Muffin Tin Pizza Rolls
These cheesy muffin tin pizza buns are going to be on repeat - fluffy, easy, and nutritious. A novel lunch box idea or maybe just a fresh take on pizza that toddlers (and adults) will love. Mix and match with your favorite toppings to come up with your own signature remix. Seriously, your favorite new lunch recipe!
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"We make these weekly I enjoy them just as much as my 5 year old does! Great dinner option and to be used up for lunches next day 🙂 we like to add pepperoni and pineapple in ours" - Kelle
Why this muffin tin pizza rolls recipe works
🍕 Fun take on a food everyone loves, pizza!
⏰ The Greek yogurt dough is super easy, no rest time
🔄 Easily customizable - use toppings you love
🍅 Great for toddler lunchboxes
👶 Toddlers love to help make these buns!
SUMMARIZE AND SAVE THIS CONTENT ON:
Cinnamon buns are delicious. Pizza is delicious. Put the two ideas together?... Doubly delicious!
Even better…these pizza buns are going to be the coolest addition to your child's lunch kit whether you're at home, daycare, preschool or big kid school! They also freeze beautifully, which makes them perfect for busy mornings - especially if you're trying to friend your freezer for easier lunch packing. Actually - our husbands love them too. As we can recall one of them saying, "I could literally eat this entire tray," so needless to say, this recipe has quickly become a family favourite.
If that isn't enough convincing that you need this recipe in your life, you might be impressed to learn that this recipe went through five test rounds! We did that with our fruit pizza recipe, and it's a good thing because it's also just as delicious as these rolls. That's right - every recipe we develop is tested between two kitchens and we feel that's important because we want our creations to work out for you!
Jump to:
- Why this muffin tin pizza rolls recipe works
- Why these pizza buns are a healthy choice
- Key ingredients
- Allergen information & substitutions
- How to make toddler friendly pizza rolls
- How to serve muffin tin pizza buns at each stage
- Recipe FAQ
- Have fun with the pizza toppings for your child
- Play + books that match this recipe
- Other recommended lunch recipes
- Muffin Tin Pizza Rolls
Why these pizza buns are a healthy choice
If your kiddos are getting tired of sandwiches in their lunchboxes, these pizza buns are a great way to switch things up! They're tasty hot or cold.
The dough is made with Greek yogurt, which makes these a surprising source of calcium - over 100 mg in each bun. If you have a kiddo who shies away from drinking milk, these pizza buns can add a calcium boost. It's recommended for toddlers aged 1-3 to get 700mg of calcium each day, while children aged 4-8 need somewhere in the range of 1000mg. So, no, they aren't going to cut it for your kid's full calcium needs but they can help contribute!
As compared to store-bought pizza rolls, this homemade version is lower in salt, and baked instead of fried. They're so fluffy and it's fun to pull apart the layers!
Also, if you have a picky eating kiddo who loves their pizza, this is a great way to inch them closer to trying something similar but also…different.
Key ingredients
All purpose flour: you'll need this for the base of your dough; and if you're curious all purpose flour actually has a surprising amount of nutrition in it thanks to Canadian fortification processes!
Greek yogurt: we're using 3% milk fat Greek yogurt because we're a fan of higher fat when it comes to feeding kids. Regular plain yogurt is more runny. If you end up using it then you'll need to add more flour to attain the pizza dough consistency we're looking for.
Pizza sauce: use your favorite pizza or tomato sauce that you have at home.
Spices: these add a light herby element that really makes these buns taste like pizza
Toppings: you can use a wide range of topping for these buns, just make sure they are finely chopped. We also review several mix and match options for you!
Cheese: a classic for pizza, we're using shredded mozzarella.
Allergen information & substitutions
This muffin tin pizza bites recipe contains two of the top priority allergens, dairy and wheat. If your child has a dairy allergy, you can swap out the yogurt and cheese for a suitable dairy alternative. If your child has a wheat allergy, we've learned that a wide range of gluten free flours work really well with this recipe which means no one needs to miss out!
How to make toddler friendly pizza rolls
The full recipe is below, but here are a few key steps to visualize the process.
- Prepare dough using the Greek yogurt, flour, salt and baking powder instructed.
2. Roll out into a narrow rectangle shape about 12 inches by 6 inches.
3. Layer with your sauce and desired toppings.
4. Roll this tightly into a log, don't worry if it gets messy - it's a part of the process!
5. Slice pizza roll evenly and squish into muffin tin pan.
6. Bake, cool and enjoy while they are warm and ooey gooey.
How to serve muffin tin pizza buns at each stage
Baby: Due to the higher sodium content, we don't recommend this recipe for a baby. Lucky for you, we have lots of baby-friendly recipes you can explore, such as this veggie-loaded pasta sauce!
12 months+: Your baby has graduated to toddlerhood and you can now offer these buns in small bite size pieces!
For the rest of the family: Serve these pizza buns exactly as is! We love to enjoy these with a side of a large Caesar salad!
Recipe FAQ
Regular plain yogurt is more runny. If you end up using it then you'll need to add more flour to attain the pizza dough consistency we're looking for.
When your toddler has developed molars and good chewing skills, you can hand them a whole bun. Prior to that, you'd want to cut the buns up into small, bite-sized pieces.
Due to the sodium content, if you use ham or other deli meat, we'd recommend waiting until your child turns one year old before offering them these pizza buns.
If your child is not a fan of ham and pineapple feel free to sub in any pizza toppings you like!
Below, are a few topping combinations you can try - and remember, with children, change it up! Keeping up with variety is so important to building out their acceptance of a wide range of foods.
When we tested the recipe, we tried baking it in a couple different ways so we're bringing you two options:
- Option 1 (preferred): In a muffin pan. These muffins will rise nicely and high. You'll need to tightly roll your dough and squish the pieces into a standard muffin tin. This option allowed for each bun to get a nice crusty crust.
- Option 2: Place the buns in a 9x9 baking pan. This option kept the inside rolls softer. They were also harder to separate after baking.
Pizza for breakfast-why not? During a university lecture we once heard the saying, we can increase our child's appreciation for variety by changing what we serve when we serve it. Confuse you? Read it again.
With a resounding YES, you can serve these buns for breakfast, lunch or dinner. We definitely think rounding it out with some more fruits, veggies and a beverage like milk would make for a balanced meal.
Store the buns in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can reheat the buns for 15 - 20 seconds in the microwave to soften them again-be sure to check for hot spots before serving to your child.
Yes, you can! To freeze, allow the buns to cool down to room temperature. We recommend individually wrapping each one in plastic wrap and then placing all of the wrapped buns into a larger ziploc bag. This makes it easier to pull out one at a time. These will last a few months this way.
Keep in mind that some toppings may release water as you thaw your buns-just know that it's normal!
No. Feel free to use the dough in a more traditional pizza style. You won't need to bake it for as long so keep an eye on your za!
Since the dough relies heavily on Greek yogurt and the gluten in the wheat flour, this recipe would not be successful with either gluten-free or dairy-free substitutes.
Have fun with the pizza toppings for your child
If your child is not a fan of ham and pineapple - don't sweat it! Feel free to sub in any pizza toppings you like! Anything. It's true - whatever your heart desires! You can use 1 to 1 ½ cups of toppings in this recipe. If you choose 1 ½ cups just know that you'll have an overflowing pizza bun, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's just tricky when it comes to rolling. If you find it's getting messy, please don't worry about it. When you bake it, it'll be just fine!
Here are a few topping combinations you can try - and remember, with children, change it up! Keeping up with variety is so important to building out their acceptance of a wide range of foods.
Note: be sure to finely dice any toppings you choose to use!
Suggested Pizza Roll Topping Combos
Play + books that match this recipe
Since most kids love pizza, using this familiar food can be a good bridge to introducing kids to new or not-yet-accepted foods by adding different toppings.
Especially if your child is a more hesitant, reading books and using food during playtime can help familiarize them with these foods. This helps them to relax around these foods at the table and start to see them as friendly 🙂
Here are a few books and toys to get you started!
If you tried these mix n' match muffin tin pizza bun recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Other recommended lunch recipes
resource alert!
For more food play ideas, including a printable template for pizza play, you're going to love Hands On Food Play. We've put together eighteen simple activities using ingredients and items you likely already have at home!
Muffin Tin Pizza Rolls
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt +/- 2-3 tablespoon
Base Toppings:
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella + ½ cup for topping
MIX and Match TOPPINGS: *see note
- ¾ cup drained crushed pineapple
- ¾ cup thinly sliced ham cut into pieces 1 cm/½ inch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in 1 cup of the plain Greek yogurt. If the dough is too dry, then add a bit more yogurt, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Switch to kneading it all together by hand. Knead for 3-4 minutes, this is important for it to rise well.
- Place the ball of dough on a piece of parchment paper. Dust the dough lightly with more flour.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out into a narrow rectangle shape about 12 inches by 6 inches (30 cm by 15 cm).
- Spread the pizza sauce, avoiding 1 inch from the long edge but ensuring you get it all the way to the short edges.
- Sprinkle on 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella.
- Sprinkle on the ham and pineapple (or 1 to 1 ½ cups of toppings).
- Roll the dough from long edge to long edge and cut into 10 pieces.
- Place each piece in a greased muffin tin. If some of the toppings fall out when you transfer, it's totally fine! Just add them to the top of the rolls. The edge pieces often don't get as many toppings, so we like to add the dropped toppings to those guys!
- Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.
- Add the remaining ½ cup of cheese then place under the broiler until lightly browned.
Video
Notes
- You're welcome to add in 1-2 tablespoon of Italian herbs to the dough for more flavour.
- Have fun with the toppings, you can scroll up to see our combo suggestions! You can use between 1 cup to 1 ½ cups of toppings. Having 1 ½ cups means it might be harder to roll so we don't recommend more than this.
- Using plain yogurt that isn't Greek style means it will be more runny, so please add more flour.
- You can easily swap the pizza sauce for alfredo, and that is equally delicious.
Nutrition
We can't wait for you to get right into preparing this for your family-if you're hanging around on Instagram be sure to tag @happyhealthyeaters because nothing gives us more joy than seeing parts of us in your kitchen!
Can you use whole wheat flour?
Yes, that should work!
This recipe is so fun to make with your kiddos and is a hit for the whole family! We absolutely love them and added leftover ground beef and homemade tomato sauce!
Thank you!
So glad to hear you loved the recipe! We agree--fun and tasty. Love the addition of beef!
I made these! I enjoyed it and the kids did too. I want to make more often so kids get used to them b/c i think they’d be great to send for school lunches. Thanks for your recipes.
So glad to here the recipe for pizza buns was a success! Yes, they'd be awesome for school lunches!
I also used this recipe to make muffin tin cinnamon rolls! So quick and yummy. Rolled out the dough. Spread with butter, sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon and then continued with recipe.
We're so happy to hear about this version - it's something we're going to try!!
Cannot wait to make these for lunches!
Awesome, we think they'd be amazing for lunches but even dinners too especially when you want to be at the park or out and about for the evening!!
tried this today and subbed in gluten free flour and it turned out great!
my boys - 6 and 8 - loved them for an after camp snack. so yummy!
So glad to hear that the recipe still worked to be tasty and safe for gluten free friends!! Thanks so much for the comment!
These were great! My toddler helped make them, and the whole family enjoyed them for dinner. I cut into 12 instead of 10 and reduced the baking time by a few minutes and they came out perfect. Will definitely make again!
So glad that you enjoyed the recipe! Great feedback about slicing into more pieces too, that's so helpful.
These make a great school lunch!
This recipe is a total 10/10. My kids love it and we try different flavors all the time.
So glad to hear that! We've been meaning to try a version with white alfredo sauce!
We have made this 4x now, love it! I also send leftover buns to school/daycare.
Love these for a great and easy lunch!
These are awesome for lunches too!
They totally are!
Love this recipe. Going to make it today for lunches this week!
That's awesome! We hope you enjoy the pizza muffins! Can't wait to hear what combo you come up with.
These are fantastic!
We're thrilled to know you enjoy them, thanks Andrea!
we make these weekly I enjoy them just as much as my 5 year old does! great dinner option and to be used up for lunches next day 🙂 we like to add pepperoni and pineapple in ours
Love the combination you came up with. We're also happy to hear that it's a recipe you and your kiddo can enjoy together.
The Greek yogurt crust/dough is a great idea.
Everyone in the house loved this recipe! Will definitely be making again
So glad to hear that! We also enjoy this recipe - thanks for being here.