Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Rolls (2024)

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4.83 stars (149 ratings)

Jun 27, 2016157

Who knew that homemade pepperoni pizza rolls could be this easy? All that saucy, cheesy, pepperoni goodness is rolled up together making these absolutely irresistible.

With homemade pizza nighta weekly occurrence around here, sometimes I try to figure out other ways to change it up a little. Not that we don’t love ourselves some pizza. We do. We really do.

But pizza is so versatile, it just begs to be reinvented.

French bread pizza is easy and fabulous. Soare these whole wheat pizza pull apart rolls– both of which make it into our pizza rotation (along with lots of variations on classic pizza; this post has tons and tons of pizza topping ideas in the comment thread).

The pizza variationthat hasreally won us over the last few months, though, are these homemade pepperoni pizza rolls. My kids can’t get enough! Literally.

Our family can easilydevour the whole batch with my kids having a healthy role – no pun intended – in that process.

If I made these every night of the week, there would certainly be no complaints. Good thing I need a little dinner diversity in my life or I can see getting stuck in a big time pizza roll rut.

Don’t let the homemade pizza dough factor stop you from making these!

I’m not kidding when I say thatmy favorite quick and easy foolproof pizza dough, the perfect base for these delicious pizza rolls, really is what it claims: quick, easy and foolproof.

After that, it’s basically like assembling a pizza and then rolling it all up cinnamon-roll style, which let’s be serious, is kind of fun. Right? Right!

And of course because I love you, I’ve included a step-by-step picture.

After the rolling and baking, you’re going to find yourself with a pan of bubbling, hot, saucy, cheesy pizza roll begging to get dunked in pizza sauce.

It probably goes without saying that this recipe has endless possibilities (just like pizza!) for different fillings.

Just keep in mind to pat the dough thin, avoid being totally heavy-handed with the cheese and pepperoni, and keep the toppings chopped pretty small.

All of that will help when you start with the rolling action.

All of a sudden, I’m thinking a sausage and green pepper version would be rad. Or what about a chicken, bacon alfredo version?

Oh boy, maybe I really should start making these every night. Looks like I have a lot of pizza roll ground to cover.

One Year Ago: Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad
Two Years Ago: Classic Chocolate Mint Brownies
Three Years Ago: 30-Second Chocolate Turtle Cookie Sundaes

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

Yield: 24 Rolls

Prep Time: 45 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

4.83 stars (149 ratings)

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Ingredients

Dough:

1 ½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 ½ to 4 cups (497 to 568 g) flour (see note)

Filling:

2 ½ to 3 cups pizza sauce (see note)
2 cups (227 g) freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup (142 g) pepperoni, chopped
¼ to ⅓ cup cornmeal
¼ cup (28 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet (about 12X18-inches) with parchment paper.
For the dough, in an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (you can also do this by hand in a large bowl with a spoon), stir together the water, honey, olive oil, yeast, salt and 1 cup of the flour. With the mixer on low speed, continue adding the flour until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and forms a soft, smooth ball. Knead for 3-4 minutes (add a few minutes if using whole wheat flour). Let the dough rest, covered, in the bowl for 10-15 minutes.
Separate the dough into two pieces. On a lightly greased countertop, press one portion of dough into a thin rectangle, about 14X10-inches.
Spread 1/2 to 3/4 cup pizza sauce evenly across the top. Sprinkle evenly with half the mozzarella cheese and then half the pepperoni. Starting with on long side, roll up cinnamon-roll style, pinching the seam together to seal.
Place the cornmeal in a bowl or shallow dish. Cut the dough into 1-inch sections. One by one, press the bottom of each pizza roll into the cornmeal and then place on the prepared baking sheet about an inch apart.
Repeat with the remaining half of dough.
Once all the pizza rolls are placed on the baking sheet, sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.
Warm the extra pizza sauce, and serve the pizza rolls immediately out of the oven with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Notes

Pizza Sauce: here is my favorite homemade recipe.

Flour: I’ve made these pizza rolls (and our favorite pizza dough) with all types of flour. Bread flour, all-purpose unbleached flour, and white whole wheat flour. My favorite combo is probably half bread flour, half white whole wheat flour; the dough is extremely versatile!

Author: Mel

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Method: Bake

Serving: 1 Pizza Roll, Calories: 150kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 439mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g

Recommended Products

Cookie Sheet {Half Sheet Pan}

Bosch Universal Stand Mixer

Box Grater

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Other Recipes Like This:

Pull-Apart Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Sliders

French Bread Pizza Perfected

Black Bean Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust

Hot Pizza Dip Bites

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Egg-Free Main Dish Pizza Snacks

posted on June 27, 2016 (last updated April 22, 2024)

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157 comments on “Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Rolls”

Cheryl Malovic — May 28, 2024 @ 1:44 pm Reply
These don’t hold their shape free I cut them. Recommendations?
- Mel — May 29, 2024 @ 11:17 pm Reply
  What are you using to slice the rolls? If they aren’t holding their shape, try to use a sharper serrated knife and/or try unflavored dental floss (that might work?). The rolls can be put back together if they cut a bit sloppy.
Maliha — April 25, 2024 @ 4:52 pm Reply
Can you make the dough one day ahead? Or do the prep one day and bake the next?
- Mel — April 30, 2024 @ 7:54 pm Reply
  I’ve refrigerated the assembled rolls overnight and baked them the next day with good results.
Terri — March 28, 2024 @ 11:09 pm Reply
I love this recipe! I’ve made them with the works toppings. I’ve made chicken, bacon Alfredo ones and where I’m from we have something called Donairs. It’s kind of like a gyro and I’ve made them like that as well. I’m something’s make a BBQ chicken pizza and I think the next time I will make them like that to try( BBQ sauce, precooked chicken, mushrooms, cheese and a tiny bit of very well drained pineapple). Thank you !!
Abbie — March 22, 2024 @ 10:09 am Reply
I want to make these tonight and was comparing them to the Savory Spiral Stuffed Rolls. Why do you let one dough rise so much longer than the other when they seem like identical base recipes? Thanks!
- Mel — March 22, 2024 @ 11:19 pm Reply
  Just a change in method to make the pizza rolls a bit more accessible for a weeknight dinner.
Brittany — February 28, 2024 @ 1:49 pm Reply
Easy, light, fluffy, DELICIOUS!! I made mine with ground moose, peppers, onions and spinach! I will be surprised if these last past the day! Will definitely make these again. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Renée — February 1, 2024 @ 2:47 pm Reply
My daughter and I just made them and they are delicious! We added chopped green peppers, olives and shallots. So good! Will definitely make again!!
Kara Steik — December 31, 2023 @ 5:42 pm Reply
Adult, teens, kids approved and so easy! As always, Mel never strays us readers. Thank you!!
Lindsey — December 10, 2023 @ 9:19 pm Reply
These were a huge hit with everyone. I don’t know why I waited so long to try them. We’ll be making these regularly from now on. I was surprised how quickly they came together. My kids even wanted the leftovers for their lunches the next day. Thanks, Mel!
Pamela Ramos — December 6, 2023 @ 4:45 pm Reply
5 Stars! A new meal on the rotation!
Pamela Ramos — December 6, 2023 @ 4:44 pm Reply
Wow! These are so yummy! And so forgiving. I made a few mistakes my first try and they were still so good! My picky 4 year old can’t seem to understand why we can’t have this multiple times a week. Seriously, thank you for the delicious enjoyment our family had eating these together.
Laura — November 11, 2023 @ 6:32 pm Reply
Okay. I have to confess. I’ve never made these before because I thought, is the step of rolling it really worth it or is this just normal homemade pizza? I was wrong. These are delicious. Her homemade pizza sauce is awesome (I even just used tomato sauce in place of diced tomatoes and paste.). The dough is exceptional. I’ve found my new go to dough. Added browned sausage and made half cheeseless and they were so good. Fabulous recipe!
Cathy — September 28, 2023 @ 10:38 pm Reply
Just made these..Wow! These turned out amazing!, Used a mixed blend of flours as a healthier option (sprouted rye, sprouted spelt and sprouted wheat). Used a bit less cheese and organic pepperoni. This recipe doesn’t disappoint. Making these again and again. Actually think I prefer these over pizza! Yummy. Thank you!
Kristy — April 25, 2023 @ 12:09 am Reply
Made tonight . These were amazing! Pillowy soft , cheesy and just the right amount of crisp at the bottom . I baked for 17 minutes . The only changes that were made was more cheese . I felt 2 cups of mozzarella was not enough , and instead of chopping pepperoni into to quarters I halved them and layered in rows to fill up all the dough except the edges of course . My family was very impressed . Definitely on rotation .
Lorie Cannon — April 21, 2023 @ 3:19 pm Reply
These are absolutely amazing! Much better than take-out pizza. Dough is soft and flavor is just delicious and relatively easy to throw together. I used great value pizza sauce (which was pretty darn good) but want to try Mel’s homemade sauce sometime.
Jess — November 13, 2022 @ 6:59 am Reply
Hi! Can’t wait to give this a try. I have one pizza lover who would probably take this in his lunch every single day.
Sadly, my other son is not a pizza lover, but I’m wondering about the chicken Alfredo option. Could you use Alfredo in place of the pizza sauce? Or would the Alfredo be for dipping only? (It’s the pizza sauce he doesn’t like.)
Thanks!
- Mel — November 14, 2022 @ 8:04 am Reply
  Yes you could definitely do that.
Natasha — September 29, 2022 @ 1:15 pm Reply
These were yummy! The kids loved helping to make them for lunch. I’m not a big pizza person and I enjoyed them.
See Also
Italian Easter Pie (Pizza Chena)
Sharon — September 16, 2022 @ 7:43 pm Reply
These have been on my list to try for awhile, but I always thought they looked too complicated . . . .but they weren’t. Definitely an art to rolling up the dough, so my second try turned out much better. They were a hit with the whole family. I loved the soft dough with the pizza flavor – yum!
Alison — August 5, 2022 @ 1:32 pm Reply
These were great and I was surprised how quickly they came together. Thank you! Loved a commenter’s suggestion to use as a take-in meal. A couple questions: do you think my kitchen aid could handle a double batch? And can you cook two pans at once in the oven?
- Mel — August 6, 2022 @ 9:34 am Reply
  I think a lot depends on the size of your kitchenaid as to if it can handle a double batch? Does your oven have a convection setting? If so, you can bake two pans at once. If not, you still can if you rotate the pans, switching racks, halfway through baking.
Rachel Child — June 8, 2022 @ 10:06 pm Reply
I have made these numerous times because my family loves them. We also bring them to neighbors if they ever need a dinner and they never disappoint. I love using the pizza sauce recipe that is linked with this recipe. I use half white wheat four and half bread flour with the dough. These are awesome! I have yet to find a person that doesn’t like them 🙂
Millie — December 6, 2021 @ 12:17 pm Reply
What can I use to replace the honey? It’s quiet expensive where I live and don’t want to buy just for this recipe.
- Mel — December 6, 2021 @ 11:51 pm Reply
  You can use granulated sugar.
Catrina LaFave — October 18, 2021 @ 11:32 am Reply
Hi! Could I use spelt flour?
- Mel — October 18, 2021 @ 11:28 pm Reply
  I haven’t tried that so I’m sorry I don’t know!
  - Millie — December 8, 2021 @ 9:57 am Reply
    How much would I need? 🙂
    - Mel — December 8, 2021 @ 9:08 pm Reply
      Use the same amount of sugar for the honey called for in the recipe.
Emily — October 15, 2021 @ 5:12 pm Reply
These are fantastic! Everyone in my family loves them…and loves that they kind of look like cinnamon rolls.
Joye — October 9, 2021 @ 6:53 am Reply
My family loved these. I will definitely be making them again!
Rachel — August 31, 2021 @ 8:23 am Reply
Question: Why do you dip the bottom in cornmeal? I am a little worried my toddler will balk at the texture but if it is essential I will make sure to include it.
- Mel — August 31, 2021 @ 11:29 am Reply
  Hi Rachel, it helps the saucy/cheese not stick to the pan, but you could leave it off and grease the pan/parchment really well.
Lori W. — July 27, 2021 @ 5:13 pm Reply
My dough (after assembled) just fell apart. Would you suggest more flour? I used 3.5 cups. Or perhaps I rolled them too thin? They were a mess to pick up and dip in the cornmeal.
- Mel — July 27, 2021 @ 9:10 pm Reply
  Hi Lori, what was the texture of the dough after you made it? Was it super soft and sticky? If so, yes, more flour would help.
Kelly — February 27, 2021 @ 12:22 pm Reply
Beautiful easy dough, even works nicely with part whole wheat. I’ve used the dough for regular pizza with great success, too.
I like to freeze these and pop a few with a small cup of marinara in the lunchboxes. It’s thawed and ready by lunchtime. My kids say that their friends and teachers want me to send the recipe for these so they can have them for lunch, too. Thanks for making me the cool mom!
Hannah — February 14, 2021 @ 6:46 pm Reply
I love these and make them all the time. I’m curious if you’ve tried making them ahead of time, then baking them later in the day (sort of like overnight cinnamon rolls)? I’m thinking I can put them on the pan, cover and refrigerate until I’m ready to bake them? Any tips?
- Mel — February 15, 2021 @ 9:21 pm Reply
  Yes, they work great that way!
Shauna M McGuire — January 4, 2021 @ 1:49 pm Reply
Made this last night and the kids have said AMAzING!!! Make this again. Don’t loose the recipe. It was so easy to do after I got off work. They ate the leftovers for lunch todya. I added a salad and everyone was happy. This is going into the rotation.
Anna — December 30, 2020 @ 11:14 am Reply
I love these! I made them last year for NYE – and my niece (now 5) specifically requested I make them again this year! Apparently they were quite memorable!
Rane — November 18, 2020 @ 1:34 pm Reply
I have now made these 3 times since braving it (breads cause me panic) and these are so easy. Your instructions are perfectly clear and the rolls turn out amazing. My kids love them and want them weekly for school lunches. My oldest asks me to send 6 in his lunch. Yikes! Thanks for a great lunch option.
Lisa — September 16, 2020 @ 2:26 pm Reply
Really good and surprisingly quick to pull off.
Erin — August 21, 2020 @ 7:19 pm Reply
Does this recipe freeze well after assembled and cooked ?
- Mel — August 21, 2020 @ 10:39 pm Reply
  Yes, they freeze great!
Hannah — May 24, 2020 @ 1:21 pm Reply
I’ve made these several times now and my whole family of 4 small children loves them every time. I grind hard white wheat and only use about 1 cup of white flour for the dough. It’s still soft and nobody seems to notice. We’ve done pepperoni, chicken bacon ranch, and ham and swiss with a poppy seed/dijon/worcestershire sauce on top. All are fabulous! It makes a quick lunch or a fun dinner. Thanks for all you do, Mel! You always make me look so good in the kitchen!
Angela — May 11, 2020 @ 7:00 pm Reply
Excellent! I used half white whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour. Turned out splendidly! Thank you!
Azeez — May 8, 2020 @ 5:16 pm Reply
Very nice.
Erin S. — March 21, 2020 @ 6:55 pm Reply
I make these all the time using the dough and your homemade pizza sauce. They really come together quickly and seem kind of “fancy,” they are some of my kids favorites!
Shan — February 2, 2020 @ 8:17 pm Reply
My kids LOVE these. We switch off between your fool proof pizza dough and this recipe for our Saturday night pizza night. My favorite thing about these are the leftovers. The kids love them in their lunch, or even right after church on Sunday when I want to crash they can eat these straight out of the fridge. Thank you for another great recipe!
Anna — November 8, 2019 @ 7:39 pm Reply
In case anyone is wondering whether to double for a large family (I was), the answer is YES. My family of eight scarfed down the first pan (1 batch) in about 10 minutes and then spent the next 5 minutes waiting for the timer to go off for the second batch (and even did a countdown for the last 5seconds). They are a hit! Thanks Mel!
- Anna — November 8, 2019 @ 7:53 pm Reply
  PS – no leftovers. 🙂
- Katie — August 14, 2020 @ 2:00 pm Reply
  Exactly what I came here to find out – have 3 teenagers! Thanks!
Tiffany — October 23, 2019 @ 8:31 pm Reply
Can these be frozen?
- Mel — October 24, 2019 @ 8:45 pm Reply
  Yes!
Joni — September 25, 2019 @ 10:09 am Reply
Loved the dough recipe. I’ve made these all my life with frozen dough. This is super easy! I left out the cornmeal because I felt it might be messy and they were delicious without it.
- Candace — March 21, 2021 @ 3:36 pm Reply
  The cornmeal is mostly so that the dough doesn’t stick to the pan, not so much for the flavor 🙂 Sounds like you didn’t have a problem with sticking, that’s great.
Alyssa — July 13, 2019 @ 10:40 am Reply
This looks amazing! Thank you for the recipe! Wondering if there is facts on the calories for this? My football player son keeps track of his calories to make sure he eats enough every day lol. So for dinner tonight he’ll want to know how many he ate so I thought I would ask in case you may know. Thanks!
- Mel — July 13, 2019 @ 6:35 pm Reply
  I don’t have that info – sorry, Alyssa! There are a lot of free nutritional calculators online if you want to plug the recipe into one of those.
Robin — June 14, 2019 @ 9:08 pm Reply
Made these tonight. They were SO yummy, my kids loved the too! They were quick to throw together (for a yeast bread). The bread/crust was perfect and crisp, and the way the cheese kind of melted on the bottoms made them chewy and scrumptious! I used ham instead of pepperoni. Definitely will make again! Maybe next time I’ll try Alfredo!!! Thanks!
Kelly — May 21, 2019 @ 7:43 pm Reply
This is my go to recipe for the pizza dough. My family’s favorite way to eat it (and my mother in law begs me to make her batches) is cheeseburger rollups. I make a mixture of mustard and ketchup and spread it on just like you would the marinara sauce. Saute ground beef with onion and salt and pepper, sprinkle it on the dough and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Rollup and complete as the recipe calls for.
Jennifer Harris — March 8, 2019 @ 11:40 am Reply
I have to say, these at surprisingly in my top ten of recipes from your site (considering I’ve made at least 100 of them). Such a fun twist on pizza, and cornmeal and dunking sauce takes them over the top.
- Mel — March 8, 2019 @ 9:01 pm Reply
  Love to hear this, Jennifer!
Annie — January 15, 2019 @ 6:40 pm Reply
I make these, freeze them on a baking sheet and then pop them into Ziploc bags. Perfect for lunches and my daughter loves them!
Jamie Zimmer — January 12, 2019 @ 3:05 pm Reply
I was wondering if you could freeze the pizza dough? I’ve made these several times, but now it’s just my husband and me. I’d like to freeze half the dough for another time and only use half now.
- Mel — January 12, 2019 @ 9:08 pm Reply
  Yes, they freeze great!
Alyssa Ruiz — November 8, 2018 @ 1:13 pm Reply
Hey! I’m looking to make these for a friendsgiving dinner, however I had a wheat allergy. Would gluten free flour and gluten free dry inactive yeast be okay as a substitute?
- Mel — November 8, 2018 @ 4:18 pm Reply
  I don’t think so, unfortunately. Gluten free flour doesn’t “work” the same way in yeast bread doughs…you’d probably have better luck googling a gluten-free recipe for yeast dough and going from there.
Mara — October 3, 2018 @ 3:19 pm Reply
Are these freezeable? I was thinking about making them for school lunches.
- Mel — October 3, 2018 @ 3:45 pm Reply
  Yes, they freeze great!
Kat — May 29, 2018 @ 6:08 pm Reply
I can’t believe I’ve never commented on this recipe. I make them all the time and they are a huge hit with my family and visitors. I don’t know what it is that makes them so incredibly delicious. Homemade dough? Homemade sauce? They help, but it is definitely one of those dishes that is more than a sum of it’s parts. I don’t find myself craving homemade pizza anymore. Just these ❤️
Heather Burns — February 5, 2018 @ 10:42 pm Reply
These are absolutely delicious! The dough is the best dough we’ve ever made! We made them yesterday, and again today, and I’m making another batch for a friend tomorrow. Thank you for Annabelle the wonderful recipe!
- Heather Burns — February 5, 2018 @ 10:45 pm Reply
  *Oops! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!