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This 30-minute pepperoni French bread pizza recipe is simple, faster than delivery, and inexpensive! It’s loaded with plenty of ooey, gooey mozzarella and classic pizza flavors.
Try my BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza, Easy French Bread Pizza, or Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread for more mouthwatering French bread recipes.
Why you’ll enjoy it
Is there anything better than a low-effort comfort food meal? I don’t think so. This easy French bread pizza has that soft and buttery yet crisp French bread texture, which is the perfect base for loads of pizza sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella!
This isn’t exactly what I’d call healthy, but you sure can feel good about controlling the quality and amount of the ingredients, portion size, and it’s made hot and fresh in your kitchen. No cold delivery or tasteless frozen pizza here, and you don’t need to make pizza dough yourself. Plus it’s very economical and totally shareable. Win-win!
What you’ll need
- French bread – grab a large plain loaf from the bakery or grocery store
- Butter – unsalted butter is used to prep the bread for the toppings
- Pizza sauce – use your favorite brand in a jar. It goes without saying to get one you’re a big fan of since it’s a key component here.
- Pepperoni – for that traditional savory, meaty taste
- Mozzarella – a classic melting cheese for pizza
How to make French bread pizza
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Preheat your oven to 400F. Evenly slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise. Place the halves on a baking sheet, and spread with butter. Bake for 5-6 minutes to crisp it up. Remove from the oven, and add the pizza sauce.
Top with an even layer of mozzarella cheese. Arrange the pepperoni slices over top. Bake for about 12 minutes, and then broil until hot and bubbly. Slice it into individual portions, and enjoy right away.
Pro tip
- Bread that’s a day old tends to hold up better in this recipe. It’s usually firmer and easier to work with.
Substitutions and variations
- This pizza is fairly heavy on the cheese as written. You could reduce it to 2 cups if you prefer lighter cheese.
- If you want to add a garlicky twist, mince a clove or two of garlic and mash it into the butter prior to spreading it onto the French bread.
- The customization possibilities are virtually endless for French bread pizza! Easily add sliced green peppers or pepperoncini, olives, onions, mushrooms, or even some Crumbled Oven Cooked Bacon or sausage to make this more of a “supreme” pizza vs. straight pepperoni. I like to top it with fresh tomato slices once it’s out of the oven. Change up the cheese if you like with another easy melting variety like cheddar or a Tex-Mex blend.
What to serve with it
- I love to serve it with some ranch dressing as a dip! Try my Homemade Ranch Dressing or this Chipotle Ranch Dressing for a zesty twist.
- You can serve this homemade pizza with a side salad for a bit of fresh contrast. I love to go all out and make a classic Caesar salad with my Easy Caesar Dressing, and this Olive Garden Salad Dressing is also a fantastic pairing.
- If you’re making it as part of an appetizer spread, try my Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip or these Grape Jelly Meatballs.
Leftovers and storage
- To reheat, loosely wrap leftover pizza in foil (cheese side up) and heat it up in the oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes. If needed, broil to crisp it up again, watching it so that it doesn’t burn. You could also reheat it in your toaster oven if you only have a few pieces left.
- I’d eat this within a day or two since the bread eventually goes stale, and it can also get a bit soggy from the pizza sauce.
- I don’t recommend freezing cooked leftovers of this one.
I hope you like this quick French bread pizza recipe with classic toppings! Let me know what you think in the comments below or if you have any questions at all.
Pepperoni French Bread Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) loaf French bread cut in half lengthwise
- 1/4 cup butter (a half stick) softened
- 1 cup pizza sauce use your favorite
- 3 cups mozzarella shredded
- 3 ounces pepperoni or to taste (use as little/much as you want)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
- Cut the bread in half horizontally (try to do this as evenly as possible), place it on a baking sheet, and spread the butter evenly over the cut side of each half.
- Bake for 5-6 minutes (this crisps it up a bit so it's less likely to go soggy after adding the toppings), then take it out of the oven.
- Spread each half with the pizza sauce, and then top with the cheese and then the pepperoni.
- Bake for 12 minutes and then broil for a few minutes until hot and bubbly (watch it closely so it doesn't burn).
- Slice into desired size pieces, and enjoy!
Notes
- This pizza is very flexible/forgiving… have fun with it! Feel free to adjust the topping quantities as needed or sub with something else. I like to add fresh tomatoes to the pizza after it’s out of the oven.
- This pizza is fairly heavy on the cheese so you could cut it down to 2 cups if you don’t want a lot of cheese.
- Serving size really depends how much people eat/if it’s served with something else.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Do you think I could sub olive oil for the butter? And just use less? It was too rich for me.
Sure!
SO SO good! Homemade bread sticks at its finest. Followed recipe but sprinkled a small amount of oregano and garlic powder. It was delicious! Kids and Daddy approved!
Yay!! Thank you!!
Love this easy, weeknight meal. We substituted hamburger for pepperoni and the entire family loved it!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!! 😀 Thanks for your review!