Pizza Cupcakes Recipe - We are not Martha (2024)

Pizza Cupcakes take all the delicious flavor of homemade pizza and transform it into bite-sized delights. You can use whatever toppings you want for these mini pizzas and they make the perfect game day appetizer or a fun dinner for kids!

What are some of the all-time favorite foods here in America? I'm willing to bet that both pizza and cupcakes make many people's lists.

And for good reason! Not only are they both incredibly delicious, but there are so many different flavors and varieties of pizza and cupcakes. It's impossible to ever get board of either of them.

But is it weird to combine them? Well, no. Because the recipe I'm sharing today is really pizza, but in cupcake form. So, take all the savory flavor you love about pizza and make it in handheld bite-sized form.

🍕 What are pizza cupcakes?

Pizza cupcakes have actually been around for some time now and there are even quick service restaurants that are full devoted to them, selling all kinds of different flavors.

They're essentially bite-size pizzas made in a cupcake tin. You eat them like you would a cupcake (with your hands!), but they taste just like a pizza.

Of course, you can make them any flavors you want... I'm sharing pepperoni pizza cupcakes here today, but you could make all kinds of savory versions and even some sweet ones.

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

Not only are pizza cupcakes a unique alternative to the often over-served pizza, but they're also a super fun appetizer to serve at parties, especially game day parties.

They're easy to display on a platter and the perfect size for guests to put on their plate and to pick up and eat with no problem.

Kids will also love them and they make a really fun toddler dinner. But really, adults love them, too.

If you landed on this post hoping for sweet treats, you can make the traditionally sweet pizza cupcakes instead.

🗒 Ingredients

The ingredients are quite simple for these pepperoni cupcakes, but remember that you can use any toppings you want! I'll share lots of ideas in the "variations on recipe" section below.

Here's everything you need (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):

• Pizza dough: you can usestore-bought or homemade
• Pizza sauce
• Shredded cheese: I like to use a 3-cheese blend of mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan
• Mini pepperoni: if you can't find mini, you can use regular pepperoni chopped
• Dried basil:optional for extra flavor
• Red pepper flakes:optional for extra flavor

You don't need any fancy equipment to make pizza cupcakes... just a regular standard-size cupcake tin!

👩‍🍳 How to make pizza cupcakes

I make my own pizza dough pretty much every time I make homemade pizza, but when it comes to pizza cupcakes, I like the simplicity of using store-bought dough.

With store-bought, this recipe will be ready in no time at all! You only need about ¾ lb. dough... I've made the cupcakes with a full pound, but I find them a bit too doughy.

You can use the remaining dough to make more pizza cupcakes; you'll just need some more toppings, too.

Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees and lightly brushing a 12-cavity cupcake tin with olive oil or cooking spray.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pizza dough to about ¼" thickness.

Cut out 12 circles roughly 3-inches in diameter. You can use a circle cookie cutter, a drinking glass, etc. Re-roll dough scraps when necessary.

Gently press dough circles into the bottoms of the prepared tin, going up the sides a bit.

Spoon about 1 ½ teaspoon of pizza sauce into each dough cup.

Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese.

And top with 4-5 mini pepperonis.

Sprinkle on dried basil and red pepper flakes, if desired.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and edges of dough are turning golden.

You want the pizza cupcakes to be nice and crispy!

I recommend letting them cool for a few minutes before digging in.

They should slide right out of the cupcake tin.

And dig in! These really are just like little bite-sized pizzas and have all the flavors and textures of pepperoni pizza.

I love that they're mini and absolutely perfect for serving at parties, especially football-watching parties like the Super Bowl. Though I may recommend making a double batch. These are the kind of party appetizer that goes very quickly.

They're also pretty fun for serving for dinner as an alternative to pizza and I think kids will especially love them!

⏲️ How to store

Once the pizza cupcakes are cooled, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge. When stored properly, they should keep fresh for 2-3 days.

To re-heat, I recommend putting them in the oven or toaster oven. You can also feel free to microwave them, but they lose some of their crispiness when re-heated this way.

You can also feel free to freeze the prepared pizza cupcakes, so you can have them always at the ready when the craving hits. Even better than Bagel Bites!

I recommend first freezing them on a cookie sheet and then once frozen, placing them in a large freezer-safe bag or airtight container (this will prevent them from freezing together).

For extra protection, you can wrap the frozen pizza cupcakes in plastic wrap or aluminum foil before placing back in the freezer.

For best results, when you're ready to enjoy thaw the little pizzas in the fridge overnight.

🥫 Can I make with crescent roll dough?

Yes! A lot of people make pizza cupcakes with canned crescent roll dough as it's super easy and results in a golden and tender flaky crust.

You just have to separate the dough into squares (you'll only get 8 of them) and press into the muffin tin cups.

I recommend baking on 375 degrees instead of 450 as crescent dough will bake much faster than pizza dough.

Using crescent dough will give the pizza cupcakes more of a pastry taste and less of a traditional pizza taste, but that's not necessarily a bad thing!

You can also press English muffin halves into the bottom of the cupcake tin to make English muffin pizza cupcakes!

🎉 Variations on recipe

This recipe is for simple pepperoni pizza cupcakes, but there are so many delicious ways you could make these little appetizers. Use your favorite pizza toppings as a guide, but also be sure to think outside the box!

Here are some fun ideas:

• Make meat lover's pizza cupcakes by adding ground sausage, chopped ham, and crumbled bacon in addition to the mini pepperoni.

• Leave off the tomato sauce and use extra cheese along with garlic and basil for delicious white pizza cupcakes.

• Top with chopped vegetables like onions, bell peppers, broccoli, and mushrooms for great veggie pizza cupcakes.

• Mix your favorite seasonings into the pizza dough, including garlic powder, black pepper, thyme, or parsley.

• Make Greek pizza cupcakes by using feta cheese, spinach, and olives as toppings.

• Make taco pizza cupcakes by topping dough with ground beef and cheese. When they're out of the oven, add shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, olives. If you want a sauce, you can use enchilada sauce.

• Make breakfast pizza cupcakes by cracking an egg over the dough. Then top with cooked and crumbled bacon or sausage, shredded cheese, and herbs. Bake until the egg whites are set, but the yolks are still slightly runny.

• Add a dollop of pesto sauce to dough, with or without the tomato sauce.

• Make dessert pizza cupcakes by using Nutella or peanut butter as a topping. After they're baked, you can add sliced strawberries, raspberries, bananas, confectioners' sugar, whipped cream, mini marshmallows, or the toppings of your choice. You can even add cinnamon and sugar into the dough if you want.

Honestly, the pizza cupcake options are endless!

🏈 More game day recipes

If you're looking for a full football party spread, I've got lots of fun ideas for you! Here are some of my favorite game day appetizers:

Of course, you'll need dessert, too, and I highly recommend these Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Brownies.

Football is fine, the commercials are fun, but the food is really where it's at.

And with these pizza cupcakes, your guests may not even care if their team wins or loses because they'll be totally satisfied anyway!

📖 Recipe