Pizza is always a winning proposition, and this cheesy Pizza Bites recipe is no exception! Pepperoni and mozzarella are tucked into puffy seasoned pizza dough balls, then baked with Parmesan and chorizo slices for even more flavor. Serve them with pizza sauce for dipping, for the ultimate game day snack!
Those mini pizza bites in the frozen food aisle are addictive, for sure. With this Pizza Bites recipe, everything’s made from scratch – making the bites extra special, with better flavor and texture. Every glorious bite includes puffy, flavorful pizza dough, pepperoni, and cheese, plus pizza sauce for dipping. Serve them as an appetizer or a main dish on Pizza Night!
Why We ❤️ This Pizza Bites Recipe
There’s a lot to love about pizza bites — I mean, it’s PIZZA, you just can’t go wrong! Here’s what makes these little puffs of cheesy bliss a standout:
- Epic cheese pull. Tucked into each pizza bite is a cube of mozzarella, which melts in the oven so when you take a bite, you get a fantastic cheese pull. (As if that’s not enough, there’s also mozzarella and Parmesan baked on top of the cheese bites too.) If cheesy appetizers steal your heart, you’re going to fall hard for this recipe.
- Easy (and kid-friendly) to make. This is one of those recipes that’s great for enlisting kitchen helpers. Once you’ve cut the dough into squares, let your kids add the pepperoni and cheese and pinch together the dough to form balls. They’ll have fun tucking the chorizo between the pizza bites and sprinkling cheese on top too!
- Customizable. As with traditional pizza, you can easily put your own spin on these pizza bites. (And I’m one who’s never afraid to put my own spin on pizza, as you can see from my Pizza Dip and Pickle Pizza and Cheeseburger Pizza Rolls!) Feel free to swap in your favorite pizza toppings and make this recipe uniquely yours.
What You’ll Need
This recipe has an easy ingredients list. Scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient amounts.
- Pizza dough – I use my Thin Crust Pizza Dough Recipe, but store-bought dough is also fine.
- Pepperoni – Thinly sliced pepperoni makes it easier to fold the dough around the fillings.
- Mozzarella – Streamline your shopping list by buying a block and cutting some of it for the filling and shredding the rest for the topping.
- Chorizo extra – This will look similar to pepperoni slices (not ground/bulk chorizo). Chorizo “extra” generally refers to a higher quality, more intensely flavored chorizo compared to regular chorizo. It has more paprika, which makes it bolder in flavor and appearance. If you can’t find Chorizo “extra”, substitute for a bold pepperoni (or just use more regular pepperoni).
- Olive oil – Brushing the tops of the pizza bites with olive oil gives them a nice golden color after baking. Melted butter also works.
- Seasonings – Dried oregano, thyme, and basil, plus garlic powder and sea salt are mixed with the olive oil to add flavor to the pizza bites. You can substitute an equal amount of dried Italian seasoning in place of the dried herbs.
- Parmesan – Grated Parmesan adds yummy flavor and texture. Freshly grated makes these pizza bites extra delicious, but feel free to use the kind from the shaker can if you like.
- Herbs – Fresh parsley and basil for garnish…optional, but adds a pretty and delicious finishing touch.
- Pizza sauce – I like to use my homemade Pizza Sauce, but you can use your own favorite sauce.
How to Make Pizza Bites
Scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.
- Prep. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Grease an oven-safe baking dish or skillet.
- Roll out the dough. Aim for a rectangular shape with 1/4″ thickness.
- Slice & fill. Cut the dough into 15 squares. Then place a pepperoni slice and mozzarella cube in the center of each square.
- Seal. Pinch the edges of the dough together to form balls.
- Add to baking dish. Place pizza bites in the prepared dish. Tuck chorizo slices in between the pizza bites.
- Add herb oil. Mix the olive oil with the dried herbs, garlic powder, and salt, and brush the mixture over the pizza bites.
- Add cheeses. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top, followed by the shredded mozzarella.
- Bake. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until beautifully golden. Then sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the top, turn off the oven, and return the pizza bites to the oven until the cheese is gloriously melty.
- Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and basil, then serve with warm pizza sauce.
Tips and Variations
These pointers will help your pizza bites turn out perfect!
- Be patient with the dough. If the dough wants to shrink back when you’re rolling it out, let the dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes and then try again. Sometimes pizza dough needs to sit a few minutes to let the gluten relax.
- Don’t overwork the dough. On the subject of gluten, the more you work the pizza crust dough, the tougher the gluten from the flour will be — this can lead to pizza dough that’s tough when baked.
- The world is your oyster when it comes to toppings. Cooked sausage crumbles, bacon, olives — maybe you’ll even want to do a riff on this Mexican Pizza!
- Make them milder. If spicy chorizo isn’t for you, just use additional pepperoni between the pizza bites – or substitute salami, which is a favorite with our daughters.
Serving Suggestions
This recipe is a fantastic appetizer idea to serve alongside other party favorites, such as Italian Pinwheels and Spinach Artichoke Dip. We also like to serve a pizzeria-style salad like my Italian Chopped Salad.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Transfer leftover pizza bites to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Store pizza bites in an airtight container or freezer bag; they’ll keep well for up to 2 months in the freezer. Thaw them in the refrigerator before reheating. (Thawing first ensures that the outside doesn’t over-cook while the center is still frozen.)
- To reheat: Warm leftover pizza bites in the air fryer or a 350ºF oven until heated through.
More Recipes for Pizza Lovers
Pizza Bites
Yield: 15 pizza bites
Homemade pizza bites tuck pepperoni and gooey mozzarella into seasoned pizza dough, then they're baked with even more cheese on top. Yum!
Print
Ingredients
- 1 pound Thin Crust Pizza Dough (or your favorite pizza dough)
- 15 slices pepperoni
- 12 ounces mozzarella, cut into 15 cubes
- 15 slices chorizo "extra" (or substitute with bold pepperoni)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- fresh basil leaves, optional garnish
- 1 cup Pizza Sauce (or your own favorite pizza sauce), for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and lightly grease a 10" oven-safe baking dish or skillet.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out pizza dough to ¼" thickness.
- Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 15 equal squares.
- Place a pepperoni slice in center of each dough square, then top with a mozzarella cube.
- Enclose the filling by bringing the edges of the dough together, forming small balls or rounds. Ensure the filling is sealed inside the dough.
- Arrange assembled pizza bites in prepared dish, with a little space in between each one. Tuck a slice of chorizo extra between each pizza bite.
- In a small bowl, mix olive oil with dried oregano, thyme, and basil, plus garlic powder and sea salt. Brush the mixture over the top of pizza bites.
- Sprinkle Parmesan evenly over the tops of pizza bites.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden.
- Remove pizza bites from oven and sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top. Turn off the oven, then put the pizza bites back in for 3-4 minutes, or until the mozzarella is melty to your liking.
- Remove pizza bites from oven and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.
- Serve pizza bites hot with pizza sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 211kcal Carbohydrates: 16g Protein: 10g Fat: 12g Saturated Fat: 5g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0.03g Cholesterol: 27mg Sodium: 616mg Potassium: 83mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 3g Vitamin A: 293IU Vitamin C: 1mg Calcium: 174mg Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
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