Mini Pizza Bites are flavor-packed little bite-sized Italian pizzas. Each mini pizza bite is topped with a rich tomato sauce, melty mozzarella, and savory pepperoni. They are baked until the edges are crisp and golden, and the inside is tender and soft.
These little pizzette (plural for small or mini pizzas) have the classic Italian taste in a compact and irresistible form. Kids and adults alike love them. These little pizzas are a perfect finger food for a kid's birthday party and a fun appetizer to share at your next gathering (read Super Bowl party!).
We love to eat these miniature pizzas with a big salad for a casual weekend meal, accompanied by a glass of red wine or a nice cold beer. Other low-key meals we love are stromboli pizza and fluffy, soft Italian sheet pan pizza.
This recipe is versatile and meant to inspire you. You can adapt it to include any combination of toppings your heart desires.
In the section below, 'Mini Pizza Toppings (variations)', I've listed several options, some with and some without meat (for a few vegetarian options), to give you ideas on how you can best adapt this recipe for the likes of your family and guests.
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Ingredients Needed to Make Mini Pizzas
Here is a summary of the ingredients you'll need to make Mini Pizzetta:
Ingredient Notes
- Pizza dough: Store-bought pizza dough will work well. I encourage you to make homemade pizza dough by trying my fluffy pizza dough recipe or my smaller batch same day pizza dough recipe. Homemade pizza dough can be made the day ahead and refrigerated. The next day, let the dough sit at room temperature for one hour before dividing it and proceeding with making the mini pizzas.
- Mozzarella cheese: I used a ball of mozzarella (it comes shrink-wrapped) that I cut into cubes for this recipe. This is not to be confused with a ball of fresh mozzarella, which comes sold in a brine.
- Pizza sauce: Store-bought pizza sauce will work well in this recipe. I love the pizza sauce from the brand Mutti because it tastes authentic. Read the ingredients and avoid commercial brands that have added sugar. If you want to make your own, my pizza sauce without tomato paste tastes almost identical to the prepared one you can buy from Mutti, and it's made with Mutti tomatoes! A win-win 🌟
- Pepperoni: Since these are tiny pizzas, opt for the mini-size pepperoni if you can find it (they look cute on the pizza). Otherwise, regular-sized pepperoni will do.
See the recipe card below for all the ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions
- Pizza dough: Homemade or store-bought will work well in this recipe.
- Mozzarella cheese: Substitute shredded/grated mozzarella for a time-saving tip instead of cutting it or grating it yourself.
- Pizza sauce: My homemade pizza sauce without tomato paste or my recipe for pizza sauce with cherry tomatoes are two great options. Store-bought will work well in this recipe too. Read the ingredients and buy brands that do not have added sugar.
- Pepperoni: Substitute prosciutto (a type of Italian dry-cured ham). This type of ham has a salty yet delicate flavor and is a favorite on pizza.
Mini Pizza Toppings (variations)
- Mortadella Pizza: Mortadella, gorgonzola cheese and chopped pistachios.
- Prosciutto Pizza: Arugula, prosciutto, and blue cheese, and finish with a dab of fig jam.
- Classic Margherita Pizza: Tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese or bocconcini-style cheese (the one packed in brine), fresh basil, and finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
- Mediterranean-style pizza: Sliced artichoke hearts (the ones you buy packed in oil), sundried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
- Vegetable Lovers Pizza: Sautéed red peppers, mushrooms, red onions, and ricotta cheese.
- Caprese Style Pizza: Fresh mozzarella and sliced cherry tomatoes, finished with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and topped with fresh basil.
- Greek Style Pizza: Sliced kalamata olives, feta cheese cut into little cubes, and red onions and finished with a pinch of dried oregano and a dollop of tzatziki.
- Mushroom Pizza: Sautéed mushrooms in garlic and grated gruyère cheese, finished with fresh thyme.
How to Make Mini Pizzas
Step-by-Step-Instructions
Let's make mini pizza bites, the crowd-pleasing snack everyone loves.
Heat oven and prep mini pizzas. Heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and position one of the oven racks to the lowest position. Divide the pizza dough into 32 equal balls of about 1 ounce each (roughly the size of a golf ball).
Shape dough. Flatten each dough ball on a floured surface with the palm of your hand or a rolling pin. Gently stretch each ball to measure 3 inches in diameter. Press an indentation into each pizza's center, almost to the edge. This indentation will help retain the sauce and toppings.
Place on baking sheet. Place the mini pizzas onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and space about one ½-inch apart. Depending on the size of your baking sheet, you may have to bake the pizzas in two batches.
Add toppings and bake. Onto each mini pizza, add about one ½ tablespoon of pizza sauce, 1 tablespoon of mozzarella cheese, 3 pieces of pepperoni, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and a pinch of dried oregano. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the pizza are golden and the cheese has melted.
Secrets for Success
- Have all your toppings set up and ready to go before you start shaping the dough.
- Don't overload the dough with toppings because this will cause uneven cooking.
Storage, Make Ahead & Reheating
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Make Ahead: Mini pizzas can be made ahead of time, refrigerated, and reheated. Or they can be cooked, frozen, and reheated from frozen (see below).
- Reheating: Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place mini pizzas on a parchment-lined baking sheet to reheat straight from the refrigerator or freezer. They will take about 12 minutes to reheat if they are coming from the fridge or about 15-17 minutes if you reheat them from frozen.
Recipe FAQs
A pizzetta is Italian for a small or mini pizza. It's smaller than what we call a personal-size pizza. You'll have eaten the entire pizza in two or three bites because it is that tiny!
Pizzette is plural, meaning many mini pizzas, and pizzetta is singular, meaning one mini pizza.
Yes, you can. Keep in mind that the texture will be completely different. Puff pastry bakes up crispy and thin. Pizza dough is soft and tender, more like freshly baked bread. If you use puff pastry, follow the instructions on the package for oven temperature and cooking time.
Recipe
Mini Pizzetta (easy homemade Mini Pizza Bites)
Equipment
- kitchen scale
- rolling pin
- parchment paper
- baking sheet
- measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 2 pounds pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
Pizza Sauce
- 1 cup pizza sauce, homemade or store-bought
Toppings
- 12 ounce ball of mozzarella cheese, cut into ¼-inch cubes
- 96 slices pepperoni
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano, divided
Instructions
- Heat oven and prep mini pizzas. Heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and position one of the oven racks to the lowest position. Divide the pizza dough into 32 equal balls of about 1 ounce each (roughly the size of a golf ball).2 pounds pizza dough
- Shape dough. Flatten each dough ball on a floured surface with the palm of your hand or a rolling pin. Gently stretch each ball to measure 3 inches in diameter. Press an indentation into each pizza's center, almost to the edge. This indentation will help retain the sauce and toppings.
- Place on baking sheet. Place the mini pizzas onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and space about one ½-inch apart. Depending on the size of your baking sheet, you may have to bake the pizzas in two batches.
- Add toppings and bake. Onto each mini pizza, add about one ½ tablespoon of pizza sauce, 1 tablespoon of mozzarella cheese, 3 pieces of pepperoni, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and a pinch of dried oregano. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the pizza are golden and the cheese has melted.1 cup pizza sauce, 12 ounce ball of mozzarella cheese, 96 slices pepperoni, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, ½ tablespoon dried oregano
Notes
- Mortadella Pizza: Mortadella, gorgonzola cheese and chopped pistachios.
- Prosciutto Pizza: Arugula, prosciutto, and blue cheese, and finish with a dab of fig jam.
- Classic Margherita Pizza: Tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese or bocconcini-style cheese (the one packed in brine), fresh basil, and finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
- Mediterranean-style pizza: Sliced artichoke hearts (the ones you buy packed in oil), sundried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
- Vegetable Lovers Pizza: Sautéed red peppers, mushrooms, red onions, and ricotta cheese.
- Caprese Style Pizza: Fresh mozzarella and sliced cherry tomatoes, finished with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and topped with fresh basil.
- Greek Style Pizza: Sliced kalamata olives, feta cheese cut into little cubes, and red onions and finished with a pinch of dried oregano and a dollop of tzatziki.
- Mushroom Pizza: Sautéed mushrooms in garlic and grated gruyère cheese, finished with fresh thyme.
Francois says
These are so good! And just the right size!
Donna Poirier says
Thanks François 😊