Pepperoni Hot Honey Pizza with Sweet Potato Crust
This Pepperoni Hot Honey Pizza with Sweet Potato Crust hits that perfect balance of indulgent and wholesome. Crispy-edged sweet potato crust, bubbly cheese, salty pepperoni, and a drizzle of hot honey that pulls it all together. It’s easy, satisfying, and very hard to stop eating.
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Well, it's almost Friday. Which means pizza is once again on my mind.
I’m always dreaming up ways to make pizza something I can eat more often without feeling like I’ve completely gone off the rails. That’s how we ended up with things like cottage cheese crust pizzas, mini Greek pizzas, crust-less pizza pockets, and all the other pizza-adjacent experiments living rent-free in my head (and on this website).
This one earns a spot on that list immediately.
Sweet potato as the base with pepperoni and hot honey sounds a little chaotic on paper, but in real life it works. The sweet potato gets crispy around the edges, the cheese melts just right, the pepperoni curls, and the hot honey brings the whole thing home. It tastes indulgent, feels cozy, and still leans wholesome enough to justify making it on a random weeknight.
Why this sweet potato pizza crust works
Roasted sweet potato creates a naturally sturdy base with caramelized edges, while classic pizza toppings keep it familiar. The hot honey adds just enough heat and sweetness to make every bite interesting without overpowering the pizza vibes.
"This sweet potato crust is such a fun new take!"
The sweet potato crust works way better than you'd imagine. It's so delicious!
Recipe
Pepperoni Hot Honey Pizza with Sweet Potato Crust
Ingredients
Method
- Bake the sweet potato: Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Pierce the sweet potato with a fork and bake for 45–60 minutes, until fully soft.
- Create the crust: Let the potato cool slightly, then cut it lengthwise in half. Place parchment over each half, cut side down, and press with a heavy pan to form a rough circle about ½ to ¾ inch thick. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 10–12 minutes until the surface starts to caramelize.
- Top it like a pizza: Spoon on the pizza sauce, add mozzarella, pepperoni, parmesan, and Italian seasoning. Increase oven temperature to 425°F (220°C) and bake for 10–15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the edges are crisp.
- Finish strong: Top with fresh basil, drizzle with hot honey, and finish with extra parmesan if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
- Pressing the sweet potato thinner at the edges helps create crispier edges.
- This is best served right away while the base stays crisp.
- Swaps: This recipe is naturally gluten-free as is. To make it dairy-free, use your favorite dairy-free mozzarella and parmesan alternatives.
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it doesn't say whether to remove the skin from the sweet potato or whether you spray both sides of the potato with oil after smashing.
for the first half i peeled the skin off and only sprayed 1 side and the crust came apart. don't know if it should have stayed in longer but i used your times
i tried leaving the skin on for 1 half and only sprayed 1 half stayed together a little better but i still had to eat is with a fork and knife
if you do leave the skin on then the instructions should say wash the sweet potato good
hi shawn, thanks for this! sorry to hear you had some trouble. i'll make the instructions clearer. I typically leave the skin on and bake on the parchment paper. It sounds like you may have needed a bit more time in the oven, too -- oven temps do vary, so perhaps a little longer in yours would be better. I'm working on getting videos up for all of my recipes so that you can watch as well as read in situations like this!