Lunchbox Pizza Muffins: The Perfect After School Snack or Packed Lunch

If your kids love pizza night but you need something that travels well in a lunchbox, these lunchbox pizza muffins are about to become a weekly request. Instead of a big slice that gets soggy by lunchtime, this recipe presses pizza crust into a muffin tin, then layers in sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings for a handheld bite that holds its shape from the oven to the lunchbox. They bake up golden and cheesy in under 30 minutes, and they are just as delicious warm as they are cold, which makes them perfect for busy mornings when you need to pack a lunch fast. Customize them with pepperoni, mini meatballs, or extra veggies depending on what your kids love that week, then make a double batch and freeze the extras for an easy after school snack anytime. Once you try these pizza muffins, they may just replace the sandwich as your go to school lunch.

Pin

Why this is the best Lunchbox Pizza Muffins recipe

It's easy to make. These Lunchbox Pizza Muffins use simple ingredients and come together without any complicated steps. Press the batter into the muffin cups, add in the pizza toppings, and bake.

Lunchbox pizza muffins are made for busy families. Pizza muffins are a family favorite and easy to grab for school lunches, after school snacks, or a quick lunch at home. They are also sturdy enough to pack in a lunchbox without making a giant mess.

Pin

Lunchbox pizza muffins taste just like pizza in a fun, kid-friendly package. Savory Italian seasoning, pizza sauce, melty cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings give these muffins plenty of classic pizza flavor. Kids get pizza, and you get something that is easy to portion and pack.

Lunchbox pizza muffins are great for meal prep. Make a batch on the weekend and keep them in the refrigerator for several days, or freeze them individually so you can grab exactly what you need on a busy morning.

These pizza muffins are easy to customize. Just like regular pizza, you can change the cheese, meat, vegetables, and seasonings in these savory muffins according to what your family likes (or what happens to be sitting in your refrigerator).

What you'll need to make the best Lunchbox Pizza Muffin recipe

Equipment

• Muffin tin - These are made in a muffin tin. You could probably also use a brownie pan if you have one.
• Muffin wrappers or cups - I used paper but foil would also work.
• Wire rack - To cool the muffins and prevent overcooking.

Pin

See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

Ingredients

• Pizza dough - This needs to be already prepared. The link goes to my personal homemade pizza dough recipe, or you can buy prepared dough at the grocery store. Store-bought dough needs to be raw.
• Pizza sauce - You want this to be thick, if possible. Some grocery stores carry thick pizza sauce and some don't.
• Mozzarella cheese - This is the cheese you will want for that classic pizza flavor, but you can substitute any cheese. I buy a bag of pre-shredded cheese at the grocery store. I know some cooks say that you have to shred your own cheese for it to melt properly, but I've had exactly one bag of pre-shredded cheese fail to melt in 25 years of buying cheese, so I'm going to keep buying it pre-shredded and save myself the work.
• Black olives - I like black olives, but you can use an equal amount of any pizza topping. Make sure it's chopped or sliced into small pieces.
• Fresh basil or parsley - This is for garnish after the muffins are cooked.
• Olive oil or butter for greasing the muffin pan

How to make easy Lunchbox Pizza Muffins recipe

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Generously grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with olive oil, including the sides.
   Pin
2. Divide pizza dough into 12 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a small disc, about 3-4 inches wide.
   Pin
3. Press the discs into the muffin cups, pushing dough up the sides to form shallow pizza cups.
   Pin
4. Spoon about 1 tablespoon pizza sauce into each cup. Do not overfill.
   Pin
   Sprinkle generously with mozzarella, letting some cheese sit on top.
   Pin
   Add sliced olives (or mini pepperoni or whatever toppings you want).
   Pin
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly and lightly golden and dough edges are golden brown and crispy.
   Pin
6. Remove from oven, sprinkle with fresh basil or parsley, and cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin pan and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

Pin

FAQ

Can I use homemade dough?

Yes, homemade pizza dough works perfectly, although a container of unbaked dough from the grocery store also works well.

Can I add toppings to these pizza muffins?

Yes! Use your favorite pizza toppings, but keep the total toppings to about ¼ cup (or a smidge more) for best results. We used sliced black olives, but mini pepperoni, cooked Italian sausage, or veggies like diced peppers also work well.

Can I freeze lunchbox pizza muffins?

Yes, definitely. Be sure to cool completely before freezing, wrap individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil before placing in a freezer bag or container, and reheat as needed. There is no need to thaw before reheating.

Pin

Substitutions & variations

If you don't want to make pizza dough, you can use a can of refrigerated biscuits. Just use half of a biscuit for each pizza muffin, or make stuffed biscuits by putting half of the biscuit in the bottom, adding the toppings, and adding the other half on top. Seal the edges together with the bottom half, if you can.

You can change the pizza toppings to suit your family's favorites. Try mini pepperoni, cooked sausage, diced ham, crumbled bacon, or cooked ground beef. Make sure any meat you add is fully cooked before it goes into the muffin pan.

For a vegetarian version, leave out the meat and add finely chopped bell peppers, mushrooms, black olives, onions, spinach, or other pizza vegetables. If you use vegetables that release a lot of moisture, cook or drain them first so the muffins don't get soggy.

Mozzarella gives Lunchbox Pizza Muffins that familiar pizza flavor, but you can replace some or all of it with cheddar, provolone, pepper Jack, or an Italian cheese blend. A little grated Parmesan is also a good addition if you want a stronger, saltier cheese flavor.

You can add seasonings, too. Add oregano, basil, garlic powder, or Italian seasoning, or sprinkle in a small amount of crushed red pepper flakes if your family likes a little heat. I would add all of these under the sauce.

Try making supreme pizza muffins with pepperoni, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and black olives, or meat lovers pizza muffins with a combination of pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and ham. You can even let everyone choose their own toppings and make several different flavors in the same muffin pan.

Serve the muffins warm or at room temperature with extra pizza sauce or marinara sauce for dipping.

Pin

Storing lunchbox pizza muffins

Because this is a great make-ahead recipe, it is perfect for making school lunches or grabbing for an after school snack.

You can bake a batch or two of these pizza muffins on Sunday and store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer. I'd recommend wrapping them in plastic wrap or aluminum foil before placing in a freezer bag or container, to make it easier to remove just one or two at a time.

Be sure to let the pizza muffins cool completely to room temperature on a wire rack before storing to avoid condensation that will make them soggy.

Reheat pizza muffins in the oven or air fryer for best texture. You can microwave them in a pinch, but the crust will get soggy. There is no need to thaw frozen muffins before reheating.

Check out more delicious Pizza recipes

• Grilled Pizza Dough
• Sourdough Pizza Dough
• Peanut Butter Brownie Pizza
• BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza
• Easy Baked Pizza Gnocchi
• Old School Pizza Burgers Recipe

Pin

Recipe