Hot Honey Pepperoni Ricotta Pizza Recipe

Ben Carraoli

Hot Honey Pepperoni Ricotta Pizza Recipe

I made this hot honey pepperoni ricotta pizza the other night, and wow — it blew my mind. The mix of spicy-sweet hot honey with salty pepperoni, creamy ricotta, and melty mozzarella. Every bite sang: sweet, savory, soft, and crisp all at once. I felt like I was recreating a restaurant‑style pizza in my own kitchen.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

Pizza dough one batch, either homemade or store-bought — a good dough gives you that crisp-chewy texture; I like using a high-protein dough for stretch and chew.
¾ cup marinara sauce — thick works better than watery; if needed reduce a regular marinara to concentrate the flavor.
2 cups mozzarella cheese or a mix of mozzarella + provolone — the blend gives a deeper, more interesting cheesy flavor.
15 pepperoni slices — classic salty, and perfect contrast to the honey.
⅓ cup ricotta cheese — airy creamy ricotta adds a luscious richness.
1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped plus extra for garnish — basil brightens the dish; you could also use parsley, thyme, or oregano.
2 tablespoons hot honey — the sweet heat is the star! Drizzle on top right after baking.

Method

I preheated my oven to 550°F (or the highest it can go) to mimic a pizzeria heat. Then I dusted my dough lightly with flour and stretched it into about a 14‑inch circle, leaving a slightly thicker one-inch edge for the crust. I placed it on parchment paper over a pizza peel (or an upside-down baking sheet if you don’t have one), which makes it so much easier to slide into a blazing hot oven.
Next, I spread the marinara sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a clean border for the crust. Then I sprinkled the mozzarella (or mozzarella-provolone mix) over the sauce, and layered on the pepperoni slices, making sure each slice had a nice coverage but wasn’t overcrowded — that way each pepperoni crisps just right.
In a small bowl, I mixed the ricotta cheese with finely chopped fresh basil until it was gently combined. Then I used a teaspoon to dot (or "dollop") spoonfuls of this ricotta‑basil mix all over the pizza, spacing them between the pepperoni for balance.
I baked the pizza on my preheated pizza steel for about 10 minutes, until the cheese was bubbling, just a little browned, and the crust turned golden. If you use a pizza stone or steel, after about 2 minutes of baking, you can carefully pull off the parchment so the bottom can crisp directly. Also, I rotated the pizza 180° halfway through so it cooks evenly.
Once the pizza was out of the oven, I garnished with a few fresh basil leaves for color and freshness. Then, the final, magical step: I drizzled 2 tablespoons of hot honey over the top, letting it pool in the cheese and around the pepperoni for that sweet‑spicy finish.

Notes

I always preheat my pizza steel or stone for at least 30 minutes — that intense heat is what gives the crust that perfect chew and crunch.
I like to mix provolone with mozzarella (instead of just mozzarella) because it adds depth of flavor.
When I dollop the ricotta, I try to space the dollops evenly so they don’t all melt into one blob — that way every bite has some ricotta.
I rotate the pizza halfway through baking — this helps avoid hot spots in my oven and ensures even browning.
After baking, I wait a few seconds before drizzling the hot honey — if it's too hot it might run off, but a too-cool pizza doesn’t soak it up as well.