If you’re looking for an easy snack to prep in advance, these pizza muffins are a great option. Perfect for a midday snack or a light lunch, they’re packed with sauce, cheese and whatever other toppings you enjoy. In fact, you can even prepare them in advance and store them in the freezer for a quick bite when you need it. A great choice for kids and adults alike, pizza muffins reheat easily in the oven, so they’re ideal for teenagers looking for an after-school snack. Less than 10 ingredients are all you need to whip them up.
Ingredients for Pizza Muffins
- Tomato sauce: Sweet, earthy and a little savory, tomato sauce is an essential part of any pizza recipe. Choose your favorite store-bought option or make your own from scratch, whichever you prefer.
- Tomato paste:Â Tomato paste helps thicken the sauce here, making sure it doesn’t overflow and ooze out of the muffins while they’re baking.
- Dried basil:Â Strong, pungent and more concentrated than the fresh version, dried basil is an easy way to add bold flavor. Our recipe calls for just a teaspoon, but you could easily add more if you like.
- Garlic salt and onion powder:Â These earthy and pungent dried spices get added to the pizza sauce to help infuse deep flavor into every bite.
- Sugar:Â Since this is a savory dish, a bit of sugar helps amplify the natural sweetness in the tomato sauce and the tomato paste.
- Thin pizza crust:Â We’re using store-bought pizza dough to save time and energy here. Thin crust works best so you can ensure that the muffins cook quickly and thoroughly from top to bottom.
- Shredded mozzarella: We like using shredded mozzarella rather than fresh mozz in this recipe. The shredded version holds less moisture than the fresh balls do, so you’re left with cheesy pizza muffins that aren’t too wet or soggy.
- Optional toppings: Pepperoni, olives, sausage, onion, green pepper, Canadian bacon, pineapple, tomatoes, fresh basil and crushed red pepper flakes.
Directions
Step 1: Make the sauce
Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a small bowl, mix the tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, garlic salt, onion powder and sugar.
Step 2: Cut the dough into squares
Unroll the pizza dough and cut it into 16 squares. Press the squares onto the bottoms and up the sides of 16 ungreased muffin cups, allowing the corners to hang over the edges.
Step 3: Assemble the muffins
Spoon 1 tablespoon of the sauce mixture into each cup. Top with the cheese, then add optional toppings as desired.
Step 4: Bake the muffins
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Serve the pizzas with the remaining sauce mixture.
Pizza Muffin Variations
- Add meaty toppings:Â If you like meaty toppings on your pizza, like pepperoni or sausage, you can absolutely add them here. If you choose to add ground sausage or meatballs, be sure to cook them first and cut them into smaller pieces to make the muffins easier to bite into.
- Make it spicy: A bit of heat can be a welcome addition to these pizza muffins. If you like your pizza on the spicy side, try adding some hot peppers—chopped jalapenos, poblanos or long hots would all be delicious on these pizzas.
How to Store Pizza Muffins
These pizza muffins are best stored in the refrigerator. Once they’re cooked, allow any leftovers to cool to room temperature. Transfer the muffins to an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid or a zip-top bag. Place them in the refrigerator and store them for three to five days.
Can you freeze muffin pizza?
You can absolutely freeze the leftovers! Once you’re ready to store them, freeze the cooled baked pizzas in a resealable freezer container or zip-top bag. To eat them again, reheat the pizzas on a baking sheet in a preheated 425° oven until they’re completely warmed through.
Pizza Muffin Tips
Can I make this pizza muffin recipe with biscuit dough instead of pizza dough?
This recipe can absolutely be made with biscuit dough instead of pizza dough. In fact, you don’t even have to change the recipe, simply swap out the pizza dough for a tube of store-bought biscuit dough and follow the recipe as outlined above.
Can I add vegetables to these pizza muffins?
You can certainly add vegetables to these mini pizza muffins. Bell peppers, broccoli, onions and spinach would all be great choices. To incorporate some vegetables, be sure to chop them finely and cook them in advance.
What other toppings would be good to add here?
Olives, sausage, crushed red pepper, pineapple or pepperoni are all good options. This is a really versatile recipe, so you can add whatever pizza toppings you like best.
