Pizza Bagel Bites

Mini pizza bagel bites are quick savory snacks for game day, after school, or movie marathons! You only need four ingredients for these crowd-pleasing bites.

Pizza is always a hit at any gathering, but it takes up so much real estate on the snack table and your stomach.

That’s why I love pizza bagel bites. The mini size makes them an ideal finger food for parties, and ensures you have plenty of room for your other favorite appetizers like pigs in a blanket or soft pretzels.

Plus, they remind me of being a kid again, and that catchy commercial jingle. Whatever happened to catchy jingles, anyway? I digress… but these pizza bites are worth a trip down memory lane.

My son loves these pizza bites for a quick lunch or after-school snack. They’re great for watching the game, too — and faster than ordering delivery!

Ingredients for pizza bagel bites

You’ll need just a few ingredients:

Plain mini bagels – Mini bagels are found near the regular size bagels. Make sure you get plain or a savory variety like everything bagel. You don’t want to make a brown sugar cinnamon pepperoni pizza!

Pizza sauce – Pizza sauce is a thicker marinara sauce seasoned with herbs. You can make your own, purchase a jar at the store, or swap in your favorite pasta sauce.

Mozzarella cheese – I like to use the finely shredded mozzarella to have an even layer of cheese on the pizza. Don’t use fresh mozzarella balls or slices.

Pepperoni slices – You can use regular slices, cut into fourths, or look for pepperoni cubes. Mini pepperonis are also sometimes available and a great option.

How to make this recipe

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Halve mini bagels and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet.

Mini bagels are cut most of the way, but you’ll need a serrated knife or bread knife to cut the rest of the way and separate the halves.

Spread a spoonful of pizza sauce evenly on each bagel half.

Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Arrange sliced pepperoni pieces or pepperoni chunks onto the bagels. Add any other toppings you like.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and bagels are toasty.

Let cool slightly, then serve.

Recipe suggestions

As with any pizza, there’s no limit to the kinds of toppings you can put on pizza bagel bites!

Try with diced Canadian bacon and pineapple for Hawaiian pizzas.

Go extra meaty and add cooked crumbled sausage or cooked crumbled bacon to the pepperoni. Or both!

Keep them vegetarian with diced onions, black olives, and mushrooms.

Make a three cheese variety with your favorite cheeses like cheddar and parmesan added to the mozzarella.

Want to make these as full-size bagels instead of minis? Go for it! They’ll take just a little longer to bake.

Storage tips

Pizza bagels are great for making in advance and keeping in the freezer for whenever you want a quick snack.

To freeze, let the baked bagels cool completely. You can leave them on the baking sheet if you like.

Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and freeze until solid, about 2 hours.

Place the frozen pizza bagels into a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheating bagel bites

Pizza bagel bites can be cooked from frozen in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.

For the microwave, set the bagel bites onto a microwave-safe plate and cook for 45 seconds, or until heated through.

To reheat in the oven, place the bagel bites on a sheet pan. Set the pan on a rack in the upper third of the oven. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.

To cook in the air fryer, set to 350°F and cook for 5 minutes until melty and crisp.

Want another pizza snack? Make another kid favorite: pizza muffins!

Bring out these homemade pizza bagel bites the next time the game is on and watch them disappear!