Dipping sauce for pizza?

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This is the thing to do...it's dang expensive off the shelf!

I made my first batch with just regular old chili flakes, because I have way more than I need.

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Aggressive_FIamingo@reddit

Hot honey is a game changer. I put it on so much stuff.

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no_good_name_remains@reddit

Not even just the crust. Honey drizzled over the whole pie is good.

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joe-barton74@reddit

I like dipping the crust in water. Garlic butter is also good

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YourOwnPunkyBrewster@reddit

I dip my crust in Ranch, like a true American!

LoudSheepherder5391@reddit

Do you use something other than blue cheese for wings sauce?

Grew up in Indy. My buddy was an observant Jew. We didn’t really understand his kashrut. We’d get late night pizza with pepperoni and cheese. Absolutely not kosher.

He would just order breadsticks with nacho cheese. Not exactly kosher but close enough for him. I can still taste that breadstick and nacho cheese stolen from him.

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Both_Strategy_920@reddit

I like dipping chicken strips in it. From WA.

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JusticarX@reddit

Like hell I wouldn't.

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toofpaaste@reddit

“a ReAl pIzZeRiA” stfu. That isn’t what we are talking about. Papa John’s, little Caesar’s, Dominos, will all throw one in there. Same with all the locally owned pizza places bc they don’t wanna be left out.

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LoudSheepherder5391@reddit

I wanna know where you live.

None of those places throw on a free garlic sauce near me. Gotta pay for that.

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WonderfulProtection9@reddit

Exactly, My Dominoes wants $1.10 per sauce cup.

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the_urban_juror@reddit

Papa John's has given a free garlic sauce with every pizza they've ever sold, they advertise that. The rest you're absolutely right about.

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LoudSheepherder5391@reddit

I guess that may be. Now that I think about it, I haven't been to Papa John's in over 20 years. And looking on Google, there's not even one close to me.

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ScoutAndLout@reddit

My overall health decreased when I discovered blue cheese salad dressing as a pizza dipping sauce.

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Doone7@reddit

The one place I haven't lived lol Do you guys do ranch with wings?

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riptor3000@reddit

Blue cheese is more common but yeah

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Romaine2k@reddit

It is regional. I moved from the west, where ranch dressing was a very common pizza crust dip, to nyc where nobody had even heard of it. It has not caught on here still and I’ve been here 30 years.

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IllustriousRanger934@reddit

I have never been west of the Mississippi and know plenty of people who dip their pizza in ranch.

Dominos and Papa John’s both sell dipping sauces for pizza.

Royal_Success3131@reddit

It's just not very good compared to pretty much any decent pizzaria over here. Like, random blobs of cheese on a cracker crust with just mashed up tomato isn't really appetizing. It's not gross, it's fine, but I would never crave it or think about it again.

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Cool-Coffee-8949@reddit

Clearly y’all don’t know what Neapolitan style pizza actually is.

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Royal_Success3131@reddit

Been to a restaurant ran by a naples born chef, Song e Napule in NYC, got the margherita. Not sure how I could have got it more authentic without leaving the country.

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lexicon951@reddit

Garlic sauce most commonly. Sometimes marinara or ranch

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Premium333@reddit

In my experience it is only 1 fast food joint that does this natively. Pappa Johns serves their pizzas witha garlic butter sauce. It's meant for dipping the crust, but if you dip their pizza in it also its 10x fast food pizza.

Otherwise some people will dip puzza in ranch dressing ir put hot sauce on it.

It depends where you get the pizza. Some restaurants/chains include them, others don't.

Dipping your pizza in sauce is usually reserved for bad or mediocre pizza. The kind you get from a fast food place like Dominos. The traditional sauces are ranch, garlic butter, and marinara sauce. Everyone has their preferences between the three.

It would be considered rude or maybe low class to ask for a dipping sauce at a nicer pizza place. It would be similar to asking for ketchup with your steak.

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j_delta_c@reddit

Slight disagree. Mediocre pizza is better with ranch but if you get some good classic pepperoni, dipping that in chic-fil-a sauce is incredible.

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backlikeclap@reddit

Oh yeah, I'm a big dip guy. And I say this as a former New Yorker!

I'm just talking about public perception of dipping.

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Ok-Problem-9226@reddit

Blue Cheese.

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Alternative-Being181@reddit

I’ve never seen or heard of this. Some pizza places sell breadsticks that come with dipping sauce.

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Cool-Coffee-8949@reddit

It’s a new phenomenon where I live, and not automatic. The type of sauce offered seems to usually be ranch dressing.

You can also ask for sauce on the side at many sit down places. It’s not common at those places. Most people just eat the pizza.

I personally ever use dipping sauce for fast food. But also, I consider fast food pizza and sit down pizza as different food.

Some mom-and-pops will give you a dirty look or even refuse to give you extra sauce. It can rarely be seen as disrespectful.

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CarpeDiem082420@reddit

I make a spinach/tomato/caramelized onion pizza with bleu cheese crumbles. It’s delicious!

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dwhite21787@reddit

I’d try that. Maybe even with feta.

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Rugger_2468@reddit

Blue cheese is Carlo Rossi, and that’s pushing it lol 😂

And ranch on pizza? Absolutely belongs on certain types of pizza. If I’m going to a true Italian pizza place, that would be blasphemous. Ranch on a regular supreme pizza from domino’s? It’s great.

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Asleep-Assistant-269@reddit

It's fairly common with low quality chain pizzas (e. g. Papa Johns, Domino's). It's very uncommon with higher quality pizzas, especially for anything more than the crust.

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Moist_Asparagus6420@reddit

currently 39 grew up in the SW US. First remembrance of dipping sauce had to be dipping my pizza hut pizza into the marinara sauce that comes with the bread sticks. Always a classic, mostly for dipping the crusts into after you'd finish the cheese and toppings part. With the advent of the pizza hut lunch buffet, that marinara became more accessible.

The next stop on the sauce journey also happened at Pizza hut, a friend went to the salad bar and loaded up a plate with just plain ol ranch salad dressing. and began dipping each bite of pizza in the ranch. I was intrigued, and like any other person who probably grew up in the SW, I appreciate ranch dressing. Turns out I liked it. It's definitely not an every pizza or every slice dip, but when it's available, a slice or 2 with ranch is pretty good.

I almost forgot, having family in Mexico, I have eaten in Mexico quite a bit. One day I saw a pizza hut franchise, and the urge struck me (I was only 10 after all), why don't we try it. Well This Mexican pizza hut had many of the standard condiments and accessories on the table I was used to, but one that definitely stood out. There was a bottle on every table of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce. I was definitely taken back. As a kid I'd been known to splash some on my steak, or burger, or really any grilled meat, but Pizza? I was so intrigued I had to try. I did not hate it, infact, it was kinda good.

The next I remember was the first pizza I ordered from Papa Johns. They were fairly new in town and I'd never had one. And in every box is a little container on their signature garlic sauce. It paired well. best on the crust, but definitely good on the main body of the pizza as well.

Next I believe was dominos, I dont remember the exact pizza I ordered, maybe it was a barbeque pizza, maybe a Hawaiian barbeque. Either way, the pizza was topped with a singular spiral or a sweet and tangy barbeque sauce that circled the pie many times. It went well with the pizza.

From my personal experience those are probably the main ones (minus Worcestershire sauce). Though I've tried many others on Pizza, from hot sauce, sriracha, cheese sauce and probably several I don't remember. I would not say it's immensely common to serve pizza with sauces here. To my knowledge Papa Johns is the only place that gives you an automatic sauce cup with your pizza, but many places have them available for order

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possessoroflimbs@reddit

I know of 1 Papa John’s within a somewhat reasonable driving distance, but I would have to pass by a bunch of other pizza places to get to it. I’m definitely outside of their delivery area.

Since there are a half dozen pizza places within 5-10 minutes of my home, there is no need to drive that far for pizza that would end up lukewarm by the time I got it home.

I don’t think I’ve ever actually eaten at Papa John’s.

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Imaginary_Smile_7896@reddit

I had to look on Google Maps to see that Papa Johns even has any locations at all in New England. Less than 10 by my count. Not a whole lot more in NY either.

When you can easily get better pizza without even trying, why would you choose Papa Johns?

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NewburghMOFO@reddit

Papa John's pizza tastes like plastic and their garlic oil thing must be made from the cheapest canola oil possible since it gives me terrible indigestion. Also the, "dipping oil" is something only they do around me. Pizza is heavy enough, I don't understand why I would put MORE oil on it!

Midwest here. Can confirm.

Thanks for the explanation!

We don't really have "fast food pizza chains" here, so I haven't experienced the taste difference, but I can see how it makes sense.

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Lunakill@reddit

There is at least one regional exception to that person’s answer. In parts of the Midwest, you’re gonna have an option for cheese dip for breadsticks and pizza, including dining in at nicer pizza places.

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ThrowawayMod1989@reddit

The taste difference is immense. Where the dipping sauces really shine is with the crust, but that’s because the chain places have terrible crust. It literally needs sauce to be good.

But a good pizza restaurant in any state will serve pizza that is edible down to the last bite of crust without needing anything extra. The brick oven place down the way from me has the most amazing crust 🤌 it could be served by itself.

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BreakfastsforDinners@reddit

This seems a bit myopic. Round Table had "Pizza Skins" in the 80's that were served with ranch.

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It's an option, at least sometimes. It's not universal or even the most common way to eat it, though.

Personally, I really like adding a little bit of garlic butter, or a lot of marinara sauce. Some people say ranch is amazing, but I don't think my tongue and/or brain are melding the flavors the same way theirs are. 😅

(If you've never had ranch dressing before, it's buttermilk or a substitute + herbs; basically a better, more complex version of sour cream and onion flavor.)

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Quix66@reddit

The pizza chains offer dipping sauces now. I never even bother opening them.

When I was a child they offered packs of Parmesan cheese or red pepper flakes instead. I might have used the red pepper.

I noticed that in the 89s in France that the bistros served pizza with a flask of olive oil. We thought it was bizarre. Olive oil wasn’t that popular in the US back then.

Now I’d dip some warm French bread in a good olive oil in a heartbeat, haha! Still, maybe not pizza though.

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shelwood46@reddit

The pizza places in the northeast almost always have shakers of parmesan and red pepper flakes at every table, but don't usually give you packets with takeout (they probably assume you have your own).

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Standard_Plant_8709@reddit (OP)

I recently went to a pizza making workshop (the kind where you go with a bunch of friends, you learn how to make pizza, you eat your pizzas and drink wine and have a merry ol' time) and they taught us to put olive oil on the crust immediately after the pizza comes out of the oven - keeps the crust softer.

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Quix66@reddit

That makes sense.

But this was full on pour of olive oil over the pizza. Like a condiment.

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Standard_Plant_8709@reddit (OP)

No, you take the pizza out of the oven and drizzle a little bit on olive oil on the very edges where there is no filling. You have to do it while it's still piping hot, and the oil keeps the dough softer. Otherwise once it cools it dries very hard, as pizza dough is nothing but flour, yeast, water and salt.

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Quix66@reddit

Ah, gotcha. Thanks.

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Kinda, most people will dip the crust in it but there are the weirdos who dip the actual cheese part of the pizza in it.

Either way it's not for high quality local pizza it's for like Domino's or Pizza Hut, none of us are going to go to naples and ask for dipping sauce.

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HooksNHaunts@reddit

Honestly, I have no idea when or why dipping pizza in ranch started it but I definitely started it in my area. When I was in elementary school I used to dip the school pizza in ranch and everyone thought it was crazy then started trying it. Eventually it became the thing to do for literally every kid at the school. This was in the mid 90s.

I probably inspired a whole generation of fat kids with that one.

Wadsworth_McStumpy@reddit

It's not common, but it's common enough that most of us have heard of it. Never done it myself, but I've seen other people dipping in ranch or pizza sauce.

Dipping the crust in garlic butter or cheese is more common.

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If I have wings too, I might dip the crust in the wing sauce, but not the whole slice.

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thewNYC@reddit

darw1nf1sh@reddit

They put sauce ON the pizza. You have had pizza right? Depending on the style of pizza, there are often wide ridges of crust on the outside that is essentially denuded of toppings or sauce. Like a breadstick. I often dip this into a sauce when I eat it. Garlic Butter is my sauce of choice, but would accept cheese or more of the pizza sauce.

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thats-gold-jerry@reddit

Hot honey is becoming more popular on pizza

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GuadDidUs@reddit

Yes, but generally only when I order Domino's. I eat the pizza proper and dip the crust in it

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PotentialAcadia460@reddit

Most people are dipping the crust, not the actual pizza.

digawina@reddit

If you need to dip your pizza, you're probably eating shit pizza.

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DrBoots@reddit

I dip my crusts in Garlic Butter.

On very very rare occasions I will get a little tub of Hot Honey to dip my actual Pizza in.

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GravityTortoise@reddit

Lots of people actually use ranch dressing on pizza.

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Faroundtripledouble@reddit

Nacho cheese

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Book_Slut_90@reddit

It’s fairly rare. But sometimes I’ll get breadsticks and also dip the pizza crust in the breadstick sauce.

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PrimusDCE@reddit

Garlic butter and marinara are common free side sauces that pizza places will include, but it is very much a YMMV thing as far as popularity.

A lot of people will put ranch on their pizza too, which I never really liked, personally.

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Ok_Orchid1004@reddit

Not common. Papa John’s gives you a cup of garlic butter sauce with each pizza but that’s the exception, not the rule.

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DragonScrivner@reddit

I don't need dip -- pizza is delicious on its own

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wolfhoundjack@reddit

Many delivered pizzas come with garlic butter. Some also come with "marinara" (sugo di pomodoro denso). Some people also like Ranch dressing.

I would say most people use it to make the crusts (which are often not eaten if plain) into bread sticks. Some people do dip their pizzas into one of the sauce options, yes. I personally have not seen that as much as dipping crusts.

I only know of one other person who eats pizza with a dipping sauce, and even he only did it a few times. He would do either garlic butter, ranch, or hot sauce.

I dip on very rare occasions (usually if I feel like I want to pretend the crusts are breadsticks when I'm done with the slice). And I only typically dip with garlic butter (because you can never have enough garlic!).

I think the most "common" sauce is either garlic butter or ranch here in the US.

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klimekam@reddit

Once you get to the crust of the pizza it’s basically a dry breadstick left. IMO it needs a sauce of some sort. I didn’t eat pizza crust until I started dipping them.

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thesweetestberry@reddit

Sauce choice depends on the pizza.

Cheese or pepperoni pizza - hot sauce and ranch dressing.

Monicals pizza - sweet and sour dressing (their brand).

BBQ chicken pizza- BBQ sauce.

Mac n cheese pizza - hot sauce.

Not everyone does. I usually don't but when I do its usually either marina sauce, pizza sauce or garlic butter sauce. But that's not all the time its usually only if I get bread sticks.

Dip is for shitty pizza like dominos.

Extremely true and common. Depending on the pizza toppings, I like ranch, spicy ranch, honey, hot honey, Truff, barbecue, marinara, garlic butter, sour cream, Greek yogurt (especially with dry onion soup mix and lime juice mixed in), mayo, balsamic glaze, cheese sauce... I could probably go on. But that's for trash pizza like Domino's and the like.

It is an abomination, but some do it. My wife is a pizza dipper, and I am not. I tease her about it now and then. Pizza is already a perfect food. It needs nothing added. More is just more, not better.

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pakrat1967@reddit

Just in case it's against sub rules to name the business, I'll just use the letters.

I've used bbq sauce, ranch , and more Marina sauce.

( Not together)

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Cerebral-Knievel-1@reddit

Yes, its for lubricating your pizza bones.

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russellvt@reddit

Pretty rare, though certain large pizza chains will market things like Ranch Dressing or maybe a butter-garlic sauce.. me, I just eat pizza as it's baked.

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Wooden-Audience5475@reddit

Ranch goes on pizza and anyone who disagrees is a filthy communist

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cinephile78@reddit

Ranch is straight from the pits of hell. It’s Satans semen. The black flecks are ash from hell.

No cheese?

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RedPanther1@reddit

Hot honey garlic on the crust at the end. Just try it.

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Rock-Wall-999@reddit

When you get down to the bare crust, Domino’s garlic butter is awesome. I think it’s a relatively new concept that evolved from dipping bread sticks!

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Timely-Birthday-8067@reddit

I like garlic butter or ranch. Yum!

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DrDentonMask@reddit

Not often for me, but I do see ranch as a popular one.

-Then there is honey mustard chicken pizza,

-buffalo chicken pizza (which has cayenne pepper sauce and butter), some places will add ranch or blue cheese

-chicken, bacon, ranch, which has ranch dressing on it

-balsamic vinegar with chicken and mozzarella balls

-BLT (bacon, lettuce, Tomato) sometimes will have mayonnaise instead of pizza sauce.

-Vodka pizza has a creamy vodka sauce instead of normal pizza sauce, sometimes comes with penne noodles as a toping

-some pizzas are “white pizza” which comes with a white, creamy, Alfredo-type sauce

-Chicken Marsala Pizza will have a wine-marsala sauce

Im sure theres more, but I cant think of any others, right now.

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Sometimes I get marinara if I have cheese sticks, but crusts are just eaten with the bit of remaining toppings and sauce. No extra sauce needed.

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hairyemmie@reddit

ranch, garlic butter, hot sauce!

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Duderoy@reddit

Not real Americans. Dipping pizza is serious bullshit used to cover for really crappy pizza.

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I feel like it’s a somewhat newish phenomenon that gained popularity when pizza chains started including the garlic butter/the option for type dipping sauce for dipping. This is purely anecdotal but I don’t know anyone over the age of 60 who will go out of their way to order it. My mom, for example, might use it if it’s there but she isn’t going to pay extra for it and my dad will refuse your new high falutin’ ways. This makes me think it wasn’t a super common thing when they were growing up.

Here in the land of ranch, it’s probably been happening for much longer than I have been aware of it.

Yes, I'd say its pretty common but not everyone does.

As for what, that depends on where you get the pizza from or where your eating it.

I like a place called "Romeo's" and they serve "capone sauce" which is like spicy ranch.

If you're at home you may use ranch or ketchup from your fridge.

If you go to a really nice place they may have aged basalmic sauce.

I like my pizza with Sriracha or Tabasco personally.

My husband is a no sauce on the side guy, he just orders extra pizza sauce on his pizza.

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MoronLaoShi@reddit

Mostly for the crusts. Hummus, hot sauce, barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, bleu cheese dressing, olive oil, I don’t know, whatever else you want. No one is stopping you.

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MoronLaoShi@reddit

Some California pizzas will barbecue sauce or buffalo sauce or hot sauce on the pizza between the dough and the cheese instead of tomato sauce or whatever.

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Common-Independent-9@reddit

Dominos has this stuff called “slice sauce” or something like that and it’s amazing. Also ranch dressing is great for dipping

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zanylanie@reddit

I will sometimes dip pizza into pizza sauce, meaning the same sauce that's on the pizza, just more of it. This is because I like a lot of sauce, but if you put too much sauce on pizza, it doesn't bake right.

I don't prefer hand tossed pizza like the "original" from Papa John's because it's too much crust. But if I end up with that kind of pizza for whatever reason, and I'm hungry enough to eat the crust, the only way that's happening is with a dipping sauce, either their garlic stuff or either pizza sauce or marinara.

I don't understand the appeal of ranch on pizza at all. No shade to those who enjoy it. Life's short - get your jollies where you can! But definitely not ubiquitous, even for this recent transplant to the American South by way of half a century in the Midwest (mostly St. Louis).

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wetcornbread@reddit

Dips are typically for chain pizzas. Like a Domino’s or Papa John’s. They give you a little cup of garlic sauce, marinara or ranch on the side.

If it’s from a local pizzeria I generally don’t use sauce/dips. The only exception is if I get garlic knots and have extra marinara I might dip it in that. Or a buffalo chicken pizza I’ll dip in ranch if it’s an option.

It is regional because some areas don’t have many good pizza shops. In the northeast you can eat a slice plain or with pepperoni and not need anything to dip it in. Down south some places pizza tastes like cardboard so it helps.

Jyndaru@reddit

I always get veggie pizza and dip it in garlic butter, it's delicious! Definitely need to have garlic butter at least for the crust.

Depends on many factors. Would never use it for a typical Chicago style cracker crust or new York style foldable slice and it’s totally unnecessary for deep dish, but a thicker crust or Detroit style definitely could use some garlic butter, ranch or even additional marinara or spicy cheese (among others)

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