5 Stuffed Crust Pizza Recipes You Can Make at Home

For most of pizza history, the crust has been the sad leftover. The part you leave on the plate. The bit you toss to the dog, who also seems a little disappointed.

Then someone had a brilliant idea: what if we put cheese inside it?

That one move made the crust the best part of the pizza instead of the end of the line. Every bite out to the edge now finishes with a ring of molten, stretchy cheese. It’s a little ridiculous, and that’s exactly why I love it.

I’ve spent an embarrassing number of weekends (and a frankly irresponsible amount of mozzarella) perfecting stuffed crust at home. I’ve had blowouts and cheese leaks. I once had a pepperoni-ring experiment that I don’t talk about. But I’ve also had wins so good I’ve made them again and again, and those are what I’m sharing here.

Below are my five all-time favorite stuffed crust recipes: a classic that beats anything from a delivery box, plus a few wild cards that might change how you think about pizza night. Some are easy weeknight options. Others are weekend projects worth every minute.

So preheat that oven, grab more cheese than you think you need (trust me), and let’s get stuffing.

Every pizza here folds dough over cheese to make the stuffed edge, then seals it shut before the middle gets its toppings. For each one, I tell you why I keep making it and what sets it apart, then give you the full ingredient list and the video to cook from.

Pizza Hut Copycat Stuffed Crust Pizza

Pizza Hut Copycat Stuffed Crust Pizza is the pizza I make when I want the takeout one, only better. The dough comes together in a stand mixer and rises for about an hour, then I roll it out big enough to leave extra dough at the edge to fold over thick mozzarella sticks. The sauce is fast, with guanciale or bacon crisped with garlic in olive oil, then crushed tomatoes and a few herb sprigs.

The YouTube video for this pizza has over 5 million views, more than any other video here, and that is what got me to try it. I brush water on the edge before I pinch it shut, and that seal keeps the cheese from leaking. The dough makes two pizzas. Each pizza bakes on a hot pizza stone, a heavy plate that heats in the oven, and the crust gets brushed with garlic and Parmesan butter right when it comes out. My home oven doesn’t brown the top like a pizza oven does, so I give it a minute or two under the broiler at the end to fix the color.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups (320 ml) water at about 95F (35C)
• 2 1/2 tsp (8 g) instant yeast
• 3 1/2 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp (6 g) sea salt
• 1 tbsp (14 g) granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp (35 g) extra virgin olive oil
• 4 oz (113 g) guanciale or bacon, diced
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 can (14.5 oz) good quality crushed tomatoes
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 sprigs fresh sage
• salt and pepper to taste
• cornmeal or flour for the peel
• 7 to 8 mozzarella sticks per pizza, about 3/4 inch thick
• water for brushing the dough edge
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano
• thick sliced pepperoni (optional)
• 1/3 cup (85 g) salted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Garlic Bread Stuffed Crust Pizza

Garlic Bread Stuffed Crust Pizza tastes like garlic bread right down to the dough, and that is why it made my list. Fresh garlic and dried oregano go right into the dough, so the crust tastes seasoned even before you add the cheese ring. The dough comes together in a food processor in a few minutes and rises for about 40 minutes while a tomato sauce simmers.

The tomato sauce is the part I wouldn’t skip. The splash of balsamic vinegar is the part I keep coming back to. The edge gets filled with pepper jack cheese sticks, so you get a little heat in every bite, and the crust gets garlic butter when it comes out. The dough can look rough at the start, but it comes out fine. If you don’t have a food processor, I’ve made the dough by hand and still had pizza in under two hours.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus up to 1/2 cup more
• 1 pack instant yeast
• a big pinch of kosher salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• about 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup warm water (110 to 125F)
• olive oil for the sauce
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp sugar
• kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• pepper jack cheese sticks (for the stuffed crust)
• shredded mozzarella
• shredded Parmesan and Romano
• pepperoni
• dried oregano
• garlic butter (garlic, butter, kosher salt and pepper)

Cheesy Bites Pepperoni Pizza

Cheesy Bites Pepperoni Pizza turns the stuffed edge into a ring of pull apart bites. The edge is folded over string cheese, then cut into little pieces that each get turned on their side. The middle stays a simple pepperoni pizza with a tomato paste sauce, and the recipe makes one large pizza.

I picked this pizza because the comments under the YouTube video are full of people who made it for their families. I made it with my grandkids, and the youngest called it the best pizza ever. It bakes on a thin aluminum pizza pan, and the bites need space because they spread a lot as they bake. Be generous with the cheese and leave gaps so they don’t run together. You can use homemade dough or store bought refrigerated dough, and hot dogs can stand in for the cheese. A brush of melted butter and garlic powder after baking makes the bites taste finished.

Ingredients

• pizza crust dough (homemade or store-bought refrigerated)
• 8 sticks string cheese (or 8 hot dogs)
• pizza sauce
• 6 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 oz pepperoni slices
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• for the sauce: 6 oz tomato paste
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Classic 90s Stuffed Crust Pizza

Classic 90s Stuffed Crust Pizza is my soft, bready, a little sweet throwback pie. The cheese ring is provolone cut into small sticks, not string cheese. The dough is mixed in a stand mixer, folded once, then left to rest in the fridge. Four hours will do if you are short on time, but a day or two is better.

Because of that rest in the fridge, this is the pizza I plan ahead for. The sauce needs no cooking, just tomato paste and dried spices blended with water. The top is a blend of mozzarella and provolone, so the middle and the edge taste like they belong together. I rub a little water on the underside of the edge so it does not burn before the top is done. The pizza bakes fast on a hot pizza steel, a thick steel plate that heats in the oven, and gets garlic butter when it comes out. The recipe makes two pizzas, and string cheese works in the ring if that is what you have.

Ingredients

• 270 g (1 1/8 cups) warm water at 86F (30C)
• 5 g instant yeast
• 35 g (2 3/4 tbsp) sugar
• 30 g olive oil
• 450 g (3 1/8 cups) all-purpose flour, 11.7% protein
• 12 g (2 tsp) salt
• olive oil pan spray for the tray
• 150 g tomato paste
• 2 g salt
• 10 g sugar
• 1 g black pepper
• a big pinch of chili flakes
• 1 g garlic powder
• 1 g onion powder
• 1 g dried basil
• 1 g dried oregano
• 10 g olive oil
• 150 g water
• full fat mozzarella and mild provolone, grated in a 3 to 1 blend, about 1 cup (100 g) per pizza
• about 3/4 lb unsliced mild provolone per pizza, cut into 16 to 20 two-inch batons
• finely ground cornmeal for dusting
• 5 to 6 tbsp sauce per pizza
• thin sliced pepperoni
• 1 stick butter
• 5 to 6 cloves garlic, smashed

5 Minute Crust Stuffed Crust Pizza

5 Minute Crust Stuffed Crust Pizza is my pick when I don’t want to wait for dough to rise. The dough is seasoned right in the bowl with onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning, plus melted butter, and I mix it by hand in about five minutes. No yeast, no waiting.

I let the mozzarella sticks sit out until they are soft so they bend around the edge without snapping. If a stick still won’t bend, I cut it partway along the length so it fans out. The sauce is red chile sauce, though marinara works too, and the top gets mozzarella and cheddar, pepperoni and a shake of coarse black pepper. The recipe makes one 12 inch pizza, and I bake it in a 12 inch skillet or on a pizza stone. I take the pizza out of the pan carefully so the ring stays in one piece.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 4 tsp onion powder
• 4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1/2 cup warm water, plus a little more as needed
• flour for the board
• 7 to 8 mozzarella string cheese sticks, at room temperature
• cornmeal for the pan
• 1/2 cup red chile sauce (or marinara)
• 1 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1 to 2 cups cheddar cheese
• pepperoni
• coarse ground black pepper

I get the same few questions every time I bring up stuffed crust, so here is what I have learned.

Which Cheese Works Inside the Crust?

Low moisture string cheese holds its shape in the crust, while full fat mozzarella melts faster and oozes more. People who worked at pizza chains say stores use string cheese, and it is what I use in most of mine at home. Any good melting cheese cut into even sticks will work, so match it to your toppings if you like.

Why Did My Crust Come Out Hollow or the Cheese Not Melt?

A hollow crust and cheese that won’t melt have different fixes. If the cheese melted away and left a hollow pocket, try chilling the sticks for a short time before you seal them so they do not melt too early. If whole sticks did not melt at all, cut them in half the long way and let them soften at room temperature before you wrap them.

Why Did My Pizza Come Out Small?

Folding the edge over the cheese uses up a few inches of dough. The dough that wraps the cheese ring comes from the outside of your circle. Roll your dough a couple of inches wider than the size you want to end up with, so after you fold the cheese in you still have a full size pizza.

How Do I Store and Reheat Leftovers?

Cover and keep leftover slices in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat gently, since high heat makes the crust tough and can push the cheese out of the edge. I warm slices just until the cheese softens again and stop there.

I usually start with the copycat if I have time to let dough rise, and I grab the five minute crust when dinner needs to happen now. Pick the cheese and the dough that fit your night, seal the edge well, and you will get that cheesy pull on the very first slice.