These easy, from scratch, garlic-slathered pizza balls are stuffed with cheese and mini pepperoni, then baked for an appetizer everyone at the party will love.
This post is in partnership with DeLallo Foods
Your Favorite Pepperoni Pizza, as a Poppable Appetizer!
One of the earliest recipes I shared here on le bloggity blog was for little nuggets of garlic joy called Killer Garlic Rolls, inspired by a popular restaurant in our old neighborhood of Marina del Rey in California.
Those rolls. Pure love right there.
Today they’ve provided a nod of inspiration to these pepperoni dough balls that are bathed in a simlilar garlic and herb butter and bursting with a cheesy pepperoni pop.
Like my previous rolled creation, these pepperoni balls are made with a short cut: pizza dough. At our house, nothing makes pizza dough easier to make at home than DeLallo’s pizza dough kit.
While I have a from scratch dough I’ve made time and time again (thank you, Ina!) this dough is now my go-to recipe. It’s soft, supple, and never temperamental. And after simply adding water to the flour and yeast packets included in the kit, then an easy hour or so rise, the dough is ready for pizza topping.
Or in this case, this dough is ready to roll.
Enjoy!
Ingredients You’ll Need
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Pizza dough — I used the DeLallo Pizza Dough Kit this time, but you can use your favorite pre-made pizza dough or ask your local slice shop for about a pound of pizza dough.
- Pizza sauce — I used DeLallo’s Pizzeria-Style Pizza Sauce.
- Mini pepperoni — Since we’re making bite-sized dough balls, you’ll want to use mini pepperoni for easier eating. If you only have regular pepperoni on hand, give it a rough chop before using.
- Mozzarella — You’ll want to use low-moisture mozzarella, not fresh.
- Garlic butter — You can make your own in less than 5 minutes by combining melted butter (I prefer salted) dried oregano, and garlic powder.
- Parmesan cheese — Because I can rarely leave well enough alone, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and kosher salt give these pizza bundles the finishing touch and make them extra ready for pizza-sauce-dipping.
How to Make Pepperoni Balls
- Make the pizza dough. If you purchase pre-made dough, you’re all set! Otherwise follow the directions on the package.
- Once risen, roll out the pizza dough and cut into circles. You can use the mouth of a jar to do this or an actual cookie cutter works great too.
- Fill and fold. Place the fillings in the middle of each dough circle, then fold up the edges and pinch to seal the pizza rolls.
Heidi’s Tip: Be sure to do your best to seal the balls as well as you can as the cheese has a tendency to ooze out. Not that I mind much about that because crusty baked cheese on the side is just one of these pizza balls charms.
- Bake until golden brown. Brush the pizza rolls with the homemade garlic butter, then bake until done.
- Don’t forget the Parm! I like adding the Parm right when the pepperoni balls comes out of the oven so it melts over the garlic butter.
Variations to Try
- Swap the cheese — I used cubed mozzarella this time around, but I’ve used shredded cheese, stacked cheese, as well as other melty cheeses like provolone. Make it easy on yourself and use what you have handy so long as it fits inside these little orbs.
- Replace the pepperoni — You can make these pizza balls using any of your favorite pizza toppings. If using veggies, sauté them first to remove some of their extra moisture and soften them.
- Swap the pizza sauce — These pepperoni dough balls would be equally tasty with basil pesto, tomato pesto, or even bolognese sauce.
- Make it gluten-free — Buy your favorite gluten-free pizza dough at the store to keep this recipe allergen-friendly.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Garlic Butter Pepperoni Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough (I use this DeLallo Pizza Dough Kit)
- 1 14- ounce jar pizza sauce (I use DeLallo Pizzeria-Style Pizza Sauce)
- 2 ounces mini pepperoni slices
- 8 ounces mozzarella or provolone cheese , cubed
- 8 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese , finely grated
Instructions
- Mix the dough according to the package directions. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Roll and cut the dough. Divide the pizza dough in half. Roll the dough out to 1/16-inch thick and use a 3 ½-inch biscuit cutter or the lid to a wide mouth canning jar to cut out rounds.
- Fill with sauce and cheese. Place ½ teaspoon pizza sauce in the center of the dough round, top with 5-6 slices of mini pepperoni and a cube of cheese. Fold the edges of the dough to the center and pinch the ends to seal and make into a ball. Place the ball seam side down and repeat with the rest of the dough, including the reserved half of the pizza dough.
- Make the garlic butter. In a medium size bowl, melt the butter in the microwave in 30 second bursts. Stir in the oregano and the garlic powder. Brush the pizza rolls with the garlic butter mixture.
- Bake. Bake the balls for 15-20 minutes. Check at the 10-minute mark to be sure the tops aren't getting too brown. If they are, lightly tent with aluminum foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
- Brush with more garlic butter. Pull the rolls from the oven and lightly brush again with the garlic butter mixture, sprinkle with kosher salt and grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with additional pizza sauce.
Nutrition
FAQs
You could prep these a few hours before guests arrive, but not much earlier than that. Really though, these babies are best fresh from the oven.
If you have a family pizza dough recipe you love, feel free to use it. I prefer using the DeLallo pizza dough kit since it saves me a few minutes in the kitchen.
More Italian Appetizers to Nosh On
More Easy Pizza Recipes to Make
- Mediterranean Pizza
- French Bread Pizza
- Sweet Potato Pizza
- Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Fresh Tomato and Pesto Pizza
- Stuffed Pizza Rolls
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This post is in partnership with DeLallo Foods. As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
Sabrina B.
nice “game day” recipe, very creative serving idea for pizza, looking for bite sized recipes, these should be great, thank you!
Denise
I am so making these .. not even for a party but for dinner! Great video too.
Kari
Yum! I want to reach into the photo and grab one!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com
Sara @ Last Night's Feast
Yum! This looks great!