Mini Pizza Cups-So Easy!

Mini pizza cups: a fluffy and soft crust filled with pizza sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings, these charming savory snacks are perfect for picnics, lunchboxes, tea parties, or just as a delicious treat!

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About This Recipe

What do you get when you combine cupcakes and pizza, well you get pizza cupcakes of course! Okay. they’re just mini pizzas, but they do have the same shape as cupcakes because these pizza cups are made in a cupcake pan.

It starts with the crust, just like a normal pizza, and then the cups are filled with some pizza sauce, I used homemade pizza sauce (this isn’t my recipe, just an amazing one I found online!) but you can always use a store-bought sauce to make this recipe even easier. After the sauce goes in some grated mozzarella and then the toppings!

What’s great about this recipe, is that just like a regular pizza, you could add any of your favorite toppings, just in a much smaller quantity, you don’t want to overload your pizza cups with just toppings! After the toppings, I added some more cheese and then seasoned them with chili flakes and dried oregano before baking them to golden perfection!

The crust is slightly crispy on the exterior and has a soft and pillowy interior, just like my Garlic Spinach and Cheese Rolls and my Braided Chicken Bread.

These mini pizza cups are so incredibly easy to make and they make the perfect little treats for a tea party, picnic, lunchbox snacks, or even as a side with soups and salads! And what I love most about them is how easy they are to pack, just throw them into an air-tight container and they remain soft and fluffy for hours!

What You Need To Make This Recipe

All-Purpose Flour: I always make my pizza dough with regular all-purpose flour.

Milk: I used whole milk, but skimmed milk will also work. I have not tried making this dough with any other type of milk but I think it should be just fine with any type of milk.

Instant Yeast: this recipe is made with instant yeast, not active-dry yeast.

Oil: Although I prefer using olive oil, any type of neutral-flavored oil will work.

Pizza sauce: both homemade and store-bought pizza sauce will work.

Cheese: I used grated mozzarella cheese.

Toppings: I used some chunks of chicken sausage, chopped bell papers, and sliced olives. You can use any of your favorite toppings!

How To Make Mini Pizza Cups

Step 1: Make the dough: In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, or a medium-sized bowl if you’re making the dough by hand, combine all ingredients except for the olive oil and milk. Mix at medium speed while gradually adding in the milk. Once the dough has come together add in olive oil and continue to knead the dough for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Cover and let the dough rest for 45 minutes to an hour.

Step 2: Once the dough has rested, transfer it to a floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle/square that’s about 1/4 inch in thickness. Use a cookie cutter(or something with sharp round edges) to cut out circles.

Step 3: Press each of the circles of dough into a well-greased cupcake pan and use a fork to poke holes in the bottom and side of your dough cups.

Step 4: Add pizza sauce to all of the cups.

Step 5: Add grated cheese into all of the cups.

Step 6: Add toppings of your choice, don’t add too much!

Step 7: Add some more cheese on top. Sprinkle on chili flakes and dried oregano, this step is optional.

Step 8: Bake in an oven preheated to 180 °C / 350 °F for 15-17 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Once baked, let the pizza cups cool in the tray for 5 minutes before removing them from the cupcake tins using a butter knife. They pop out so easily!

Storing The Mini Pizza Cups

Store any leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 2 days. Remember that they may not be as soft and fresh as when eaten on the same day they were baked. A quick tip to soften up dry pizza cups is to microwave them for about 30 seconds, this should make them soft and cheesy again!

Can I freeze pizza cups?

Yes, you can freeze baked pizza cups. Allow them to cool completely, then store them in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Reheat in the oven directly from frozen.

Pro Tips

Use Pre-Made Dough to make this recipe even easier: For convenience, use store-bought pizza dough or even biscuit dough. Roll it out thin to ensure a crispy crust that bakes evenly in the cupcake tin.

Grease the Tin Well: To prevent sticking, make sure to generously grease the cupcake tin with oil or cooking spray before adding the dough.

Cut the Dough to Fit: Use a round cutter or the rim of a glass to cut the dough into circles slightly larger than the cupcake tin wells. This will allow the dough to form a nice cup shape when pressed in.

Pre-Bake the Dough: For a crispier base, pre-bake the dough for a few minutes before adding the toppings.

Go Easy on the Toppings: Don’t overfill, as the ingredients will expand slightly during baking.

Use Fresh Ingredients: Fresh veggies, herbs, and quality meats can elevate the flavor of your mini pizza cups. Pre-cook any raw meat to ensure it’s fully cooked by the time the dough is done.

Let Them Cool Slightly: After baking, let the pizza cups cool in the tin for a few minutes before removing them. This helps them set and makes them easier to pop out.

Experiment with Flavors: Try different combinations of sauces (like pesto or Alfredo), cheeses (like mozzarella or feta), and toppings (like pepperoni, olives, or roasted veggies) to create unique mini pizzas.

FAQ’s

Can I use store-bought pizza sauce for the pizza cups?

Absolutely! It’s a great way to make this recipe even quicker than it already is!

What size circles should I cut out for each cup?

Although I’ve specified an exact size in the written recipe, it’s important to keep in mind the size of your cupcake pans, as they can vary in size depending on the brand, etc. Just make sure you cut a circle of dough that’s slightly larger than the size of your cupcake tins.

How do I prevent the dough from sticking to the cupcake tin?

Grease the cupcake tin well with oil, butter, or cooking spray before pressing the dough into the cups. This will help prevent sticking and make it easier to remove the pizza cups after baking.

How do I keep the crust crispy?

To achieve a crispy crust, you can pre-bake the dough for a few minutes before adding the sauce and toppings. Also, avoid overloading the cups with sauce and toppings, as this can make the crust soggy.

What toppings work best for pizza cups?

Most traditional pizza toppings work well, including pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and olives. Just make sure any raw meats are pre-cooked before adding them to the pizza cups.

Can I make gluten-free pizza cups?

Yes, you can use gluten-free pizza dough to make pizza cups. Just follow the same steps as you would with regular dough, and adjust the baking time as needed. NOTE: I have not tried making this recipe with gluten-free flour!

Check out my YouTube Channel for detailed recipe tutorials! Have you made one of my recipes? Tag me on Instagram, I would love to see your creations and feature them in my stories!

Want more savory baking recipes, try out my Japanese Milk Bread, Foccacia, Garlic Spinach and Cheese Rolls, and even Turkish Pide! They are perfect for beginners!

Recipe Card

Mini Pizza Cups

Prep Time: 20 min

Rest Time: 45 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Total Time: 1 hrs. 20 min

Course: Appetizer/Snack

Servings: 12-14

Calories: 136kcal

Ingredients

For the dough:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (300g)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 cup milk, lukewarm (240ml)
2 tbsp olive oil (30ml)

Toppings/Other

3/4 cup pizza sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
any toppings of your choice (I used chicken sausage, chopped bell peppers, and olives)

Equipment/Utensils

Electric stand mixer (this is optional, the dough can be made by hand)
Large bowl
Cupcake pan
Rolling pin
Cookie cutter (or anything round with slightly sharp edges)

Instructions

In the bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl if you’re making the dough by hand, combine all-purpose flour, salt, instant yeast, and granulated sugar.
Use the dough hook attachment and mix the dry ingredients at medium speed. While the mixer is running add in lukewarm milk (make sure it’s not hot!). Let the dough knead for about 1-2 minutes until it has come together. If the dough is a little dry, add about 1-2 tablespoons of water.
Next, add olive oil and let the dough knead for an additional 2-3 minutes until it’s nice and smooth.
Transfer the dough to a separate greased bowl, cover, and let it rest at room temp. for 45 min. In the meantime, grease your cupcake pan well with some vegetable oil.
Preheat your oven to 180 °C / 350 °F. Gently punch the risen dough and transfer it out onto a well-floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into a square that is 1/4 inch in thickness.
Use a cookie cutter that’s slightly larger than the size of your cupcake pan (I used a 4.5-inch (11.5 cm) cutter) to cut out at least 12 circles.
Place each circle of dough in each cupcake tin and press down the bottom and sides so it sticks to the pan.
Use a fork to poke holes in the sides and bottom of each cup.
Fill each cup with a heaping teaspoon of pizza sauce. Then add on some grated mozzarella (don’t add too much, because you need to leave some space for the toppings).
Add on toppings of your choice (in moderation) then finally top it off with some more cheese. I also seasoned mine with chili flakes and dried oregano, but this is optional.
Bake for 15 min (at 180 °C / 350 °F) until they’re golden brown. Once baked let the pizza cups cool in the pan for 5 minutes before using a butter knife to scrape the sides and pop them out. Enjoy!

Nutrition (does not include the toppings)

Calories: 135.97kcal

Total Fat: 4.23g

Carbs: 19.54g

Sugars: 2.7g

Protein: 4.67g

Sodium: 364.59mg

Fiber: 1.01g

** Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more. **