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Vegan detroit style pizza has crispy cheesy edges and a fluffy chewy crust. Making detroit style pizza from scratch is surprisingly easy. You don’t even need the special detroit-style pizza pan. This recipe has options for a same-day dough or an overnight dough for weeknight dinners.

This recipe makes 12 slices of vegan detroit-style pizza.

Table of Contents

(click the links below to skip to the section you’re looking for)

• Quick Vegan Detroit Style Pizza Dough Recipe
• Cold Fermentation Vegan Detroit Style Pizza Dough Recipe (18-24 Hour Rise)
• Detroit Style Pizza Sauce
• Vegan Toppings for Detroit Style Pizza
• Tips and FAQ
• Equipment Needed
• Ingredient Substitutions
• Video

I first had vegan detroit-style pizza in Austin, TX when I was there for SXSW in March 2019. There’s a pizzeria there called Via 313, and they have a few vegan options on the menu. Here’s a livestream of me trying vegan detroit style pizza in 2019 if you’re interested.

Then a lonnnng time went by before I had it again in the summer of 2022 at Boxcar Pizza in Portland, Oregon. The Detroit Pizza from Boxcar was wayyyy better than the Via 313 one. They had similarities that are true to detroit-style pizza, such as the square pieces and the medium thickness focaccia-style crust that falls in between a regular crust pizza and a deep dish pizza. What the Boxcar pizza had that Via313 didn’t was the crusty cheese on the sides. This is something I’m super into, so this recipe shows you how to get that key feature to make the best detroit pizza possible.

This recipe offers two ways to proof your Detroit-style pizza dough. One method is a same-day dough that takes around 2 hours. The second proofing method uses a 18-24 hour cold fermentation period, but requires no kneading. This overnight rise method is super easy with no stand mixer needed!

Ingredients for Quick Vegan Detroit Style Pizza Dough

(jump to the substitutions section to see ingredient details and suggestions for substitutions)

• 2 teaspoons (8g) active yeast
• 1 teaspoon (6g) vegan, raw, or organic sugar
• 1 cup (240mL/8oz/235g) warm (~95-100°F) water
• 2 ⅔ cups (345g) bread flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons (7-8g) sea salt

How to Make Vegan Detroit Style Pizza Dough with a Quick Proof

prep time to make the dough: 10-15 minutes | rising time: 30 minutes - 2 hours

Activate the yeast by mixing 2 teaspoons (8g) active yeast with 1 teaspoon (6g) sugar and 1 cup (240mL/8oz/235g) warm (~95-100°F) water. Set aside.

Whisk 2 ⅔ cups (345g) of bread flour with 1 ½ teaspoons (7-8g) salt in a large bowl.

Mix the yeast water into the dry ingredients with a baking spatula or a spoon until you can’t see any more flour.

Knead the dough until it’s smooth and no longer scrappy looking. This is a lot faster and easier if you use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Oil a detroit style pizza pan. If you don’t have a detroit style pizza pan, you can line an oven-safe glass baking dish with parchment paper or oil 2 metal cake pans. Don’t forget to oil the sides too.

Press the freshly mixed dough into the oiled pan, trying to get it an even thickness throughout the entire pan. Let it rise at room temperature for 30 minutes to 2 hours (in the summer, it’s fast, but in the winter, it takes longer). To speed up the rise, you can cover the pan with cling wrap.

Press the dough again with oiled hands to get it into the corners. I find this a lot easier to do after the dough has risen, so it should be fairly easy if you let your dough rise long enough. If you can’t get it all the way into the corners, you’ll want to drain any extra oil that’s pooling in the corner. This will make the pan harder to clean later.

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) 20-30 minutes before the rising time is done, and start preparing your sauce and toppings while you wait for the dough to finish rising.

Ingredients for Cold Fermetation Overnight Detroit Pizza Dough

(jump to the substitutions section to see ingredient details and suggestions for substitutions)

• 1 teaspoon (4g) active yeast
• 2 ⅔ cups (345g) bread flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons (7-8g) sea salt
• 1 cup + 1 teaspoon (245mL/240g) warm (~95-100°F) water

How to Make Cold Fermentation Detroit Style Pizza Dough (with an 18-24 Hour Rise Time)

prep time to make the dough: 5 minutes | rising time: 18-24 hours

Whisk 2 ⅔ cups (345g) bread flour, 1 teaspoon (4g) active yeast, and 1 ½ teaspoons (7-8g) salt in a large bowl.

Mix 1 cup + 1 teaspoon (245mL/240g) warm (~95-100°F) water into the dry ingredients with a baking spatula or a spoon until you can’t see any more flour. Don’t worry if your dough looks weird and scrappy. This is normal.

Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for 18-24 hours.

Remove it from the fridge 1-2 hours before you want to bake the pizza. If it’s summer, you only need an hour or less. If it’s winter, you may need up to 2 hours.

Oil the detroit pizza pan and your hands with 1 tablespoon (15mL) olive oil. Don’t forget to do the sides. If you don’t have a detroit style pizza pan, you can line an oven-safe glass baking dish with parchment paper or oil 2 metal cake pans.

Transfer the dough from the bowl it was rising in to the pizza pan. Flip the dough a few times to coat it in the oil that’s in the pan.

Press the chilled dough with oiled hands into the oiled pan, trying to get it an even thickness throughout the entire pan. Let it rise at room temperature for 30 minutes to 2 hours (in the summer, it’s fast, but in the winter, it takes longer). To speed up the rise, you can cover the pan with cling wrap.

Set it aside to rise for a second time.

Press the dough again with oiled hands to get it into the corners. I find this a lot easier to do after the dough has risen, so it should be fairly easy if you let your dough rise long enough. If you can’t get it all the way into the corners, you’ll want to drain any extra oil that’s pooling in the corner. This will make the pan harder to clean later.

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) 20-30 minutes before the rising time is done, and start preparing your sauce and toppings while you wait for the dough to finish rising.

Detroit Style Pizza Sauce Ingredients

(jump to the substitutions section to see ingredient details and suggestions for substitutions)

• 28 ounces organic diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon (6g) vegan, raw, or organic sugar (optional)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

How to Make Quick and Easy Detroit Style Pizza Sauce

prep time: 15 minutes

Strain the liquid from the diced tomatoes. I use 2 cans of organic diced tomatoes that are each around 14 ounces, but you can also buy one of the big cans that are around 28 ounces each. To strain the liquid from the tomatoes, I usually set a strainer/sifter over a bowl and dump the tomatoes into the strainer. Then I leave it for about 10 minutes while I gather and measure my seasonings.

Measure the following spices into a small bowl or ramekin: 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon sugar (optional), 1 teaspoon sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper (or any black pepper).

Transfer the strained diced tomatoes to a blender container.

Add the spices you measured, along with 2 cloves of garlic.

Press the pulse button on your blender several quick times until the majority of the tomatoes have been crushed.

Set aside to add to your pizza right before it goes into the oven.

Vegan Toppings for Detroit Style Pizza

(jump to the substitutions section to see ingredient details and suggestions for substitutions)

• 1 tablespoon (15mL) olive oil
• 6 ounces (170g) vegan pepperoni (or other vegan meat)
• 6 ounces (170g) vegan cheese (see substitutions section below for brands I recommend)

How to Assemble Vegan Detroit Style Pizza

prep time: 10 minutes | bake time: 25 minutes

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) 20-30 minutes before the rising time is done, if you haven’t already.

Prepare all your pizza toppings that you plan to put on the pizza. I have used vegan pepperoni, vegan sausage, vegan buffalo chicken, olives, artichoke hearts, spinach, and mushrooms. When I use mushrooms, I precook them.

Cover the dough with your first topping. I always start with my vegan pepperoni.

Sprinkle the vegan cheese next. Because detroit-style pizza is known for that crispy cheesy edge, I always start by spreading my grated cheese heavily around the edges of the dough, where the dough meets the detroit pizza pan.

Add any remaining toppings you might have ready.

Check the oven to make sure it’s heated to 450°F (230°C). If it’s not, wait until it’s close before adding the sauce.

Add the sauce to the pizza. Traditionally, this is done in 2-3 rows along the length of the pizza, but I have also just added it as dollops all over the pizza. Both ways are fine.

Bake at 450°F (230°C) for about 25 minutes, depending how hot your oven runs.

Remove from the oven.

Use a silicone spatula to loosen any cheese that is stuck to the sides of the pan.

Slide the pizza out of the pan and onto a cutting board.

Cut the detroit pizza into 12 squares by making 3 columns and then 4 rows.

Serve immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions About Detroit Style Pizza

What is detroit style pizza?

Detroit-style pizza is a square or rectangle shaped pizza with a focaccia-style crispy, cheesy, and chewy crust, that has the toppings in reverse order, with the sauce on top.

I learned most of what I know about detroit style pizza from this Serious Eats Detroit style pizza recipe and this Wikipedia page about Detroit-style pizza.

Is the sauce recipe authentic?

This pizza sauce recipe is an authentic italian pizza recipe. If you have extra time, you can do what some detroit style pizzarias do. Instead of straining the liquid from the tomatoes, simmer all the sauce ingredients, along with the liquid for 15 minutes.

Can you make detroit style pizza in a glass pan?

You can make detroit style pizza in a glass pan if you line the pan with parchment paper and then oil the parchment. If you try to oil the glass pan and place the dough directly into the pan without using parchment paper, the pizza crust will stick to the pan.

What can I serve detroit pizza with?

Detroit pizza is quite filling so I don’t usually serve it with anything. But if I were to serve it with something, it would probably be a watermelon radish salad or a buffalo chicken salad.

Equipment Needed for Detroit Pizza

• Pizza Pan: I made this pizza about 20 times while I was recipe testing. I really wanted to make it successfully, without the fancy detroit-style pizza pan, so that anyone could make this pizza at home. After the first 10 tries using my lasagna pan, I had the recipe down pat. Then, I purchased the Lloyd detroit pizza pan, and it really leveled up the pizza tremedously. So, if you want your detroit pizza to live up to its full potential, then I recoomend purchasing this detroit pizza pan. However, if you don’t need it to be perfect, here are 2 other options. One is to use a glass pan and line it with parchment paper and then oil the parchment. The other is to use an oven-safe metal pan if you have one.
• Blender: The only step you need a blender for is to crush up the tomatoes for the sauce. If you don’t have a blender, you can mash the tomatoes with your hand, or you can see the FAQ section for instructions on cooking the sauce. If you simmer the sauce in advance of adding it to the pizza, you can skip the blending.

Ingredient Substitutions for Detroit Pizza

• Oil: Olive oil is a yummier oil in general, but you can replace the olive oil in this recipe with safflower, sunflower, or any vegetable oil you have on hand. If you’re not into using oil, you can omit it, but only if you use parchment paper between the dough and the pan so it won’t stick. But keep in mind that the pizza will be less delicious without the oil.
• Yeast: If you have instant yeast but you don’t have active yeast, just skip the step where you activate the yeast and add the yeast straight to the flour. If you do this, you can also skip the addition of sugar, and the water doesn’t have to be warm either.
• Flour: Detroit style pizza crust typically uses bread flour to get that chewy consistency. If you don’t have bread flour, you can use whatever flour you have at home. If you have vital wheat gluten, you can replace 1 tablespoon of the flour with 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten to convert it to bread flour. To make gluten free pizza, replace the flour in this recipe with your favorite gluten-free flour blend.
• Vegan Cheese: If you’re the kind of person who prefers a cheeseless pizza, your detroit pizza will come out more like the one I had at Via 313, rather than the kind I’ve grown to love with the crisp cheesy edges. I have made this pizza using the following vegan cheeses: Miyoko’s mozzerella wheel (I grated it myself), So Delicious grated mozzarella, Violife grated mozzarella, and Good Planet grated mozzarella. These all work really well. I would recommend avoiding the Miyoko’s liquid mozzarella since that is really made for a 10-miute bake, and detroit style pizza requires a longer bake time due to the thicker crust. Traditionally, detroit pizza also adds parmesan cheese. I’m not a huge fan of parmesan, but I did grate some Violife vegan parmesan onto this pizza once, and it did add new level of flavor which I can see how people who aren’t parmesan-averse might like it.

Vegan Detroit Pizza Video

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I use mostly organic ingredients when I cook. I realize that not everyone has the disposable income to buy only organic ingredients. Therefore, I only specify organic on the ingredients that really matter: when buying the organic (or non-GMO) version is the only way to ensure that an item is vegan.

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