Pizza Puffs
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These pizza puffs make such a fun lunch, dinner, or snack! Make a big batch for the freezer. Easy Little Caesar’s copycat recipe.
Recently I became inundated with ads for Little Caesar’s crazy puffs and I have to say, they look pretty good!
So I decided to come up with my own version. We’re calling them “pizza puffs!”
A pizza puff makes a perfect little handheld snack or you could even have a few for a meal. They’re great because they’re hot and cheesy and really filling, without a ton of sugar or artificial ingredients. Really kid-friendly!
And it feels like there’s no better time to share this pizza puff recipe, because it’s back-to-school season and I think they’d make a perfect packed lunch or after-school snack.
For more fun recipes like this one, be sure to have a look at our pretzel dogs, Shirley Temple drink recipe, and chocolate peanut butter cupcakes!
Table of Contents
- What’s a pizza puff?
- Why this is the best pizza puff recipe
- What do pizza puffs taste like?
- Ingredients
- Tools
- How to make homemade pizza puffs
- How to serve pizza puffs
- Expert tips
- Frequently asked questions
- A few more of our best yeast bread recipes
What’s a pizza puff?
This is basically just a very small pizza made in a muffin pan.
As the pizza bakes the dough puffs up so light and pillow-y! And around the edges you get the most deliciously crunchy frico of browned cheese, almost like you get with Detroit-style pizza.
You can top them however you like, but my kids love pepperoni so I just did my homemade tomato sauce with a generous helping of pepperoni and melty mozzarella cheese.
Why this is the best pizza puff recipe
- Tastes amazing: Nothing can ever beat the taste of something you’ve made yourself with wholesome, real ingredients.
- Few ingredients: You’ll only need a few basics, and you can use store-bought OR homemade.
- Easy to make: It’s really just a matter of layering things into the pan and baking.
- Portable: These can easily be nestled into a container and packed in a brown bag or lunch box. And they’re individually sized and can be eaten without the need for any utensils.
What do pizza puffs taste like?
These are light, airy, and full of robust Italian flavors.
You’ll notice savory garlic and herbs, sweet tomatoes, milky cheese, and meaty pepperoni.
Ingredients
Dough: You can buy a ball of pizza dough from the deli section of your grocery store and half of that will be enough for 16 puffs. Or you can use my homemade pizza dough recipe which I’ve adapted here to include some really yummy seasonings.
Sauce: Again, store-bought or homemade tomato sauce.
Pepperoni: My kids adore pepperoni so I stuff our pizza puffs with several slices.
Cheese: Shredded mozzarella cheese is traditional, and I like the low-moisture, part-skim kind. But any kind of cheese will work!
Tools
- Muffin pan: This recipe uses a standard-sized muffin pan.
- Non-stick spray: So your puffs come out of the pan easily.
- Spoon: For layering in the sauce.
- Small offset spatula: Helps get them out.
How to make homemade pizza puffs
This easy recipe comes together in 4 simple steps.
Step 1: Divide the dough
Once you’ve made the dough and allowed it to rise for about an hour, you can start assembling your puffs.
Flour the dough, worksurface, and your hands, gather your dough into a ball, and divide it into 4 equal portions. Then cut each portion into 4 smaller portions.
Pop a piece of dough into each of 16 wells of your muffin pan(s) and flatten them a little bit with your clean fingertips.
Step 2: Layer sauce and pepperoni
Next, spoon a little sauce on top.
Then add a few slices of pepperoni.
Step 3: Extra sauce and cheese
I am really a sauce person. I always order extra sauce on my takeout pizza because I just can’t get enough of that sweet, tomato flavor!
So I like to add another spoonful of sauce on top of the pepperoni.
And then a generous pinch of shredded mozzarella.
Step 4: Bake
Slide these into the oven and allow them to bake until they puff up and the cheese is melted. They should also look a little brown around the edges.
How to serve pizza puffs
Allow these to cool slightly, then use a small offset spatula to lift them from their pan.
They can be enjoyed warm, cold, or at room temperature, and they make a really good afternoon snack, lunch, or dinner. Try pairing them with a nice salad to balance things out with some healthy veggies.
Expert tips
Make ahead: These get gobbled up in no time, so I definitely recommend making a big batch all at once! If you don’t eat them all you can freeze them (if they’re unbaked they’ll last up to 2 weeks in the freezer) and pull out a few whenever the craving strikes. You don’t even have to thaw them first (although you may need to add a minute or two to the baking time).
Try other flavor combinations: We love chicken bacon ranch pizza, corn pizza, and barbecue chicken pizza too, so you can halve the topping quantities on those recipes and make your pizza puffs that way too. Or use a flavor combo all your own! I’d love to try making white broccoli and Alfredo pizza puffs!
Frequently asked questions
It’s fine to leave these out at room temperature for an hour or so, but if they’re not eaten up by then you should probably stash them in the fridge. They should keep there for 5 to 7 days, in an airtight container.
Or freeze them! They should last in the freezer for a month or two, and can be thawed in the fridge and reheated in the microwave for around 30 seconds to a minute, or in a 250-degree F oven (wrapped loosely in foil) until warmed through.
While I would eat more than one of these at a time (just being honest!), the nutritional info below is for one pizza puff, or 1/16th of the whole batch.
A few more of our best yeast bread recipes
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Pizza Puff Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (78.86 g) water, warm (not hot)
- 1/2 teaspoon (1.56 g) active dry yeast*
- 3/4 cup (93.75 g) all-purpose flour, or bread flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (6 g) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.75 g) garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) Italian seasoning
- 2/3 cup (163.33 g) tomato sauce
- 64 slices (128 g) pepperoni, (approx. 3 ounces)
- 1 1/2 cups (168 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Place the sugar and water in a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top.
- Allow the yeast to dissolve and become foamy (approx. 5 minutes).
- Add the flour, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Knead the dough until it gathers itself into a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl cleanly (approx. 10 minutes).
- Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (approx. 1 hour).**
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly mist a standard-sized muffin pan with non-stick spray.
- Sprinkle the work surface, dough, and your hands lightly with flour to avoid sticking, then punch the dough down and shape it into a ball.
- Divide the dough ball into 4 equal portions, then divide each portion into 4 smaller portions.
- Place a small ball of dough into each of 16 wells of the prepared pan(s).
- Flatten slightly with your fingers, then spoon on about a teaspoon of tomato sauce.
- Layer on about 4 slices of pepperoni.
- Spoon another teaspoon of sauce over each pizza puff.
- Top with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella.
- Bake until puffy and golden around the edges (approx. 15 to 20 minutes).
- Cool slightly then use a small offset spatula to remove from the pan and serve.
I saw this recipe and knew right away that I had to make it.
They were so easy to make and delicious.
I followed the recipe as is, and used tangy and spicy sauce.
It will be my repertoire.
Thank you!!!
My pleasure LP I’m so glad you were pleased with it!
Making these pizza puffs was such a treat! The dough puffs up perfectly in the muffin pan, creating a delightful little pizza bite with a crunchy edge and cheesy center. They’re fantastic fresh out of the oven or even cold, and they’ve become a fav snack in our house in such a short period of time. Definitely a win for back-to-school lunches!
Oh I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you so much for the positive feedback and the 5-star review!