Bake a batch of easy Pizza Muffins for the flavor kids love in an easy-to-eat (and reheat!) format. These healthy muffins have a dose of shredded carrots for extra nutrition and are an easy lunch option to pack or serve at home.
Pizza Muffins
My kids love pizza, like most kids, and we have it often—but I also try to use the flavors in other foods. These Pizza Muffins have many of the same ingredients as pizza and subtle pizza flavors, but are also easier to pack in a lunch and work really well to make ahead and freeze for future days for easy toddler meals.
They are a fun savory muffin to have in the mix, and there are so many options for how you can customize them for your own kids.
Clearly these do not taste exactly the same as “real” pizza, which my kids do like to point out, but they have similar yummy flavors—and are much less messy to eat.
Ingredients You Need
You’ll need these ingredients to make the muffin recipe for kids.
- Milk: I use whole milk in my baking, but any milk will work here.
- Grated carrot: This blends into the batter nicely and adds a dose of veggies. I prefer to shred the carrots myself on a box grater so they are finer, but you can also buy shredded carrots from the store.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: For classic pizza flavor.
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Melted and slightly cooled butter, or neutral oil
- Diced pepperoni: This is optional, but adds nice flavor.
- Eggs: This helps the batter bind together and be light and fluffy. (See the Notes at the end of the recipe for the egg-free option.)
- All-purpose flour and whole wheat flour: The mix gives a pleasantly fluffy texture with some of the fiber and whole grains from the whole wheat flour.
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Pizza seasoning: This is found in the spice aisle of most supermarkets. You can use Italian seasoning if you can’t find it, but the flavor of pizza seasoning is excellent in the muffins.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process involved in making this recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information.
- Stir together the wet ingredients in a large bowl.
- Fold in the dry ingredients, reserving some of the pepperoni.
- Portion out into a greased muffin tin and top with pepperoni.
- Bake and serve or store.
TIP: You can make these as mini muffins. You’ll want to adjust the timing to 12-14 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
These easy pizza muffins are made with pantry staples like flour and baking powder, plus carrots, eggs, milk, cheese, and more. You can play with the optional ingredients to make them exactly how your kids like.
We prefer them warm and like to heat them briefly at home or pack them in a thermos if packing for school.
Sure, just omit the pepperoni.
Can I freeze these muffins?
Sure! Just be sure to let them cool completely, then store in a zip top plastic storage bag for up to 3 months. This is a great recipe for lunch to keep on hand since you can easily warm them up and tuck them into a thermos to go or serve for lunch at home.
How to Store
To store, let cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Heat briefly for 15-30 seconds in the microwave to serve.
Best Tips for Success
- You can make these as mini muffins. You’ll want to adjust the timing to 12-14 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Egg-free: Omit eggs. Increase milk to 1 ¾ cups. Increase baking soda to 1 teaspoon. Proceed with the recipe as directed. (This works really well!)
- You can warm briefly and pack in a thermos for lunch.
- Substitute the carrots for broccoli if desired. Just use the tops of the broccoli, avoiding the stems, and finely cut up or chop.
- Use all of one type of flour if that’s what you have.
- Omit the pepperoni to make them vegetarian.
- Serve with warm marinara sauce if desired for dipping.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it with your kids, so please comment and rate the recipe below.
Pizza Muffins (with Veggies!)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups milk
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup melted and slightly cooled butter or neutral oil
- ¼ cup diced pepperoni, plus 2 tablespoons diced pepperoni (optional)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2½ teaspoons pizza seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Marinara or pizza sauce (warmed for dipping, optional but recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a standard muffin tin well with nonstick spray.
- Add the milk, carrot, cheeses, butter, pepperoni (reserving the 2 tablespoons), and egg to a medium bowl. Stir together.
- Stir in the flours, baking powder, baking soda, pizza seasoning, and salt.
- Divide batter among the prepared muffin tin, using a heaping ¼ cup in each. Top each with pepperoni.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. (There may be some melted cheese on it, though!)
- Let cool in the pan for 2-5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. You may need to use a paring knife around the edges of the muffins to help remove them from the pan.
- Serve slightly warm.
Equipment
Video
Notes
- To store, let cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Heat for 15-30 seconds in the microwave to serve.
- To freeze, let cool completely. Transfer to a zip-top plastic storage bag, remove as much air as possible, and freeze for up to 3 months. Warm one at a time on a heat-safe plate in the microwave for about 30-60 seconds or until warmed through
- Egg-free: Omit eggs. Increase milk to 1 ¾ cups. Increase whole wheat flour to 1 cup. Increase baking soda to 1 teaspoon. Proceed with the recipe as directed. (This works really well!)
- Look for pizza seasoning in the spice aisle. McCormick and Tones make it, and there are specialty brands, too, like this one that is very good. It is widely available.
- You can make these as mini muffins. You’ll want to adjust the timing to 12-14 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- You can warm briefly and pack in a thermos for lunch.
- Substitute the carrots for broccoli if desired. Just use the tops of the broccoli, avoiding the stems, and finely cut up or chop.
- Use all of one type of flour if that’s what you have.
- Omit the pepperoni to make them vegetarian.
- These have the most pizza flavor if served with warm marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.
Nutrition
This recipe was first published July 2020.
So I tried these muffins did everything except the pizza seasoning because I couldn’t find it anywhere and didn’t have time to order it. So I used Italian seasoning. I wanted to love them but they didn’t taste like anything. I tasted more of the flour than anything. And I measured perfectly. Do you think because I didn’t have the pizza seasoning that’s why I didn’t enjoy them? Sad
Hi Leah- It’s hard to say and I’m not sure. I know many people who have made them with Italian seasoning and they were still good and had flavor.
These look great! Question – do you squeeze out the water from the carrots before adding? Also, do you think they would work with like a half cup of added veggies on top of the 1 cup carrots?
Thanks!
If your carrots seem really well, you can pat them dry with a paper towel. They usually are fine without that though. I haven’t added more veggies than what’s in the recipe so let me know if you try that!
The whole family loves these! Due to an allergy we use the egg free version and it works amazingly well. Still puffy and light. We like to add some sliced olives as well.
I’m so glad to hear that!
Do you mind sharing what you used in place of eggs?
The egg-free option is at the end of the recipe in the Notes!
Looking forward to trying this recipe, but I don’t have baking powder!! Substitute suggestion?
It’s possible that 1 teaspoon baking soda would be fine though I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. I wouldn’t make them without one of the two as they won’t rise properly.
Attention all taco lovers…made these with taco seasoning instead of pizza, taco cheese instead of mozz, omitted the Parmesan and added peppers instead of pepperoni. BIG HIT for my taco-loving -2-year old! I love how versatile these muffins are! Thanks for the recipe!
This was quite tasty! I made it without the pepperoni since we don’t have that (subbed with more carrots) and Italian seasoning instead of pizza seasoning. Unfortunately, my 1 year old did not like it, but I made them into mini muffins so will have many more attempts. These were slightly difficult to get out of the pan so grease well!
They also freeze well if you want to freeze some and try later too!
I have made these a few times and tbey are a hit with both my 2 year old and my husband!
I have tried with different kinds of cheese depending on what i have on hand (mozzarell, harvarti, marble), otherwise i stick to the recipe and they have turned out great everytime!
These came out great! I used Italian seasoning instead of pizza seasoning, but that’s it. Next time I will add some more “toppings.” The added carrots were great. They were easy to whip up and taste really good while remaining healthy. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad and they are good with more toppings!
These muffins are delicious! I used gluten free flour and almond mozzarella shredded cheese. I keep a bag in the freezer!
They are really good for lunch!
All three of my kids (5,3, almost 1) LOVED these!! Thank you!
I am so glad to hear that!
LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!! Husband and I gobbled up a few of the mini ones at home (before getting the kid). I used zucchini (undrained) and omitted 1/2 cup of milk, but could probably have omitted less than 1/2 cup of milk… and salami because that’s what I had on hand. I’m sharing with all my mom friends now!! Thank you!
Hooray! And I’m glad to know that zucchini worked well.
Turned out AMAZING my girls loved them!
I’m so glad!
Hi Amy
Could I be ambitious and use carrot, broccoli AND Zucchini, to compensate for weeks of not eating veggies??? 😉 A mom can dream, right?
Would the zucchini make it too watery?
You could use zucchini but shred it, squeeze it, and then squeeze it again in a kitchen towel to make sure it’s super dry. Let me know how it goes!
Hello Amy, excited to try this recipe. I do not have the pizza seasoning, any other spice mix I can try?
You could try 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning if you have that on hand.
Loved your recipe.
Didn’t have the pizza seasoning, so you used suggestion the Italian herbs mix.
Thank you so much for all your recipes.
Looking forward to more savoury muffins.
Cheers Jelita ❤️
Wow I would love to make this for my little one! Just a quick question though, if I were to omit the eggs, what do you recommend substituting them with?
I haven’t had a chance to try them without eggs yet but I suspect that one flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp water) would work. You may need 1-2 additional tablespoons of milk if the batter seems too thick. Or you could try omitting them and increasing the baking soda to 3/4 teaspoon and adding 1/2 cup additional milk for 2 cups total. I may have time later today or tomorrow to try it out if you prefer not to experiment yourself!
I had a chance to test them and they work so well. I have the egg-free version in the Notes of the recipe or: Omit eggs. Increase milk to 1 3/4 cups. Increase baking soda to 1 teaspoon. Proceed with the recipe as directed. Enjoy!
Amazing! Thank you so much, I will try that out!!