The Easiest Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites

Today, we’re turning one of my favorite nostalgic childhood snacks into a grown-up party appetizer. These homemade pizza bagel bites have lots of cheese, pepperoni, serrano peppers, fresh basil, and a drizzle of hot honey for good measure. (Seriously, don’t skip the hot honey, it’s the best part!) Even better, you can freeze them for a super easy, make-ahead appetizer situation.

If you were born in the 90s like me, I’m willing to bet that the roof of your mouth is permanently disfigured from biting into a molten pizza bagel when you were a kid. I’m almost 1,000% certain that I have a bagel-shaped scar up there.

But honestly? Worth it. Who doesn’t love a good PB? They’re cheesy, they’re chewy, and today, we’re making a grown up version. These bites are inspired by the soppressata hot honey pizza that I have been making probably once a month ever since I was in culinary school. They have melty mozzarella, sharp parmesan, salty pepperoni, spicy serranos, and a drizzle of bourbon hot honey. Oof they’re so good!

And yeah, maybe pizza bagels are usually reserved for lunch or late nigh munchies but hear me out. Cause I mean, who doesn’t want to go to a party and spot a platter of flaky pizza scrolls or these cheesy, saucy bites on the snack table? They’d also be a welcome addition to a movie night or game day if I do say so myself.

Mini bagels

Mini bagels are key in this recipe. I usually buy them in the bakery aisle of the grocery store, but you can also find them next to the sliced bread. Use whatever you like best! You’ll also need some kind of tomato sauce – I use this roasted tomato sauce which is always in my freezer, but if you want to go store-bought, I would use Rao’s.

For toppings, grab whole milk mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, pepperoni, serrano peppers, fresh basil, and hot honey. Feel free to skip the serranos if you’re not a fan of spice!

Other toppings to try

You can get as creative as you want with the toppings. Feel free to try cooked & crumbled sausage, mushrooms, olives, peppers, onions, bacon, Canadian bacon, or anything else you like. Just chop the toppings small so they fit on top!

Bake in the oven

Don’t place too much toppings on the bagels, or they’ll melt off the sides in the oven. You want the toppings to be relatively even & flat.

Air fryer

You can also cook these bites in the air fryer! Just air fry them at 350°F (177°C) for about 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Freeze & bake later

If you want to keep these as a grab-and-bake snack, place the raw bites on a sheet pan in a single layer. Freeze them until they’re solid, 1-2 hours. Then, pop them in a parchment paper-lined zipper bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. You can also bake them straight from the freezer, just add a few minutes to the cook time if you need to!

Store & reheat leftovers

Place any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate them for 3-4 days. You can microwave leftovers for about 1 minute or bake them at 350°F (177°C) for 5-6 minutes, or until they’re warmed through.

If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

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