Pepperoni deep dish pizza is my all-time favorite. I could easily eat it every day and not get tired of it. The combination of cheese, pepperoni, and tomato sauce is perfection. Plus, the crust is so thick and fluffy, that it’s impossible to resist.
Who doesn’t love pizza? It’s the perfect food. Delicious, filling, and universally loved. There are so many different types of pizza out there that it can be hard to decide on a favorite. But for me, nothing beats a good old-fashioned deep-dish pepperoni pizza.
Why You’ll Love This Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza
- Cheap to make this takeout treat at home and save your hard-earned cash.
- The best thing about deep-dish pizza is the thick, buttery, flaky crust that you will go crazy for.
- This dish takes almost no time to make and will satisfy your pizza craving in minutes flat.
If you love pizza you may also enjoy this Pepperoni and Mozzarella Pull-Apart Monkey Bread recipe.
Grocery List for Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza
- Store-bought pizza dough (in your deli)
- Pizza sauce
- Pepperoni
- Shredded mozzarella
- Fresh mozzarella, sliced
- Garlic cloves, crushed
- Olive oil
- Fresh Basil
- Italian seasoning
- Flour
How to Make Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza
The complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Brush cast-iron skillet with olive oil and dust with flour.
Note, if you did not purchase pre-rolled pizza dough, you will first need to dust a working space with flour and roll out your pizza dough to be used in your cast iron skillet.
Press pizza dough into the bottom of the skillet and up the sides, about halfway up is fine.
Brush pizza with olive oil and crushed garlic, do not add toppings yet. Bake for 18-25 minutes or until the crust is golden.
While the crust is baking, chop the pepperoni, divide it into two small piles and set it aside.
When the crust is golden brown, remove it from the oven.
Add pizza sauce and spread evenly.
Top with half of the chopped pepperoni followed by half of the shredded mozzarella cheese.
Add the remaining chopped pepperoni (optional to save a little bit to sprinkle on top before baking).
Spread the remaining shredded mozzarella followed by the fresh mozzarella, place the circles evenly apart and add the fresh basil.
Sprinkle the Italian seasoning evenly on the pizza and add the leftover chopped pepperoni (if any).
Bake the pizza with the toppings for 8 -10 minutes or until all of the cheese has melted.
To get the toasted spots on your cheese, let pizza cook under the broiler for 1-2 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let rest 15 minutes before slicing and pulling apart. The rest time will ensure that the toppings and cheese don’t spill out onto the plate.
Storage
Store leftover pizza in an airtight container for no longer than three to four days in the refrigerator.
Tips
- For this recipe I used a 10” cast iron skillet pan, any deep dish pizza pan can be used.
- Pizza Dough: I used pre-rolled-out dough from the bakery at my local grocery store, most have this option if you ask. As an alternative, Walmart bakery has an excellent pizza dough sold by the bag and you can roll it out yourself. Most pizza joints will allow you to purchase pre-made pizza dough as well.
Substitutions and Additions
- Be creative with the toppings of your choice, I used a pepperoni stick and chopped it as it builds better for the deep dish pizza layers.
- For those not fond of garlic, it is optional as well. You can skip the garlic if you prefer.
- I use a mix of shredded mozzarella and fresh mozzarella since I love the taste of both. You can use pre-shredded instead of both if you prefer.
- Also, if you cannot find a pepperoni stick you can substitute it with pre-packaged pepperoni coins.
Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza FAQs
You can, but the cast-iron skillet is really what gives this pizza a nice crust.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap pizza tightly with aluminum foil and place it into an oven-safe dish or cast-iron skillet pan. bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot all the way through.
Yes, pepperoni is just an example of what you can put on this pizza. Get creative with the toppings and you will be surprised by how wonderful it turns out.
More Great Pizza Recipes You Will Love
- Easy Homemade Baked Pizza Rolls
- Air Fryer Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
- Pepperoni Pizzadilla
- See all our delicious dinner recipes!
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Printable Recipe Card
Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza
Ingredients
- 16 oz store bought pizza dough pre-rolled out, optional
- 1 ½ cup pizza sauce
- 6.5 oz stick of pepperoni chopped
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella sliced
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- Olive oil for brushing your pan and the crust
- Fresh Basil about 5 leaves
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Flour for dusting the pan and the dough
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Brush cast-iron skillet with olive oil and dust with flour.
- Press pizza dough into the bottom of the skillet and up the sides, about halfway up is fine.
- Brush pizza with olive oil and crushed garlic, do not add toppings yet.
- Bake for 18-25 minutes or until the crust is golden.
- While the crust is baking, chop the pepperoni, divide it into two small piles and set aside.
- When the crust is golden brown, remove from the oven.
- Add pizza sauce and spread evenly.
- Top with half of the chopped pepperoni followed by half of the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Add the remaining chopped pepperoni (optional to save a little bit to sprinkle on top before baking).
- Spread the remaining shredded mozzarella followed by the fresh mozzarella, place the circles evenly apart and add the fresh basil.
- Sprinkle the Italian seasoning evenly on the pizza and add the leftover chopped pepperoni (if any).
- Bake the pizza with the toppings for 8 -10 minutes or until all of the cheese has melted.
- To get the toasted spots on your cheese, let pizza cook under the broiler for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest 15 minutes before slicing and pulling apart. The rest time will ensure that the toppings and cheese don’t spill out onto the plate.
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