right?! Well, we are no different at our house.

My kids love pizza night and look forward to it with eager anticipation. We usually do pizza night accompanied by a movie, and it’s the kids’ favorite!

Some weeks I even let the kids make their own mini pizza and layer it with toppings (or lack of toppings) of their choice. Yes, the Homemade Dough and Pizza Sauce make it even better!

It might take a bit of extra work, but Homemade Pizza just tastes so much better, usually ends up costing less, and can be completely customizable! Our go-to, of course, is Pepperoni Pizza Recipe – a classic.

How to Make Pepperoni Pizza

PREP. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven to preheat as well.

DOUGH. If making homemade dough instead of using store-bought dough: In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar and let sit for 5 minutes, or until bubbly.

Add salt and oil, then mix in flour 1 cup at a time with a wooden spoon until combined and the dough is soft and slightly sticky. Knead for about 3 minutes (dough will be sticky and will stick to your hands).

Cover the dough with a tea towel and let rise at room temperature for 30–45 minutes.

This dough makes four 12-inch pizza crusts. Divide dough into four pieces and roll each out onto a floured surface to about ½ inch thick.

ROLL. Sprinkle cornmeal onto a pizza peel and, working with one crust at a time, transfer the rolled-out dough to the peel. Brush with olive oil and poke with a fork a few times to eliminate bubbling while baking.

Dough for homemade pepperoni pizza rising in a grey bowl.

Baking Options

BAKE WITH PIZZA STONE. At this point, there are a few different ways to cook the dough. The first is our favorite, if you have a pizza stone: Use the peel to transfer the crust to the preheated pizza stone and blind bake for 6–8 minutes.

Remove from the oven, add sauce, cheese, pizza seasoning, pepperoni, and any other desired toppings, and bake for 8–10 more minutes.

BAKE WITHOUT PIZZA STONE. If you don’t have a pizza stone, use a peel to transfer the crust to the preheated baking sheet and blind bake for 6–8 minutes. Remove from the oven, add toppings and bake for 8–10 more minutes.

To skip blind baking: While the dough is still on the peel, add sauce, cheese, pizza seasoning, and other toppings. Transfer the pizza to the preheated pizza stone or baking sheet and bake for 10–12 minutes

Repeat with the remaining crusts and toppings.

Rolling and prepping dough for making homemade pepperoni pizza.

RECIPE TIPS

Dough. Stretch the dough with your hands instead of rolling it with a rolling pin. Using warm dough will help it stretch better.

Brush the exposed dough/crust with olive oil. For extra flavor, sprinkle on a little garlic or parmesan cheese.

Cheese. Shred your own cheese. The pre-shredded, packaged kind doesn’t melt as well.

Pepperoni. There are several types of pepperoni that can be used. Buy mini or large pepperoni. There’s also thinly sliced pepperoni, which gets a nice char, or thicker slices, which can be a bit chewier. Use pepperoni made from beef, pork, chicken, or a plant-based pepperoni.  

Stone. Use a hot oven and a pizza stone. Instead of a stone, place a pizza pan or baking sheet into the oven to preheat.

Additional Pepperoni Pizza ingredients. A great thing about Homemade Pizza is that it’s completely customizable! What one person thinks is delicious, another may not – like pineapple on pizza!

Pepperoni is a pretty basic topping that almost everyone likes. Some tasty additions may include:

  • Meats: bacon bits, ham, or crumbled cooked sausage.
  • Veggies: bell peppers, black olives, mushrooms, or onions.
  • Cheese: Replace the mozzarella with another cheese or mix them together. Try cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, gouda cheese, or goat cheese.
  • Add extra spices to the sauce or right on top of the cheese such as garlic powder, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes.

Storing info

Freeze ahead of time. Blind baking is typically associated with pie making but is also used when assembling and freezing a pizza to be baked later.

  • Blind bake the plain dough for about 6-8 minutes.
  • Let the dough cool and place it on a piece of cardboard or a pizza pan.
  • Wrap crust in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil and place in freezer. Freeze for up to 4 months.
  • Thaw for 30 minutes before adding the toppings and baking.

STORE. Wrap leftover Pepperoni Pizza in foil or place it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for about 3 days.

FREEZE. Wrap and freeze it for 1-2 months. Reheat in the oven or microwave

A close up of a baked and sliced homemade pepperoni pizza.

If you love pepperoni pizza, you’ll enjoy:

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Recipe

5 from 9 votes
Mouth-watering Homemade Pepperoni Pizza is wonderfully crispy every time. Achieve the perfect slice right at home!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Rise Time 15 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 801 kcal
Author Lil’ Luna

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

  • 3 cups warm water 110–115 degrees F
  • 3 tablespoons rapid rise yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 6-6½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornmeal
  • olive oil for brushing

Pizza Toppings

  • 2 cups pizza sauce store-bought or homemade
  • 6-8 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 teaspoons pizza seasoning optional
  • 2 cups pepperoni mix of regular and mini

Additional Toppings

  • sausage crumbles, chopped peppers, chopped bacon optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven to preheat as well.
  • If making homemade dough instead of using store-bought dough: In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar and let sit for 5 minutes, or until bubbly.
  • Add salt and oil, then mix in flour 1 cup at a time with a wooden spoon until combined and the dough is soft and slightly sticky. Knead for about 3 minutes (dough will be sticky and will stick to your hands).
  • Cover the dough with a tea towel and let rise at room temperature for 30–45 minutes.
  • This dough makes four 12-inch pizza crusts. Divide dough into four pieces and roll each out onto a floured surface to about ½ inch thick.
  • Sprinkle cornmeal onto a pizza peel and, working with one crust at a time, transfer the rolled-out dough to the peel. Brush with olive oil and poke with a fork a few times to eliminate bubbling while baking.
  • At this point, there are a few different ways to cook the dough. The first is our favorite, if you have a pizza stone: Use the peel to transfer the crust to the preheated pizza stone and blind bake for 6–8 minutes. Remove from the oven, add sauce, cheese, pizza seasoning, pepperoni, and any other desired toppings, and bake for 8–10 more minutes.
  • If you don’t have a pizza stone, use a peel to transfer the crust to the preheated baking sheet and blind bake for 6–8 minutes. Remove from the oven, add toppings and bake for 8–10 more minutes.
  • To skip blind baking: While the dough is still on the peel, add sauce, cheese, pizza seasoning, and other toppings. Transfer the pizza to the preheated pizza stone or baking sheet and bake for 10–12 minutes
  • Repeat with the remaining crusts and toppings.

Video

Notes

Make Ahead: You can blind bake the pizza crusts and freeze them plain to be topped and baked later. Blind bake the plain crusts for 6–8 minutes as directed above. Let cool, then wrap in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw for 30 minutes before adding toppings and baking.

 

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About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Comments:

  1. 5 stars
    My family loved making pizza!! Friday night is pizza night in our home & these are the perfect size for everyone to make their own & add what they like.

  2. 5 stars
    I am so in love with pizza! I am so glad to find your awesome recipe! Thank you so much for sharing this homemade pizza! love it!

  3. 5 stars
    When we make homemade pizza I always let the kids make them personal sized. Your homemade pizza dough recipe works great for pepperoni pizza.

  4. I luv all these recipes!! I cant wait to make this pizza!! Im gonna go make the dough right now. U say the recipe will make 4 12″ pizzas. Im gonna make 3 16″ pizzas. I think the volumes will be correct. Do U think the sauce reipe will cover a 16″er? Or should I add a nuther 8 oz can of T’mato sauce?? Johno

  5. 5 stars
    A classic! So so yummy and I love the mix of mini pepperoni’s and big pepperoni’s! Makes it so fun and….more delicious? Don’t know how that is possible but it is!

  6. 5 stars
    This is our favorite recipe to use with the kids! Super easy to follow and the pizza always turns out incredible! Thanks for posting!

  7. 5 stars
    Our pizzas we made turned out so good! I made mini ones for my kids so they could assemble it how they liked. They had fun and actually ate what I cooked. Win win!