This Pizza Roll recipe is packed with nutrition—and even greens!—but the cheese, and silly spiral shape makes them much more appealing to toddlers and big kids. Plus, you can make them in about 30 minutes and stash them in the fridge or freezer for future meals.
This Pizza Rolls recipe is one of those foods that I like to have on hand for nights when there are activities and commitments since they are so easy to make ahead, warm up, and serve. They’re a classic Friday night dinner and they’re one of my favorite ways to serve greens to kids (if you decide to add the spinach to the filling). They are cheesy and delicious and easy to customize for your family’s preferences.
This recipe is a fun pizza recipe for kids since it takes the classic flavors of pizza and rolls them up into muffin-size pizza rolls that are a little crispy on the outside and tender and cheesy on the inside.
I like to add a little fresh spinach to my Pizza Rolls recipe to amp up the nutrition—especially since I find that my kids don’t care as much about greens when they’re in a recipe that they otherwise love.
These even work as a freezer meal in less than a minute when made and stored frozen. And they can be packed in a kids thermos as a hot lunch idea.
(You may also like Pinwheels recipe, Pizza Pinwheels, Pizza Muffins, and Pizza Bites.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
To make these Pizza Rolls, you’ll need to have the following ingredients on hand.
- Whole-wheat pizza dough: You can use homemade dough or a fresh ball of dough from the supermarket. (My Greek Yogurt Pizza Dough works, too.)
- Pizza sauce: I usually use canned pizza sauce since it’s so easy. You can also use spinach pesto if you prefer.
- Spinach: I like to add shredded baby spinach to this recipe. (I sometimes swap in broccoli, too.)
- Mozzarella cheese: Use shredded cheese so it’s easy to distribute evenly on the pizza dough.
- Parmesan cheese: This adds a little extra flavor to this recipe.
TIP: You can use homemade pizza crust and pizza sauce, or use store bought, according to your preference. See the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for all of the info on these homemade Pizza Rolls.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make these Pizza Rolls so you know what to expect. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information on the amounts and times.
Step 1. Spread the pizza dough out into a rectangle using your hands or a rolling pin. I spread it onto a piece of parchment paper to help prevent it from sticking to the countertop.
Step 2. Layer on the sauce and the chopped spinach (if using). Add the cheeses.
Step 3. Rolling from one long side, roll the dough up into a log. Use the parchment paper to help you roll it up.
Step 4. Slice log into rounds and place into a greased muffin tin. Bake until lightly golden brown.
TIP: Place the dough on parchment when forming it into a rectangle to avoid having it stick to the counter. Then, after baking, let the pizza rolls cool in the pan for a few minutes to allow the cheese to firm up slightly. This will make it easier to remove them from the muffin pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use homemade pizza dough, such as this Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough recipe, or a ball of fresh dough from your supermarket.
You can make this recipe with a lot of wilted spinach or just a little fresh and cut up spinach. It’s up to you and it works both ways. You could also try using finely chopped up broccoli or even kale instead of spinach.
These pizza roll ups are a great hot lunch idea or go well with a simple side of roasted veggies and fruit. We sometimes have them for family dinner and I serve a simple salad alongside for us parents and sliced cucumbers for the kids. We all love them.
Yes, just let them cool completely after baking. Then, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer in a zip top bag for up to 3 months. Reheat for 30-60 seconds in the microwave. When serving to younger toddlers, cut up with a knife or a pair of kitchen shears for easy eating.
The best advice I can give for this is to grease your muffin pan well and use a nonstick pan. The older muffin pan I have works a lot less well than the newer nonstick one I have, which doesn’t stick at all when I make these. Then, let them cool in the pan for a few minutes to allow the cheese to firm up slightly before removing from the pan.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this pizza rolls recipe with a salad kit, Caesar Salad, Roasted Frozen Broccoli, or a simple side of diced fruit.
This recipe also works served with warmed marinara sauce or pizza sauce as a dip or served as a snack.
How to Store
Store the cooled Pizza Rolls Recipe in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible in the freezer for up to 6 months. Warm in the microwave for 30-60 seconds or until warmed through.
Dice up the pizza rolls for younger eaters if needed.
Best Tips for Success
- Use whole-wheat dough or fresh store bought dough like the kind they sell at Trader Joe’s.
- Spread the dough out into an even rectangle so there’s (mostly) an even amount of dough in each sliced roll. I find it easiest to do this on a piece of parchment paper to help prevent the dough from sticking to the counter.
- Use store bought pizza sauce or homemade. I like to cook down my Easy Marinara Sauce until it’s thick and spreadable.
- Grease your pan well.
- Let the pizza rolls cool for about 5 minutes in the pan before removing them to give the cheese a chance to firm up a little.
- If the dough on the underside seems undercooked, cover your rolls with foil and bake for an additional 4-6 minutes. (But also know they firm up as they cool a bit.)
- Try my Pesto Pizza Rolls for another flavor option. Or add pepperoni, thinly sliced mushrooms, or cooked and drained Italian sausage.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it, so please comment below to share!
Favorite Pizza Rolls (with Veggies)
Ingredients
- 13-16 ounces pizza dough (at room temperature)
- ¾ cup pizza sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup baby spinach, roughly cut or chopped (or minced broccoli, optional)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease a muffin tin very well, including around the top of each cup since the cheese may spill out a little.
- Use your hands to stretch the dough into an 11×16-inch rectangle on a piece of parchment paper. (This helps prevent the dough from sticking to the counter. If it's hard to stretch, let it rest for 5 minutes and try again. Sometimes the gluten needs to rest.)
- Spread pizza sauce over the dough to cover, then sprinkle on the spinach, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Starting on one long side, roll the dough up carefully and fairly tightly to enclose the toppings. (It might be a little messy, but it's okay! Use the parchment paper to help you roll.)
- Use a serrated knife to cut into 12 even slices. I start in the center, then make a cut in the center of each piece, and then finish slicing to get the most even results.
- Place each slice into a prepared muffin cup and bake for 22-26 minutes until the dough is baked through, the cheese is melted, and the tops are golden.
- Let cool for 3-5 minutes in the pan to allow the cheese to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack or a plate to serve. (You may need to use a knife around the edges of the pan if the cheese spilled over.)
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge or in a zip-top freezer bag with as much air removed as possible in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve from frozen, place on a plate and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until warm.
Equipment
- Muffin Tin
Video
Notes
- Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Dough: Stir 2 teaspoons yeast and 1 teaspoon honey or sugar into 1 cup warm water. Let sit for about 5 minutes or until the yeast has puffed up. Add 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons olive oil to a medium bowl. Stir in up to ¼ cup more water if needed to make a smooth, sticky (but able to be kneaded) dough. Use your hands to knead about 10 times to bring it together into a large ball. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let rest for at least one hour and up to 4. Proceed with the recipe.
- Store cooled Pizza Rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible in the freezer for up to 6 months. Warm in the microwave for 30-60 seconds or until warmed through.
- Use homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Dough, Greek Yogurt Pizza Dough, or fresh store bought dough like the kind they sell at Trader Joes. This recipe works best if the dough is room temperature, not cold. If the dough is cold, it will be hard to stretch.
- Spread the dough out into an even rectangle so there’s (mostly) an even amount of dough in each sliced roll.
- Use store bought pizza sauce or homemade. I like to cook down my Marinara Sauce until it’s thick and spreadable.
- Let the Pizza Rolls cool for about 5 minutes in the pan before removing them to give the cheese a chance to firm up a little.
Nutrition
This post was first published October 2018.
My four-year-old and my husband love this recipe so very much! Please make sure you grease the pan like your life depends on it lol I will admit that it is messy as heck when you are trying to roll it and put it into the cupcake tin, but the accolades I receive after making it every time is worth the pain. They would eat this every day I went through the trouble of making it lol Be sure to add oregano and garlic powder to your pizza before rolling it and thank me later! So very yummy!!
Thanks for the feedback and agree about greasing!
My son loves these!
Could you use puff pastry instead of dough?
I haven’t tried that but you might be able to!
These are delicious and worked well to deliver pizza flavor in portions that make sense for kiddos. I tried a few ways of making them easy to pop out of the muffin tin. Word of caution – cupcake liners were a big fail and stuck to the rolls. The best approach for me was to sprinkle flour and cornmeal in each of the 12 muffin cups and the rolls popped out easily after baking. I also floured the work surface before rolling like you do with traditional pizza
I made these last night for a grown up cousins’ game night and they were a hit! I used the greek yogurt dough and started with the low end of the time (as suggested) but found they still needed a little over 20 minutes. Definitely will be making these again with my kiddos!
EPIC FAIL!!! The pizza dough stuck like crazy to the parchment paper. There was NO WAY I was going to roll that. I ended up throwing the pizza dough/parchment paper directly into the trash.
Sorry about that Alice, you can try sprinkling flour on it next time.
Worked for Alexandra
Would this recipe work with the Greek yogurt pizza dough recipe?
Yes it does. Enjoy!
Can these be made up until you cook and then frozen or is it better to fully cook then freeze?
I would bake them, then freeze. Enjoy!
Amazing recipe! I added fried mushrooms as an additional topping and they turned out wonderfully. I am planning to use them as lunch for my 6-yearl-old and one-year old.
Thank you so much!
I am pretty uncoordinated when it comes to pizza dough (they came out more doughy and messy for me). Do you think this could be adapted to use crescent rolls?
Probably! Was your dough too sticky?
I haven’t been able to get my very picky two year old to try these yet- but I don’t even mind because I’m enjoying them so much myself. 🙂 Delicious!! And so simple to make!! We will keep these on the regular rotation and I know in time he will love them too.
My toddler absolutely loved these! I was pleasantly surprised how easy and quick these were to make. I was happy knowing there were so many veggies packed Inside. I couldn’t eat them because of a gluten intolerance but my husband said they were delicious. You could do so many combinations of flavors with this method. Great easy recipe!
These are so great!! The recipe was really straightforward and I’m sure I could try out different veggies next time as well.
Have no idea why the dough became a mess on the other day. Followed the recipe, added 1 cup of warm water (240 ml) and the exact amount of other ingredients indicated in the recipe. The dough became veeery sticky and runny, like a slime 😁 I thought it should be like that… So spread it on the baking paper, added sauce and other ingredients and tried to roll. Omg, what a failure. It didn’t stick tohether, the dough was too…runny. Well, put it in the muffin tin as it would spread on the the baking tray like a pancake. Not sure about the result but it seems something I did different although followed the recipe. Any tips?
Oh no! Is it possible you didn’t use the right amount of flour?
Always a hit! The whole family loves them. We do homemade pizza as one of our weekly staples and this is a great way to mix it up! I would add that the “cooking time” at the top of the recipe could be adjusted to match the text part of the recipe below. They do usually take about 24 minute baking time for me. 🙂 thanks for this recipe!