A center heated die plate for an underwater pelletizer radiates heat outwardly to the extrusion orifices and die faces of the die plate thereby maintaining the die plate and extrusion orifices at an elevated temperature to obtain optimum flow of molten polymer through the extrusion orifices. In one embodiment, a centrally located heating plate is mounted in a recess on the upstream face of the die plate inwardly of the nose cone. In a second embodiment, a cylindrical heating coil is placed in a hollow central core of the die plate between the nose cone on the upstream side and an insulation plug or plate on the downstream side. Heating leads extend through a single radial hole in the die plate to provide power to the center heating element.