Easy Pepperoni Cheese Pizza Cup Appetizer Recipe
When it comes to entertaining, I love to make appetizers. They let me get creative and allow me to make a variety of different types of food allowing everyone to try something new. This appetizer transforms a classic favorite into a fun new way to enjoy the flavor of pepperoni pizza in a bite size cup. If you love pizza night as much as I do you will love these pepperoni pizza bites! This easy appetizer recipe uses ten simple ingredients so anyone can do this! They are the perfect appetizer for football season and everyone will be asking you for the recipe. Let me show you how to make this easy pepperoni cheese pizza cup appetizer recipe that will become one of your favorite recipes. Full recipe card below.
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Pepperoni Pizza
I think everyone can safely say they know what pepperoni pizza is. Even though pizza originated in Italian cuisine, it is definitely an American staple now. Served at restaurants, sporting events, bars, and in every college town in the US, almost everyone loves pizza. While I am a firm believer that everything has the potential to become a pizza, nothing takes me back like a good old fashioned slice of pepperoni pizza. But when we are talking about appetizers, a big slice of pizza really isn’t in bite-sized form.
So when I made my buffalo chicken dip cups I thought, I bet these would be great as a pizza roll cup too. And I was totally right! Now you can enjoy a simple bite sized peperoni pizza appetizer in an edible cup.
In this recipe I have transformed the global classic of pepperoni pizza into a single serving using wonton wrappers and a mini muffin pan.
Why I Love this Recipe
I love pizza like a fat kid loves cake! Every Friday is pizza night in my house and I love experimenting with pizza toppings. There is just something incredibly satisfying about the combination of pizza sauce, cheese, pizza dough, and your favorite pizza toppings that is simply SO good and highly addicting! This recipe is just another take on pepperoni pizza and makes it a bit more portable. Aside from being the perfect combination of comfort food, this is an easy recipe with basic ingredients that doesn’t take long to make and is the perfect party appetizer.
Ingredients
This easy hors d’oeuvre recipe uses simple ingredients you probably already have stocked in your kitchen. I will walk you through what I used and where you can make substitutions.
Softened Cream Cheese – Similar to pepperoni pizza dip, this recipe uses cream cheese as the base. It works best if the cream cheese is a little soft, but don’t microwave it. Just take it out 15 minutes or so before you start cooking. You can use any version or brand you want. I used the reduced fat version so I could justify eating more of the finished pizza cups, haha!
Wonton Wrappers – If you have never used wonton wrappers they are about to be your new best friend in the kitchen! Once you find them at the grocery store that is. They can be tricky to locate but they are usually in the refrigerated produce section at my local Kroger store and they are in the freezer section at my international food market. And FYI these do need to be refrigerated before opening and after for any leftover wontons. But they are just the right size for appetizers and bite sized snacks!
Tomato Sauce – I always have a few of the small 8 oz cans of unsalted tomato sauce on hand for making pepperoni and pineapple Hawaiian, so I used that and mixed a sauce very similar to my red pizza sauce. To simplify this easy recipe even more, you can buy premade pizza sauce or marinara sauce and skip the extra seasonings. I choose to make my own to control the sodium.
Pepperoni – A key ingredient in this recipe is obviously the pepperoni. Because I love turkey pepperoni and I cannot find it in the mini pepperonis anymore, I cut my slices into quarters to make them a similar size. Since the cups are smaller, I do recommend using mini pepperonis or cutting regular ones into quarters so they fit better.
Pizza Seasonings – I seasoned my pepperoni pizza cup mixture with a combination of garlic powder, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. I used dried spices, but feel free to use fresh herbs if you have them on hand. You can also use Italian seasoning in lieu of the basil and oregano if you have it. Garlic salt can also be substituted for garlic powder, just be careful when salting if you do.
Mozzarella – I used shredded mozzarella cheese for these cups but you could also use mozzarella string cheese cut into small pieces. If you enjoy a little spice, shredded pepper jack would be really good in these too. I do think pre-shredded cheese works better in this recipe though.
Garnish – I garnished my pizza cups with a little parmesan cheese and extra basil. Feel free to add extra cheese or even red pepper flakes if you like.
Dipping – I personally do not think these need any extra sauce, but you can serve them with a side of ranch dressing, marinara sauce, or even alfredo sauce if you want.
How to Make the Wonton Cups
Making the cups is actually really simple! First you will need a mini cupcake/muffin pan. Then you need to spray it generously with nonstick cooking spray. This will serve two purposes. It will make sure your wonton cups don’t stick to the pan and it will help the wonton wrappers get a little extra crispy.
If you do not have a mini muffin pan you can use a full size cupcake pan you will just need more filling because the base of the wonton cup will be larger.
To make the cups as even as possible, place the wonton wrapper over the center of one of the cups and gently press it into the pan. You can also use a small shot glass that fits in the cup to help flatten out the bottom.
Cooking Options
I baked my pepperoni appetizers in the oven in a mini muffin pan. You could also air fry them, however you would not be able to make the same cup shape unless you have a small pan that fits in your air fryer. You would need to fold them into triangles or into a pocket like traditional pizza rolls.
The benefit to baking is you can make more at a time especially if you have a 24 count cupcake pan or more than one. Most air fryers cannot accommodate more than 10 at a time in the air fryer basket and if you are having a party, these will disappear faster than you can make em!
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Easy Pepperoni Cheese Pizza Cup Appetizer Recipe
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 32 cups 1x
Description
Take your pizza appetizers to a whole new level with these straightforward pepperoni cheese pizza cups. A simple combination of wonton wrappers, pepperoni, cheese, tomato sauce, and cream cheese come together to make the best handheld pizza party appetizer! Make these easy pizza appetizers for your next holiday party, Super Bowl party, or simply as a snack. No game day or party will ever be the same without them and everyone will want the recipe!
Ingredients
- 5 oz pkg Pepperoni Slices quartered
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
- 8 oz Tomato Sauce
- 1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese
- 3/4 tsp Dried Basil
- 3/4 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- Wonton Wrappers
- Parmesan Cheese optional for garnish
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350.
- In a large mixing bowl mix softened cream cheese, pepperoni pieces, tomato sauce, cheese, and seasonings with an electric mixer until combined. Set aside.
- Spray mini muffin pan generously with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the center of the wonton wrapper over the center of each cup and gently press into pan forming a cup. Be careful not to rip the wonton wrapper.
- Spoon the pepperoni pizza mixture into the middle of each cup, about half way full.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until wonton cups are golden brown and become crispy.
- Top with extra basil and mozzarella or parmesan cheese
- Cool for 3-5 minutes before serving.
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days
Equipment
Notes
I do not recommend freezing these. If you are running short on time, make the pizza filling a day or two in advance and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Fill and bake the cups 20 minutes before your guests arrive.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American, Italian
How to Reheat
On the off chance you have leftover mini pizza bites you have several options for reheating. You can microwave them but they will not stay crispy. For best results and to maintain the crispiness of the wontons, reheat in the oven on 325 for 5 minutes or until the center is warm. You can also reheat in the air fryer on 325 for 5 minutes or until the center is warm.
When to Make Pepperoni Cheese Pizza Appetizers
Looking for a great appetizer for your next party? These homemade pizza bites are the perfect appetizer for holiday parties, happy hour, Super Bowl party, tailgate, potluck, or simply next time you want a quick snack. Full of big pizza flavor, these little bites are a great way to serve pizza especially for people on a low carb diet. These pepperoni bites are always a huge hit with all my friends and family!
Looking for another perfect party appetizer for your next big gathering or game day? Check out my bacon BBQ deviled eggs, Hidden Valley Ranch veggie pizza, crab and cream cheese wonton wrapper cups, cranberry goat cheese crostini, or my old fashioned polish mistake recipe.
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