Pizza Rolls
Pizza rolls are crowd-pleasing comfort food with a makeover into these fun party appetizers, snacks, or light meal pizza rolls. Homemade pizza dough topped with umami-rich pizza sauce, sausage, pepperoni, and cheese, then brushed with a flavorful, buttery garlic sauce for a fantastic finish. Surprisingly simple yet super satisfying!
Sunday night is pizza night at our house! It’s one of our favorite traditions. I make the pizza dough and sauce on Saturday, and let it develop flavor in the fridge. My son chooses a movie, and then we have a blast tossing on our favorite toppings and waiting for all that doughy, cheesy, bubbly goodness to come out of the oven!
The other night, he invited some friends over to join us. Suddenly, I got an idea! Why not turn pizza into finger food? Let me tell you, the rolled version was just as delicious and satisfying as the traditional! In fact, they were so popular I had to whip up another batch! These guys are a certified hit!
What Makes a Great Pizza Roll
Basic ingredients are a good pizza dough, tasty sauce, and cheese. After that, you can add whatever ingredients you like. You can even make it plant-based with loads of fresh vegetables like onion and pepper slices, artichoke hearts, olives, asparagus, and more.
My usual toppings are pepperoni, sausage, and more cheese. Sometimes, I swap out the traditional mozzarella with Fontina, Monterey Jack, and other melty cheeses. Leftover Buffalo chicken and blue cheese also make a great pizza roll. Feel free to mix and match.
How to Make Pizza Rolls
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ (205 ℃).
- Line the baking or cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil. Lightly grease and set it aside.
- Roll out the pizza dough into a rectangle about 10″x14″. Spread the sauce over it, followed by toppings: sausage, pepperoni, cheeses, and fresh basil. (Photos 1-2)
- Roll – Starting with the end nearest you, roll the dough up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing seam side down. Don’t forget to pinch the seal, so the rolls don’t fall apart while baking. (Photos 3-4)
- Slice with a sharp knife into 1-inch rolls, and place them on the prepared baking sheets. (Photo 5-6)
- Combine melted butter, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings in a small bowl, and brush it over the rolls. (Photos 7-8)
- Bake them for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese and pepper flakes if desired (optional but oh so delicious).
- Serve hot with more warm pizza sauce on the side for dipping. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Resist overstuffing it with filling, cheese, and sauce because it’ll be hard to roll them up. Plus, if the filling starts to leak, it will make a mess on the baking sheet.
- Don’t forget to seal the edge after rolling up the dough, so it doesn’t fall apart while cutting.
- Add a pinch of sugar to your pizza sauce to cut the acidity and make it even more kid-friendly.
- You can also cook these homemade pizza rolls in the air fryer. Set the temperature to 380℉ (194 ℃) and cook them for 6-8 minutes, flipping them halfway through the cooking time.
- No pizza dough available? Replace pizza dough with crescent roll dough or fill egg roll wrappers for a quick swap. Enjoy them deep-fried or air-fried.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
You can make the pizza dough three or four days ahead and keep it in an airtight bag or container. Let it come to room temperature before making the rolls. Honestly, the dough is even better with a pleasant yeastiness.
You can also make the sauce two or three days ahead, and the flavor will improve. Plus, you can freeze both for 2-3 months.
I always make a big batch of these pizza rolls and freeze them. So when late-night cravings hit, I pop them in the oven, and they’re ready in no time. No need to thaw; it’s so simple and easy! They make great emergency snacks whenever family and friends come over for a surprise visit, too.
Leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for up to five days and freeze well for 3-4 months. Just reheat them in a 350°F (177 ℃) oven for 25-30 minutes, a 350°F (177 ℃) air fryer for 5-7 minutes, or (less desirable) microwave them in a microwave-safe glass filled with water next to your pizza rolls and heat them in 10-15 second blasts until hot.
Delicious Dips and Sauces for Pizza Rolls
The fantastic thing about rolling your own pizza is how versatile it is. Swap out the tomato sauce with white sauce, or do BBQ chicken pizza rolls with BBQ sauce and leftover baked chicken. I was surprised at how good a ham and pineapple pizza is, so that makes a good option, too.
More Tasty Appetizer Recipes to Try
This blog post was originally published in October 2019 and has been updated with additional tips.
Pizza Rolls
Ingredients
Pizza Rolls
- 14-16 ounces (396-453g) pizza dough
- 1 cup (273g) pizza sauce or marinara sauce
- ¼ pound (113g) Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
- ½ cup pepperoni, coarsely chopped
- 1-2 cup (113-226g) mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup (25g) Parmesan cheese, grated (more if desired)
- Fresh basil, minced (optional)
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
Garlic Butter (Optional)
- 2 tablespoons (28g) butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon (1.5g) garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 g) Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉/205℃. Line a baking or cookie sheet with parchment or foil paper. Lightly grease and set it aside.
- Roll out the pizza dough into a rectangle about 10"x14". Add marinara or homemade pizza sauce followed by toppings: sausage, pepperoni, cheeses, and fresh basil.
- Starting with the end nearest you, roll the dough up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Don't forget to pinch the seal, so the rolls don't fall apart when baking.
- Slice with a knife or pizza cutter into 1-inch pieces. Place rolls on prepared sheets.
- Combine melted butter, garlic powder, and Italian Seasoning in a small bowl. Quickly brush over rolls.
- Bake the rolls for about 15 minutes or until lightly brown and they are cooked through. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese and pepper flakes if desired.
Tips & Notes:
- Resist adding too much filling, cheese, and sauce because it’ll be hard to roll our dough if there’s too much stuff inside. Plus, it’ll be a mess if the filling starts to leak.
- Don’t forget to seal the edge after rolling the dough, so it won’t burst open while cutting.
- Aside from brushing seasoned melted butter on top, you can add more shredded cheese such as mozzarella, cheddar, or provolone for an extra gooey cheesy finish.
- Add a dash of sugar to your pizza sauce to cut the acidity and make it even more kid-friendly.
- You can also cook these homemade pizza rolls in the air fryer. Set the temperature to 380℉/194℃ and cook them for 6-8 minutes, flipping them halfway through the cooking time.
- No pizza dough available? Replace pizza dough with an egg roll wrapper for a quick swap. Enjoy them deep-fried or air-fried. 😉
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used in the recipe.
These were great and easy to make. Now we are eating all of the leftovers. Everyone was impressed and they thought I bought pre made dough. Made these with Gumbo from this site.
Thank you.
Definitely trying this tomorrow for my daughter’s birthday. Will give you feedback.
Happy birthday to your daughter! I hope you guys enjoyed it!
Such a cute & creative different way to make pizza. Two big thumbs up. Looking forward to trying it one day.
Thank you for taking the time to tell me this! Yes, I hope you try it out! 🙂
Looks fun, I’ll try this week !
How come recipes can’t be printed out?
Thanks for bringing this up. I’ve tried printing the recipe now and it worked fine. Do you get any error when trying to?