There are few things I am more passionate about than homemade pizza, which I personally believe to be the best most perfect food ever. This recipe for pizza with turkey pepperoni shares my top tips for making the BEST pizza at home, so you never miss that takeout pizza pie again. Let’s make the pizza your family deserves to eat!
Now I’ll be honest— at first I thought “how can I even make this a recipe in good conscience?! All you do is layer the ingredients!” But then, I realized that as someone who has been to baking and pastry school, where we literally had a pizza class, I miiiight know a thing or two about making the perfect pizzas at home. 😅 Plus, it’s in my heritage! My grandmother’s family came to America from Calabria, and she grew up to host pizza Friday every week in Lincoln Nebraska for my mom and her friends!
While the process of making pizza at home is simple in theory, there are a few elements you must master in order to get the right ratio of flavor and texture. And honestly, when you use ingredients like turkey pepperoni, things can get a bit tricky. You see, turkey pepperoni has less fat, therefore it has less oil when cooked, meaning less moisture overall.
This means in order to not end up with a desert dry pizza pie, we’ve got to add moisture somewhere else. The first place we can do this is the sauce, and the second place is the cheese! I love using a quick tomato paste pizza sauce in a pinch, but better yet is this freshly made cherry tomato sauce that’s bursting with moisture from whole tomatoes. When it comes to the cheese, you’ve gotta use fresh mozzarella! Keep reading to see the exact process including step-by-step photos!
why this turkey pepperoni pizza recipe works:
⚖️ perfectly balanced. This pizza is balanced in flavor and texture, which can be tricky to do with a drier meat like turkey. It’s not dry and it’s not bland!
🍕 fresh spin on a classic. A great way to switch up your routines is by changing up a single ingredient at a time, like swapping traditional pork or beef pepperoni for turkey!
🥳 perfect for sharing. When you’re hosting folks for a pizza party, it’s always a great idea to have options up your sleeve and this is a great pizza to serve alongside a traditional pepperoni pizza!
🛒 ingredients
See the recipe card for the exact quantities.
🍳 how to make pizza with turkey pepperoni
Preheat your oven to 500ºF for at least 30 minutes before you start making the pizza.
1: Dust your pizza peel with semolina flour, then shape your pizza dough by stretching it out. This helps keep it light and airy opposed to rolling it.
2: Gently spread the sauce onto the dough using the back of a spoon or spatula. Leave about a 1/2 inch of crust uncovered.
3: Pull the mozzarella ball apart into thin pieces, taking care not to have chunks that are too large as they will melt unevenly.
4: Put the cheese all over the surface of the pizza. It’s okay to have spaces without cheese coverage! It’ll melt!
5: Put as much turkey pepperoni as you want across the pizza. You can either put it in circles or make a more scattered design.
6: Transfer the pizza from the pizza peel to the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. Keep a close eye on the pizza as it’ll bake quickly!
7: Remove the pizza from the oven and allow it to cool for a few moments before slicing.
8: Serve immediately.
Hint: Make sure to allow your oven AMPLE time to preheat. A hot oven is key for crispy pizza!
💡tips & tricks for getting it right
🍽️ serving tips
- pair with spritzes or mocktails – complete your pizza Friday by mixing up a few classic limoncello spritzes or Aperol spritz cocktails! Want a non-alcoholic option? Try making homemade Italian sparkling lemonade!
- add a side salad – serve this pizza with a nice side salad and fresh herby salad dressing topped with shaved parmesan for a perfect food pairing and technically “whole meal” because vegetables! 😜
ℹ️ troubleshooting tips
- pizza is dry – there’s not a lot of fat in the turkey pepperoni, unlike traditional pork or beef pepperoni, so there won’t be as much oil released as it cooks. This leads to a drier pizza overall, so make sure to balance this out by using fresh mozzarella, which has a higher moisture than shredded. You can also use more pizza sauce to offset this if you’re using shredded cheese.
- burned pepperoni – there’s a fine line between crispy turkey pepperoni and burnt pepperoni, so be sure to keep an eye on your pizza as it bakes. I love using a baking steel because the pizza cooks quickly without burning any toppings!
- underbaked – make sure you preheat your oven for at least 30 minutes before you start the pizza making process!
- trouble shaping the dough – if your dough is being finicky or difficult to shape, allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes to let the gluten relax. Gently pat and press the dough into the shape you want, or carefully stretch it by pulling it from the inside out, sort of like an old-school taffy puller!
🔆 top tip
No semolina flour? You can also cut out a round of parchment paper to fit the size of your dough. This will make it easier to slide in and out of the oven! You can also make your pizza on a special pizza pan so you don’t need to transfer it using a pizza peel.
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♻️ customize your pizza
- double layer pepperoni – want even MORE pepperoni? You can layer pepperoni underneath the cheese as well. This also helps to infuse the sauce with more flavor without drying out the pepperoni!
- use a combo of cheeses – I love using a combination of provolone, parmesan, and mozzarella for a more complex cheese blend!
🧰 equipment needed & storage tips
🫙 how to store leftover pepperoni pizza
Pizza is always best eaten the day it’s made, but if you have leftovers you can wrap them tightly with plastic wrap or store slices in an airtight container. Reheat them in a toaster oven or conventional oven until the cheese is bubbly again. Microwaving leftover pizza is a no-no as it dries out the crust.
You can also chop up your leftover slices in the morning, pan fry them, and add in a couple eggs to make a pizza omelet (don’t knock it til you try it!)
💬 q+a
Does turkey pepperoni taste different from regular pepperoni?
Turkey pepperoni has a bit more of a mild flavor compared to traditional pork or beef pepperoni. The main difference is in the fat content and texture, which can be a bit more dry because the meat is leaner.
Can I use turkey pepperoni straight from the package?
Yes! Like classic pepperoni, turkey pepperoni is pre-cooked and safe to eat straight from the package. Baking the pepperoni will help it to crisp up a bit and deepen in flavor.
If you make this recipe, please leave a review in the comments and a star rating!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I read every single comment! I also love connecting on social media, so snap a pic and hashtag it #myrecipeforfun and tag me on Instagram, TikTok, or pin this recipe on Pinterest!
Turkey Pepperoni Pizza (with Fresh Mozzarella Cheese)
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Equipment
- 1 Pizza Peel
- 1 pizza steel or pizza stone
Ingredients
- 1 ball pizza dough 1/2 of the linked pizza dough recipe
- 4 g tomato sauce 4 TBSP or 1/4 cup
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella up to 8 ounces or 1 ball of fresh mozzarella
- 4 ounces turkey pepperoni 1 package
- semolina flour for dusting the pizza peel and easily transferring pizza
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 500ºF for at least 30 minutes before baking.*
- Sprinkle semolina. Sprinkle semolina flour on your pizza peel so the dough won’t stick. If your dough is very elastic, make sure to allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes before attempting to stretch it.**
- Spread the sauce. Add your pizza sauce to the dough, gently spreading it around with the back of a spoon until it evenly covers the pizza.
- Cover with cheese. Add 6 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese, taking care to pull the fresh mozzarella apart and evenly distribute it. It won’t totally cover the pizza sauce, that’s alright! It will cover the pizza as it melts.
- Add pepperoni. Add the layer of pepperonis next. Make sure to evenly distribute them so each slice will have pepperonis on it!
- Bake. Slide your pizza off the peel into the oven and bake it for 10 – 12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly, and the crust is a light golden brown.
- Remove & slice. When the pizza is melty and baked, remove it from the oven. Allow it to cool for 1-2 minutes, then slice it using a pizza cutter or kitchen shears.
- Serve. Serve your pizza immediately, or let it continue to cool for up to 5 minutes. It will cool quickly, so don’t let it sit for too long, or wrap it in plastic wrap for up to 48 hours. You can also freeze your wrapped pizza in a zip top bag for longer storage!
Notes
Nutrition Information
The information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition facts calculator and actual nutrition facts may vary.
Every time I made pizza at home it never came out right, until now! I didn’t know about using fresh mozzarella vs the shredded stuff but now I can’t go back! I didn’t use a store bought dough so maybe next I’ll give that a try, thanks for this pizza recipe!
Ok not sure why I didn’t realize turkey pepperoni exists. I think it tastes so much better, thanks this is yummy
It’s so nice to have options, right?! Thanks so much for your review, Dana, I’m happy you like this pepperoni pizza recipe! 🍕💕