Easy Customizable Pizza Bagels Recipe

These pizza bagels are a lifesaver and a kid favorite! Toasty bagel halves are topped with rich pizza sauce, gooey melted cheese, and your favorite toppings. They bake up hot and bubbly with crispy edges and soft centers. You get all the flavor of pizza in a quick, easy snack or dinner. Kids love them, and they’re ready in no time—perfect for busy school nights.

I was a child of the 80’s and 90’s, and I remember bagel bites like it was yesterday that I ate them. Remember those? Those little mini bagels topped with pizza sauce, cheese, and various toppings were a teenage favorite for more years than I was a teenager!

The bad news is that they are filled with cheap, terrible ingredients. But the good news is that you can easily make these tasty morsels at home for your kids (or yourself – let’s be real!).

Plus, they can help you out in a pinch when you need a filling and cheap dinner (that picky kiddos will actually eat) for busy weeknights or a win for school lunchboxes.

Stick these in your child’s school lunch, and they won’t be trading them with their friends for “something better!”

Ingredients for Pizza Bagels

• 4 Bagels, sliced
• 1 Cup Marinara Sauce
• 2 Cups Mozzarella, freshly grated
• 32 Pepperoni Slices
• ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• Fresh Basil Sprigs (optional garnish)

How To Make Pizza Bagels

1. Heat Oven – Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. Toast Bagel Slices – Arrange the slices of bagel face down on a baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes.
3. Add Marinara Sauce – Remove from the oven, turn the slices over spoon marinara over in a thin layer.
4. Build Your “Pizza” – Sprinkle mozzarella cheese, then a little Italian seasoning and evenly lay slices of pepperoni.
5. Bake – Place back in the oven for another 8 minutes, until the cheese is nice and melty.
6. Garnish and Enjoy – Lay a few sprigs of basil for garnish (and flavor).

Options For Pizza Toppings

Pizza bagels are perfect for customizing, especially when you’re feeding kids or a family with different tastes. Start with pizza sauce and mozzarella, then let everyone add their favorites. Here are several topping ideas:

• Classic: Pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, bacon, mushrooms, black olives, bell peppers, onions, or extra cheese.
• Kid-friendly: Mini pepperoni, diced ham, pineapple, cooked bacon, extra mozzarella, or mild cheddar.
• Veggie: Spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers, red onion, olives, broccoli, zucchini, or artichoke hearts.
• Meat lovers: Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ham, shredded chicken, or ground beef.
• Hawaiian: Ham or Canadian bacon with pineapple.
• BBQ chicken: BBQ sauce instead of pizza sauce, shredded chicken, mozzarella, red onion, and a little cilantro after baking.
• Buffalo chicken: Shredded chicken tossed with Buffalo sauce, mozzarella, and a drizzle of ranch after baking.
• Cheeseburger: Cooked ground beef, cheddar, diced onions, and pickles added after baking.
• Margherita: Fresh mozzarella, sliced cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil added after baking.
• Taco: Seasoned ground beef, cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese, then lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, or sour cream after baking.
• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, cheddar, and diced peppers.
• White pizza: Ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, spinach, and garlic instead of tomato sauce.

Make a Pizza Bar

Turn this simple idea into an easy way to feed a crowd by creating a bagel pizza bar!

For a fun pizza bagel bar, put several toppings into small bowls and let everyone build their own. Just make sure meats such as sausage, bacon, chicken, and ground beef are fully cooked before adding them to the bagels, since the short baking time is mainly for heating the toppings and melting the cheese.

Pizza Bagel Storage

Pizza bagels are easy to store, making them great for meal prep, school lunches, or quick snacks.

Refrigerator: Let cooked pizza bagels cool completely, then place them in an airtight container or wrap them tightly. Refrigerate for 3–4 days. Reheat them in the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer for the crispiest results; the microwave works when you’re short on time but will make them softer.

Freezer: Pizza bagels also freeze really well. Once cooled, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag. For the best quality, use them within about 1–2 months. You can reheat them straight from frozen in the oven or air fryer until the center is hot and the cheese is melted.

Tip: If you’re making pizza bagels specifically to freeze, slightly underbake them the first time. That helps prevent the bagels from becoming too dry when you bake them again.

More Ideas Kids Love

• Easy Cheesy Baked Rotini Pasta (Quick Dinner!)
• Strawberry Stuffed French Toast
• One-Pot Creamy Beef And Shells (Homemade Hamburger Helper)
• Easy Corn Dog Muffins
• Pull Apart Cheesy Italian Meatball Sliders

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