Chewy, Cheesy, and oh so Easy Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

Chewy, cheesy, and oh so easy! This homemade pepperoni pizza recipe is fast and super simple. It’s perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or some family night fun. Either way, it’s guaranteed to be a hit 👍🏼

Have you ever planned a fun evening (maybe a movie or game night) and ordered a pizza from one of those chain pizza restaurants? Everyone is hungry and excited for pizza night, an hour later your pizza finally arrives. You open the box and your excitement comes crashing to a sudden halt when you discover your pepperoni pizza has three pieces of pepperoni on it 🤬.

Lucky for you (and me), making your very own pizza at home is easy, convenient, and fun! Most of all, no disappointments!

There are so many advantages to making your own pizza from scratch! Not only will it save you a bunch of money, but it’s also completely customizable. You can put as much, or as little anchovies (ew 🤢) on your pizza as you’d like! Just kidding (but seriously), do people still do that? The point is, is that you can put any toppings you’d like on your pizza, and no one (not even your mother-in-law) can tell you different ✋🏼.

To Dough or Not to Dough?

That is the question! The answer to this question comes down to convenience and taste. Most grocery stores sell premade pizza dough. The dough they sell is fairly inexpensive and some of them contain similar ingredients to this homemade dough recipe.

Notice I said some of them. Some contain preservatives, so if you want your dough as healthy as possible, I’d recommend either making your own or reading the ingredients on the package of the dough that you plan on purchasing.

Here’s the deal with taste. Not all doughs are created equal! If you’ve purchased and used dough from a certain company before and liked it, that’s awesome, and go for it! If you’ve ever eaten pizza from more than a couple of pizza restaurants, you’d know that pizza dough can, unfortunately, be hit or miss. If you question whether or not you should use a certain pre-made dough, you probably shouldn’t.

Besides, I guarantee that once you try this pizza dough recipe, you’ll be hooked! Plus you can make a large batch and freeze it for future use (which makes me question the use of preservatives 🤷🏼‍♂️)

If you plan on making your dough, you can follow the instructions below. If you are purchasing dough, skip the dough-making procedure. Follow the instructions on the package of the store-bought dough and then get right into making your delicious pizza!

Pizza Dough Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup corn meal

Pepperoni Pizza Ingredients

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 cups pizza cheese blend (mozzarella, cheddar, etc.)
• 8 oz pepperoni
• 1 cup marinara sauce

Pepperoni Pizza Ingredient Notes

• White or yellow cornmeal can be used
• Bread flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour
• You can use any type of cheese blend that you’d like. Most grocery stores have a reasonably priced store brand to purchase.

Pepperoni Pizza Recipe Notes

• This recipe makes one 12″ pizza with a medium thick dough. You can roll the dough out thinner for a slightly larger but thinner dough.
• You can divide this dough into smaller pieces to make personal-sized pizzas.
• Toppings, toppings, toppings, or (no toppings). It’s totally up to you!

Equipment Needed for Pepperoni Pizza Dough

• 2 medium-sized mixing bowls
• 1 stand mixer with a dough hook or a hand mixer with dough hooks
• 1 pizza pan

How to Make Pepperoni Pizza

1. Preheat your oven to 450° F.
2. Dust the pizza pan with cornmeal.
3. Place warm water, yeast, and sugar into a bowl and whisk to combine and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
   
4. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, flour, and salt to the yeast mixture.
   
5. Beat the mixture until it comes together and it’s smooth with a stand or hand mixer. This will take a little while (5-10 minutes) and you may think it’s not working, but it will eventually come together. Have patience.
   
6. Drizzle the last tablespoon of olive oil into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
   
7. Form the dough into a ball shape by rolling it in a circle on a countertop (see a demonstration in the video).
   
8. Place the dough ball into the mixing bowl and roll it around so the surface of the dough is covered in olive oil.
   
9. Place a warm, damp towel over the top of the bowl and allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.
   
10. Place the dough on a surface dusted with cornmeal and roll it out to your desired size and thickness and place it on your prepared pizza pan.
    
11. Spread your marinara sauce on the dough.
    
12. Cover your dough with cheese.
    
13. Cover with pepperoni, lots and lots of pepperoni (or your favorite toppings).
    
14. More cheese, because why not?
    
15. Place your pizza in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove when it’s golden-brown and delicious!
    
16. Slice, sprinkle with parmesan, and enjoy!
    

How to Use This Pepperoni Pizza Recipe

Pizza and wings go together like bread goes with butter, like fish goes with chips, and like peanut butter goes with jelly. You get the point. I highly recommend trying some delicious oven-baked chicken wings to go with your chewy and cheesy homemade pizza 🤤

I recommend making a large batch of this dough. You can separate it into smaller pieces to make personal pizzas or you can freeze it in a zip-top plastic bag for up to 6 months.

The beauty of Flavor Ratios is that we blend flavor combinations according to OUR own preferences. All recipes you find on this site serve as a guide. Who am I, to limit the amount of anchovies (yuck) you put on your pizza? That would be wrong, and honestly, it’d keep me awake at night knowing your pizza could’ve been better!

Watch How to Make Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

I love seeing all of your flavorful creations! Don’t hesitate to leave a review or comment and be sure to connect with me on Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube!