Christmas Pizza Bites

Christmas Pizza Bites are the ultimate holiday party appetizer that combines everyone’s favorite comfort food with festive red and green colors! These adorable little bites feature crispy golden dough cups filled with gooey mozzarella cheese, zesty pizza sauce, and colorful peppers that scream Christmas cheer.

Love More Appetizer Recipes? Try My Christmas Tree Spinach Dip Breadsticks or this Pumpkin Shaped Cheese Ball next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Festive and fun, these Christmas pizza bites are the perfect holiday appetizer. With gooey melted cheese, savory toppings, and a golden crust shaped into bite-sized pieces, they’re easy to make and guaranteed to be a crowd favorite at any celebration.

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Ingredient List

Dough and Base

• 1 package (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza dough or crescent dough sheet
• 2–3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (for dusting, if rolling)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (for light brushing)

Sauce and Cheese

• ¾ cup pizza sauce or marinara
• 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese (low-moisture preferred)
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional, for added savoriness)

Toppings

• ½ cup mini pepperoni or regular pepperoni cut into small pieces
• ⅓ cup red bell pepper, finely diced
• ⅓ cup green bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or basil, finely chopped (for color)
• Optional festive add-ons: sliced black olives, cherry tomato quarters, cooked sausage crumbles

Seasoning

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Garnish/Serving

• Extra pizza sauce or warm marinara for dipping (about ½ cup)

Substitution Notes: No pizza dough? Puff pastry’s fine. Actually flakier. Might like it better but don’t quote me. Can’t do dairy? My cousin brought vegan cheese to Thanksgiving. Couldn’t tell which dish had it. Worked fine. No meat? Throw whatever veggies are dying in your fridge. Mushrooms. Zucchini. Whatever. It all works.

Why These Ingredients Work

Store-bought dough because I tried making my own exactly once. Got flour everywhere. Dough wouldn’t rise. Gave up and ordered Dominos. Never again. The low-moisture mozzarella matters though. Grabbed fancy fresh mozzarella first time thinking I was being all gourmet. Everything turned into soup. Wet sad pizza soup. Had to throw the whole batch out. Regular shredded cheese from a bag works perfect. Peppers add crunch and sweetness so you’re not just eating a cheese bomb. Olive oil makes the edges crispy. Without it they’re pale and weird looking. Garlic powder and Italian seasoning smell amazing baking. Makes your house smell like you actually cooked something impressive.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• 24-cup mini muffin tin (or standard sheet pan for flat bites)
• Parchment paper (if making sheet pan version)
• Rolling pin (if needed for dough)
• Pastry brush (for olive oil)
• Small offset spatula (for easy removal)
• Kitchen scissors or pizza cutter
• Paper towels (for blotting watery toppings)
• Measuring cups and spoons

How To Make Christmas Pizza Bites

Step 1: Prep Your Oven and Pan

Turn oven to 400. Spray your muffin tin SO MUCH. Like an obscene amount. Every cup. I cheaped out on spray first time and half of them cemented to the pan. Had to chip them out with a spoon. Learned that lesson. Sheet pan people just need parchment paper. Lucky. Sometimes I stick the empty pan in the oven while it heats up. Bottoms get crispier. But I forget constantly and they turn out fine anyway.

Step 2: Shape Your Dough Bites

Open that dough tube. Love that pop sound. Never gets old. Unroll on counter with some flour. Cut into squares maybe 1.5 to 2 inches. Eyeball it. Mine are never the same size. Get like 24-ish. Press into muffin cups. Not too high up the sides. First batch I pushed dough up the edges trying to make them look nice and they overflowed everywhere. Looked like a cheese explosion. Not cute.

For flat ones roll dough thinner. Cut circles or use cookie cutters. My daughter insists on Christmas shapes. Takes forever but keeps her busy so whatever works. Put on parchment with space between.

Cold dough is your friend. Warm dough is the enemy. Warm dough fights back. Gets stretchy and annoying. Fridge time fixes everything.

Step 3: Season the Base

Brush or finger-paint olive oil on each dough piece. Light coating. Sprinkle garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Quick. Easy. Makes huge difference in taste. Skipped this once when running late. Could totally tell. Don’t skip.

Step 4: Add the Fillings

Kids take over here usually. Gets messy. Teaspoon of sauce per cup. ONLY A TEASPOON. You’ll want more. Don’t. Then cheese. Handful. Don’t measure. Eyeball it. Life’s too short. Pepperoni on top. Scatter peppers. Add whatever else. I’ve thrown in leftover sausage from breakfast. Olives if I remember to buy them which is rare. Parmesan on top if you have it. More Italian seasoning.

Pat your peppers dry if they’re wet. Learned this after soggy batch number two. We don’t talk about soggy batch number two.

Step 5: Bake to Golden Perfection

Into the oven. Timer for 10 minutes but usually needs 12. Flat ones faster like 8 minutes. Cheese gets bubbly. Edges golden. My oven’s weird so I rotate the pan halfway through. Yours probably doesn’t need it. Do what works for you.

Step 6: Cool and Garnish

Take out and WAIT. I know. They smell incredible. Wait three to five minutes anyway or they’ll fall apart. Use little spatula to pop them out. Don’t force stuck ones. Give them another minute. Put on serving plate. Dump fresh parsley or basil on top immediately. Green herb plus red pepper plus golden crust looks fancy.

You Must Know

Critical advice: Don’t overfill or you’ll have a situation. My first batch looked like a pizza volcano erupted. Cheese everywhere. Pan was ruined. Keep toppings under the rim. Cold dough works. Warm dough doesn’t. If dough gets annoying stick it back in the fridge ten minutes. Problem solved.

Personal Secret: Empty pan in hot oven for two minutes before adding dough. Sears the bottom instantly. Super crispy. Told my mother-in-law this trick. She made them and called me bragging hers were better than mine. Thanks Mom. Love you too.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Stop touching your dough. More you mess with it tougher it gets.
• Pizza cutter fastest for cutting. Timed it once when bored.
• Room temp cheese melts better. Supposed to take it out twenty minutes early. I never remember. Still fine.
• Lower rack crispier bottoms. Middle rack if oven runs hot.
• Silicone muffin tins life changing. Nothing sticks ever. Buy them.

Flavor Variations / Suggestions

Make it BBQ Chicken: BBQ sauce not pizza sauce. Rotisserie chicken. Red onions. Husband’s favorite. Gets legitimately upset when I make regular ones now. Sorry babe.

Breakfast Pizza Bites: Eggs. Bacon. Cheddar. Christmas morning last year nobody wanted big breakfast. Made these instead. Gone in minutes. Almost missed presents.

Mediterranean Style: Sun-dried tomatoes. Feta. Spinach. Olives. Taste expensive. Like something from that fancy wine bar downtown. But you made them in your kitchen wearing sweatpants.

Spicy Kick: Jalapeños. Pepper jack. Red pepper flakes everywhere. My brother’s version. Won’t eat regular ones anymore. Says they’re boring. He’s not invited over anymore. Kidding. Mostly.

Supreme Style: Every topping. Pepperoni sausage peppers onions mushrooms olives. Takes forever to chop everything. Worth it though.

White Pizza Version: No red sauce. Garlic butter instead. Ricotta mozzarella spinach. My fancy ones for when in-laws visit. Pretend I’m sophisticated.

Make-Ahead Options

Prep ahead saves you during holiday chaos when everything’s on fire not literally but feels like it.

Prep the dough cups: Press dough in tin four hours before. Plastic wrap. Fridge. Fill later.

Assemble completely: Fill everything. Fridge uncovered two hours. Hold shape better cold somehow. Science probably.

Freeze for later: Make completely. Freeze on pan. Move to bag once solid. Two months easy. Bake from frozen add few minutes. Do this before every party. Sanity saver.

Make the sauce: Sauce good in fridge three days.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Crescent dough not same as pizza dough. Crescent flaky light. Pizza chewy filling. Both work. Pizza better for heavy toppings. Won’t get soggy.

Dough shrinking when you press? Walk away five minutes. Seriously. Gluten needs timeout. Stops being difficult after.

Want crispy tops? Broiler one or two minutes end of baking. WATCH IT THOUGH. Burns crazy fast. Don’t walk away. Don’t check your phone. Don’t blink. Just stare at oven.

Fresh herbs end not just pretty. Make everything taste brighter fresher lighter. Less heavy. Plus looks professional not “threw together in twenty minutes while watching Netflix.”

Serving Suggestions

Make these for literally everything December:

• Holiday parties potlucks (plastic container travels fine)
• Christmas Eve during presents (nobody wants sit-down meal)
• Football games (perfect yelling at TV food)
• Winter break afternoons (house full of kids)
• New Year’s Eve (beats cooking real dinner)

Warm platter. Marinara bowl middle. Fancy toothpicks if feeling it. Sometimes salad side so guilt about eating dozen pizza bites lessens slightly. Put on table with other party food. People eat them. Simple.

Any drink works. Wine beer cider cocktails juice boxes.

How to Store Your Christmas Pizza Bites

Room Temperature: Best warm. Okay room temp two hours. Parties work fine.

Refrigerator: Cool first. Container. Three days. Parchment between layers no sticking.

Freezer: Sheet freeze first. Bag after. Two months. Bake frozen add minutes.

Reheating Instructions:

• Oven 350 for 8-10 minutes. Crispy again.
• Microwave 20-30 seconds. Fast. Soft.
• Air fryer 350 for 3-4 minutes. Best way. Perfect always.

Allergy Information

Common allergens in this recipe:

• Gluten (dough wheat)
• Dairy (cheese duh)
• Maybe soy (pepperoni check label)

Suggestions for substitutes:

• Gluten-free: GF pizza dough. Cauliflower crust. Check seasonings too gluten hides everywhere.
• Dairy-free: Vegan cheese. Skip Parmesan. Nutritional yeast tasty cheesy flavor.
• Egg-free: Most pizza dough no eggs. Read label though.
• Vegetarian: No pepperoni. More veggies. Done.
• Low-sodium: Low-sodium cheese. Make own sauce. Control salt yourself.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

My bites are soggy in the middle – what went wrong?

Too much sauce. Wet toppings. One teaspoon only. Pat peppers dry. Low-moisture mozzarella not fresh kind. Fresh makes soup. Nobody wants pizza soup.

Do I have to use both red and green peppers?

Nope. Just Christmas-y looking. Any peppers. No peppers. All pepperoni sometimes. Whatever works.

Why are my bites sticking to the pan?

Not enough spray. Seriously soak those cups. Or silicone pans never stick. Or wait longer before removing. Need time set up.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I’d love to see your festive pizza bites.