Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Thick, airy crust with cheesy, caramelized edges and that signature sauce-on-top layering.
Taste: Savory crust with cheesy, tangy, and salty toppings for the perfect flavor combination.
Ease: An easy pizza recipe with impressive results — just plan ahead for the rising time!
Top Tips: A Detroit-style pizza pan makes all the difference! Also use pre-shredded cheese for the frico crust because the anti-caking agents allow for even melting and browning along the edges of the pan.
Recommended GF Flour: This recipe has been specifically developed to work with King Arthur Gluten-Free Pizza Flour. No other gluten-free flour blend will work the same.
Would I make these again? Absolutely! This is the BEST gluten-free pizza I’ve ever made or eaten. It’s going to be in our regular rotation for family pizza night!
xoxo erin
This post is sponsored by King Arthur Baking Company.
Detroit-style pizza is the perfect hearty pizza and this gluten-free version checks all the boxes! I love making this recipe for family pizza nights or sharing it with friends. It’s always a total hit!
Thanks to gluten-free pizza flour, this recipe offers a thick cheesy crust that’s crisp on the outside and pillowy on the inside. It’s then topped with gooey, melty cheese, savory sauce, and crispy pepperoni for one irresistible meal!
Featured Comment
From Sherri: “Loved this recipe! I made it completely dairy free and it came out amazing. I used Daiya cheeses, so yummy!”
Table of Contents
- Erin’s Recipe Rundown
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Gluten-Free Detroit-Style Pizza
- Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instructions
- Can this gluten-free Detroit-style pizza be made dairy-free?
- Why do I pre-bake the crust before adding toppings?
- Can I add other toppings to the gluten-free pizza?
- More Recipes Using King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour
- Gluten-Free Detroit-Style Pizza Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this gluten-free Detroit-style pizza. See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Gluten-free pizza flour: The key to this crisp, airy crust is using King Arthur Gluten-Free Pizza Flour. This pizza just isn’t the same with any other flour blend.
- Instant yeast: The crust uses the instant yeast to rise and achieve the perfect pillowy texture. Using instant yeast means it can go straight into the dry mixture for easy dough-making. I like the brand Saf instant yeast.
- Olive oil: The olive oil adds rich flavor while also helping the crust to stay soft in the middle and crisp on the outside.
- Pre-shredded cheese: I’m usually big on shredding cheese myself, but using pre-shredded mozzarella and cheddar for the crispy cheese crust works best. The pre-shredded cheese helps create the signature crispy, caramelized frico crust because the anti-caking agents allow for even melting and browning along the edges of the pan.
- Pizza toppings: If you want you can hand-grate low-moisture mozzarella for the interior of the pizza (or more pre-shredded cheese works too!). Layering the sauce on top of the cheese is a signature Detroit-style pizza feature that keeps the crust crispy and the sauce vibrant.
How to Make Gluten-Free Detroit-Style Pizza
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
- In the bowl of a stand mixer: Use a paddle attachment to combine the gluten-free pizza flour, sugar, instant yeast, and salt.
- With the mixer on low: Slowly add in the water and olive oil. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix for 5 minutes. The dough will be somewhat wet! Use an oiled rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, then mix again until it’s all well-combined.
- Using a 10×14″ Detroit pizza pan: Generously oil the bottom and sides of the pan, then press the dough into an even layer. Make sure it goes all the way to the edges and corners of the pan! I like this Detroit-style pizza pan.
- Cover and rise: Cover the pan with plastic wrap and then leave it to rise (90-120 minutes). When the dough has about 30 minutes left to rise, place a pizza steel in the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F.
Bake before toppings: Slide the dough (still in the Detroit-style pizza pan) onto a pizza steel and bake it without all the toppings (10 minutes). While it bakes, mix the pre-shredded mozzarella and cheddar together. Once the dough is out of the oven, spread the pre-shredded cheese mix around the perimeter and press it into the sides of the pan.
Top and bake: Sprinkle the hand-grated mozzarella all over the inside of the pizza. Pour lines of pizza sauce over the cheese, then spread pepperoni evenly over the pizza. Place it back in the oven until the edges are caramelized and the interior is golden and bubbly (another 15-18 minutes). Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instructions
To Make-Ahead: The dough can be made up to 1 day ahead. Place the dough in the pan, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. The next day, let it rise at room temperature for about 1 hour before baking.
To Store: Store leftover pizza in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To Freeze: Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap and foil or storing in an airtight container, then freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven at 375°F until heated through and crispy again (about 10-15 minutes).
You might also like this dairy-free mac & cheese.
Can this gluten-free Detroit-style pizza be made dairy-free?
You can definitely use dairy-free cheese to top the pizza, but I wouldn’t recommend adding dairy-free cheese to the crust. Keep in mind that dairy-free cheese doesn’t melt the same way as dairy cheese which could impact the overall texture.
Why do I pre-bake the crust before adding toppings?
Pre-baking the dough sets the crust and creates a firm base for the toppings so that the dough doesn’t become soggy. This step is key for getting that crisp, airy crust!
Can I add other toppings to the gluten-free pizza?
Absolutely! Classic Detroit-style pizza typically includes pepperoni, but you can use whatever toppings you like. Keep the pepperoni or leave it off. Add different kinds of meat or veggies, even herbs! Just be mindful of adding toppings with too much moisture as they could impact the pizza’s texture.
More Recipes Using King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour
Gluten-Free Detroit-Style Pizza
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 1¾ cups (262g) King Arthur Gluten-Free Pizza Flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2¼ teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1¼ cups (300ml) water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for the pan
Cheese Crust
- 4 ounces pre-shredded low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella
- 4 ounces pre-shredded cheddar
Toppings
- 6 ounces hand-grated low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella (for the inside of the pizza)
- ¾ cup pizza sauce
- 3 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the gluten-free pizza flour, sugar, instant yeast and salt. Mix to combine.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly add the water and olive oil. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix for 5 minutes. It's normal for the dough to look wet!
- Using an oiled rubber spatula, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix again until well-combined.
- Generously oil the bottom and sides of a 10×14-inch Detroit pizza pan. Press the dough into an even layer all the way to the edges and corners of the pan.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise for 90-120 minutes.
- When the dough has about 30 minutes left to rise, place a pizza steel in the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Slide the pizza directly onto the pizza steel and bake (without toppings) for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together the preshredded cheese. Spread this cheese around the perimeter of the dough pressing it into the sides of the pan.
- Sprinkle the hand-grated mozzarella cheese on the inside of the pizza. Pour lines of the tomato sauce over the cheese. Spread the pepperoni evenly over the pizza.
- Bake the pizza for another 15-18 minutes, until the edges are caramelized and the interior is golden and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Question: The recipe says 1 3/4 cups or 262g of the King Arthur Gluten Free Pizza Flour. However, the bag says that 4T (or 1/4 cup) is 30 grams, meaning that 1 3/4 cups would be 210 grams. Which is correct? Thanks!
Hello! For all of Erin’s recipes, we recommend sticking with the measurements listed in the recipe card regardless of what the flour bag says. At the end of the day a cup measurement is subjective – and we think the manufacturer doesn’t realize gluten-free flour is denser than traditional wheat flour (traditional wheat flour is 120 grams/cup) so they provide that generalized measurement that really isn’t accurate for gluten-free flour. Erin likes to make her recipes so they will turn out for both people using cup measurements and grams measurements. Her measurement for the KAF flour is consistent across all of her recipes, even though it’s not the same as KAF.
My husband and I made this recipe last night. We don’t have a pizza steel or a Detroit Style Pizza Pan, so we improvised with two cast iron skillets. The first one was placed in the oven and inverted to be preheated. The one with the pizza in it was placed on top. The crust turned out perfect and reminded us of a Pizza Hut personal pan pizza! So delicious!
Yay! We’re so pleased you both enjoyed the recipe so much, Mandy! Love the creativity too — it’s great to know those pans worked well for you!
Such a great recipe!! Thank you so much. I also dont eat dairy so we just omit the cheese and it still tastes oh so yummy.
We love to hear this! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive feedback with us!
Delicious! Love this recipe. Wondering though if I can make the dough ahead of time and let it rest for longer than suggested in this recipe. I’ve wanted to make this in days when we are gone most of the day but have avoided it because I wasn’t sure if I could leave the dough to rise for longer. Thanks!
Hi Olivia, we’re so pleased to hear how much you love the recipe! Thank you for your positive feedback. The dough can be made up to 1 day ahead. We recommend covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating it, then only letting it sit out to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour before baking. This will prevent overproofing that can occur if it sits out too long. We hope this helps!
Do you absolutely need the pizza steel?
Hi Brittany, thank you for your question! Without the pizza steel, the bottom most likely won’t crisp up as much and may even bake unevenly, requiring a longer baking time.
Hello, this sounds delicious and can’t wait to give this a try. Just some clarification… I understand that we want to pre-bake the crust while in the pan and on the pizza steel, but once that step is done and the rest of the ingredients are on should we continue using the pizza steel until the pizza is fully cooked or finish it off away from the pizza steel?
Hi George, good question! You can continue to use the pizza steel until the pizza is fully cooked to ensure the ideal crisp crust. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hello! We really like this recipe. The pan is a game changer as it results in the very tasty crisp cheese edge. I also love how the bottom crisps up. I’ve made it several times, and I’ve always wondered about your comment that the dough should resemble a thick cookie dough, because mine does not; it is a pretty wet dough and is not easily spread in the pan. Should I continue to add flour until it resembles your photo? We like it as it comes out now, but now I’m wondering — could it be even better?
Hi Jennifer, we’re so pleased you all enjoyed the recipe! You’re right, the dough will actually look thinner than cookie dough. We’ve updated the recipe to reflect the best consistency. It sounds like you’re doing a great job!
We made this for dinner last night, and it was a hit. Looking forward to making it again.
Hi Amanda, we’re so pleased to hear the pizza was a hit! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with us!
Can a pizza stone be used instead of the steel? Ty!
Hi Heidi, we haven’t tested a pizza stone, but it may work well enough. The stone will take longer to heat up than the pizza steel and the pizza may need a few extra minutes in the oven. You just might not get quite as crispy of a crust without the steel. We’d love to hear how it goes!
Loved this recipe! I made it completely dairy free and it came out amazing. I used Daiya cheeses, so yummy!
We’re so glad you loved the recipe, Sherri! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us!
Could this be made without the pizza steel? Asking for a friend who is on a budget!
Hi Larissa, good question! Without the pizza steel, the bottom most likely won’t crisp up as much and may even bake unevenly, requiring a longer baking time. We definitely understand not wanting to go out and buy a new product for one recipe though!
I used a baking sheet which worked well!
Good tip, Sherri! Thanks for sharing!
This was so good- have you ever used a cast iron pan? Looking for a less toxic option. My dough didn’t crisp in my lighter colored safe pan, I suspected it wouldn’t but wanted to try. The cast iron I’m looking at is 9×13.
Hi Jackie, we’re so glad you loved the pizza! We haven’t tried it in cast-iron, but if you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
What can I use if I do not have a stand mixer?
Hi Kathryn, you can mix this dough by hand. It will just take a little longer to work the dough than if using a stand mixer. We hope you enjoy the pizza!
I would appreciate the gram measurement for the flour. Thank you
I can’t wait to make this! We love Detroit style pizza! Silly question… is the pizza in the pan when you put it on the pizza steel? Just making sure! Thanks!
Hi Jennifer, good question! Yes, the pizza is in the pan when you put it on the pizza steel. The pan sitting on the hot steel will help the bottom crisp up. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
I’m from Detriot and can’t wait to try this recipe. Does the water listed on the ingredient list have to be at a certain temperature?
Hi Karen, good question! Warm water is ideal for the yeast. We hope you enjoy the pizz!
What pizza steel do you use?
Hi Diane, good question! We like this pizza steel. We hope you enjoy the recipe!