Copycat Papa John’s Pizza Recipe

Name: Copycat Papa John's Pizza Recipe
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 8 cups all-purpose flour; 6 Tablespoons sugar; 6¾ teaspoons fast rising yeast; 1½ teaspoons salt; 3 cups very warm water ((120 to 130 degrees F)); 6 Tablespoons vegetable oil; 3 cans tomato puree ((10.34 ounces each)); ¾ cups water; 3 teaspoons sugar; 3 teaspoons olive oil; ¾ teaspoon lemon juice; ¾ teaspoon salt; ¾ teaspoon oregano; ⅜ teaspoon basil; ⅜ teaspoon thyme; ⅜ teaspoon garlic powder

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42 Comments

5 from 1 vote

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We have pizza every weekend! We live right around the corner from a Papa John’s and we eat there more than I probably should admit! I found a copycat recipe and knew we had to give it a whirl. It was so delicious and the sauce was amazing!

Serves: 3 pizzas

Copycat Papa John's Pizza Recipe

5 from 1 vote

I found a copycat recipe and knew we had to give it a whirl. It was so delicious and the sauce was amazing!

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 10

Total Time 55

Ingredients

8 cups all-purpose flour
6 Tablespoons sugar
6¾ teaspoons fast rising yeast
1½ teaspoons salt
3 cups very warm water (120 to 130 degrees F)
6 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Pizza Sauce

3 cans tomato puree (10.34 ounces each)
¾ cups water
3 teaspoons sugar
3 teaspoons olive oil
¾ teaspoon lemon juice
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon oregano
⅜ teaspoon basil
⅜ teaspoon thyme
⅜ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Gradually add water and oil to mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened, then beat for 2 minutes at medium speed until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl. On a lightly floured surface, knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 15 minutes. Press out dough onto 3 pizza pans. Poke the dough randomly with a fork. Let rise again in a warm place for 10-15 minutes. Brush crusts lightly with oil and bake them for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top as desired. Bake for 4-5 more minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Pizza Sauce

Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 1754 kcal · Carbohydrates: 310 g · Protein: 48 g · Fat: 38 g · Saturated Fat: 24 g · Sodium: 1816 mg · Potassium: 1375 mg · Fiber: 20 g · Sugar: 37 g · Vitamin A: 888 IU · Vitamin C: 19 mg · Calcium: 101 mg · Iron: 19 mg

Equipment

Large Bowl
Stand Mixer
Pizza Pans (3)

Recipe Details

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

(Recipe from Food.com)

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Questions & Reviews

Happy Valley Chow says:

Very Cool! I will definitely have to give this a try, I do love their pizza crust. Happy Blogging! Happy Valley Chow
Amanda Beattie says:

Hi, we make homemade pizza on friday nights but three is just to many for us...does this dough freeze well and when in the rising/resting process would you suggest putting it in the freezer if yes...
Marin says:

Have you tried freezing this recipe? Three would be too much for our family of 2 and a not quite pizza eating aged baby :)
Celeste says:

Is fast acting yeast the same as instant yeast?
Andie says:

Now that garlic dipping sauce and it'll be complete!
Cyd says:

We can totally help you there! We have the garlic dipping sauce recipe too! http://myrecipemagic.com/recipe/recipedetail/papa-murphys-copycat-gourmet-vegetarian-pizza-with-creamy-garlic-sauce-recipe Hope you enjoy it! YUM! -The Six Sisters
Cyd says:

Yes, it is basically the same.
Cyd says:

We haven't tried freezing this, so not sure how it would turn out when thawed. Let us know if you give it a try. :)
Melissa says:

My husband LOVES Papa John's pizza. This would be fun for him for Father's Day. Thanks for sharing!
Jessi @ Practically Functional says:

Oh yum, Papa John's pizza is definitely my favorite, so I have to try this! Pinning it!
buy facebook page likes says:

Wonderful site. A lot of helpful information here. I?m sending it to a few friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks in your sweat!
Margie T. says:

This was an easy recipe. After letting the dough rise the first time for 15 min., I divided it into three, bagged them, and put them in the freezer. When I need one, I just take it out and let it defrost for a few hours. Now I don't have to buy the dough anymore. I can make my own :)
Jill says:

My favorite is the BBQ Chicken Hawaiian. Any recipes for the BBQ sauce?
Cyd says:

Not yet! We will definitely work on that! :)
shannon says:

what size pizza pans are needed for this ? Thanks
shannon says:

i also forgot to ask if highly active rapid rise yeast is the same as fast rising yeast and can you also use olive iol instead of veg. oil ? Thanks
Cyd says:

Both of the yeasts take about the same time to rise. We have only used vegetable oil in the crust. So not sure how olive oil would turn out.
Cyd says:

We used 12 inch pizza pans.
Hannah says:

Yum! Sounds amazing & I can't wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!
Emily says:

We made this for dinner tonight, it was delicious! I cut the recipe in thirds and used the Pampered Chef rectangle stone. It was just a little too big, so we used the extra dough as breadsticks and added garlic salt and butter....yum! Thanks for sharing, we will be making this again!
DrTravis says:

is far from Papa Johns crust. I used to manage a PJ restaurant and this is not the recipe or how to make it. Nice try though.
Amber says:

DrTravis, do you have a closer recipe of the crust?
Kristie says:

Sorry, but this was in NO WAY anything like Papa John's!But at least after all that mess we still could eat it.
Tracy says:

What kind of cheese did you use?
Cyd says:

We like mozzarella and colby jack cheese on our pizza.
Valerie G says:

I made this for dinner tonight and was very happy with the results. The crust turned out really well and wasn't soggy like my previous attempts at pizza crust. My husband really liked it and I am happy to finally find a great pizza crust recipe.
Susan Robinson says:

Wanting to know if your crust or sauce has any dairy products in it. Butter, non fat dry milk, whey, cheese? I cannot eat dairy but would love to try your pizza! Cheeseless. Thank you very much. Susan
Cyd says:

Hi Susan, the ingredients are listed on the recipe.
Mark Middleton says:

You know, we do sell the dough at the store....
Jolene says:

We keep the dough in the fridge and make breakfast pizza the next morning, and it works great!
Karen says:

This might be a dumb question, but is tomato purée the same thing as tomato paste? I just want to make sure I don’t mess it up. I would love to try this for pizza night this weekend! ?
Cyd says:

Tomato puree is a thick sauce of pureed, briefly cooked tomatoes that have been strained of seeds and skins; usually, there are no added herbs or seasonings (except salt). Tomato puree typically comes canned, and you'll find it with other canned tomato products. Hunts and Kroger both make tomato puree. I hope this helps.
Karen says:

Thank you so much!! ?
Christy says:

And I actually JUST made this and used "crushed tomatoes" and love it!
Scout says:

I’d try Sweet Baby Ray’s Original.
Jess says:

I know this one! It's Mark's Feed Store's Red sauce.
Kelly says:

Am I the only one that notices that this pizza recipe call for no cheese???
Mia says:

It says "top as desired." For most of us, I think that means cheese.
Anzer says:

Its a pizza DOUGH recipe idiot
Alex Pressly says:

Pizza was good but can out biscuitsy
NikWig says:

You're right, this recipe is so much better! I love this recipe ao much! Thanks!
Eva says:

I just made this for dinner and my husband said "No more Papa John's for us"

Copycat Papa John’s Pizza Recipe