How to Make Your Homemade Pizza Taste Almost as Good as Your Favorite Takeout

There’s nothing quite like opening a hot takeout pizza box and taking in the rich aroma of tomato sauce and herbs, or seeing all of that bubbling hot cheese just waiting for you to taste it, right? 

Pizza is one of the country's favorite dishes, and we eat 3 billion of them annually. Most of us have our favorite pizza menu memorised, and we look forward to placing our order every week. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you know what? If you’ve been thinking you would like to try making your own pizza pie once in a while, it’s easier than you might think, and with these X tricks, you can make it taste almost as good as your favorite takeout pie.

Start With Better Dough

It’s fair to say that great pizza begins with great dough. Store-bought dough works fine, but homemade dough, especially one that rises slowly in the fridge for 24–48 hours, develops deeper, richer flavor. Look for high-protein or “bread” flour, which creates that chewy, pizzeria-style texture. Oh, and don’t skip the rest period at room temperature before stretching; warm dough is easier to work with and creates a softer, airier crust.

Stretch, Don’t Roll

A lot of people go wrong when cooking pizza by rolling their dough, which seems a perfectly natural thing to do, but this is a bad idea because it presses out the air bubbles that make pizza light and tender. It’s far better, then, to use your hands to gently stretch the dough and you should do this starting in the center and moving slowly outwards. 

Use the Right Sauce (and the Right Amount)

Okay, this might shock you, but less is more when it comes to pizza sauce. You’re going to want to use a simple, balanced tomato sauce made up of crushed tomatoes, a pinch of sugar, a little salt, and maybe a touch of olive oil, to get that authentic taste. Then, spread a thin layer over the dough because too much sauce leads to soggy crust, no matter how well you bake it

Choose High-Quality Cheese

Most takeout pizza joints rely on low-moisture mozzarella for a reason: it melts beautifully, browns nicely, and gives that stretchy, classic pizza experience. Fresh mozzarella is delicious but adds more moisture, so use it sparingly or in combination with low-moisture mozz. Add a sprinkle of parmesan for extra flavor.

Boost the Toppings

It’s a good idea to keep any toppings you add light so that the crust stays crisp. But do choose toppings with big flavor: cooked Italian sausage, roasted vegetables, caramelized onions, or thinly sliced pepperoni. If using watery ingredients like mushrooms or spinach, sauté them first so they don’t steam your pizza into mush.

Bake It Hot, Hot, Hot

Your oven can’t hit the blazing temperatures of a pizza shop, but you can get close. Preheat your oven to its highest setting (usually 475–550°F) or at least 30 minutes. Using a pizza stone or steel is a game-changer if you can because they hold heat and crisp the crust quickly. If you don’t have one, flip a baking sheet upside-down and heat it thoroughly before sliding your pizza onto it.

Oh, and remember, practice makes delicious!