Vegan Pepperoni Pizza
Ready in just 30 minutes, this easy-to-make vegan pepperoni pizza is the perfect answer to a quick weeknight dinner. With just five simple ingredients, you will be on your way to enjoying this delicious vegan-friendly pizzeria-style pizza in no time!
Pizza is always an excellent choice for a quick meal, no matter when you have it. Not to mention, it is something that both kids and adults enjoy! For more easy-to-make, homemade vegan-friendly pizza ideas, check out our cheeseless pizza, vegan white sauce pizza, hummus pizza, and pesto pizza recipes.
What to expect?
Why spend all your time searching for plant-based pepperoni pizza in restaurants or for delivery when you can make your own fresh pizza at home? This vegan pepperoni recipe requires only five ingredients, 10 minutes of prep time, and 20 minutes of cook time.
This easy recipe takes my crisp and airy Italian Naples-style vegan pizza dough and tops it with a flavorful tomato pizza sauce, vegan cheese, and vegan pepperoni. We then put it in the oven and bake it to perfection in 15 minutes or less.
Not only does it taste delicious, but it is a fun and quick meal that the whole family will love. You can even customize it with other toppings, herbs, and spices to make it your own!
Ingredients
This simple vegan pepperoni pizza recipe only requires five ingredients, all of which you can easily find at your neighborhood grocery store. See the Variations section below for more ingredients you can add to customize your pizza!
- Pizza dough – You can use store-bought dough, but nothing beats homemade. Try our easy Neapolitan pizza dough recipe or our best-ever gluten-free pizza crust.
- Pizza sauce – My no-cook tomato pizza sauce takes just five minutes and adds a delicious flavor to your pizza.
- Vegan pepperoni
- Vegan mozzarella – Alternatively, you can use any vegan cheese that melts.
- Semolina flour – You will use this for dusting the dough.
? You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
Making vegan pepperoni pizza
- If you use our homemade pizza dough recipe, make the dough and proof it according to the instructions there. Then continue from here.
- Place the dough on a flat, lightly floured surface and lightly dust it with semolina or cornmeal. Sprinkle the top with flour, if needed (or turn the dough upside-down).
- Use your fingertips to gently depress the dough ball while stretching and pulling to create a 10-inch circle (approximate). If you prefer a bubbly outer crust, do not depress the edges.
- Preheat the oven to 390 Fahrenheit (ca. 200 °C).
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and transfer the pizza crust dough to the tray by hand. Gently arrange it back to a circle shape.
- Spread the pizza sauce across the dough evenly. Spread the vegan mozzarella and the vegan pepperoni on top of the sauce.
- Place it on the oven rack and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the outer crust turns golden brown. Can you see the airy, fluffy crust?
Cooking tips
- Use a pizza stone! – We recommend using a pizza stone in the highest position of the oven since you will have the best pizza if you can manage to bake it on the highest heat possible. The pizza stone is already hot when you place the pizza dough on top resulting in a perfect crispy bottom crust. Read our pizza dough recipe for more details on how to bake a pizza with a pizza stone.
- If you prefer not to have a bubbly outer crust, poke small holes in the crust with a fork before putting it in the oven.
- To prevent the pepperoni from overbaking, brush it with a bit of olive oil before placing it in the oven.
- Once baked, move it to a wire rack or wooden board to cool down while preserving the crust’s crispiness.
Variations
One of the best things about this vegan pepperoni pizza is its versatility! Customize your pizza to your likes and preferences with one or more of the many variations below:
With different protein – Add or replace the pepperoni with other vegan meats, such as vegan sausage, vegan meatballs, or vegan shredded chicken.
With other bases: Add a swirl of spinach pesto or sun-dried tomato pesto on top of the tomato sauce. Or, spread on creamy hummus as we do in our Mediterranean hummus pizza recipe.
With veggies – Turn it into a vegan supreme pizza and add fresh green peppers, black olives, mushrooms, and red onion. You can also try it with other flavorful veggies, such as sliced and roasted eggplant, zucchini, broccoli, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach leaves, or artichoke hearts. See a veggie-loaded cheeseless pizza here for inspiration.
With fresh herbs: For extra flavor, sprinkle on fresh herbs such as fresh basil, oregano, or arugula after baking.
With spice: Add some heat to your pizza by sprinkling on black pepper, cayenne, red pepper flakes, or sliced jalapenos.
Serving ideas
- Before serving, drizzle the pizza with extra virgin olive oil or balsamic vinegar.
- Brush the crust with melted garlic butter while it is hot.
- Serve it alongside a leafy green side salad, breadsticks, or a light soup, such as our escarole soup.
Equipment
- Iron pizza stone – A pizza stone will give your pizza a crispy, crunchy bottom.
- Pizza oven – If you do not have a pizza oven, you can use a regular oven like we do in this recipe. While Ooni pizza ovens are quite popular, we have a cheaper brand. And it gives us delicious pizzas effortlessly.
- Baker’s peel – Using a pizza peel makes transporting the pizza to the pizza stone easier.
Storing tips
Pizza is always best when served fresh and hot out of the oven. However, in the case that you have leftovers, it is easy to store and enjoy them at a later time. For food safety, you should not attempt to keep any pizza that has been left at room temperature for more than two hours.
In the refrigerator – Wrap leftovers in tin foil or store in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to three days.
In the freezer – I do not recommend freezing pizza that has already been baked, as the crust can become soggy if the dough or the toppings release moisture.
Reheating cold pizza – For the best quality, reheat cold pizza in a regular oven or toaster oven to maintain a crispy crust. Avoid reheating it in the microwave, as the crust becomes soggy.
FAQs
Yes, you can assemble the toppings on your vegan pepperoni pizza and store it in the freezer like a grocery store frozen pizza. To do so, reduce the baking time to 5-6 minutes, which will allow the dough to cook enough to keep its shape but will not cook it all the way through.
Many vegan pepperoni is made of vital wheat gluten (aka seitan pepperoni). If you need a gluten-free version, you should look for one that is made of pea protein. As for the pizza dough, try our Neapolitan gluten-free pizza crust.
More vegan pizza recipes
Check out these delicious vegan pizza recipes:
Vegan Pepperoni Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Pizza dough homemade classic or gluten-free
- ½ cup Pizza sauce easy no-cook pizza sauce
- 3 oz Vegan pepperoni
- 4 oz Vegan mozzarella or any vegan cheese that melts
- Semolina flour for dusting
Instructions
Prepare the toppings
- Slice vegan pepperoni and mozzarella (if not pre-sliced).
Making vegan pepperoni pizza
- If you use our homemade pizza dough recipe, make the dough and proof it according to the instructions there. Then continue from here.
- Transfer one ball of dough to a flat surface dusted with semolina or cornmeal. Sprinkle the top with flour if needed (or simply just turn the dough upside-down). Use your fingertips to gently depress the round, stretching and pulling the dough gently into a circle. For a bubbly outer crust, don't depress the outer circumference.
- Preheat the oven to 390 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
- Add parchment paper to a baking tray, and transfer the pizza crust with your hand to the tray. Gently arrange the crust back to a circle shape.
- Spread pizza sauce evenly on the crust. Spread vegan mozzarella and pepperoni on pizza sauce.
- Bake it for 10-15 minutes or until the outer crust gets some color.
