Crock Pot Deep Dish Pizza
Crock Pot Deep Dish Pizza is an easy Slow Cooker pizza recipe with a fluffy crust, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni.
A New Recipe for Pizza Night
Most people think of pizza as something that has to be baked in a hot oven, but this Crock Pot Deep Dish Pizza offers a completely different way. It’s nice to have it do the majority of the work, all while keeping the kitchen cooler since you don’t have to turn on the oven (which ends up heating the house). This pizza slowly cooks into a soft, fluffy deep-dish style crust topped with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni!
Frequently Asked Questions:
This is a great little mix that you can use for all kinds of things. I promise, it’s nearly in all grocery stores but it can be easy to miss. A lot times they keep it near where the biscuit mix is located. But it’s almost always down the baking aisle. See my ingredient image below so you know what to look for. If for some reason, you can’t find it in store, you can grab this Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix (paid affiliate link) online too.
I know you probably won’t like this answer. I tried all kinds of dough when testing this recipe and this one produced the best crust. You would think you could just use a regular pizza dough (and you can) but it just doesn’t turn out as good as this one. I even tried the pizza crust in the can, and it was fine, but again, just not as good as this one. Those came out kind of limp and doughy. I really recommend going with this hot roll mix or perhaps go with another recipe online that successfully used regular pizza dough.
It does, but a lot of folks like the time the crock pot frees them up to do other things while it cooks. You have time to work on the side dishes, etc. Also, it doesn’t heat up the house like the oven does. Generally you have to turn your oven to a very high setting to make pizza which heats up the house. During summer, that is no fun at all (especially if your oven is upstairs like mine is!)
Yes, you can add cooked sausage, bacon, cooked hamburger, peppers, black olives, or anything you’d like. Be careful not to overload the pizza with extra toppings, as too much weight can prevent the center from cooking properly. Keep it as light as possible.
Yes, the paper towel helps stop condensation from the lid from dripping onto the pizza, which can make it soggy and prevent it from cooking all the way through. I’ve tested this a lot of different ways and adding that paper towel produced the best results.
No. The dough will rise naturally as the Slow Cooker gradually heats up, so there is no separate rise time required. I tested this recipe very specifically with this dough for this to work.
Using the entire box of mix creates a crust that is too thick and gooey, and may not cook evenly in the slow cooker. I tried it with the whole box and it was just too much. If you’d rather not save half the mix, prepare the entire box according to the package directions and freeze half the dough for another use.
The edges should be golden brown and the center should no longer look wet or gooey. Remove a pepperoni from the center and gently test the dough underneath with a knife. If needed, continue cooking a little longer.
You can store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix– The Pillsbury hot roll mix creates a soft and fluffy pizza (with slightly crispy edges) that is great for a deep-dish pizza. You’ll only be using 1/2 of the packet of the mix. If you want to use the whole package, you’ll be able to make a pizza now and freeze the rest of the dough for later. It is not advised to use all of it, I tested it and it did not work as well. This is a great little mix that you can use for all kinds of things. I promise, it’s nearly in all grocery stores but it can be easy to miss. A lot times they keep it near where the biscuit mix is located. If for some reason, you can’t find it in store, you can grab this Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix (paid affiliate link) online too.
- sea salt, garlic powder, dried oregano – you can certainly use your favorite combination of ingredients here. We thought the dough needed a little additional flavoring.
- hot water
- extra-virgin olive oil– don’t skip this or the hot water as they are very important for the dough to come together.
- pizza sauce– you can use any pizza sauce for this pizza. Homemade Pizza Sauce is always a great choice too.
- shredded mozzarella cheese– I prefer to shred my own cheese for this as it melts better.
- sliced pepperoni– you can add other toppings but be careful loading it up with too much or it may not cook evenly and you may need to adjust the cooking time. This was only tested as pepperoni as the topping.
- dried parsley– this is optional, but it adds some nice color to the top.
How To Make Crock Pot Deep Dish Pizza
Combine the dry ingredients for the crust
To a bowl, add the Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix, yeast, salt, garlic powder, and oregano, then combine with a spoon just until you have crumbles.
Add in water and oil
Add the hot water and 3 Tablespoons of oil, stirring until the ingredients come together.
Knead the dough
Using clean hands, knead the dough in the bowl for 1 minute, or until smooth.
Place the dough into crock pot
Lightly oil the parchment paper and place it in a 6-quart crockpot. This will help with removing it later. With clean hands, spread the dough out evenly and push it up the sides slightly to create a little edge. Note: The hot roll mix box says to allow the dough to rise before using. The dough will rise with this recipe as the crock pot slowly begins to warm up so no need for the additional step. Layer on the pizza sauce.
Spread crust out and add sauce
Then cheese, and pepperoni in that order. Place a paper towel under the lid to help prevent condensation from dripping onto the pizza. Once the lid is on, I like to cut the corners of the paper towel so it doesn’t fall down and touch the crockpot’s metal rim. Cook on low for 2 to 2½ hours, or until the sides are golden brown and the center is no longer gooey.
Add toppings then cook
To check if it’s done, remove a pepperoni and use a knife to test the center, then replace the pepperoni and cook longer if needed. Remove the pizza by lifting up the parchment paper, transfer to a serving platter, slice, and top with dried parsley.
Craving More Recipes?
Crock Pot Deep Dish Pizza
Ingredients
- ½ (16 ounce) box Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix (you’ll only be using 1 3/4 cups or about 1/2 of the packet)
- ½ yeast packet that comes in the box mix (this comes out to 1 1/2 + 1/8 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 5 ounces hot water (this comes out to 1/2 cup + 1/8 cup hot water)
- 3 ¼ Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided use)
- ⅔ cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup sliced pepperoni (about 9 slices)
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley (optional)
Instructions
- To a bowl, add the 1/2 (16 ounce) box Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix, 1/2 yeast packet that comes in the box mix, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, then combine with a spoon just until you have crumbles.
- Add the 5 ounces hot water and 3 Tablespoons olive oil, stirring until the ingredients come together.
- Using clean hands, knead the dough in the bowl for about 1 minute, or until smooth.
- Lightly oil the parchment paper and place it in a 6-quart crockpot. The oil helps it stick into the crock pot. This will help with removing it later.
- With clean hands, spread the dough out evenly and push it up the sides slightly to create a little edge.Note: The hot roll mix box says to allow the dough to rise before using. The dough will rise with this recipe as the crock pot slowly begins to warm up so no need for the additional step.
- Layer on 2/3 cup pizza sauce, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, and ½ cup sliced pepperoni in that order.
- Place a paper towel under the lid to help prevent condensation from dripping onto the pizza. Place the lid on top.
- Cook on low for about 2 to 2½ hours, or until the sides are golden brown and the center is no longer gooey.
- To check if it’s done, use a butter knife to test the center, then cook longer if needed.
- Remove the pizza by lifting up the parchment paper, transfer to a serving platter, slice, and top with ½ teaspoon dried parsley (optional)
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- For the crust, so as not to be confusing, you are taking the box ingredients and cutting everything in half. I tried to give those amounts above but just know you are cutting that box mix recipe in half.
- If using table salt instead of sea salt, just use about half of the amount above.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
