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This Deep Dish Pizza gives you that thick, golden Chicago-style crust loaded with gooey mozzarella, savory homemade sausage, and rich tomato sauce, all without turning on the oven, and my girls Maddie and Lizzie ask for it every single time the slow cooker comes out on a lazy weekend. If you love a hands-off comfort dinner, you will fall hard for our easy sheet pan pizza too.
Made right in your slow cooker, this deep dish pizza is the ultimate cozy, crowd-pleasing dinner that practically cooks itself.
Deep Dish Pizza Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 2 to 3 hours
- ⏳ Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 656kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory, cheesy, herby, and rich
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, about as simple as our sheet pan pizza
Quick Answer
Brown a quick homemade Italian sausage, stir together a simple herbed tomato sauce, then stretch pizza dough into a parchment-lined slow cooker. Layer on mozzarella, the sausage, and sauce, drizzle with olive oil, and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours until the deep dish pizza crust is golden and set. Lift it out by the parchment, rest 15 minutes, slice, and serve.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- The slow cooker makes a perfect deep dish crust. Gentle, even heat sets the thick dough into a tender-yet-sturdy crust that holds all the toppings without burning the bottom.
- Homemade sausage beats the store-bought kind. A quick mix of ground pork, fennel, and herbs gives you fresh Italian sausage flavor with zero preservatives.
- The parchment sling is a game changer. Lining the insert with parchment lets you lift the whole pizza out clean in one piece, no soggy bottom or stuck crust.
- It frees up your oven. Perfect for holidays or pizza night when the oven is busy, the slow cooker does all the work on the counter.
- Every layer is built for flavor. Mozzarella melts into the crust, the sausage stays juicy, and the herbed sauce soaks in just enough for that classic deep dish bite.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You get thick, golden, Chicago-style deep dish pizza without ever heating the oven.
- A simple homemade Italian sausage tastes fresher and better than anything from a package.
- It is a fun, hands-off dinner the whole family loves, right alongside our easy homemade meatballs.
Key Ingredients
Here is what makes this deep dish pizza so good. A few simple, fresh ingredients build big, comforting flavor.
- Pizza dough: Use a one-pound ball of refrigerated or homemade dough so it can stretch to fit your slow cooker.
- Ground pork: The base for a quick homemade Italian sausage seasoned with fennel, garlic, and herbs.
- Mozzarella cheese: Sliced mozzarella melts right into the crust for that signature gooey pull.
- Crushed tomatoes: Stirred with parmesan and dried herbs for a fast, rich pizza sauce.
- Parmesan and olive oil: A finishing layer that adds salty depth and a golden, glossy top.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This deep dish pizza is easy to make your own. Try a few of these swaps and add-ins.
- Make it vegetarian: Skip the sausage and pile on sauteed mushrooms, peppers, and onions.
- Pepperoni lovers: Add a layer of pepperoni over the cheese before the sauce.
- Spice it up: Stir red pepper flakes into the sauce or use hot Italian sausage.
- Cheese blend: Mix in provolone or a little fontina with the mozzarella.
- Serve it soup-style: Pair leftovers with a bowl of our cozy lasagna soup for a true Italian feast.
How to Make Deep Dish Pizza
- Make the Italian sausage. Mix the ground pork with garlic, fennel, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper, then cook it in a skillet over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Drain on paper towels.
- Mix the sauce. Stir together the crushed tomatoes, parmesan, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder in a bowl and set aside.
- Stretch the dough. On a large piece of parchment paper, stretch the thawed pizza dough into an oval roughly the shape of your slow cooker insert.
- Layer the cheese and sausage. Lower the dough into the slow cooker using the parchment, press the mozzarella slices on with a small border, then add the cooked sausage.
- Add the sauce. Spread the pizza sauce over the sausage, sprinkle with parmesan, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Lift the crust edges up over the filling.
- Slow cook and serve. Lay a paper towel over the insert, cover, and cook on high 2 to 3 hours. Lift out by the parchment, rest 15 minutes, slice, and serve.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use an 8-quart slow cooker so the dough has room to spread into a true deep dish shape.
- The paper towel under the lid matters, it catches condensation so it does not drip onto your crust and make it soggy.
- Let it rest 15 minutes before slicing so the cheese sets and the slices hold together.
- Brown the sausage well for the deepest flavor and drain it so the pizza does not turn greasy.
- Round out the meal with a side of our fried mac and cheese or a crisp green salad.
- Check at 2 hours, slow cookers vary, so look for a golden, set crust before lifting it out.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This deep dish pizza is hearty enough to be the whole meal, but it shines next to simple comfort sides. Serve thick slices with a crisp Caesar salad or a bowl of our creamy zuppa toscana for a cozy Italian night in.
For game day or a party, cut it into smaller squares so everyone can grab a piece, and set out extra warm pizza sauce for dipping. A sprinkle of fresh parsley and grated parmesan right before serving makes it look as good as it tastes.
Leftovers reheat beautifully in the oven or air fryer, so make a second pizza if you have a crowd. It also pairs perfectly with our homemade meatballs for a true feast.
Deep Dish Pizza FAQs
Yes. You can bake this deep dish pizza in a greased cast iron skillet or deep cake pan at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.
An 8-quart oval slow cooker works best because it gives the dough room to spread into a thick, even deep dish crust. A 6-quart will work for a smaller, taller pizza.
Absolutely. Swap in one half pound of your favorite bulk Italian sausage and brown it just like the homemade version for this deep dish pizza.
Lay a paper towel under the lid to catch condensation, drain the cooked sausage well, and let the pizza rest 15 minutes after cooking so the crust firms up.
You can prep the sausage and sauce a day ahead and store them in the fridge. Assemble and slow cook the deep dish pizza when you are ready to serve for the best crust.
Store leftover deep dish pizza in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat slices in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven or the air fryer until hot and crisp.
Looking for more cozy dinner ideas? Try our sheet pan pizza next for an easy weeknight version the whole family will devour.
Try our easy homemade pizza dough the next time you want a classic hand stretched crust.
Deep Dish Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
For the sausage
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the sauce
- 14 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
For assembly
- 1 pound pizza dough thawed
- 8 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- drizzle of olive oil
- fresh chopped parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- First, make the Italian sausage. Mix together the ground pork, garlic, fennel, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl.
- Place a medium to a large skillet over medium-high heat and let it get hot. Add the meat mixture, break it up into crumbles, and cook it until there is no pink left, stirring often. Let it drain on paper towels to absorb any excess grease.
- Stir together the crushed tomatoes, parmesan, dried basil, dried oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder in a medium mixing bowl, and set aside.
- Lay out a large piece of parchment paper. Place the thawed pizza dough in the center. Stretch it out to an oval shape or roughly into the shape of your 8-quart slow cooker.
- Place the dough into the slow cooker insert, using the parchment paper to help lift it. You may have to adjust it more in the slow cooker so it will fit, do so now.
- Press the mozzarella slices into the dough and leave about a ½-inch border.
- Add the cooked crumbled sausage on top, followed by the pizza sauce you made.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan and, finally, a drizzle of olive oil.
- Carefully lift the edges of the crust, so it sits above the fillings.
- Place a large piece of paper towel over the slow cooker and put the lid on. Place on high for 2-3 hours or low 4-5 hours.
- Lift the pizza out by the parchment once it is done, and let it sit for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with more parmesan and fresh chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
- Makes one pizza, but easily double the recipe and make two simultaneously.
- Tons of custom options, see my tips above on that.
- This freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
- Use homemade or store-bought thawed pizza dough.
Nutrition
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This looks so good I want to try but I’ve only got a six quart crock pot or slow cooker whichever you want to call it can I do this recipe and a 6 quart.