These pepperoni pizza sticks are made with homemade pizza dough and packed with cheese and pepperoni. Baked until melty and perfect then dipped in marinara sauce. You're going to love this simple snack or appetizer recipe!
I love to serve up these cheesy pepperoni pizza sticks for lunch on weekdays because with my oldest kid in school 8 dippable sticks is a perfect amount for the three of us to share.
Making these homemade pepperoni cheese sticks are easy to make and so much fun to eat. They'd be great as a nice party appetizer for a football game, kids lunch or any occasion in between (is there ever a bad time for pizza?)
Other great pizza appetizers include Pepperoni Pizza Bombs and Mini Bagel Pizzas.
Why This Recipe Works
- It's made from scratch. We make our own pizza dough and turn it into something fun.
- It's not too much effort. Make the dough, roll it out, assemble and bake. The steps are all pretty basic and easy. In fact, my kids like to help with most of them.
- They're great lunch options too. Pizza for lunch is so delicious, and this just makes portioning out servings a little easier, haha. Make the dough the night before for a faster prep, and enjoy!
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
Warm Water- You will need warm water that is not about 100-110 degrees F. This will proof the yeast and activate it. Too hot and the yeast dies. Too cold and the yeast won't work properly.
Active Dry Yeast- You will need yeast to help the pizza dough expand and grow. Make sure that it is not expired before using it.
All-Purpose Flour- For the gluten structure of the dough.
Granulated Sugar- To feed the yeast and help the dough expand.
Salt- A natural flavor enhancer.
Olive Oil- This is necessary for the dough to taste perfect.
Pepperoni Slices- Having pepperoni inside every pizza stick really makes them taste like real pizza.
Mozzarella Cheese- You can use a brick of mozzarella cheese or mozzarella string cheese for this recipe.
Butter- Use melted butter for a rich and flavorful topping before baking.
Seasonings- You will want a blend of dried oregano, dried parsley, and garlic powder for garlic butter.
Marinara Sauce- This is an optional ingredient. Marinara sauce is meant to be served alongside the pizza sticks (for dipping), but you can easily eat them as-is without sauce.
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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🔪 Instructions
Check out how to Make Pepperoni Pizza Sticks with these simple step-by-step instructions:
In a large bowl, add your warm water and yeast. Let sit for a minute or two until it looks foamy. If it doesn't foam up within 5 minutes, toss it out and try again. *See notes on why below.
Add in the flour, sugar, salt, and olive oil, stirring to combine. The dough will appear shaggy.
Lightly sprinkle a work surface with flour and then turn the dough out onto the counter. Knead for about 5 minutes until elastic and smooth. Try to incorporate the dough pieces that didn't originally want to stick.
Place the dough back into the bowl and then rest it on top of the stove as the oven preheats to 500 degrees F. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Roll the dough out into a big rectangle.
Mentally divide the dough into 6 sections and arrange 4 pepperonis and a piece of cheese into the center of each section.
Use a pizza cutter to divide it into 6 pieces that are equal (or almost equal) in size. Cut around the pepperoni's using them as a guide to make sure you have plenty of dough to use.
Fold the dough up and over the meat and cheese, sealing it closed by pinching the dough as needed.
Gently roll into oval breadstick shapes and place onto a baking sheet.
In a small bowl, combine the butter, oregano, parsley, and garlic powder. Whisk together until well mixed.
Brush over the top of the pepperoni sticks.
Bake for 10 minutes until golden.
Serve warm with marinara sauce.
🧾 Substitutions
Pizza dough. If desired you can use storebought pizza dough or even canned crescent sheet dough instead of homemade pizza dough. No changes will be necessary to the recipe, just use as directed in place of the dough. This is a great way to save on time if you're in a hurry.
Cheese. If you do not have a block of cheese to cut into slices you can instead opt for a few sticks of string cheese. Use 8 string cheeses instead of 4 ounces of mozzarella. Every one of the pepperoni dip sticks will get its own cheese stick.
🍴 Recipe Tips
If desired you can add in other small pizza toppings for a more unique experience. Things like sliced ham, or black olives could be great!
This recipe can easily be scaled up to feed more people if needed. Perfect for a finger-food option at a party!
👩🏻🍳 Storage
These pizza roll sticks are good for up to 5 days if kept stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
⏲️ Make Ahead Instructions
You can make the dough up to 2 days in advance and keep it stored in a Ziploc baggie or airtight container in the fridge.
More great pizza recipes to check out soon
- Cinnamon Streusel Dessert Pizza
- Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Bake
- Baked French Bread Pizzas
- Pizza Dough In a Bag
- No Rise Pizza Dough Recipe
📖 Recipe
Pepperoni Pizza Sticks
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Warm Water (about 110 degrees F) ($0.00)
- 1 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast ($0.20)
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour ($0.16)
- 1 teaspoon Granulated Sugar ($0.01)
- ¾ teaspoon Salt ($0.08)
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Olive Oil ($0.28)
- 40 Pepperoni Slices ($2.26)
- 8 ounces Mozzarella Cheese, sliced into blocks ($1.98)
Herb Butter Topping
- 3 Tablespoons Butter ($0.27)
- ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano ($0.05)
- ½ teaspoon Dried Parsley ($0.05)
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder ($0.05)
- Marinara Sauce (for dipping)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add your warm water and yeast. Let sit for a minute or two until it looks foamy. If it doesn't foam up within 5 minutes, toss it out and try again. *See notes on why, below.
- Add in the flour, sugar, salt, and olive oil, stirring to combine. The dough will appear shaggy.
- Lightly sprinkle a work surface with flour and then turn the dough out onto the counter. Knead for about 5 minutes until elastic and smooth. Try to incorporate the dough pieces that didn't originally want to stick.
- Place the dough back into the bowl and then rest it on top of the stove as the oven preheats to 500 degrees F. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
- Roll the dough out into a big rectangle.
- Mentally divide the dough into 6 sections and arrange 4 pepperoni pieces and a piece of cheese into the center of each section.
- Use a pizza cutter to divide it into 6 pieces that are equal (or almost equal) in size. Cut around the pepperoni's using them as a guide to make sure you have plenty of dough to use.
- Fold the dough up and over the meat and cheese, sealing it closed by pinching the dough as needed.
- Gently roll into oval breadstick shapes and place onto a baking sheet.
- In a small bowl combine the butter, oregano, parsley, and garlic powder. Whisk together until well mixed.
- Brush over the top of the pepperoni sticks.
- Bake for 10 minutes until golden.
- Serve warm with marinara sauce.
Notes
Substitutions
- Pizza dough. If desired you can use storebought pizza dough or even canned crescent sheet dough instead of homemade pizza dough. No changes will be necessary to the recipe, just use as directed in place of the dough. This is a great way to save on time if you're in a hurry.
- Cheese. If you do not have a block of cheese to cut into slices you can instead opt for a few sticks of string cheese. Use 8 string cheeses instead of 4 ounces of mozzarella. Every one of the pepperoni dip sticks will get its own cheese stick.
Recipe Tips
- These pizza roll sticks are good for up to 5 days if kept stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
- You can make the dough up to 2 days in advance and keep it stored in a Ziploc baggie or airtight container in the fridge.
- If desired you can add in other small pizza toppings for a more unique experience. Things like sliced ham, or black olives could be great!
- This recipe can easily be scaled up to feed more people if needed. Perfect for a finger-food option at a party!
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