Pepperoni slices is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 22 recipes to get you started.

What are pepperoni slices?

Pepperoni slices are thin rounds of a cured, air-dried sausage made from pork and beef, seasoned heavily with paprika and chili for that signature red color and gentle heat. They come ready to eat straight from the package.

That convenience is why they land on more pizzas than any other topping in America.

The flavor is smoky and garlicky with a little spice, and a firm chew that softens and curls when heated. Most slices you buy are pre-cut and shelf-stable, sold in resealable tubs or stacked in vacuum packs.

Think of them as a flavor concentrate. A handful of slices renders out enough seasoned fat to flavor everything they touch.

Cooking With Pepperoni

The trick worth knowing is the cup. Thicker, natural-casing slices curl up at the edges in a hot oven and crisp into little fat-filled cups, the texture pizza lovers chase.

Thin, large-diameter slices stay flat and just brown. If you want the cupping effect, buy slices cut small and a touch thick.

On pizza, scatter the slices over the cheese rather than under it so the edges can crisp and the rendered fat seasons the top. Rick's Favorite Pizza and Pepperoni & Cheddar Stuffed Pizza both put the slices to work this way.

Beyond pizza, the slices carry the same punch into all kinds of dishes. They fold into a Ham Stromboli, bake into Pasta Stuffed Pizza-Style, and tuck into the dough of a Halloween Spooky Calzone Snake for a party centerpiece.

They also crisp beautifully on their own. A single layer microwaved between paper towels for about a minute turns them into crunchy chips for snacking or crumbling over a salad.

For something heartier, pepperoni gives an egg dish real backbone, as in Pepperoni Onion Quiche, or sharpens a pressed sandwich like a Peppy Panini.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Pepperoni leans on its natural partners. Melting mozzarella, tomato sauce, and dried oregano are the trio behind every classic pizza.

It also plays well with sharp cheddar and sweet onion, and stands up to black olives or roasted peppers without getting lost.

The most common mistake is burying the slices under cheese or sauce. Hidden away, they steam rather than crisp and the fat pools, so you lose both the texture and the browning that make pepperoni worth using. Keep them on top.

The second mistake is using too many on a thin crust. Each slice sheds a lot of grease, and a heavy layer turns a crust soggy and slick. A single even layer with a little space between slices renders cleaner and crisps better than an overlapping pile.

Substitutes

Salami is the closest swap, since it is also a cured, sliced sausage. It is generally milder and less spicy than pepperoni, so add a pinch of crushed red pepper if you want the heat back. Genoa salami and soppressata both work well.

Spicy capicola or a hot soppressata bring real heat and a coarser texture if you want to trade up. Sliced chorizo (the cured Spanish kind, not fresh Mexican) gives a smokier, deeper paprika flavor, though it renders more fat.

For a leaner option, turkey pepperoni mimics the seasoning at a fraction of the fat. It stays soft and never crisps or cups the way pork pepperoni does, so expect flavor without the texture.

Buying and Storing Pepperoni

Pre-sliced pepperoni comes two ways: shelf-stable packs that sit in the pantry aisle, and refrigerated tubs near the deli. Both are fully cured and ready to eat.

For cupping, look for slices labeled natural casing or cut small; the big flat deli rounds are made to lie flat.

An unopened shelf-stable pack keeps for months at room temperature; check the date on the package. Once you open any pepperoni, treat it as a refrigerated food.

Sealed tight in the fridge, opened slices stay good for about two to three weeks. They also freeze well for a couple of months with almost no loss in quality, so a big pack portioned into freezer bags is the economical move for pizza-night supplies bought in bulk.

Watch for a slick, off smell or a slimy surface, which signal it is past its prime. A little surface whitening on cured sausage is usually harmless mold or salt bloom, but discard any slices that smell sour.

Quick facts

Where to find pepperoni slices: Pepperoni slices are usually found in the deli section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

In Chinese

辣片

British (UK) term

Pepperoni slices

en français

tranches de pepperoni

en español

rodajas de pepperoni

Recipes using pepperoni slices

There are 22 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 22 recipes