Deep Dish Pizza

Chicago-style deep-dish pizza is in a category all its own—unapologetically rich and layered, with a buttery, almost pastry-like crust. If you ask five Chicagoans what makes the perfect version, you’ll probably get five different answers. So, in the name of research, I ordered a few to try at home (some all the way from Chicago!). And as luck would have it, I also had a Chicago native staying with us while I was testing this deep dish pizza recipe, so I had some built-in quality control. With his help, I think we got pretty close to the real deal.

What sets Chicago deep dish apart is its structure as much as its flavor. The crust comes high up the sides of the pan to form a pie-like shell, and unlike a typical pizza, the cheese goes in first, followed by the toppings and then a layer of chunky tomato sauce. The dough is richer than standard pizza dough, too, with enough oil to give it a tender, slightly flaky texture and help it crisp against the pan as it bakes. This is definitely a knife-and-fork pizza—and every bite is worth it.

What You’ll Need To Make Deep Dish Pizza

• Flour, Salt & Sugar: These form the base of the dough, with a little sugar helping with flavor and browning.
• Cream of Tartar: A small amount helps keep the crust tender rather than overly chewy, giving it the slightly flaky texture that sets deep-dish crust apart from standard pizza dough.
• Instant/Rapid-Rise Yeast: This can be mixed directly into the dry ingredients, no proofing required. If you’re using packets, you’ll need slightly more than one.
• Corn Oil: The generous amount of oil is key to the crust’s rich, tender texture and helps it crisp against the pan as it bakes. Corn oil is traditional, but vegetable oil works well too.
• Unsalted Butter: Softened butter is best for greasing the pan because it helps the oily dough cling to the sides better than liquid oil or melted butter. It also adds buttery flavor to the crust.
• Whole Tomatoes: The base of the chunky sauce. San Marzano tomatoes are ideal here; be sure to drain them very well, as excess liquid can make the pizza soggy.
• Whole-Milk Mozzarella: Use sliced whole-milk mozzarella rather than part-skim for the richest melt. The slices also create a layer between the crust and toppings, helping protect the dough from the sauce.
• Raw Italian Sausage: There’s no need to cook it first. Pinched into small pieces, the sausage cooks through as the pizza bakes and releases its flavorful juices directly into the filling.
• Oregano & Parmigiano Reggiano: Oregano gives the pizza its classic savory flavor, while freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano adds a salty, nutty finish over the sauce.
• Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements

How To Make Deep Dish Pizza

Make the dough: Stir the wet and dry ingredients together until they form a shaggy, somewhat uneven dough. Because this dough contains a generous amount of oil, it won’t look or feel like typical pizza dough at this stage—that’s exactly what you want.

Knead and let rise: Knead the dough only briefly, just until it comes together. Don’t try to work it until perfectly smooth; minimal kneading helps keep the finished crust tender rather than chewy. The dough may look spotty or uneven at first, but it will smooth out as it rests. Let it rise until roughly doubled in size. Because of the high oil content, this dough rises much more slowly than standard pizza dough.

Prepare the tomatoes: Crush the tomatoes with your hands as they drain, allowing the excess liquid and seed gel to escape. Take your time with this step—the tomatoes should be well drained before they go onto the pizza. Too much moisture can make the filling watery and prevent the crust from crisping properly.

Shape the crust: Press the dough evenly across the bottom of generously buttered pans, then work it up the sides to create the characteristic deep-dish shell. Aim for a sturdy base with slightly thinner sides. A 12-inch deep-dish pizza pan can also be used for the full batch instead of two cake pans.

Layer the pizza: Start with the mozzarella directly on the dough, followed by small pieces of sausage, then the well-drained tomatoes and seasonings. It may feel backward if you’re used to making regular pizza, but the order is intentional: putting the cheese underneath the tomatoes helps shield the crust from their moisture. Finish with the Parmigiano Reggiano over the top.

Bake, rest, and serve: Bake the pizza on the bottom rack so the base gets plenty of heat. Look for a deeply golden-brown crust and lightly browned top; the edges should feel crisp and firm rather than pale or doughy. Let the pizza rest in the pan before removing and slicing it. This gives the layers time to settle so the cheese and sauce stay put rather than sliding off with the first cut.