I was intrigued when I first heard about Pizza Cupcakes, so obviously I had to create my own version.
How can you go wrong with pizza in the form of a cupcake?! You get to have your very own little handheld pizza that's not only delicious, but easy to make, a great snack for game day, movie night, and perfect for packing along in a lunch bag! You can fill them with your favorite pizza toppings and they can also be made Weight Watchers friendly with 2 ingredient WW dough and/or lactose-free!
Jump to:
- 🍕🧁What are Pizza Cupcakes?
- 🥘Ingredients
- 🔪Instructions
- 🍽 Equipment
- 📋More Muffin Tin Recipes
- 📖 Variations & Substitutions
- 🌶️Can I make them spicy?
- ✔️Make them Weight Watchers Friendly
- 🥗 Side dishes
- 🌡️Storage
- 💭 Can these pizza cupcakes be frozen and reheated?
- 👪 Serving size
- ⭐ Reviews
- 🍕 Pizza Cupcakes Recipe
- 📋More Pizza Recipes
Since cupcakes are often associated with sweet, I'll admit it's not easy for me to get my head around savory cupcakes. If you feel the same, I can guarantee that when you try these Pizza Cupcakes, you'll have no problem making that mental shift!
🍕🧁What are Pizza Cupcakes?
They are made with pizza toppings, in the form of a filling (much like deep dish pizzas), encased in a quick and simple pizza dough (because homemade is always the best.) Although, you can use store-bought pizza dough if you prefer or are really pressed for time. Essentially, these guys are mini pizzas, in the form of a savory cupcake!
But pizza cupcakes are different than pizza muffins because they are not a muffin! These are made with a rolled pizza crust that's molded into a muffin tin and filled with pizza toppings, then topped with cheese. Pizza muffins are made with a batter and have the texture of a muffin.
🥘Ingredients
- Pizza dough recipe or refrigerated pizza dough from the grocery store * I use my 15 minute pizza dough recipe
- pizza sauce * your favorite brand- I use Primo's traditional
- bacon (or any meat) chopped * you can use ham, pepperoni, mini pepperonis, turkey bacon, sausage
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- red onion, chopped
- sliced black olives
*See recipe card for quantities
🔪Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C. Prepare pizza dough according to recipe you are using. I use my quick and easy, naturally dairy-free 15 minute pizza dough (see my other recommendations in notes).
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Roll out dough to about ⅛ inch thick.
- Cut with a round cutter (a mug or anything round about 4 inches in diameter).
- Press each circle into muffin tin.
- In small bowl, mix toppings (sauce, onion, olives, meat and only ½ cup of the cheese, reserving the other ½ of the cheese for topping.) Spoon about 2 tablespoons mixture into each dough-lined cup, dividing evenly by all 12. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese on top, dividing evenly by all 12.
- Bake in preheated oven for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown.
*See recipe for full instructions
🍽 Equipment
You'll need a rolling pin, a muffin tin and a cutting board/pastry board (affiliate links)for this pizza cupcake recipe.
Because pizza cupcakes are made in muffin tins, they are also known as muffin tin pizza. I love to make stuff in muffin tins because they are portable, individual servings, not to mention quick and easy.
📋More Muffin Tin Recipes
- Easy Mediterranean Chicken and Wild Rice Cups,
- Gluten-free Ham & Rice Benedict,
- Greek Lasagna & Garlic Toast cups
- Mini Cherry Cheesecakes
I've always been a fan of individual servings, especially when it comes to party food. I've personally had some bad experiences with 'communal food, ' hence the reason I also created these Individual Cheesy Party Pull Aparts! Plus it's like having a mini pizza all to yourself!
📖 Variations & Substitutions
🍕Which Pizza Dough to use?
You could also use any pizza dough you wish with this recipe, such as my Bread Machine Pizza Dough Recipe, or lighten it up and make it WW friendly with my 2 ingredient Weight Watchers Pizza Dough. If you're in a hurry, store-bought pizza dough will also work! But I love this pizza dough because it's so quick and easy!
Dairy-free: I love this pizza dough recipe and I've been using it for years! It's super quick and easy, and it's also dairy-free! We recently discovered that my daughter is lactose intolerant so I've been trying to make as many lactose and dairy-free recipes as possible. This pizza dough is dairy-free and I used a lactose-free cheese in this pizza cupcake, although you could use any type of cheese if you don't need the recipe to be lactose free.
And you can make these pizza cupcakes with your choice of toppings (fillings) you have on hand. I made them with red onion, bacon and sliced black olives (my kids LOVE it when they get REAL bacon!)
- meat: bacon or turkey bacon, ham or pepperoni (or turkey pepperoni) NOTE: *If I'm using bacon, I use the Costco pre-cooked bacon because you can take it out of the freezer in individual pieces, microwave it and it's so much less messy and greasy!
- make them vegetarian/meatless
- onion (green, red or white onion)
- cheese: mozzarella, cheddar, marble, feta
- black olives
- jalapenos
- green peppers
- mushrooms
🌶️Can I make them spicy?
Yes, you can make these spicier by adding crushed red pepper in the filling or sprinkle it on afterwards. You can also use jalapenos in the filling to spice it up!
✔️Make them Weight Watchers Friendly
- 2 ingredient Weight Watchers Pizza Dough
- use turkey bacon, turkey sausage or turkey pepperoni
- use low- fat cheese
* Using turkey bacon and low-fat mozzarella cheese they are instantly WW friendly!
🥗 Side dishes
It's not that you need a side dish with pizza, but I think it's always good to get some veggies with any meal. I serve these with cucumber slices and/or baby carrots and maybe some fruit or a side salad, especially if they're going in the lunch box!
🌡️Storage
They are just as tasty cold, as they are warm. Just keep them refrigerated (but only for up to 4 days.)
💭 Can these pizza cupcakes be frozen and reheated?
Yes! They freeze really well and taste freshly baked when they are reheated. Remove them from the muffin tins after they are baked, allow them to cool 10 minutes, then place them in a freezable airtight container, or in a plastic freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you go to reheat them, 30-40 seconds is about the right amount of time, but that will also depend on the wattage of your microwave.
👪 Serving size
You can also cut this recipe in ½ by adjusting the serving size on my recipe card. Just click on the serving size ( it's highlighted in blue.) But you'll probably end up wanting to double the recipe. My kids couldn't get enough so I made sure to make double the next time. As I noted, they freeze and reheat really well and are also great cold!
My kids LOVED these Pizza Cupcakes. Seriously, they even fought over them. Since they are picky teenagers, I always feel pretty flattered when they think my food is fight worthy. And if there's one thing we know teenagers love, it's pizza! So if you love mini pizzas too, then give these a try!
Enjoy!
Need a new muffin tin? (affiliate links)
⭐ Reviews
If you loved this pizza cupcakes recipe please leave a 5 star rating and comment below!
🍕 Pizza Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 1 pizza dough recipe * 15 minute pizza dough
Filling
- ¾ cup pizza sauce * your favorite brand- I use Primo's traditional
- ¾ cup bacon (or any meat) chopped * you can use ham, pepperoni, turkey bacon, sausage
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ⅓ cup red onion, chopped
- 200 ml -can sliced black olives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C .Prepare pizza dough according to recipe you are using. I use my quick and easy, naturally dairy-free 15 minute pizza dough (see my other recommendations in notes).
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Roll out dough to about ⅛ inch thick.
- Cut with a round cutter (a mug or anything round about 4 inches in diameter).
- Press each circle into muffin tin.
- Roll out remaining dough to get as many circles as you can out of the dough. You should have no problem getting 12 out of it.
Filling:
- In small bowl, mix toppings (sauce, onion, olives, meat and only ½ cup of the cheese, reserving the other ½ of the cheese for topping.)
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons mixture into each dough-lined cup, dividing evenly by all 12. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese on top, dividing evenly by all 12.
- Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Immediately remove from muffin tins and serve.
Notes
- any meat: bacon or turkey bacon, ham or pepperoni NOTE: *If I'm using bacon, I use the Costco pre-cooked bacon because you can take it out of the freezer in individual pieces, microwave it and it's so much less messy and greasy!
- make them vegetarian/meatless
- onion (green, red or white onion)
- cheese: mozzarella, cheddar, marble, feta
- black olives
- green peppers
- 2 ingredient Weight Watchers Pizza Dough
- use turkey bacon, turkey sausage or turkey pepperoni
- use low- fat cheese
- Can be refrigerated for up to 4 days
Nutrition
📋More Pizza Recipes
- Healthy Pizza Dippers
- Dill Pickle Pizza
- Weight Watchers Pizza with 2 ingredient Weight Watchers Pizza Dough
- Greek-style Veggie Phyllo Pizza
- Carrot Cake Dessert Pizza
Sharon
These are fantastic! I'm down for anything you can customize - we made half of the batch vegetarian. The rest of the batch has been popped into the freezer. Another bonus! Thanks Terri. 🙂
Terri Gilson
Glad you enjoyed them, Sharon! 🙂
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Sharon! Glad you loved them and could customize them to your diet!
Bernice Hill
Great idea! My kids would have loved these, especially for after school treats. Oh, and I probably would have snuck one or two myself.
Terri Gilson
haha I did sneak a couple myself, Bernice! I especially love that I can make them WW friendly1
Terri Gilson
I definitely snuck a couple too, Bernice! haha
Wanda
Pizza cupcakes are such a clever idea and so perfect for lunches! I can't wait to try them!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Wanda. I hope you enjoy them!
Lisa
Pizza cupcakes is a great idea! I love the portability of them! Thanks for sharing this great idea!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Lisa- enjoy!
AmyG
Hi Terri, I love the step by step instructions and the cuteness of these little cupcakes. A perfect choice for an appetizer or kids party!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Amy!
NANCY
Great idea! My DD would have loved these, Maybe i can sneak some veggies in toO!
Terri Gilson
Oooh I love the idea of sneaking in more veggies, Nancy! Spinach would work well, I think 🙂