Easy Mini Pizza Recipe for Kids | Design Eat Repeat (2024)

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What makes this the best pizza recipe for kids?

1. Easy dough! This pizza dough comes together in less than 30 minutes (no overnight rise!) and can be on the table in under an hour. It’s a fun way for kids to learn about making dough, too. No need to buy the store-bought Pillsbury pizza dough when it's this easy to make your own!
2. Affordable! Those frozen mini cheese pizzas at the grocery store are expensive! This pizza recipe for kids will save so much money (and have a lot more fun!) when you make your own pizza at home. Plus, you can freeze the leftovers and have individual pizzas ready to go for easy lunches and dinners.
3. Picky-eater approved! Can’t agree on which toppings to order for delivery? Make your own pizzas for a fun family pizza night and everyone can choose their own toppings. We've got lots of pizza night ideas for family night pizza below!

Tip: If you don't want to make individual pizzas, you can whip up my Fluffy Sheet Pan Pizza in under an hour! It's another great kids pizza recipe, as you can split it into sections and have each person top their own.

What You’ll Need to Make Individual Pizzas

Here's our pizza ingredient list! You'll need all of the ingredients for the pizza dough for kids, then choose the toppings your family likes.

For the personal pizza dough:

• Active yeast – Make sure you use active yeast, not instant! It works differently.
• Water
• Granulated Sugar
• Salt
• Olive oil
• All-Purpose Flour

Pizza Toppings for Kids

For the sauce: Use a classic store-bought or homemade pizza sauce, or switch things up with alfredo, barbecue sauce, or pesto for those adventurous eaters.

For the cheese: Mozzarella, an Italian blend, provolone, and parmesan are the classics!If you want to make a kids cheese pizza, try using a combination of a few of these for maximum cheesiness.

For the rest: Pepperoni, crumbled sausage, bacon, roasted chicken, ham, black olives, pineapple, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, red onions, bell peppers, roasted red peppers—the world is your oyster here! For a healthy kid-friendly pizza recipe that's also fun to assemble, put together a rainbow of vegetable options and let your kids use them to create funny faces or designs on their mini pizzas.

Step 1: Start the Dough

Combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir them all together, then let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.

Tip: You’re proofing the yeast here, which basically means making sure it’s still good—because if it isn’t, your dough will be "tough" and the crusts will be flat! You’ll know the yeast is good-to-go when it’s creamy and has small bubbles on top.

Step 2: Finish the Dough

To the yeast mixture, add the salt, olive oil, and flour. Stir until everything is incorporated and the mixture forms a ball. Turn this out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it for a minute or two, or until it feels smooth and elastic.

Rub a teaspoon of olive oil all over the dough ball, then cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the mixing bowl for 5 minutes.

Tip: If you were wondering what makes this a pizza recipe for kids, this right here is what sets it apart from so many other from-scratch pizza recipes. There’s no waiting around for hours for the dough to rise, which makes it perfect for impatient cooks (no matter their age)!

Step 3: Form the Mini Pizza Crusts

Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll them into balls. One at a time, place each ball of dough onto your floured work surface (or individual parchment paper if you have little helpers!) and use a rolling pin or clean hands to roll, pat, or pull the dough into a pizza crust shape.

Tip: There’s no need to stick with circles for the crust! Make mini heart-shaped pizza for Valentine’s Day, triangle Christmas tree pizzas for the holidays, or come up with your own unique mini pizza ideas!

Step 4: Top the Individual Pizzas

Have everyone spoon sauce and sprinkle cheese onto their pizzas, then top them with their favorite pizza toppings. (See above for our list of easy pizza toppings!) When kids make pizza, it can get messy, so be sure to have some paper towels on hand for spills and saucy fingers!

Tip: If you’re doing a make your own pizza family night and 8 mini pizzas is too many, you can bake some of the crusts plain, then slather them with Nutella and arrange sliced strawberries on top. Dessert pizza for the win!

Step 5: Bake

Place the pizzas on two greased baking sheets (or lined with parchment paper) and pop them in a 425ºF oven for about 16 minutes, or until the edges are puffy and golden and the cheese is melted and browned in spots.

Tip: This recipe makes a perfect thin, chewy crust when it’s done, but you can roll it out thinner if you prefer your crust crispy on the edges.

Helpful Tips

Tips for making pizza with kids:

• Separate toppings into bowls: Offer an array of kid-friendly pizza toppings and put them all in bowls so kids can top their own pizzas. They can have fun making a fun pizza face with their toppings.
• Prep the workspace: You'll also want to set up a safe workspace. If you’re working at the kitchen counter, have a stool for them to stand on; make sure sharp knives are out-of-reach, and keep paper towels at the ready.
• Give each child a piece of parchment: To make their topped pizzas easier to transfer to your baking pan, have each kid make their pizza on a piece of parchment.
• Make tiny bite-sized pizzas! You can use this mini pizza recipe for toddlers or smaller children by making them more bite-sized (3-4"), then cutting them into small slices or pieces! This simple pizza recipe for kids will become your new go-to dinner!

Kids pizza party ideas:

Making homemade pizza with kids is a great party activity, as they can make and top their own personal pizzas! If you want to go all out, you can outfit your little guests in their own aprons and chef’s hats, which will double as a cute party favor.

Rather than working at the counter, throw a disposable tablecloth on your kitchen or dining room table and arrange all the pizza toppings in the middle. Give each kiddo a ball of dough on a piece of parchment paper so they can shape their crust, then top it as they see fit. This makes it easier to transfer the pizzas to the baking sheet! Mom or dad can trim any excess parchment so multiple pizzas can fit on each baking sheet.

Clean off the workspace while the pizzas bake and cool, then let everyone enjoy their creations!

Frequently Asked Questions