Vegan Sheet Pan Deep Dish Pizza with Salami & Chili Peppers

This sheet pan deep dish pizza is a real crowd-pleaser. A what? Crowd-huh? If that was a few too many buzzwords in one sentence, take a breath — we'll walk through everything step by step:

What exactly is deep dish pizza?
Simply put, deep dish pizza is pizza with more of everything. More dough, more cheese, more sauce — baked in a deep pan or dish instead of on a flat pizza stone. The style originated in Chicago, where the very first deep dish pizza saw the light of day back in the 1940s. Since then, it's evolved and branched out regionally: the Chicago version is more of a savory pie with high edges and plenty of filling, while the sheet pan version — like ours — comes out flatter, airier, and more focaccia-like. What all deep dish pizzas have in common: the dough is the star, the Taylor Swift among the ingredients. The pan and the generous amount of oil on the bottom give it a crispy, almost fried underside, while the inside stays beautifully soft and fluffy. In short — the complete opposite of thin and crispy, which is what you'd typically expect from a classic Italian pizza.

What do I need for a deep dish pizza?
Besides the ingredients, you'll definitely need a baking tray — the deeper, the better. We used the Easy2Clean Baking Tray from AEG, because it has a ceramic coating that food simply doesn't stick to — meaning no baking paper, no sticking, and super-fast cleanup. After baking, all you need is a damp cloth, warm water, and a drop of dish soap. Anyone who's ever scrubbed baked-on cheese off a regular tray knows exactly what that's worth.

Then the pizza goes into the oven. In our office, we have the AEG 9000 Steam Oven with a large touch display, a sleek design, and best of all: no gaps between buttons where flour dust and pizza cheese can hide. It also has an AI recipe assistant — you can simply send this recipe to the oven via the AEG app, and the AI will automatically optimize the temperature, time, and cooking mode. And when it's time to clean up, just use the steam cleaning function, which uses up to 95% less energy than traditional pyrolytic cleaning.
Besides the baking tray (47 x 39 centimeters / 18.5 x 15.25 inches) and an oven, no special equipment is needed. The dough is intentionally soft and sticky, similar to focaccia dough, and needs some time to rise — but the active prep time is a very manageable approximately 40 minutes.

What toppings work?
Vegan salami is our favorite, but this sheet pan deep dish pizza is also a great base for other toppings. Pickled jalapeños or red onions, roasted vegetables, vegan ham or bacon, caramelized onions — or go for a white version without tomato sauce, using vegan ricotta and fresh herbs instead.

The chili honey oil at the end delivers heat, sweetness, and freshness all at once — we absolutely love it. But if spicy food isn't your thing, you can of course just leave it out.

What occasions is deep dish pizza perfect for?
It can be wonderfully prepared in advance (dough and sauce the day before) and comes out of the oven ready for 8 people at once — making it perfect for birthdays, game nights, relaxed dinner parties, or your next movie night when you want something a little more special than frozen pizza.

Any shortcuts?
Oh yes! If you're short on time, here's what you can skip:

1. Dough: Store-bought pizza dough from the refrigerated section works, but gives a less airy crust. Better yet: make the dough the evening before and let it rise overnight in the fridge — the easiest way to get more flavor without more effort.

2. Sauce: A good store-bought pizza sauce from a jar will do in a pinch. Just stir in a little sugar and oregano if needed.

3. Rising time: With the dough proving function in the AEG 9000 Steam Oven, the rising time can be significantly reduced — the dough rises at a controlled 35 °C / 95 °F without any draft.