In this Guide to the Best Ingredients for Homemade Pizza I will share with you all of the products I actually use at home. There is always much debate about which pizza ingredients are best for making pizza. Those arguments will never be settled. The truth is, the ingredients you choose for your pizza are deeply personal and come down to your own preference.
I have tried hundreds of ingredients both working in pizzerias for over a decade as well as an additional decade + experimenting with making pizza at home. I’ve used many great products and also some terrible ones. This list of ingredients are those that I actually use regularly and love. They have helped me create great pizzas and have taken my pizza game to the next level.
Tomatoes
There are so many brands and types of tomatoes in the grocery store. The quality of the tomatoes matter! The best tomatoes require very little seasoning or cooking to create a great pizza sauce. Inferior tomatoes taste metallic, bitter, overly acidic and require many additives. You generally get what you pay for, but there are some exceptions. I have personally tested many different types of tomatoes, and these are some of my favorites that are easy to find in a grocery store or on amazon.
Bianco DiNapoli Whole Peeled Tomatoes
Bianco DiNapoli Whole Peeled Tomatoes are organically grown in Northern California and are a favorite of many at-home pizziaoli. I love them because they are naturally sweet and have exceptional depth of flavor and complexity. The pizza sauce recipe I use with these tomatoes is usually just to add a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil – nothing more. I’ve recommended this combination to many and I guarantee that these tomatoes and that simple recipe will produce a pizza sauce better than most premade, homemade, or pizzeria’s sauces you’ve ever encountered. Great ingredients don’t require many additives. Besides Amazon, BDN can generally be found at Whole Foods market.
Gustarosso D.O.P. San Marzano Tomatoes
Gustarosso D.O.P. San Marzano Tomatoes is another premium tomato beloved by top pizza makers. When I tried them for the first time I was blown away by the low acidity, striking flavors and incredible balance of sweetness and tang. They have just the right about of bite without being bitter in any way. These authentic D.O.P. tomatoes are grown in a small region of Italy just south of Napoli and are exported to other countries. They can be found in premium Italian specialty food shops or by using the Amazon link above. They come at a premium price, but I promise you won’t regret trying them at least once!
Mutti Pelati Whole Peeled Tomatoes
Mutti Pelati Whole Peeled Tomatoes are another great brand grown in Italy. They are also low in acidity with some sweetness and make a wonderful pizza sauce. Mutti brand products are also much easier to find in grocery stores in the United States than the canned tomatoes mentioned above.
Cento San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes
Cento San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes are the easiest and most mainstream tomato to find in grocery stores of the 4 cans referenced here. They offer versatility, affordability, low acidity, and most of all they make a great pizza sauce. Cento has a wide product line and often has an easy to spot section of the grocery store filled with yellow cans and jars.
More of My Favorite Tomatoes
These tomatoes are some of my favorites, but there are many more great ones to pick from. Check out my Tomato Taste Test Results where I taste and rate each tomato! I know not everyone has access to a restaurant supply store, but for commercial tomatoes I LOVE STANISLAUS PRODUCTS. Stanislaus tomatoes are grown in California and are naturally sweet and low in acidity. My favorites from the company are Tomato Magic, Alta Cucina, and Super Dolce.
Do you want to find the best pizza tools and equipment to make homemade pizza? Check out my Ultimate Gift Guide for the At Home Pizza Maker!
Flour
Flour is important to making great pizza dough. There are so many amazing flours out there. I have tried many, and some of them are not easy to get so they aren’t listed here. I listed below some great flours that are reliable, available, and produce great results.
King Arthur Bread Flour
King Arthur Bread Flour is an incredible flour that many pizza makers start out with. It’s a great starter to start your pizza journey with because it’s available virtually everywhere. It’s also consistent and reliable which is important when honing your craft. Many begin to take it for granted because it’s so ubiquitous, but it makes amazing pizzas and breads. I prefer the higher protein content (12.7%) KA Bread Flour for New York Style pizza for dough stretching and good chew. My choice for pan pizzas and a more tender and crispy crust is the KA All Purpose Flour (11.7%). I use KA’s commercial Sir Lancelot Flour as well as their retail KA 00 Pizza Flour. You rea
Caputo Pizzeria Flour
Caputo has a large line of premium Italian Flours. Many of which are great for making pizza at home. The Caputo 00 Blue Pizzeria Flour is great for high heat ovens (over 700f degrees) like the Gozney Roccbox or Ooni Koda 16. For those baking pizzas in their home range the Caputo 00 Red Chef’s Flour is an easy to use flour that produces great results in residential ovens under 500f degrees. There are many more specialty flours available from Caputo, but these are fantastic and readily available.
Caputo Gluten Free Flour
For those with Celiac Disease or gluten allergies, Caputo Fioreglut Gluten Free Flour can be life changing. If you’re tired of eating cardboard disguised as GF pizza, this flour is pretty easy to work with. When you mix it, it looks like a thick pancake batter, but once you get it into a pan to rise, you’d never know it was Gluten Free! I was amazed with this product when I first used it! Use the directions on the package, get yourself a LloydPan and make an amazing Detroit Style Pizza!
Just Add Water Pizza Dough
For those just getting started making dough, Urban Slicer Neopolitan Style Pizza Dough is revolutionary! You quite literally just add a cup of water and mix it up until smooth! It’s the perfect gateway to making your own dough. It also happens to be a legit dough that performs well in higher heat ovens over 600f degrees. I really couldn’t believe the results from a pouch of flour mix and a cup of water! So convenient and effective! This was an obvious choice for my Guide to the Best Ingredients for Homemade Pizza!
More of My Favorite Flours
My all-time favorite flours to work with are from the Italian company Le 5 Stagioni (The Five Seasons). I love to use Le 5 Stagioni (Blue) Farina Di Grano Tipo 00 to make New York and Neapolitan style pizzas in high heat portable ovens over 700 degrees. I make thick, fluffy, tender, pan pizzas like Detroit and Sicilian style pizzas with Le 5 Stagioni (Red) Pizza Napoletana flour. These flours are so pure and are an ultra premium flour, but are difficult to find in most areas of the country. You can sometimes find the flours online, but it’s best to contact them directly to find a source.
Cheese
Cheese you put on a pizza are just as important as the dough and sauce! Unfortunately dairy products does not have the same shelf-life as canned fruits and milled grains so I can’t provide easy links to order online. I can provide you with some of my favorite cheeses that I like to use often. Check your local grocery store or restaurant warehouse for these cheeses or inquire about similar brands.
Mozzarella Cheeses
- Grande Cheese Whole Milk Mozzarella – my absolute favorite cheese for its supreme melting abilities and flavor. It doesn’t break down at high heat like most grocery store cheeses do. It also melts beautifully with great coverage and wonderful color and texture. Many of my favorite pizzerias are using Grande Cheeses. They have a diverse line of different cheeses, so check them out as they offer some of the best on the market.
- Caputo Brothers Fresh and Whole Milk Mozzarella – this local Pennsylvania company creates wonderful and complex cheeses that work really well on pizza. I tested a few varieties and was really impressed. Their ricotta also made me feel like I was right on the dairy farm!
- BelGioiso Fresh Mozzarella Cheese – this solid cheese is available in most grocery stores and is solid and quite reliable. I do like to leave the package open in the refrigerator overnight or wrapped in a paper towel to dry before using. I also like to use it at room temperature.
Other Cheeses
- Brick Cheese – Brick Cheese is a Wisconsin cheese with similar properties to mozzarella with a generally mild and slightly sweet flavor. It works great on Detroit style pizzas and in cheese blends. Also creates epic cheese pulls!
- Cheddar Cheese – I like to blend in some cheddar cheese in my Old Forge blend and even on my New York style pies when I want some sharpness and saltiness. My favorite cheddar cheese to use is Land O Lakes white cheddar. It only comes in a 40 lb block, but if you have the right restaurant warehouse, they’ll cut you a piece to the size you need.
- Cooper Cheese – Cooper is like bacon. It makes everything better. Cooper Sharp American cheese is not a traditional cheese, but blending it into the mix can provide a sharpness and creaminess to take your pizza to a different level. It’s great for Old Forge Pizza, stromboli’s, and really any pizza you want to switch up the flavor profile a little!
Locatelli Pecorino Romano Cheese
Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese is my absolute favorite cheese to finish a pizza with! Having a chunk of the cheese and a microplane cheese grater to shred it takes a really good pizza and makes it great! Not only does this rich cheese taste and smell terrific, but it looks incredible too when shredded fresh on top of a pizza!
There are so many cheeses to pick from. You really can’t go wrong (unless you’re buying preshredded cheese covered in starch anti-caking agent) in the grocery store. Always buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself. The melt, flavor, taste and color will ALWAYS be better this way. My suggestion is, buy a few cheeses in small quantities and try them out. Find out what works for you and your style of pizza. The cheeses above work great for me, but I recommend finding what works best for you.
Pepperoni
Margherita Cup N Char Pepperoni
Margherita Cup N Char Pepperoni is the one I use most often because it has a wonderful balance of meaty flavor and just enough heat. It’s sliced medium/thin and cups up nicely when baking on a pizza. The edges of the pepperoni crisp and char up to provide even more flavor and texture. This pepperoni is hard to find at retail, but if you buy the Margherita Stick Pepperoni and slice it just the right thickness, you can get a similar cupping effect!
Battistoni Cup and Char Pepperoni
Next on the Guide for the Best Ingredients for Homemade Pizza List is Battistoni Spicy Cup and Char Pepperoni. I unknowingly fell in love with this pepperoni when I bought Wegman’s “Spicy Cupping Pepperoni” many times and later found out it was made by Battistoni. Fast forward a few years and this fantastic product can be easily ordered on amazon using the link above. Or if you live near a Wegmans, just stop into their deli area with the pizza counter and grab a clear container of the stuff!
Hormel Cup n Char Pepperoni
Hormel Cup n Crisp Pepperoni is one of the easiest cupping ronis to find in the grocery store. It’s usually found in the dairy section near the cheeses or by the meats. It’s a solid product. However, Hormel’s Rosa Grande commercial product is vastly superior to the Cup n Crisp product. It’s only available in select restaurant wholesale locations and online. If you can find it, it’s worth buying a 12.5 lb bag, portioning, and freezing for 4 to 6 months. It stays good for a pretty long time in the freezer!
Olive Oils
Oils are an important part of pizzamaking. Whether you add EVOO into your dough mix, apply it to your neopolitan pizza before baking, or finish a pizza with one final drizzle it’s a critical ingredient for flavor. I use olive oil constantly. It’s important to know that not all EVOO’s are created equally, and paying a ton of money for an exotic bottle of oil doesn’t necessarily mean you bought a great product!
Graza Olive Oil
Graza Extra Virgin Olive Oil is an awesome tasting olive oil that really performs. It’s a premium product comes in a convenient squeeze bottle that allows you to be precise and not waste oil. The “Drizzle” is a a finishing oil with a bold taste great for topping pizzas after baking. The “Sizzle” is more mild and is great for adding to a pizza before baking. The price point is also quite friendly when compared to other premium Oils.
Corto Truly Olive Oil
Corto Truly Olive Oil is another premium olive oil that I’ve worked with often over the years. It has a fresh and pungent flavor and aroma and is a versatile oil to use. Like Graza above, if you try an oil like this side by side with almost any EVOO in the grocery store, chances are these will blow your mind. Yes, I’m suggesting you drink your olive oil to taste test it!
Conclusion
I hope you found my Guide to the Best Ingredients for Homemade Pizza helpful. Again, these are the best ingredients for me after trying many in each category. What works best for your pizza? What are your favorite products? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
