Pizza diavola
Italy's spicy pizza: tomato, fior di latte and slices of hot Calabrian salame piccante that crisp at the edges and run red in the oven.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Rest
- 8 hr
- Total
- 8 hr 42 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- Hot
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Diavola is the pizza that people abroad think of as pepperoni, done the Italian way. The salami is salame piccante, a dry-cured pork salami seasoned with Calabrian chilli, sliced thin so it curls and crisps at the edges and its fat runs red into the cheese. Underneath is the same base as a margherita: a long-risen dough, crushed tomato and torn fior di latte. Some pizzerie add a few olives or a thread of chilli oil; that is all. Put the salami on for the whole bake at home, since home ovens are slower than a pizzeria's. Drain the mozzarella well so the centre stays crisp. Done is a pizza with a blistered rim, a red-and-white top and edges of salami gone glossy and slightly charred.
What you'll need
9 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Dough
- Topping
Ingredients
Dough
- Wheat flour, tipo 00300 g
- Water, cool190 ml
- Yeast, fresh, or a pinch of dried1 g
- Salt8 g
Topping
- Plum tomatoes, San Marzano, crushed by hand with a pinch of salt200 g
- Mozzarella, fior di latte, torn and drained200 g
- Salame piccante, thinly sliced80 g
- Olive oil15 ml
- Basil (optional)6 leaf
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Make the dough: dissolve the yeast in the water, mix in the flour, then the salt, and knead until smooth. Rise 2 hours, divide into two balls and rise 6 hours more, or 24 hours in the fridge.
15 min
Step 2
Heat the oven to its highest setting with a steel or upturned tray inside for 40 minutes.
40 min280°C
Step 3
Press out each ball, leaving a thicker rim. Spread with tomato, add torn mozzarella and the salami slices, and drizzle with oil.
5 min
Step 4
Bake until the rim is spotted dark and the salami edges crisp, 8–12 minutes. Add basil after baking if you like.
12 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 1170 kcal
- Protein
- 49.7 g
- Carbs
- 121.6 g
- Fat
- 52.4 g
- Saturated fat
- 24.9 g
- Fibre
- 5.4 g
- Sugar
- 4.3 g
- Sodium
- 3273 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Milk
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Salame piccante → 'Nduja, in small spoonfuls
Also Calabrian: soft and spreadable, hotter and fattier.
Tips
- Tear the mozzarella an hour ahead and leave it in a sieve so it does not flood the pizza.
- A thread of chilli oil at the end is common in Calabria; it is optional.
History & culture
Diavola, the devil's pizza, is on every pizzeria menu from Turin to Palermo and is one of the most ordered after margherita. In Naples it is called pizza con salame piccante; the name diavola is more common in the north.
Spicy salami pizza spread across Italy in the twentieth century, as Calabria's chilli-cured meats travelled north with migrants and onto pizzeria menus. Italian-Americans later made it with pepperoni, an American salami, which is how much of the world now knows it.
Traditional — Italian salame piccante, not American pepperoni.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Pizza diavola take?
8 hr 42 min all in — 30 min prep, 12 min cook, 8 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 2 pizzas. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
Hot.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Nut-free.
7 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Oven, Baking tray.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 8 g.
What can I use instead?
Salame piccante → 'Nduja, in small spoonfuls. Also Calabrian: soft and spreadable, hotter and fattier.
Any tips from this recipe?
Tear the mozzarella an hour ahead and leave it in a sieve so it does not flood the pizza. A thread of chilli oil at the end is common in Calabria; it is optional.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Tear the mozzarella an hour ahead and leave it in a sieve so it does not flood the pizza.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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