Coming in hot with a last-minute game day treat that anyone age 1 to 99 will love: Cheese Pizza Bites are little muffin-tin bites of pizza heaven, a quick batter of flour, milk, egg, mozzarella, and Parmesan baked into poppable golden rounds and served with warm marinara for dipping. Five minutes of prep, one bowl, and no rolling or proofing any dough. They are the kind of snack that vanishes off the tray before the first quarter is over. If you want the full pizza spread, my 55 Pizza Recipes Better Than Delivery has one for every craving, my Three Cheese Pizza turns the same cheesy idea into a full pie, and my Game Day Sandwich Bar rounds out the snack table for a crowd.
Cheese Pizza Bites at a Glance
- 🕒 Total Time: 25 minutes (5 min prep + 20 min bake)
- 👪 Servings: Makes about 12 bites (serves 4 to 6 as a snack)
- 🍝 Cuisine Type: Italian-American (appetizer / game day snack)
- 🧂 Flavor Profile: Golden, cheesy bites with melty mozzarella, salty Parmesan, and Italian herbs, served with warm marinara for dipping
- 📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian; contains gluten, dairy, and egg
- 📦 Storage Notes: Refrigerate airtight 3 to 4 days; reheat in a 350F oven or air fryer for about 5 minutes to re-crisp (the microwave makes them soft); freeze up to 2 months and reheat straight from frozen
- ⭐Why You'll Love It: Five minutes of prep, one bowl, no dough to roll or proof. These cheesy little bites bake up golden in a muffin tin and disappear faster than anything else on the game day table. Kids and adults both go back for more.
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Why I Love This Recipe
These Pizza Bites we're my go-to snack 10+ years ago when I was still a private chef. They were the answer to every afternoon school play date and weekend game day gathering if kids were involved. It's all your favorite parts of a pizza wrapped up in little Pizza Bites.
Best part about them is they take almost no time to put together. Just a few ingredients, one big bowl, and then you can jazz them up as I mentioned above. Flour, milk and a few other pantry ingredients is all you need. From there I like to add in a variety of different cheeses and pop them in the oven. You could also add some chopped pepperoni, salami, herbs or vegetables and spice it up that way too! Pizza is an amazing food in all its forms, be it breakfast pizza or pizza monkey bread, and this is yet another addition to that essential pizza lineup.
Once the Pizza Bites are baked, you serve them alongside some warmed marinara sauce and dip away. Honestly, the easiest and most delicious little puffs of pizza ever invented!!
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Four
- Baking powder
- Milk
- Egg
- Shredded Whole Milk Mozzarella (favorite brand is linked as it's not coated in anything and has the best melt)
- Pizza sauce
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Italian seasoning
- Basil
- Marinara sauce for serving
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.
Substitutions & Swaps
🧀 The Cheese
- Whole-milk mozzarella (called for) - Melts best and is not coated in anything; shred it yourself for the cleanest melt
- Low-moisture mozzarella - Easy and forgiving; a touch less stretchy but very reliable
- Fresh mozzarella - Dreamy and milky, but dice and pat it very dry or the bites turn watery
- Provolone or fontina - Swap for a sharper, nuttier melt
- Sharp cheddar - The kid-favorite move; melts gooey with a bolder flavor
🥫 The Dip
- Marinara (called for) - Warm it through; classic pizza-dipping sauce
- Pizza sauce - Thicker and a little sweeter; clings to the bites
- Vodka sauce - The grown-up upgrade; creamy and rich
- Pesto or ranch - Crowd-pleasing alternatives, especially for kids
🍕 Add-Ins & Mix-Ins
- ½ cup cooked crumbled sausage - Brown and drain well before folding in
- ½ cup cubed pepperoni - The classic pizza add-in; little cubes distribute best
- ½ cup cooked cubed pancetta - Salty, savory depth; crisp it first
- ½ cup chopped cooked broccoli or squash - Sneak in vegetables; cook and drain so they do not water down the batter
- ½ cup cooked chopped mushrooms - Saute off the moisture first, then fold in
- ½ cup extra shredded cheeses - Mix in provolone, fontina, or cheddar for a custom blend
How to Make Cheese Pizza Bites
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
Step 2: Add the milk and egg and stir to combine.
Step 3: Fold in the mozzarella, parm and italian seasoning let sit for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Divide the Pizza Bites batter among the muffin cups.
Step 5: Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
Step 6: Sprinkle the Pizza Bites with flaky sea salt, parmesan and fresh basil and serve alongside warmed marinara sauce.
How to Store Cheese Pizza Bites
These are best eaten fresh, but you can save these in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Best way to warm would be in the oven or toaster oven/air fryer.
How to Freeze Cheese Pizza Bites
You can freeze these for a month. Make sure you store them well sealed. When its time to eat, warm in an oven.
🧀🍕🔥 Tips & Tricks for the Best Cheese Pizza Bites
Golden, cheesy, poppable bites that come out of the muffin tin clean every time
- Grease the muffin tin generously, even if it is nonstick. Cheese batter loves to weld itself to the pan. Butter or oil every cup, bottom and sides, or use a mini muffin tin with liners.
- Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded mozzarella is coated in anti-caking starch that keeps it from melting smoothly. A block you grate yourself melts into actual pizza-cheese pull.
- Do not overmix the batter. Stir just until the flour disappears. Overworked batter turns the bites tough and rubbery instead of light.
- Fill each cup only two-thirds full. The bites puff as they bake. Overfilled cups spill over and fuse together into one sheet instead of clean rounds.
- Use a mini muffin tin for true poppable bites. Standard cups give you bigger muffins; mini cups give you the one-bite snack that disappears fastest at a party.
- Pre-cook and drain any add-ins. Sausage, mushrooms, and vegetables all release water. Cook them off first or the batter goes soggy and will not set.
- Add the basil after baking, not before. Fresh basil scorches and blackens in a hot oven. Tear it over the hot bites as they come out so it stays bright and fragrant.
- Let them rest in the pan 2 to 3 minutes. Straight out of the oven they are fragile. A short rest lets them firm up so they release cleanly when you run a knife around the edge.
- Warm the marinara before serving. Cold sauce on a hot bite kills the moment. A quick warm-up in a small pot or the microwave makes the dip taste like real pizza.
- Reheat in the oven or air fryer, never the microwave. Five minutes at 350F brings back the crisp edges. The microwave just steams them soft and sad.
FAQs
What are pizza bites made of?
Pizza bites are typically made of a quick dough, tomato sauce, cheese, and various toppings such as pepperoni, vegetables, or sausage.
How do you cook pizza bites in the oven?
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the pizza bites in a muffin pan and bake for about 20 minutes minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Enjoy!
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Cheese Pizza Bites
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 3 ounces shredded whole milk mozzarella
- 3 ounces shredded parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon italian seasoning
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- fresh basil torn into pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Grease a 12-cup muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Add the milk and egg and stir to combine. Fold in the mozzarella, parm and italian seasoning let sit for 10 minutes.
- Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, parmesan and fresh basil and serve alongside warmed marinara sauce
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking
These are really tasty, easy and a great addition to our super bowl menu!
Another addition to the game day menu!!!!
It says the add ins are 1/2 cup. Can I do 1/2 cup of pepperoni, 1/2 cup of sausage and 1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms or is it 1/2 cup of all of these together? Thanks, your recipes are always amazing!
I wouldn't add more than 1/2 cup of extra add ins - so if you want to do pepperoni and sausage and mushrooms - just add about 1/2 cup of all of that combined! 3/4 cup if you really want it packed!
Ohhhh trying tonight! Thanks!
Can I bake this in mini muffin pan? They look like mini in picture, but you are saying use 12 cup muffin pan.
the way it's photographed is a regular muffin tin. You could use a mini but that would adjust the baking time for sure
How fun are these?! Love!!
I think my daughter will get a pepperoni version in her lunchbox next week.
um. serves 1, right? 😀
I think I am going to LOVE these!!!!
uh, yum. I bet you can just pop these in your mouth by the dozen.
What fun pizza treats!
this is a snack I get totally get behind!