Getting those perfect little cups at home is easy once you know the rules. Here is how to do it in a regular home oven.
Get a natural casing or cup and char pepperoni stick. See our brand guide. Regular pre-sliced pepperoni won't cup no matter what you do.
Leave the casing on and cut slices about an eighth of an inch thick. Thinner slices curl too much and burn. Thicker ones stay flat.
Put the pepperoni on top of the cheese, not under it. The edges need to be exposed to the heat to curl and char.
Preheat as hot as your oven goes, usually 500 to 550°F, with a pizza stone or steel inside for at least 45 minutes.
Bake on the stone or steel in the upper part of the oven. For extra char, switch to broil for the last minute or two and watch it closely.
Give it a couple of minutes before slicing so the oil settles in the cups instead of running across the pie.
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| It stays flat | Your pepperoni probably doesn't have a natural casing, or the slices are too thick. Try a cupping stick and thinner slices. |
| It curls but won't char | The oven isn't hot enough. Preheat longer, move the pizza higher, or finish under the broiler. |
| The edges burn black | Slices are too thin. Go a little thicker or pull the pizza a minute sooner. |
| Pizza is greasy | Use a cupping pepperoni so the oil stays in the cups, and let the pizza rest before slicing. |
| Slices fall off | Press each slice lightly into the cheese when you top the pizza. |
For a Buffalo-style pie, use a thicker, chewy dough in a seasoned pan, a slightly sweet sauce, and spread the cheese all the way to the edge. Then go heavy on the pepperoni. In Buffalo, a pepperoni pie is covered edge to edge in cups.
Air fryer tip: Reheating a slice? A few minutes in the air fryer brings the cups back to crispy better than a microwave ever will.