If your kids love pizza (and really, who doesn’t?), these Pizza Muffins are about to be their new favorite thing. They’ve got all the cheesy, saucy goodness of pizza – just in a fun, handheld muffin form. Bonus: they’re freezer-friendly and sneak in some veggies without anyone noticing.

A gray kids plate with a red napkin on a white background. The plate has four pizza muffins on top.

Pizza Muffins

Think of these Pizza Muffins as the ultimate grab-and-go pizza fix. They’re soft, savory, and completely customizable – everyone gets their favorite version. My oldest kid piles on pepperoni, my youngest is all about the cheese, and I can’t resist adding feta, pesto, and a few bits of leftover chicken.

The best part? You can take pizza anywhere. These little muffin-sized pizzas pack perfectly for school lunches and make a great snack for the ride between after-school activities. Plus, they’re quick to whip up and freeze beautifully, making weeknight dinners one less thing to stress about.

#MyMomHack: turn these Pizza Muffins into the ultimate lunchbox win! I pack them with a small container of marinara (or ranch) for dipping, a handful of sliced bell peppers for crunch, a side of applesauce, and, because balance, a cookie or two for dessert. It’s an easy, kid-approved combo that always comes home with empty containers (aka the best kind of feedback).

Ingredients

He spread on a marble countertop of all the ingredients needed for pizza muffins.

Let’s Get Baking

Silver mixing bowl on a marble countertop with dry ingredients for pizza muffins including carrots.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and carrots.
It's silver mixing bowl with the wet and dry ingredients mixed together for pizza muffins.
Add in the milk, egg, cheese, and oil and mix until just combined.
A white muffin tin full of pizza muffin batter ready to be baked.
Spoon muffin batter into a muffin tin and add in a spoonful of pizza sauce.
A white muffin tin full of pizza muffin batter ready to be baked.
Top with cheese and any toppings.
White muffin tin on a marble counter full of baked pizza muffins.
Bake until bubbly and golden brown.
A hand holding a pizza muffin over a plate of pizza muffins with a red napkin against a white background.
Let cool and then serve.

10 Great Toppings

Make these pizza muffins your own by adding a few toppings. You don’t need too many toppings on each muffin to give it great flavor, which can also be helpful for kids who are picky about toppings.

  1. mini pepperoni
  2. diced red, yellow, orange or green peppers
  3. cooked bacon
  4. sliced spinach
  5. chopped broccoli
  6. corn
  7. cooked shredded chicken
  8. sliced basil
  9. feta
  10. dare I say, pineapple chunks
A blue lunchbox full of pizza muffins, blueberry and pineapple, pepper sticks and ranch.

Tips for Making the Best Pizza Muffins

  • Do No Overmix: I can’t stress this point enough – do not over mix the muffin batter, if you do they won’t rise in the oven and will become dense and hard. The dry ingredients should be just combined with the wet ingredients.
  • Veggie Options: you can omit the carrots, or add in chopped broccoli or grated zucchini instead if you prefer.
  • Serve: we love to serve these muffins with a side of warm pizza sauce or ranch.
A gray kids plate with a red napkin on a white background. The plate has four pizza muffins on top.

Get the recipe: Easy-Peasy Cheesy Pizza Muffins (hidden veggie!)

4.9 stars (9 ratings)
If your kids love pizza (and really, who doesn’t?), these Pizza Muffins are about to be their new favorite thing. They’ve got all the cheesy, saucy goodness of pizza – just in a fun, handheld muffin form. Bonus: they’re freezer-friendly and sneak in some veggies without anyone noticing.
Yield: 12 muffins
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 18 minutes
Total: 23 minutes
Author: Michele Olivier
Course: Main Course
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients 

  • 1 3/4 cups all purpose or white whole wheat flour (see flour notes)
  • 3 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup finely shredded carrots (optional)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 cup Mozzarella, Italian or Pizza Blend Shredded Cheese, divided
  • 1/2 cup pizza sauce
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line or spray a muffin tin.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the flour, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and shredded carrots (if using).
  • Add in the milk, eggs, butter, and 3/4 cup shredded cheese and mix until just incorporated.
  • Spoon the batter into the muffin tin, filling 3/4 way to the top.
  • Spoon 1/2-1 tbsp of pizza sauce on top of each muffin.
  • Sprinkle on the remaining cheese and parmesan.
  • Add any toppings on top of the cheese.
  • Place the muffin pan into the oven for 18-20 minutes or until just golden.
  • Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transitioning the muffins onto a cooling rack. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Age: 11+ months
Mini or Regular Size: you can make these muffins into mini or regular-size muffins, the only difference is the baking time. For mini muffins, bake for 10-12 minutes, for regular muffins bake for 18-20 minutes. 
Storage: store in an air-tight container on the counter or fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. 
Note on Flours: you can use all-purpose, white whole wheat flour, a mixture of 50/50 white and whole wheat flour, or gluten-free one-for-one flour. 
Oil/Butter: to make the muffins nice and moist. You can use coconut, avocado, vegetable, olive, or melted butter.
How to Store and Freeze Pizza Muffins: Once the muffins have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container. They will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze the muffins, place the muffins into a freezer zip-lock baggie or stasher bag and place in the freezer. They will keep for up to 3 months frozen. Thaw frozen pizza muffins overnight in the fridge or by gently warming them in the microwave.
Cooking with Kids

Toddlers

  • Toddlers can help measure and put the ingredients into the bowl.
  • They can help mix the ingredients together.
  • Toddlers can help scoop the dough into the muffin pan.

Kids

  • Preheat the oven. 
  • They can pick out and measure all of the ingredients. 
  • Kids can help mix the ingredients together.
  • They can help to fill the muffin cups with the batter.
  • Once filled, kids can carefully put the muffin tin into the oven (with adult supervision) and remove once baked. 

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Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).