Building the perfect slice of pepperoni pizza

Everyone always talks about the ultimate cheese slice, but what about the perfection that is a pepperoni slice? A well-made pepperoni slice should have the right balance of spice, salt, meatiness and, yes, grease. The pepperoni itself cuts through the cheese and sauce, adding great texture, depth and color.

Regardless of pizza style, my ideal pepperoni slice explodes with flavor from the very first bite. It has a structured bottom that can hold up to the rich, buttery cheese, bright sauce and spicy heat of pepperoni. There is a definitive salty crunch every time you hit a pepperoni, and the tiny pools of grease add to the addictive flavor.

Pepperoni Styles

While pepperoni might seem like a basic ingredient, it’s really anything but. There are many different pepperonis out there, and each one greatly affects the flavor, texture and overall composition of your slice. The pepperoni you pick should match the style of pizza you make. Pan pizzas can accommodate a thicker cut, whereas New York-style rounds might need something slightly thinner. Just like your other menu items, choice of pepperoni says a lot about your pizza and your shop. It took me a few years to source my ideal pepperoni.

Unlike other cured meats, one of the beauties about pepperoni is that its flavor is inherently changed and enhanced after it has been cooked and crisped in the oven. Rarely does it stand on its own and instead needs to work together with the other pizza ingredients. Pepperoni was created by Italian immigrants in the United States, and over time, it has become synonymous with pizza. It’s easy to see why: Pepperoni is the most popular pizza topping since it can be thick or thin, big or small, spicy or sweet and cupping or flat. When choosing a pepperoni, consider all your options. A few to pick from are:

Traditional: Made with pork and beef as well as added spices such as salt, paprika and garlic powder. Traditional pepperoni is usually mildly spiced and widely available.

Cup and Char: When cooked, this pepperoni curls up into small cups, forming little pools of delicious grease with crispy, charred rims. This is a direct result of the cured meat reacting to heat during the cooking process.

Artisan: Also known as “Old World,” this style is closer to traditional Italian dry-cured salami. It has a harder, drier texture with higher fat content, and it tends to be a deeper red color.

Flat Pepperoni: This style lays smooth on the surface of the pizza without curling up. It tends not to get super crispy and is usually larger in circumference.

Beef or Turkey: Made without pork for those who prefer a different option or have dietary restrictions.

In addition to the styles available, diameter and how thinly pepperoni it is sliced can change its flavor and texture on pizza. Thinner and smaller widths create crispier pepperoni pieces once they are cooked. Thicker pepperoni has a much heavier, meatier mouthfeel. Even if you aren’t slicing your own pepperoni, many brands come in multiple sizes. I like mine somewhere between thick and thin. The quantity of pepperoni you put on a pie also transforms it. I tend to have a pretty heavy hand when it comes to pepperoni. I love when the pepperonis overlap and occasionally stack up. You don’t want so much that it’s all you taste, but a few piled-up pieces and pools of grease just make a slice all the more enticing.

While everyone’s idea of the best pepperoni slice will be different, the process of creating one is the same. You want all of your components to be solid and working together. Plain cheese slices offer slightly more leeway for crust and sauce, since the only pizza topping is cheese. Pepperonis, meanwhile, are heavier and add a good amount of grease. Unless you want a floppy, messy slice, your base needs to be able to support everything.

Choosing Your Cheese

As for the cheese, I am (and always will be) a big fan of whole-milk mozzarella. Whether it is shredded, sliced or cubed, put on top or under the sauce, I don’t think part-skim or blends can compare. Yes, it’s definitely greasier, but are you really eating a pepperoni slice to cut calories? The cheese pull isn’t quite as drastic, but the creamy richness more than makes up for that. I love how the spiciness and charred edges of the pepperoni contrast to the buttery cheese. When topping a pepperoni pie, I tend to add slightly less cheese than I would with a plain cheese pizza, but it’s not a huge difference. No one likes a dry slice.

As with the cheese, you don’t want so much sauce that the whole slice falls apart. How you layer your pizza impacts how it tastes as it hits your mouth. It might seem like a simple, set order, but you can really compose your slice however you want. A big part of how the sauce interacts with the pepperoni and cheese depends where it is on the slice. If the sauce is on top, the pepperoni will mix with the sweet, acidic flavor from the tomatoes. If it’s underneath, the creaminess of the cheese will cut some of the spices from the pepperoni.

A pepperoni slice can be just those four things – crust, sauce, cheese and meat – but adding a few extras can really make it pop. Once of my favorites is to sprinkle a good amount of grated Parmesan on top of the pepperoni before it goes in the oven. If you’re using cup and char, the result is having an already addictive pepperoni laced with a Parmesan crisp. Oregano (better yet, Sicilian oregano right off the sprig) can add another dimension. Fresh or cooked basil offers another good wave of flavor – as does a splash of really good extra virgin olive oil to finish. You might be thinking that pepperonis pack enough fat as it is, but EVOO provides a different kind that delivers a freshly squeezed flavor.

Whether you keep it basic or add all the frills, there’s a deep satisfaction that comes from crafting – and, of course, eating – the perfect pepperoni slice. If you’re ready to claim ultimate domination of our nation’s most popular pizza topping, you finally have the chance with the Best Pepperoni Slice competition at The Great American Pizza Challenge, coming up later this month at Pizza Expo Columbus. Visit pizzaexpocolumbus.com for details.

AUDREY KELLY owns Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage in Boulder, Colorado.

Read the October 2025 Issue of Pizza Today Magazine

It’s National Pizza Month! We’re celebrating all month long with pizzeria community impact stories. See how pizzerias are making a difference in their communities. The inaugural Pizza Expo Columbus takes over the Columbus Convention Center on Oct. 26-27. Get a preview of all the excitement to expect. In this issue, we also dive into what makes the perfect pepperoni slice and breakfast pizza inspiration. Find tips leadership traits and how to maximize user-generated content. Go to the October issue.