Homemade Copycat Imo’s St. Louis Style Pizza Recipe
Many cities across the US have a signature type of pizza and St. Louis is no different. Imo’s is the original St. Louis style pizza known for gooey Provel cheese and cracker-like crust with a sweet tomato paste sauce cut into square slices. There is truly no other pizza like it! So when we relocated to Colorado from the STL over a decade ago, I knew I had to find a way to get my Imo’s pizza fix. So if you love the square beyond compare as much as I do but don’t live in the Lou anymore you have to try this copycat Imo’s pizza recipe. Trust me, you are going to love this homemade version! Full recipe card below.
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What is St. Louis Style Pizza?
St. Louis style pizza was trademarked by a local pizza chain started in 1964 called Imo’s Pizza on The Hill, a famous Italian neighborhood on the south side of the city. There are Imo’s locations scattered all around the St. Louis area now and it is a highly loved city staple. They are known for their thin crust pizza that is topped with a processed cheese called Provel and it is cut into square slices. The square beyond compare! If you know, you know.
Unlike many famous city pizza styles like New York or Detroit style pizza, this pizza dough contains no yeast and doesn’t require a dough rise which makes it the perfect thin crust pizza on short notice.
Ingredients
This specialty St. Louis style pizza is one of my favorite pizzas for pizza night and I make this pizza numerous times a year. It has a unique flavor that is like no other pizza you have ever had. I will break down what to use for the best results and give you a few alternatives.
Pizza Dough – This is a very easy thin crisp crust that requires no yeast, just a rolling pin, a pizza stone, and some baking staples like all purpose flour.
Pizza Sauce – St. Louis pizza is also known for a sweet sauce made from a tomato paste base. I actually modeled my go to pizza sauce off this style because I loved the sweet tomato sauce so much! You can use whatever type of sauce you want but the sweeter sauce offsets the salty cheese really well.
Provel Cheese – Aside from the signature pizza crust, St. Louis style pizza is all about the cheese! It is not true St. Louis pizza without it. Provel is a salty processed cheese mixture of Swiss cheese, cheddar, and provolone cheeses that has a very gooey consistency that sticks to the roof of your mouth. If you live in the STL area you can usually find Provel at the grocery store, but if you do not, it is a bit more difficult to find. I order the real deal from Goldbelly but you have to order a large quantity. I freeze it so I always have some on hand.
Provel Alternatives – Over the years I have tried to make my own Provel using the three cheese combo and some liquid smoke, but I don’t think it tastes anything like the real thing. It just tasted like traditional pizza. Because of this I do not recommend making your own blend. The BEST substitute for Provel cheese is white American cheese from the deli at the grocery store. American cheese is also a processed cheese that has a very similar melting consistency and saltiness. Just ask the deli to cut a block instead of slices and shred it at home.
Above are two St. Louis pizzas I made, one with Provel and one with white American cheese. The American cheese does have a lower melting point so it burns faster, but aside from that they are VERY SIMILAR in look and taste.
Pizza Toppings – You can use any of your favorite toppings. I often use peperoni and pineapple because they pair so well with the salty cheese. But feel free to add green pepper, onion, jalapeno, red pepper, Italian sausage or whatever you like on pizza.
Assembly
Another key hallmark of St. Louis style pizza is spreading the toppings all the way to the edge of the pizza crust. Once the pizza is cooked, the best part is the cheese that oozed over the edges. I personally think the corner pieces are the best!
Cooking
The best way to cook St. Louis style pizza is on a hot pizza stone on parchment paper in the oven. I always preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with the pizza stone in the oven. Once I have the crust made, I use a pizza peel to place the crust in the oven and pre-cook it for 5-7 minutes until it starts to crisp up on the edges. Then I add the toppings and place it back in the oven for another 5-7 minutes until the cheese starts to turn golden brown.
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Homemade Copycat Imo’s St. Louis Style Pizza Recipe
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 pizza 1x
Description
Looking for a yeast free pizza with crispy crust and gooey cheese? You have to try this homemade copycat Imo’s St. Louis style pizza recipe. With salty Provel cheese, a cracker-like crust, and a sweet tomato paste sauce, this square cut pizza is like no other pizza you have ever had. If you love St. Louis style pizza and the square beyond compare as much as I do but don’t live in the Lou anymore you have to try this copycat Imo’s pizza recipe.
Ingredients
Pizza Crust
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 5 tbsp Water
Pizza Sauce
- 1/2 cup Tomato Sauce
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1/2 tbsp Sugar
- 3/4 tsp Basil
- 3/4 tsp Oregano
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Pizza
- 1/4 cup Pizza Sauce
- 20 pieces Pepperoni sliced
- 20 pieces Canned Pineapple Chunks
- 1/4 White Onion sliced
- 2 cups Provel Cheese shredded (see notes above on substitutions)
Instructions
Pizza Crust Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees and place a pizza stone in the hot oven.
- In a large bowl combine flour and the rest of the dry ingredients and whisk together.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer and a dough hook, slowly mix the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until the dough is combined. Do not over mix.
- On a lightly floured worksurface shape the dough into a ball and roll it out into a circle using a rolling pin. This should be very thin.
- Transfer the pizza crust onto a piece of parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven on the pizza stone for 5-7 minutes or until the edges start to brown slightly.
Pizza Sauce Instructions
- In a small to medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together tomato sauce and tomato paste.
- Add sugar, basil, and oregano and whisk again until combined.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and whisk again until combined.
Pizza Instructions
- Once the pizza crust has been pre-baked, remove it from the oven on the parchment paper.
- Spoon the pizza sauce onto the top of the pre-baked pizza crust in a generous layer and use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly all the way to the edges.
- Add pizza toppings to the top of the pizza making sure to distribute all the way to the edges of the pizza.
- Generously top the pizza with either shredded Provel cheese or shredded white American cheese to the edges. Remember the cheese makes this pizza.
- Bake the pizza again on the hot pizza stone for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melty and begins to brown.
Notes
- This is enough to make one 12 inch pizza.
- If you do not have access to Provel cheese, the best substitute is white American cheese from the deli section at the grocery store.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Love great pizzas and new topping ideas? Try my bacon blue cheese and apple pizza, leftover Thanksgiving cranberry turkey pizza, lemon ricotta and basil pizza, white garlic goat cheese and salami pizza, or my buffalo chicken pizza.
Storage and Reheating
In the event you have leftover pizza, you can store it in the fridge in a large Ziplock bag or aluminum foil for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven on 350 for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melty.
When to Make Imo’s St. Louis Pizza
Good pizza can be made anytime in my book! But Friday night is my go to pizza night and I make this pizza often. Because this pizza crust requires no rise time, it’s a great recipe for any night of the week when you are craving Imo’s pizza.
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