A larger version of your childhood favorite afternoon snacks. Fans of Bagel Bites will love these homemade pizza bagels. There’s even a freeze and reheat option!
“Pizza in the morning, pizza in the evening, pizza at suppertime! When pizza’s on a bagel, you can eat pizza anytime!”
Remember those iconic Bagel Bites commercials from the early 90s? That jingle is permanently etched in my memory! While it’s easy to simply grab a box from the freezer aisle, there is something so satisfying about making these from scratch— and the flavor difference is incredible.
These homemade pizza bagels take everything you loved about the original and elevate it! Use fresh bagels, quality cheese, and upgrade toppings like crispy pancetta alongside classic pepperoni.
Reasons to Love this Recipe
- Nostalgic comfort foods meets grown-up standards. All the satisfaction of your childhood favorite made with quality ingredients.
- Versatility. Use any bagel variety, switch up sauces, or load up the toppings. Mini bagels work great for kids or party appetizers.
- Meal prep friendly. Prepare a large batch and freeze to enjoy for layer. They make for quick lunches and late night snacks.
- Better than store-bought. You control the ingredients, meaning fresher flavors, better textures, and no preservatives.
Ingredients
These pizza bagels require bagels, sauce, and cheese. The rest of the toppings are up to you! In keeping the flavor and texture of classic Bagel Bites, these are topping with pepperoni and pancetta.
- Bagels: Any size bagel and any variety (plain, sesame, everything). Mini bagels are great for snack size or kid portions.
- Pizza Sauce: Use your choice of store-bought or homemade pizza sauce. I recommend Rao’s, 365 pizza sauce, or Delallo.
- Cheese: Shredded mozzarella cheese is classic. For best string pull, shred cheese yourself.
- Toppings: Pepperoni slices, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, olives, bell peppers. Get creative with whatever toppings suit your taste preferences.
PRO TIP: For the ultimate experience, use homemade bagels to really make your bagel pizza shine!
Pancetta Upgrade
While classic pepperoni will always have my heart, adding crispy pancetta takes these pizza bagels from nostalgic snack to sophisticated comfort foods!
Pancetta is often labeled as “Italian style bacon.” Think of it as unsmoked bacon with a more subtle, delicate salty flavor that doesn’t overpower.
Recipe Variations
Don’t have bagels? No problem. You can build this pizza on any sturdy bread. Or, try one of these options:
- French Bread Pizza: Childhood lunch favorite made with sliced French bread, fresh mozzarella, and pepperoni.
- Two Ingredient Pizza Dough: Mix together self-rising flour and Greek yogurt to make a very quick and easy pizza dough!
Assembly & Baking
PREP: Preheat the oven and position the rack in the top third of oven.
ASSEMBLE: For standard size bagels, spread about one tablespoon of sauce on each bagel half. Ideally, you want good coverage but not so much sauce that the bagel becomes soggy. Sprinkle cheese, pepperoni, and pancetta. Season with dried oregano and black pepper.
BAKE: Bake in a preheat oven or an air fryer for about 10-15 minutes. The cheese should be melted and the bagel edges should be lightly toasted.
Freeze and Reheat Instructions
The freezer is your friend! The best thing about bagels is that you can enjoy them whenever you’d like.
Assemble pizza bagels as desired. Place bagels on parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for about 2 hours until solid. Transfer to freezer bags and store in the freezer for up to a month.
To reheat from frozen, just pop them in a 350°F oven until the cheese melts and the bagel is heated through—no thawing required! It also works in an air fryer.
Storage & Serving Suggestions
Freshly cooked pizza bagels are best enjoyed immediately. Keep leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat in the oven to restore that crispy texture. Don’t use the microwave, which will make them soggy.
These pizza bagels work for any meal: top it with a fried egg for extra protein, serve it with a salad for a satisfying lunch, or amp it up with a side of roasted vegetables for a wholesome dinner.
Easy Lunch Recipes
Pizza Bagels (Homemade Bagel Bites)
Ingredients
- 4 bagels, sliced in half
- ½ cup pizza sauce, or marinara sauce of choice
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
- 12 slices pepperoni, cut into small squares
- 2 oz pancetta, cooked*
- dried oregano, to season
- freshly ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Adjust oven rack to top third of oven. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Slice bagels in half. Spread about 1 tablespoon sauce on cut side of bagel. Sprinkle about 1 ounce cheese on top. Arrange pepperoni and pancetta on top of cheese. Sprinkle lightly with oregano and black pepper. If desired, add a little more cheese on top. Place on prepared parchment paper. Repeat with remaining bagels.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese has melted.
Notes
- Place assembled bagel bites on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in freezer for 1-2 hours until solid.
- Remove frozen bagels from parchment. Stack in airtight freezer bag (try to remove as much as possible from bag). Keep in freezer for up to one month.
- To reheat, preheat oven to 350° F. Bake until cheese melts.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
I agree kids would love this…
omg i absolutely LOVE this idea! I ate bagel bites all the time when i was little. it was one of my go-to snacks. and now, my fiance tends to always have a 40-count box in our freezer. i seriously need to make him a man version!
Yes! I think he’d like the man version!