Pizza Rolls – crowd-pleasing pizza gets a little makeover into these fun party appetizer, snack or light meal pizza rolls made with homemade pizza dough and pizza sauce, sausage, pepperoni and cheeses and then brushed with a flavorful buttery mixture. Surprisingly simple yet super satisfying!
If you think you couldn’t love anything as much as you love pizza, then think again! ‘Cause you’re about to get swoon over this rolled version of your favorite Friday night pizza. Making it more fun, satisfying and a certified hit among the crowd!
These pizza rolls have been regular during game days or when my nieces and nephews are coming over. Good thing I always store extra pizza dough for emergencies. So if you basically just want to switch things up, how about some pizza rolls instead of pizza?
You can serve it as a snack, an appetizer, a side dish to your soups (perfect for this soup season!) or a kid-friendly light meal alongside steamed or roasted veggies. You can absolutely serve this any time you want!
What’s in a Pizza Roll?
This pizza roll is as good as your favorite pizza, but a lot more fun to eat! C’mon, pizza rolls and a dip? How can you not love that? Our recipe for today is jam-packed with:
- marinara or pizza sauce
- sausages
- pepperoni
- mozzarella cheese
- parmesan cheese
- minced basil
- red pepper flakes for added OOMPH.
All of these are rolled in my flavorful homemade pizza dough paired with my very own pizza sauce, too. And to make it even MORE MOUTH-WATERING is that they are brushed with a fragrant and delicious melted butter seasoned with garlic and Italian seasoning. It’s like a party in your mouth!
Can I Use Store-Bought Pizza Dough?
If you’re pressed on time, you can absolutely use your favorite store-bought pizza dough, BUT I highly encourage you to try my homemade pizza dough HERE. Aside from the fact that you can freeze a portion of the dough or double it up, my homemade dough is extra FLAVORFUL (pinky swear!) and soft and chewy between every bite.
Just follow the steps on my homemade pizza dough and then proceed with the next steps as mentioned in this recipe.
How To Roll Pizza Dough?
Our pizza dough in this recipe is rolled into a rectangle about 10 X 14 inches in size using my hands with a bit of an olive oil. Alternately you can also use a rolling pin, but I prefer stretching my dough with my hands just so I can get a good feel 0f it.
Make sure that you bring your dough to a room temperature for at least 30 minutes before you even start working on it. Once it comes to a room temperature, press the dough out from the center then form into a rectangle. Then follow with the sauce and the toppings, and roll it. Do not forget to pinch the seal so they don’t come apart when baking.
If you happen to use my homemade pizza dough, it yields about 30 rolls all in all but you can cut the dough in half and make 15 rolls and just freeze the other half. It freezes and thaws beautifully!
How Long to Cook Pizza Rolls?
Pizza rolls are perfect to throw together during game days or when you have unexpected guests coming over. You only need 15 minutes to bake these rolls at a preheated 400°F oven.
Can You Make Pizza Rolls Ahead of Time?
Absolutely! There are a couple of ways for you to make these delicious snack/appetizer treats in advance. You can either do any of the following below and just proceed to the next corresponding steps in the recipe box.
- You can start making the pizza dough ahead of time. Make sure to let the dough rise first before you divide it into portions. Then wrap it with a plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
- If you think you want to make it even more in advance to cut the prep work, you can prepare the rolls through step # 3, cover the log in a plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Then proceed with the rest of the instructions on the next day.
- I’m pretty sure one of you will ask if you can just bake them ahead. Well, you can! Baked pizza rolls can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. And when ready to serve, simply bake the rolls at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.
Don’t forget to pair it with our delicious homemade PIZZA SAUCE here.
More Tasty Snacks/Appetizers For You
- Bruschetta
- Cucumber Sandwiches
- Chicken Tortilla Pinwheels
- Pigs in a Blanket
- Beef Sausage Rolls
- Tostones (Puerto Rican twice-fried plantains)
How To Make Pizza Rolls
(You may use store-bought pizza dough or use this Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe HERE).
Line baking or cookie sheet with parchment or foil paper. Lightly grease and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Then roll pizza dough into a rectangle about 10 X 14 inches. Add marinara OR this pizza sauce HERE 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. Do not forget to pinch the seal so they don’t come apart when baking. Slice with 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 rolls for about 15 minutes or until lightly brown and rolls are cooked through. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese and pepper flakes , if desired, this is purely optional. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.
Pizza Rolls
Ingredients
- 14-16 ounces pizza dough (homemade here)
- 1 cup pizza sauce (homemade here) , or marinara sauce
- ¼ pound bulk Italian sausage , cooked and crumbled
- ½ cup coarsely chopped pepperoni
- 1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese , plus more , if desired
- minced fresh basil , optional
- crushed red pepper flakes , optional
Optional
- 2 tablespoons butter , melted
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasonings
Instructions
- Line baking or cookie sheet with parchment or foil paper. Lightly grease and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Then roll pizza dough into a rectangle about 10 X 14 inches. Add marinara or this 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. Do not forget to pinch the seal so they don’t come apart when baking.
- Slice with 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 rolls for about 15 minutes or until lightly brown and rolls are cooked through. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese and pepper flakes , if desired, this is purely optional. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.
Tips & Notes:
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
mikermeals says
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.
Akosua says
Definitely trying this tomorrow for my daughter’s birthday. Will give you feedback.
imma africanbites says
Happy birthday to your daughter! I hope you guys enjoyed it!
Dunori says
Such a cute & creative different way to make pizza. Two big thumbs up. Looking forward to trying it one day.
Imma says
Thank you for taking the time to tell me this! Yes, I hope you try it out! 🙂
The Book of Food says
Looks fun, I’ll try this week !
Pat says
How come recipes can’t be printed out?
imma africanbites says
Thanks for bringing this up. I’ve tried printing the recipe now and it worked fine. Do you get any error when trying to?