Who can resist pepperoni and cheese baked into pizza dough? These tasty appetizers are delicious dunked into marinara sauce. If you can make pizza, you can make these rolls!
If there is a party snack that everyone will love, Easy Pepperoni Rolls is the one.
They are a fun spin on pizza, and they will be devoured by both kids and adults.
These are on the menu every time that I host a gathering to watch sports. They’re as easy to make as pizza, with just one more step: rolling the dough into pinwheels to create their fun shape.
I used a store-bought pizza dough to keep this recipe easy, but here’s a great recipe for homemade dough if you want to start from scratch!
Ingredients
- A disk of store-bought pizza dough (pizza dough from a tube works, too)
- Pepperoni, of course!
- Mozzarella cheese is traditional for these
- A sprinkle of dried oregano brings out the pizza flavors
- The rolls are delicious dunked into marinara sauce (store-bought is fine!)
The key to working with fresh pizza dough is to let it come to nearly room temperature before rolling out. Refrigeration makes the gluten in the pizza dough tighten, and it’ll snap right back to its original size if you try to roll it out when it’s cold. I let mine sit on the counter for at least an hour before trying to roll it out.
How to make pepperoni rolls
Start with a disk of store-bought pizza dough. You can get this at a variety of grocery stores (I got mine at Trader Joe’s) or even from a some pizza shops. I like how thick & fluffy it is, but pizza dough from a tube would work here, too.
Roll the dough into a 16×8 inch rectangle, and then cover it with rows of pepperoni. Then, sprinkle the shredded mozzarella, and top it with dried oregano.
Use a pizza wheel
to cut the rectangle into 8 inch long strips.
I used the width of the pepperoni to guide the cuts, though you could make them thinner if you’d like.
Then, roll up the strips, jelly roll style, to create a pinwheel shape.
Place the pepperoni rolls onto a sheet pan. Brush each roll with egg to create a shiny top, and bake for 20 minutes.
They are best right out of the oven or eaten shortly thereafter, dunked into marinara sauce on the side.
I serve these while my family and guests are watching sports games at our house, but they’d be a delicious after-school snack, appetizer, or light dinner, too!
FAQs
To freeze pepperoni rolls, bake them as directed and place in a resealable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 minutes. When you’re ready to serve them, place them in a single layer on a sheet pan. Place the pan in a 350°F oven for 20–30 minutes (depending on the size of the rolls).
Pepperoni is the best topping for these rolls because it is thin and flat. Most other toppings wouldn’t work well (like sausage) because of its size. You could make these with just cheese and skip the pepperoni.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the pepperoni rolls on a sheet pan in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes for refrigerated rolls, or 20–30 minutes for frozen rolls.
In a pizza making mood? Don’t miss this recipe for Cast Iron Skillet Pizza. It’s a deep-dish style pizza that your family and guests will love.
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Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!
Easy Pepperoni Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 (16 oz) disk prepared pizza dough (I used Trader Joe’s)
- 5 oz thinly sliced pepperoni
- 1¼ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 egg, beaten
- For dipping: marinara sauce
Instructions
- Remove dough from the refrigerator and place on the counter for 30 minutes (this will make it easier to roll out).
- Lightly dust a large cutting board with flour. Place the dough on the cutting board and roll into a 16 inch long by 8 inch wide rectangle. If the dough resists being rolled out, let it sit for another 15 minutes until it’s closer to room temperature. Trim the ends to form a rectangle with straight edges.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place the pepperoni in an even layer on top of the dough. Top the pepperoni with the cheese. Sprinkle the oregano on top.
- Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to slice the rectangle into 1½ inch slices (I used the width of the pepperoni as a guide). Roll each slice up tightly lengthwise and place seam-side down on a baking sheet.
- Combine the egg with one tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Whisk until the egg and water is combined. Brush the egg wash lightly on top of each roll (you won’t use all of the egg).
- Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.
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