Ready Made Pizza Dough vs Homemade: Which Is Better?
There’s something brilliant about making pizza dough completely from scratch.
Mixing the flour and water, kneading the dough, waiting for fermentation and finally stretching your own pizza can be incredibly satisfying.
But there’s also a small problem.
Proper pizza dough takes time.
If you suddenly decide at 5pm that tonight should be pizza night, starting a 24 or 48-hour dough recipe isn’t going to help much.
That’s where good-quality ready made pizza dough comes in.
But is ready made dough actually as good as homemade? And what’s the difference between supermarket pizza dough, pre-made dough balls and properly fermented frozen pizza dough?
Here’s what you need to know.
What Is Ready Made Pizza Dough?
Ready made pizza dough is simply pizza dough that has already been mixed, kneaded and prepared for you.
However, not all ready made pizza dough is the same.
You’ll generally come across a few different types:
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Chilled supermarket pizza dough
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Roll-out pizza dough
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Fresh pre-portioned dough balls
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Frozen pizza dough balls
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Ready made pizza bases that have already been partially or fully baked
The biggest difference between them isn’t necessarily whether they’re fresh or frozen.
It’s how the dough was made and fermented before you bought it.
A well-made dough that has been given plenty of fermentation time can develop considerably more flavour and structure than dough designed simply to be manufactured and used as quickly as possible.
That’s why it’s worth looking beyond the words “ready made” on the packet.
If you're choosing between the different options available, read our guide to the best ready made pizza dough in the UK and what to look for before buying.
Ready Made Pizza Dough vs Homemade Pizza Dough
Both options can make great pizza.
The better choice depends mainly on how much time you have and how involved you want to be in the dough-making process.
| Ready Made Pizza Dough | Homemade Pizza Dough | |
|---|---|---|
| Mixing | Already done | You do it |
| Kneading | Already done | You do it |
| Fermentation | Already completed | Requires advance planning |
| Portioning | Usually done | You divide the dough |
| Consistency | Very consistent | Depends on experience |
| Convenience | Excellent | Requires preparation |
| Recipe control | Limited | Complete control |
| Ideal for spontaneous pizza nights | Yes | Not usually |
If you enjoy experimenting with hydration percentages, fermentation temperatures and different flour blends, making your own dough is part of the fun.
But if what you really want is to stretch a dough ball, add your toppings and make a great pizza, ready made dough removes most of the preparation.
Neither is automatically better.
They simply suit different people.
Does Ready Made Pizza Dough Taste as Good as Homemade?
It absolutely can.
The mistake is assuming that “ready made” automatically means lower quality.
The flavour and texture of pizza dough are influenced by things such as:
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Flour quality
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Fermentation time
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Hydration
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Yeast levels
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Temperature
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Dough handling
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How the pizza is baked
A properly fermented ready made dough can produce an airy crust, good structure and plenty of flavour.
Likewise, homemade dough isn't automatically brilliant just because it was made at home.
Rush the fermentation or get the recipe wrong and homemade dough can be difficult to stretch, dense or lacking in flavour.
At Dough Dorks, our own ready made frozen pizza dough balls are given a 48-hour fermentation before being individually portioned and frozen.
The idea is simple: we do the slow bit so you don't have to.
You still get the enjoyable part — stretching, topping and cooking the pizza.
Is Frozen Ready Made Pizza Dough Any Good?
Freezing pizza dough sometimes gets an unfair reputation.
When dough is made specifically with freezing in mind and frozen at the correct stage of the process, it can be extremely convenient without sacrificing the characteristics people want from good pizza dough.
The biggest advantage is flexibility.
Instead of having fresh dough sitting in the fridge with a limited window in which it needs to be used, frozen dough allows you to take out exactly the number of dough balls you need.
Making pizzas for two people?
Defrost two.
Having friends over?
Take out six.
The rest stay frozen for another pizza night.
If you want to understand the differences in more detail, read our full comparison of frozen vs fresh pizza dough.
And when pizza night arrives, our guide to how to defrost frozen pizza dough balls properly explains how to get the dough soft, relaxed and ready to stretch.
Is Ready Made Pizza Dough Worth Buying?
For plenty of people, yes.
Particularly if you enjoy making pizza but don't necessarily want pizza dough preparation to become another job.
Ready made dough works especially well for:
Busy families
You can keep dough available and plan a pizza night without needing to start mixing dough days beforehand.
New pizza oven owners
If you've just bought an Ooni, Gozney, Ninja or another pizza oven, removing dough-making from the equation allows you to concentrate on learning how to stretch, launch and cook your pizzas.
For oven-specific advice, take a look at our guides to pizza dough for Ooni ovens and pizza dough for Gozney ovens.
Pizza parties
Making large batches of dough yourself can mean weighing, mixing, bulk fermenting, dividing and balling a considerable amount of dough.
Pre-portioned dough balls make catering for several people much simpler.
Beginners
One of the hardest parts of learning to make pizza is working out whether a problem comes from the dough recipe, fermentation, stretching technique or oven.
Starting with consistent dough removes one of those variables.
If stretching is the part you're still mastering, our guide to how to stretch pizza dough without tearing takes you through it step by step.
People who simply don't want to make dough
And that's completely fine.
You don't have to make mozzarella yourself to enjoy pizza.
You don't have to grow tomatoes to make your own sauce.
And you don't have to mix pizza dough from scratch every time either.
What Should You Look For When Buying Ready Made Pizza Dough?
There are a few things worth checking.
Fermentation
Longer fermentation can help develop flavour and dough structure.
Look for dough where the manufacturer actually tells you something about the fermentation process rather than simply describing it as “authentic” or “artisan”.
Dough Ball Weight
This matters more than people realise.
A tiny dough ball isn't going to magically become a large pizza.
Dough Dorks dough balls typically weigh around 265g, which we use for approximately a 12-inch Neapolitan-style pizza.
We've put together a full guide to how much dough you need for a 12-inch pizza if you want to compare dough weights and pizza sizes.
Flour
Different styles of pizza work well with different flours.
For Neapolitan-style dough, finely milled Italian-style flour such as Tipo 00 is commonly used.
Storage
Think about how often you actually make pizza.
Fresh refrigerated dough can be brilliant when you know exactly when you intend to use it.
Frozen dough gives you much more flexibility if pizza night changes at the last minute.
Portioning
Individually portioned dough balls save another job and make it much easier to defrost only what you need.
For a deeper comparison of fermentation, dough-ball size, storage and oven suitability, read our complete guide to choosing ready made pizza dough in the UK.
Can You Use Ready Made Pizza Dough in an Ooni or Gozney?
Yes.
A good dough ball can be used in high-temperature pizza ovens including Ooni and Gozney.
The important part is preparing the dough properly before stretching it.
Don't try to stretch dough while it's still cold and tight.
If you're using frozen dough, allow it to defrost fully and become soft and relaxed before opening it.
Once relaxed, the dough should become significantly easier to stretch.
Try to press the centre outward while leaving a rim around the edge rather than using a rolling pin.
That outer rim is where you want the dough to expand during cooking.
For more detailed instructions, see:
How Much Ready Made Pizza Dough Do You Need?
A useful starting point is one dough ball per person if everyone is making their own pizza.
Our dough balls are typically 265g each and are intended to make approximately one generous 12-inch pizza.
For children or a table where pizzas are being shared, you may need fewer.
For very hungry adults, you'll probably discover there is no such thing as too much pizza.
If you're organising a larger pizza night, use our pizza dough weight guide to work out how much dough you'll need.
Ready Made Pizza Dough or Ready Made Pizza Bases?
These solve two slightly different problems.
With a ready made dough ball, you still get to:
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Stretch the dough
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Shape your pizza
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Add your toppings
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Watch the crust rise in the oven
A ready made pizza base skips the stretching stage as well.
That makes bases even quicker and easier, but you lose some of the hands-on pizza-making experience.
If you're confident stretching dough — or want to learn — we'd choose ready made pizza dough balls.
If convenience is absolutely the priority, our ready made Neapolitan pizza bases can make even more sense.
So, Is Homemade or Ready Made Pizza Dough Better?
If making dough is part of the hobby for you, homemade wins.
Experimenting with flour, hydration and fermentation is one of the great things about pizza making.
But if your goal is simply to make really good pizza at home without starting the process one or two days beforehand, properly fermented ready made pizza dough makes a lot of sense.
You still stretch it.
You still choose the toppings.
You still cook the pizza.
You still get the moment when a beautifully puffed crust comes out of the oven.
Someone else has simply done the mixing, kneading, fermenting and portioning first.
And sometimes that makes the difference between thinking:
“we should make pizzas sometime”
and actually having pizza night.
Ready Made Pizza Dough from Dough Dorks
At Dough Dorks, we make 48-hour fermented Neapolitan-style pizza dough balls using Italian Tipo 00 flour.
Each dough ball is individually portioned and frozen, so you can keep proper pizza dough ready for whenever pizza night happens.
Defrost what you need, let the dough relax, stretch it by hand, add your favourite toppings and get the oven hot.
Shop ready-made frozen pizza dough balls →
Proper pizza dough. Made easy.
READY-MADE • FROZEN • UK DELIVERY
Skip the mixing. Keep proper dough in your freezer.
48-hour fermented, individually proofed in their own pot and delivered frozen across the UK. Defrost, stretch, top and bake.
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Neapolitan Pizza Dough Kit – Box of 12
£32
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The Mega Dork Ultimate Artisan Pizza Bundle | Neapolitan Pizza Kit | Dough Dorks
£65.99
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48-Hour Neapolitan Pizza Dough Balls – Box of 12
£26
Handmade in Dorset • Free UK delivery over £50 • Free proofing pot with every dough ball
