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Pizza Bagels

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Pizza Bagels are a fun, bite-sized treat everyone (especially the ’90s kids) look forward to eating. They’re great for entertaining, game-day snacks, and of course, they make for the ultimate kid-friendly dinner.

This is everything you need to know to make perfectly toasty Bagel Bites at home with only 5 simple ingredients: miniature bagels, marinara (or pizza) sauce, melty Mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni!

A hand holding a round pizza bite.

PIZZA ON BAGELS. YES, PLEASE.

Pizza Bagels are exactly that — pizza on a bagel. You start with a plain bagel, add sauce, cheese, and of course, pizza toppings. Such a genius concept, really. Take a toasty bagel, one of the world’s favorite carby items, and top it with another one of the world’s most favorite carby items. 

According to Ranker, we have a couple of tennis buddies to thank for this ingenious creation. Bob Mosher and Stanley Garczynski came up with the ultimate foodie concept in 1985 and after just one year, sold $1 million in product. Thanks, guys. Your efforts were not in vain. 

While you can still snag a box of frozen Bagel Bites at just about any major grocery chain, you might want to hold off on adding them to the list. As it turns out, Pizza Bagels are better at home. Way better.

An overhead shot of pizza bagels that were cooked on a baking sheet.

INGREDIENTS

  • Miniature Bagels
  • Marinara or Pizza Sauce
  • Mozzarella Cheese
  • Pepperoni
  • Cooking Spray

STORE-BOUGHT MINIATURE BAGELS

Miniature bagels make these Pizza Bagels the perfect snack. They can be found alongside their cousin, the regular-sized bagel in the bread aisle. If you’d like a grown-up sized portion rather than a bite-sized portion, you could easily sub in regular bagels for the minis. Just be sure to double up on the toppings.

MARINARA OR PIZZA SAUCE

You can make your own sauce or use store-bought. This Weeknight Italian Marinara Sauce is an easy, quick fix and it’s perfect for topping your Bagel Bites. However, if time doesn’t allow for a homemade sauce, simply purchase a bottle of your favorite marinara or pizza sauce at the store.

TOPPINGS

For these little Pizza Bagels, any white, mildly flavored cheese will do. Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and Fontina are all excellent choices. As far as toppings go, the possibilities are just about endless, but for simplicity’s sake, this recipe calls for only tried-and-true pepperoni.

A close up shot of a Homemade Bagel Bite.

HOW TO MAKE PIZZA BAGELS

  1. Halve the bagels and spray with cooking oil.
  2. Bake for 10 minutes to toast and remove from the oven.
  3. Top with sauce and cheese and return to the oven for an additional 12 minutes.

TOAST THE BAGEL BEFORE ADDING TOPPINGS

To make a really great Pizza Bagel, the first thing you have to do is toast the bagel. This is not a step one should skip. Toasting the bagel prior to topping knocks out that super chewy texture that comes along with store-bought bagels, and also prevents the top of the bagel from becoming too soggy from the sauce.

To toast the bagel, cut it in half and spray it with cooking oil. If you do not have cooking spray, you can lightly brush olive oil across the top of the bagels.

ADD TOPPINGS AND BAKE AGAIN

After the bagel is toasted, add a dab of sauce, a pinch of freshly grated cheese, a sprinkle of toppings and bake.

Now, at this point, you may find it irresistible not to dive right in, but for the sake of the roof of your mouth…let them cool at least 10-15 minutes.

Three pizza bagel bites plated on a round wooden tray.

HOW TO FREEZE, THAW & REHEAT PIZZA BAGEL BITES

Once your Homemade Bagel Bites have cooled, you can either serve right away or transfer them to a rimmed pan and place in the freezer. After a couple of hours, transfer the frozen bagels to a freezer-safe, zip-top bag.

If planning to send them in your kid’s lunch, simply pull out the miniature bagel bites the night before, and place them in a plastic container in the refrigerator to thaw overnight.

If using as a make-ahead game day snack or dinner, simply preheat the oven to 350°, transfer the frozen bagel bites to a sheet pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until heated through completely.

5 MORE DINNER IDEAS YOU’LL LOVE

  • Chicken Marinara Bake combines two Italian favorites: Marinara sauce and melty mozzarella cheese. They come together to spruce up boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a baked dish everyone adores.
  • Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders feature chicken tenderloins with panko breadcrumbs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Don’t forget marinara sauce on the side for dipping!
  • Baked Spaghetti Casserole is the easiest way to serve spaghetti to the table! It’s made up of spaghetti noodles coated in parmesan and butter, an easy marinara meat sauce, savory cottage cheese, and a topping of stretchy mozzarella!
  • Chicken Pot Pie is done up right in this homemade rendition with a buttery, made-from-scratch pie crust and a creamy chicken pot pie sauce.
  • Oven Baked Breaded Pork Chops with a crispy, homemade Panko breading are always crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside!
5 from 40 votes
Bagel Bites
Print
Pizza Bagels
Prep Time
12 mins
Cook Time
22 mins
Total Time
34 mins
 

How to make perfect Pizza Bagels at home! Made easy with miniature bagels, tomato sauce, melty Mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Pizza Bagels
Servings: 5
Calories: 439 kcal
Author: Kelly Anthony
Ingredients
  • 10 miniature plain bagels
  • Cooking spray (olive oil or canola oil)
  • 1 1/2 cup marinara or pizza sauce
  • 2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese
  • 2 ounces (about 6 slices) pepperoni, diced
Instructions
  1. For the pizza bagel bites, preheat the oven to 350° and have ready one or two sheet pans lined with aluminum foil.

  2. Cut the miniature bagels in half, and transfer to the sheet pan, using two if necessary as to not overcrowd the pan. Spray generously with cooking spray and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

  3. Smear about a tablespoon of sauce across the surface of each bagel, add a generous pinch of cheese and scatter the pepperoni evenly amongst them. Transfer back to the oven and bake for 12 minutes longer. Allow to cool slightly and serve. 

Recipe Notes

Makes 20 miniature pizza bagels.

Nutrition Facts
Pizza Bagels
Amount Per Serving
Calories 439 Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 47mg16%
Sodium 1314mg57%
Potassium 393mg11%
Carbohydrates 49g16%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 22g44%
Vitamin A 620IU12%
Vitamin C 5.1mg6%
Calcium 253mg25%
Iron 2.3mg13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

PInterest Image of Pizza Bagles | Homemade Bagel Bites

Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites

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Comments

  7. Anna

    These look so fun to make and I bet they taste delicious!!! I’ve never made bagel pizza, but if I spot any mini bagels in my grocery shop, I’m getting them to make this!!!

    Reply

  8. Linda

    This is it – my husband is addicted to those frozen pizza bites/ pizza bagels. I think this recipe will do the trick to wean him off that frozen stuff.

    Reply

  9. Elaine

    These pizza bagel bites look so delicious! I remember eating something similar many years ago. Why has it been so long since I have eaten them? I have no clue! But now with your recipe, I can have them again and I can’t wait!

    Reply

  10. Veena Azmanov

    This sounds like a fun treat the kids would enjoy making and eating. My kids love chipping into the kitchen so this would be a great project. We do love bagels too. Saving this for later. Yum!

    Reply

  20. Veena Azmanov

    I am not going to make this!! I am not going to make this. I will eat it all myself… O, two of my favorites. Love bagels and love pizza.. definitely going to make this soon. Looks yum.

    Reply

  21. Marisa Franca

    What a great idea to make ahead and freeze. The kiddos are always hungry and something homemade like the pizza bagel bites are idea. It’s just as easy to make a double batch and freeze than to just make one batch. This recipe is certainly a keeper.

    Reply

  25. Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life

    Bagel bites are a favorite in this household, but I would have never thought to make them myself! I’m definitely going to have to give these a try. I love the idea of being able to add the toppings I like that they don’t typically come with.

    Reply

  28. Michele

    I’ve always loved those pizza bagel bites. These look so yummy! I love that you have instructions on freezing them. My son would love these packed in his lunches.

    Reply

  29. Gloria

    Well I love bread and pizza. Putting them together is fantastic. I could make a meal on this tasty little bites.. Perfect for appetizers and as an item on the weekend brunch menu too. The kids would love these for dinner any night of the week.

    Reply

  32. Stine Mari

    I’m not American and have never seen these pizza bagel bites before. However, I think yours look really good and really easy to make too! And I like that you added a section about other nostalgic food 🙂

    Reply

  33. April

    I am where melty Mozzarella cheese is! I just love it and there is no way I can miss such a great recipe 🙂 I think it will serve as an appetizer to one of my game nights just perfect – thank you!

    Reply

  37. Mirlene

    These bagel pizza bites are so cute. I love the fact that they look like they can be served for any occasion. Definitely interested in trying them.

    Reply

  38. Chef Mireille

    there is a place here in NYC called pick a bagel and they have many unique toppings and when I was in college used to go there all the time for my pizza bagel – you are filling me with nostalgia reminding me of those days

    Reply

  41. Beth

    We totally need these in our lives as we have growing teenagers eating everything in the house! Great origin story – tennis players for the win!!

    Reply

  42. Aimee Mars

    My husband would fall in love with me all over again if I made these! Obviously, my kids would love them too. This is the perfect snacking recipe.

    Reply

  43. Anita

    Would it be overkill if we have this as our movie snack instead of the usual popcorn? Of course not! Gonna make a batch of this for our weekend movie date night in. Thanks for sharing, Kelly. 🙂

    Reply

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