Stuffed pizza bites are pillows of homemade dough filled with mozzarella and pepperoni, baked until golden, brushed with garlic butter, and served hot with a sweet-spicy dipping sauce. They look impressive and taste even better than they look.
I've made a lot of skillet bakes in my day, and these might be the one that gets the most "wait, you made this?!" reactions.
I'm a big believer that the best party food is the kind that actually gets eaten, not the kind that sits on a platter looking pretty. These pizza bites? They disappear.
I started making them for game day (alongside some crispy gnocchi), but they're also good for girls' nights, casual Friday dinners, and even as a fun weekend lunch for the kids. The hot honey sauce for dipping is what really sends them over the edge…it's got that sweet heat that makes you go back for one more. And then one more after that.
Double down on the pizza theme with some garlic parmesan bread bites, cast iron pan pizza, and some pepperoni bread for good measure!
This Post is Sponsored By DeLallo
This recipe is sponsored by DeLallo, a brand I constantly look for in the grocery store when I want authentic Italian ingredients that always deliver incredible flavor and quality.
Thank you for supporting the brands that keep The Cozy Plum going.
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Why We Love It!
- One pan - everything bakes together in a single skillet, meaning less cleanup and an impressive pull-apart presentation.
- Textures galore - The outside of each bite gets golden and slightly crispy from the oven while the inside stays soft and gooey with all that melty cheese.
- Dipping sauce - The DeLallo Hot Honey Pizza Sauce is sweet, a little spicy, and tangy all at once. It takes these from really good to absolute perfection. Or, dip them into some pesto & sun dried tomato dip for a flavor twist!
- Feeds a crowd - Twelve bites in one pan means everyone gets a couple, and the skillet goes straight from the oven to the table.
Ingredients
- DeLallo Pizza Dough Mix. This is the shortcut that makes the whole recipe weeknight-friendly. The yeast packet is included right in the bag, so there's nothing extra to buy. The dough comes together in minutes and bakes up beautifully.
- Mozzarella cheese. Use shredded low-moisture mozzarella for the best melt. It stays gooey inside the bites without making things too wet.
- Pepperoni. Chop it up (or use mini pepperonis) so it distributes evenly throughout the filling. You get a little bit in every bite that way.
- Salted butter + garlic powder. This gets brushed over the tops right before baking and gives the bites that golden, savory finish.
- DeLallo Hot Honey Pizza Sauce. Serve it warm for dipping. If you haven't had this sauce yet, just trust.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap pepperoni for Italian sausage (cooked and crumbled), diced salami, or skip the meat entirely for a cheesy pull-apart version.
- Add a few pieces of roasted red pepper, olives, or a dollop of ricotta inside each bite for extra flavor.
- Use provolone or a mix of provolone and mozzarella for a slightly sharper cheese pull.
- Serve with classic marinara, garlic butter, or a ranch dip if hot honey isn't your thing.
- Sprinkle the tops with everything bagel seasoning instead of (or in addition to!) the parmesan and parsley.
📸 Step By Step Overview
This is a quick visual overview. See the recipe card for full, detailed instructions.
- Step 1: Mix together the ingredients from the pizza dough kit until a shaggy dough forms.
- Step 2: Knead the dough by hand until smooth.
- Step 3: Add to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm area until doubled in size.
- Step 4: Mix together the mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.
- Step 5: Risen pizza dough, doubled in size.
- Step 6: Turn out the dough and pat into a rectangle.
- Step 7: Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces - a bench scraper is great for this!
- Step 8: Press a piece of dough into a flat circle about 4” round.
- Step 9: Add a heaping ¼ cup of filling to the center.
- Step 10: Fold the pieces of dough up around the center of the filling.
- Step 11: Pinch it completely closed so the dough is fully sealed around the filling.
- Step 12: Place the ball seam side down into a large oven safe skillet or dish. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
Pro tip
Closing the dough
Pinch and twist the seam like you're closing a dumpling. The tighter the seal, the less filling escapes during baking.
- Step 13: Mix together the melted butter and garlic powder and brush on top of the dough balls. Bake until cooked through.
- Step 14: Warm the hot honey pizza sauce and serve hot with a sprinkle of parmesan and parsley.
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Tips for Success
- Divide the dough as evenly as possible. This makes sure they bake at an even rate.
- Try to wrap the balls so there’s an even amount of dough all around. Pulling too much dough to the bottom can lead to an uneven distribution of filling.
- Press and pinch the dough seam firmly. If it opens during baking, the cheese will melt out into the pan instead of staying inside.
- Arrange the balls close together in the skillet. They'll puff up and press against each other as they bake, which is what gives them that pull-apart look and keeps the sides soft.
- Brush the garlic butter on right before they go into the oven, not before the second rest. This keeps the butter flavor fresh and helps them brown nicely.
- Warm up the dipping sauce while the bites are in the oven so everything is hot and ready at the same time.
Common Questions
You can assemble the stuffed balls and refrigerate them (covered) before the second rest and bake. Pull them out of the fridge, let them sit at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes to take the chill off, brush with garlic butter, and bake as directed.
A similarly sized baking dish (like a 9x13" pan) works great. The bites might spread out a little more, but they'll still bake up beautifully.
It's tempting, but too much filling makes it hard to seal the dough and can cause blowouts in the oven. A heaping ¼ cup per bite is the sweet spot.
Warm marinara, garlic butter, or even a creamy ranch all pair really well. But the DeLallo Hot Honey Pizza Sauce is genuinely hard to beat - that sweet-spicy combo with the cheesy dough is something special.
Storage
Store leftover stuffed pizza bites covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave until hot, or pop them in a 350F oven for 5-7 minutes to get the outsides a little crispy again. The oven method is my pick if you have the time, since the texture comes back nicely.
These also freeze well! Let them cool completely, then wrap individually and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven.
General Tid Bits
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
📖Recipe
Stuffed Pizza Bites with Hot Honey Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 bag DeLallo Pizza Dough Mix
- 1¼ cups water lukewarm
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1½ cups pepperoni chopped
- 2 tablespoons salted butter melted
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese for tops
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley for tops
- DeLallo Hot Honey Pizza Sauce for dipping
Instructions
- Combine the DeLallo Pizza Dough Mix, yeast packet (included with mix), and water in a large mixing bowl. Stir until a shaggy dough forms.1 bag DeLallo Pizza Dough Mix, 1¼ cups water
- Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead by hand for 3-5 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth.
- Put the ball of dough into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how warm the area is.
- Mix together the cheese and pepperoni and set aside.3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1½ cups pepperoni
- Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and pat it down into a rough rectangle. Divide into 12 pieces (a bench scraper is great for this).
- Take a piece of dough and press it into a 4” circle, then add a heaping ¼ cup of the cheese mixture into the center.
- Fold the sides up around the filling and squeeze the dough to seal it in.
- Place the ball of dough seam side down in a greased 12” skillet or similar sized baking dish and repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
- Cover the pizza balls lightly with plastic wrap and preheat the oven to 375℉.
- Mix the melted butter and garlic powder, then brush it all over the tops of the dough balls.2 tablespoons salted butter, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Once preheated, bake for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.Freshly grated parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- Serve warm with heated DeLallo Hot Honey Pizza Sauce for dipping.DeLallo Hot Honey Pizza Sauce
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