Mini Pepperoni Pizza Muffins

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Imagine a pepperoni pizza made into a bite-sized muffin and you’ve got Pepperoni Pizza Muffins. They’re perfect for lunch, snack or appetizer and freezer friendly, too!

Why We Love This Recipe

I’ve been making these mini Pepperoni Pizza Muffins for over a decade and they are still a hit with my family! They are like a little piece of pepperoni pizza wrapped up in a mini-muffin sized snack.

Made from just a few simple ingredients and a few changes from the original recipe, they’re so much better for you than the store-bought varieties.

I usually have most of the ingredients on hand so it’s easy to make a batch for snacks or appetizers. Paired with some fruits and vegetables, these pizza muffins even make a great lunch. They freeze well, too, so I will sometimes make a double batch to always have them on hand.

We like to dip them in pizza sauce or ranch dressing. Yep, ranch dressing! This is a holdover from my college days when I first had pepperoni rolls and they came with ranch dressing. I’ve been hooked ever since and now my own family enjoys pizza flavored foods with ranch dressing.

But they are also delicious dipped in pizza sauce, too. You can buy prepared pizza sauce (usually in a jar) or sometimes I’ll just use Homemade Spaghetti Sauce. I’ve also made up a quick sauce using canned tomato sauce and stir some garlic salt, dried oregano and basil to jazz it up a bit.

I used to call these pepperoni puffs because they are so light and fluffy. Whatever you call them, they are delicious!

Ingredient Tips

All of the ingredients to make these Mini Pepperoni Pizza Muffins are easily found at the grocery story but I have a few tips to share for some of them.

Whole Wheat Flour – The original recipe called for using only all-purpose flour but I changed it up by substituting some whole wheat flour and they’re just as delicious. Keep whole wheat flour in an air-tight container in the refrigerator so it will last longer. With the whole grains, they can get rancid if left at room temperature too long.

If you don’t normally use whole wheat flour, my Soft and Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies, Whole Wheat Banana Bread, Pear Walnut Muffins and Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits all use whole wheat flour so give them a try!

Pizza Seasoning Herb Blend – Find this on the herb and spices aisle of your grocery store. I like to buy my spices at Penzey’s but you can also find this online. Or, if you prefer, substitute equal parts oregano, basil and garlic salt.

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese – When I have the time, I prefer to buy cheese in blocks and shred it myself in the food processor (affiliate link). It not only seems fresher but it can save a little money too.

To store, spread out the extra on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat (affiliate link) and flash freeze until frozen. Then remove the frozen shreds and store in a reusable silicone bag (affiliate link). Don’t forget to date and label (affiliate link) the bag! Then you can just measure out what you need to use in other recipes.

Turkey Pepperoni – We prefer the turkey pepperoni because it’s a little better for you and lower in fat than traditional pepperoni and it tastes just a good! It’s found in the grocery store next to the regular pepperoni and I’ll often buy the store brand to save a little bit of money. It seems like most of the grocery stores I shop at have a store-brand version.

How To Make These Mini Muffins

With only a few ingredients, these pepperoni muffins really are so quick and easy to make!

First, I start by chopping the pepperoni (1). I like to use my handheld food chopper (affiliate link) but chopping with a knife works fine too!

Next, combine the eggs and milk in a small bowl and whisk (affiliate link) together (2).

Then, in a separate large bowl, combine the dry ingredients—the flours, herb seasoning and baking powder (3).

Next, it’s time to add everything together! Add the milk and egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Then, add the shredded cheese and chopped pepperoni (4) and fold those ingredients in to the batter.

Then, let the batter sit for 10 minutes. This lets the baking powder do it’s work and helps make the batter light and fluffy.

I spray my mini-muffin pan (affiliate link) with non-stick baking spray to prevent the muffins from sticking. Even with muffin liners, the muffins can stick.

Next, I use a mini-scoop (affiliate link) to evenly add the batter to the muffin cups (5). I use my mini-scoop ALL the time for things like cookie batter or making snacks like No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Bites.

TIP: I sometimes need to use a mini rubber spatula (affiliate link) around the edges to pop them out. Don’t let the pepperoni puffs sit too long in the pan and cool before removing otherwise they will be tougher to remove all in one piece!

Make Ahead Preparation Tips

You know I’m all about shortcuts to save time in the kitchen and there are a couple of steps you can do to prep the ingredients for these pepperoni pizza muffins. As mentioned in the ingredients section above, I like to shred the cheese in bulk when I buy it as a larger piece.

This can be done a few days before and keep the cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator or stored in the freezer for up to three months.

The pepperoni can also be chopped and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to a week in advance.

Combining the dry ingredients into a “kit” will help save time when you’re ready to make this recipe. 

Are these mini muffins freezer friendly?

These pizza muffins freeze wonderfully! After they have cooled completely, put them in an airtight, freezer-safe container (affiliate link). You may want to use some wax paper between layers to keep them from sticking together but I don’t find it to be a problem too often. I’ll sometimes store them in a reusable silicone storage bag (affiliate link). Don’t forget to date and label (affiliate link) the containers!

The muffins can be frozen up to three months in advance. To enjoy, microwave frozen muffins for about a minute on 70% power or warm them up in the oven at 300°F for 5-10 minutes. Make sure you watch them though as reheating them too long will make them tough.

More Pizza Lovers Recipes

We’re big fans of pizza flavored foods even if they’re not actually pizza! Here are a few other recipes to check out!

Italian Pasta Salad with Pepperoni

My easy Italian Pasta Salad with Pepperoni is filled with fresh vegetables, pepperoni, cheese and more. It's also make ahead and so delicious!

Check out this recipe

Pepperoni Pizza Quesadilla

My Pepperoni Pizza Quesadilla recipe is a tasty twist on pizza but done in minutes! Pepperoni, cheese and other toppings make this a family friendly snack or lunch idea!

Check out this recipe

Italian Sloppy Joes

Family friendly Easy Italian Sloppy Joes are ready in less than 30 minutes—perfect busy weeknights! Make a double batch for the freezer to have on hand for another meal.

Check out this recipe

Whole Wheat Pepperoni Pizza Bites

Imagine a pepperoni pizza made into a bite-sized muffin and you’ve got Pepperoni Pizza Muffins. They’re perfect for lunch, snack or appetizer and freezer friendly, too!

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Appetizer, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Resting Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 24 bites

Calories: 77kcal

Author: Brenda Thompson

Equipment

• ▢
  Mini Muffin Pan
• ▢
  Mini Scoop
• ▢
  Rubber Spatula

Ingredients

• ▢ ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• ▢ ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pizza seasoning I buy mine from Penzey’s. If you do not have that you can substitute equal parts oregano, basil and garlic salt
• ▢ 1 ½ cup skim milk
• ▢ 2 eggs lightly beaten
• ▢ 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ▢ 4 ounces turkey pepperoni chopped into small pieces (about 1 ½ cups)
• ▢ Prepared pizza sauce optional

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F degrees.
• Grease a 24-cup and one 12-cup mini-muffin pan. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and seasoning. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs. Add this to the flour mixture.
• Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni.
• Let batter mixture rest in bowl at room temperature for 10 minutes.
• Re-stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups.
• Bake at 375°F degrees 22-25 minutes, until muffins are puffed and golden.
• Serve muffins with pizza sauce or ranch dressing.

Video

Notes

WHOLE WHEAT PEPPERONI PIZZA BITES MAKE AHEAD TIPS

Can you prepare these ahead of time?
Yes! They are super easy to make ahead and perfect for that because then you can always shave some on hand for whenever you want to enjoy them.

Can you freeze them?
If we are not going to enjoy them right away, I will store them in labeled freezer safe container. You can use a ziptop bag. If you are using another container, use wax paper in between layers so they don’t stick together.

How do you reheat them?
My family likes to enjoy these pepperoni pizza bites for lunch or snacks. We just pull out the amount we want and warm up in the microwave for a couple of minutes. If you have more than four or five per serving, increase the time accordingly. I usually put it on 80% power setting so they don’t get tough when reheating.

HOW SHOULD I SERVE THESE?

We like to serve these pepperoni pizza bites with a simple pizza or marinara sauce or sometimes ranch dressing too. Maybe that’s a Texas thing! If you want to make up a batch of homemade ranch dressing, check out this post for Homemade Ranch Dressing.

The sauce for dipping is optional as I think they are good just on their own, too.
We sometimes like to dip them in ranch dressing too (I think that’s a Texas thing—I learned it in college to dip pizza in ranch dressing!) Just a few ingredients and so much better for you than the store-bought stuff!

My kids also like packing these pizza bites in their lunches. We would just heat it up in the morning and send it in a pre-heated Thermos food jar and it will stay warm until lunchtime at school.

Nutrition

Serving: 4muffins | Calories: 77kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 116IU | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 1mg

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This post was originally shared in February 2014 and updated in June 2021 with new photos, video and content.

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