Sheet Pan Pizza: Your New Favorite Take-Out Fake Out (original) (raw)

Overhead view of a pepperoni sheet pan pizza.

Sheet Pan Pizza is the solution for anyone hoping to make crave-worthy, restaurant-quality pizza at home—at half the cost of carry-out! My recipe for Sheet Pan Pizza will level up any casual date night in, make for an unforgettable family dinner, or serve as an interactive party dish where everyone helps pick the toppings. But it’s not just for special occasions. It’s also the perfect “take-out fake out” meal for two that will yield enough leftovers to check off some weekly meal prep!

A vertical image of a baked sheet pan pizza topped with pizza sauce, cheese, pepperonis, pickled jalepenos and honey that is not sliced.

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Overhead view of a pepperoni sheet pan pizza.

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“Best pizza EVER! Kids and hubby loved it! The flavor was perfect! Always the best and easiest recipes! Thank you!”

Lauren

Easy Sheet Pan Pizza Recipe

This recipe for Sheet Pan Pizza combines my two favorite kinds of take-out pizza. The crust is a sturdy Foccacia bread, typically used for Sicilian-style “Grandma Pie,” that is baked and then covered edge-to-edge with tons of cheese and toppings—sort of like a Detroit-Style pizza—and then baked again! I top mine with pizza sauce (I went with a store-bought sauce to keep things easy, but nothing beats a homemade pizza sauce!), Parmesan AND mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, pickled jalapeños, and honey for a spicy-sweet combo. But you can go with whatever pizza toppings you love and have to hand.

Overhead view of a pepperoni sheet pan pizza.

Cost 9.92recipe/9.92 recipe / 9.92recipe/1.41 serving

Sheet Pan Pizza is a low-effort recipe guaranteed to make any occasion special and satisfy cravings for take-out pizza at half the cost.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

A vertical image of a baked sheet pan pizza topped with pizza sauce, cheese, pepperonis, pickled jalepenos and honey sliced and a spatula is removing the bottom right slice.

Crust*

▢ 4 cups all-purpose flour ($0.72)
▢ 2 cups water ($0.00)
▢ 1½ tsp salt ($0.04)
▢ 2 tsp instant yeast ($0.48)
▢ 2 Tbsp cornmeal ($0.03)
▢ 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.22**)

Pizza

▢ 3 Tbsp olive oil (divided, $0.66**)
▢ ½ tsp salt ($0.01)
▢ ½ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.02)
▢ ½ tsp Italian seasoning ($0.05)
▢ ½ tsp crushed red pepper ($0.05)
▢ 1 14 oz. jar pizza sauce ($2.42)
▢ 2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded, $1.97)
▢ ½ cup Parmesan cheese (shredded or grated, $0.75)
▢ ½ cup pepperoni slices (about 3 oz., $1.46)
▢ ⅓ cup pickled jalapeños ($0.66)
▢ 2 Tbsp honey ($0.38)

Crust

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, water, salt, and instant yeast. Stir until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.
Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil around the sides of the bowl, and lift the dough with your hands to make sure the bottom and sides of the bowl are well-coated with the oil.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm, dry place for 2 hours, or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. The dough should double in size and appear bubbly, wet, and very fluffy.***
Coat your fingers with a few drops of olive oil and then scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl, turning it over a few times to form a ball. Rest the dough for 5 minutes.

Pizza

Brush 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the bottom and sides of 1 rimmed baking sheet and then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cornmeal evenly on the bottom of the pan.
Coat the ball of pizza dough with 1 tablespoon of oil and flip it out of the bowl (oil side down) on the rimmed baking sheet, using a spatula to scrape any oil left in the bowl on top of the dough.
Gently press down the center of the dough and push it outward toward each corner of the pan. Let the dough rest again, uncovered, until it rises slightly and spreads to fill the sheet pan completely (About 30-45 minutes). While the dough rests, preheat the oven to 425℉.
Coat your fingers with oil and make dimples all over the dough, also pushing the dough into the corners again if needed. Brush the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle over the salt, fresh-cracked black pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.
Bake the crust for 25 minutes, or until the surface of the bread is evenly golden brown.
Remove the crust from the oven and carefully spread the pizza sauce on top from edge to edge. Then top with the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, pepperoni, pickled jalapenos, and if desired, a pinch of salt, pepper, and other seasonings
Bake the pizza for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and started to brown.
Remove the pizza from the oven and drizzle the entire surface lightly with honey. Let it cool for 5 minutes and then slice the pizza into 15 squares. Serve each slice topped with more Parmesan cheese and fresh-cracked black pepper.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

*I highly suggest making the pizza crust in this recipe. It’s very similar to our no-knead homemade focaccia. However, you can substitute the homemade crust with 1.5 -2 lbs. of store-bought pizza dough or our homemade pizza dough recipe, but your results will be slightly different. If using store-bought dough, begin with the second set of instructions for the recipe.

** Olive oil adds a distinct flavor to the pizza crust but can be substituted (or mixed) with any cooking oil to make this recipe more budget-friendly.

***The dough may need more time to rise in the sheet pan if coming out of a cold refrigerator.

Serving: 2slicesCalories: 539kcal (27%)Carbohydrates: 65g (22%)Protein: 20g (40%)Fat: 22g (34%)Sodium: 1225mg (53%)Fiber: 3g (13%)

The nutrition data is automatically calculated using all ingredients listed on the recipe card, including any listed as optional. Percentages are of daily value.

How to Make Sheet Pan Pizza Step-by-Step Photos

Ingredients for a foccacia-style pizza crust mixed together in a white bowl with a wooden spatula sticking out of the bottom left side of the bowl.

Make the dough: Combine 4 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 cups of water, 1½ tsp of salt, and 2 tsp of instant yeast in a large bowl. (If using a single-serving packet of yeast, which contains about 2 1/4 tsp, you can use the whole thing!) Stir until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.

Drizzle 1 Tbsp of olive oil around the sides of the bowl, and lift the dough with your hands to make sure the bottom is also coated. Cover the bowl and let it ferment in a warm, dry place for 2 hours or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. (If coming from the fridge, the dough may need an additional 30 minutes of resting time at room temperature.)

Ingredients for a no-knead focaccia style pizza crust after they have fermented for two hours in a white bowl. A left hand is stablizing the bowl with the right hand pulls the dough away from the side of the bowl.

After the first ferment, the dough should roughly double in size and appear bubbly, wet, and very fluffy. Scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl with your hands, turning it over a few times to form a ball. Let it rest in the bowl for about 5 minutes to prevent the dough from tearing. Brush the bottom and sides of the sheet pan with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle 2 Tbsp of cornmeal evenly on the bottom.

Raw pizza dough that has been fermented once and turned out onto a rimmed baking sheet and pressed out into a rectangle for a second ferment.

Coat the ball of pizza dough with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and flip it out of the bowl onto the prepared sheet tray (oil side down), using a spatula to scrape any oil left in the bowl on top of the dough. Gently press down the center of the dough and push it outward toward each corner of the pan. Let the dough rest again, uncovered, until it spreads to fill the sheet pan completely (about 30-45 minutes). Preheat the oven to 425℉.

A raw pizza dough that has fermented for a second time on a rimmed baking tray, two hands are pressing dimples into the center of the dough.

Coat your fingers with oil and make dimples all over the dough, also pushing the dough into the corners again if needed. Brush the dough with the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle over a ½ tsp of salt, ½ tsp of freshly-cracked black pepper, ½ tsp of Italian seasoning, and ¼ tsp of red pepper flakes.

A lightly golden pizza crust that was topped with olive oil, salt, pepper, italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and then baked.

Bake the pizza crust: Bake the crust for 25 minutes, or until the surface of the bread is lightly golden brown and has developed a still-tender, but firm crust. When pressed lightly (And carefully, don’t burn yourself!), the center of the crust should spring back and should look and feel fully cooked – not squishy and soft.

A par-baked pizza crust on a rimmed baking tray that's topped with pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, pepperonis and pickled jalapeño slices that needs to be baked again.

Add your toppings: Top the fully-baked pizza crust evenly from edge-to-edge with 1½ cups of prepared pizza sauce (from a 14 oz. jar), 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, ½ cup of shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, ½ cup of pepperoni slices (about 3 oz. or half a standard package), ⅓ cup of pickled jalapenos (about ⅓ of a standard jar), and if desired, another pinch of salt, pepper, and other seasonings.

A fully baked sheet pan pizza that is golden brown and topped with crispy pepperonis, melted cheese and pickled jalapeño slices and a hand is drizzling honey on the right center of the pizza.

Bake the pizza for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and started to brown. Remove the pizza from the oven and drizzle the entire surface lightly with honey. Let it cool for about 5 minutes (so the toppings don’t slide off), and slice the pizza into 15 squares. Serve each slice topped with more Parmesan cheese and fresh-cracked black pepper.

An extreme close up of a single slice of sheet pan pizza raised above the rest of the pizza with a spatula.

Y’all, I love the combo of sweet & spicy toppings I used in this recipe, but I’m always looking for new ideas for my next Sheet Pan Pizza Party! What sauces and toppings will you put on your pizza?

If doubling the recipe: Prepare a doubled amount of pizza dough at once in a very large mixing bowl. Slice the large ball of dough in half (after the first ferment), and transfer each to its own ½ sheet pan for the second rise. Follow the recipe as written, also rotating and flipping the baking sheets halfway through both bakes so both pizzas cook evenly.
Alternatively, when making two smaller pizzas: Slice the risen ball of dough in half and transfer each to its own ¼ sheet pan for the second rise. Split the remaining ingredients between the pizzas, and reduce both baking times by about 5 minutes each (also relying on the visual cues as a guide to prevent over-baking or under-baking the crust).

Make Ahead & Make it Easier

You can make the dough for this sheet pan pizza ahead and store it tightly covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking it. Let it sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before transferring it to the sheet pan.
You can also pre-bake the pizza crust up to 8 hours ahead. Let the bread cool completely before covering it to keep it from getting soggy. When you’re ready to eat, just top the crust with sauce and toppings and bake it again for 10-15 minutes.

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Marion KirkpatrickMarion Kirkpatrick is a former Associate Food Editor at Budget Bytes and a “professional home cook.” She brings nearly a decade of digital media and content management experience to the team — as well as some time spent in a professional kitchen! She studied Journalism & Electronic Media at The University of Tennessee Knoxville and lives in Nashville (her hometown) in a cute little house with her family. In her spare time, she loves hosting dinner parties, hanging out in the backyard with her daughter, and going to rock shows with her husband (who’s also in a band!).More About Marion