Last Updated on October 18, 2023 by Ellen Christian
Looking for a healthy appetizer recipe? You will love these pizza puff appetizers! Make these homemade pizza puffs for all your parties.
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Homemade Pizza Puffs Recipe
If you’re looking for 3 healthy appetizers, try my Asparagus Tomato Parmesan squares and this Mango Shrimp Ceviche.
I try really hard to make healthy food choices when I grocery shop. I avoid processed food whenever possible and prefer to make it from scratch.
When my husband or the kids go to the store on their own, they bring home foods that are more processed than I prefer. They have a love for your traditional frozen foods like frozen pizza puff appetizers and snack foods.
I came up with some homemade healthy appetizer recipes to take their place.
I made these with a gluten-free flour blend so that my daughter could enjoy them. If you’re not following the gluten-free diet, you can use traditional all-purpose flour and they’ll come out just as delicious. The type of cheese you use is flexible.
Pizza puff appetizers
To keep it Italian in flavor, I used mozzarella as the main cheese. I used Colby Jack to sprinkle on top because that’s one of my husband’s favorites.
If you’d rather you could certainly use Cheddar or Parmesan instead. I used dried herbs because it’s wintertime; however, if it was summer I would have substituted fresh herbs from our garden instead.
What kind of dip should I serve with these?
We dip our pizza puff appetizers in a marinara sauce. But, you can easily use spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce if that’s what you have on hand.
My daughter enjoys dipping hers into ranch dressing at times. Or, try a homemade queso dip and use that. It’s all about what you want.
If you’re serving these at a party, set up a variety of smaller dipping cups with sauces so your guests can try out the dips they prefer. These little dipping cups make it very easy to set out sauces for everyone to try.
Other types of meats to try
I use pepperoni in my pizza puffs appetizers because it reminds me of pepperoni pizza. But, if you don’t have it on hand, you can leave it out if you prefer.
Or, you might want to try chopped ham, crumbled bacon, or ground beef. This recipe is flexible enough that you can change up the ingredients as long as you chop them up finely.
Alternatives for mini muffin tin
Using a mini muffin tin makes it easy to keep these healthy homemade appetizers all the same size. But, if you don’t have a mini muffin tin, there are a few alternatives.
You can use a full-size muffin tin and cut the muffins into four pieces after they have cooked. Just be sure to cook them longer to account for the size.
Or, you can roll them into balls and place them on a cookie sheet. I find it easiest to use a cookie scoop when I use this method to keep them the same size.
Serving tips for your party
If you’re serving these at a party, it’s very helpful to have a tiered appetizer tray to let everyone take the appetizers they want. You can also place a small cup of toothpicks or appetizer picks next to the try to make serving easier.
It prevents people from using their fingers directly on the food.
These Pizza Puff Appetizers will make a great appetizer for your football party or for any party you’d like to be able to offer homemade healthy appetizers. They would even work well as a late-night snack or light lunch for the kids.
Here are some tips to cook frozen bacon if you would like to make crostini.
What are your favorite homemade healthy appetizers?
Pizza Puff Appetizers
Looking for a healthy appetizer recipe? You will love these pizza puff appetizers! Make these homemade pizza puffs for all your parties.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour or gluten free flour mix
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup other shredded cheese (I like Colby Jack)
- 3/4 tbsp Italian herbs, dried
- 1 cup spaghetti sauce (to dip in)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pepperoni, nitrate free
- Organic olive oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray mini muffin tins with organic olive oil spray. It should make 18 mini pizza puff appetizers.
- Put flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add milk and egg. Whisk till combined.
- Add cheese, herbs and pepperoni. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Divide between 18 mini muffins.
- Sprinkle cheese on top.
- Bake for 25 minutes until the tops are golden. Cool slightly & remove.
- Serve with dipping sauce while warm.
Notes
You can change the cheese to change the flavor.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 197Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 335mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 8g
Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.
These sound delicious! Has anyone tried freezing them and reheating?
Thanks. I’ve never tried that before. But, if you do, please let me know!
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays Party!  I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest!  🙂  I can’t wait to see what you share next time!Â
-Cindy
Thanks, Cindy. I appreciate you stopping by!
Looks delicious thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop. pinning.
Thank you and thanks for stoping by!
Thank you for submitting to Motivation Monday!
Glad to share, Barb. Thanks for stopping by.
These look really interesting!
They were definitely a family hit, Bethany!
These to perfect for an appetizer but also a tasty snack for the kids and family! Thanks for the great idea. I will be adding these to my menu for next week. For Sure! Pinned!
Very true, Brittany! Thank you and thanks for stopping by!
These pizza puffs sound amazing! And I love they’re a little bit healthier, too 🙂
Thanks, Nicola. I feel the same way!
ohhh these look delish and portion control! 🙂 Love all the options you give and I am so going to try making my own pizza puff appetizers!
Fantastic! Hope you enjoy them!
Oh those look dangerously delicious and my kids love anything you can dip. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Glad to share. Thanks for stopping by!
THese look totally amazing!! YUM!Â
Thanks, Mel!
These look amazing and so delicious!! I would miss pizza if I had to cut out gluten what a great option!Â
Thank you and I totally agree!
I would totally eat these! Thanks for sharing, I hope you have a great weekend!
Thanks, Leslie, and you too!
Ellen! Those look amazing. I’ll have to try as I have gluten free flour in the cupboard. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you, Erica. They were delicious too!
These look delicious! I’m like you in that I prefer to eat healthy with less processed foods in my diet. Our teens and my husband could care less. LOL! These are a great option for all of us to enjoy pizza appetizers like these. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad to share, Jamie. Thank you for stopping by!