Make these EASY mini pizzas at home in under 1 hour (no long rising needed)! Let everyone in the family customize the deliciously chewy crust with their favorite toppings for a fun weeknight dinner. A pizza recipe for kids that adults will love too!
What makes this the best pizza recipe for kids?
- 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!
- Affordable! Those frozen mini cheese pizzas at the grocery store are expensive! You’ll 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.
- 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!
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.
How to Make Pizza for Kids:
Step 1: Start the Dough
Combine the yeast, 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.
Storing & Reheating
Storing: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Freezing: You can freeze the baked pizzas and then pull them out when ready to eat. Use the reheating instructions below for best results.
Reheating: Because pizza dough often gets tough & rubbery when microwaved, I’d recommend reheating this in the oven or air fryer until warm. If you do use the microwave, I recommend defrosting the pizza first and then only microwaving it until heated through (microwaving too long will make the crust too chewy & tough).
FAQ’s & 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.
- 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.
Kids pizza party ideass:
Making pizza with kids is a great party activity! 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. You can even decorate with my Printable Pizza Banner and download my Pizza Party Printable Boxes for your party favors.
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!
What should I serve with individual pizzas?
You could do a takeout-style family pizza night and pair your pizzas with breadsticks, or round things out with a simple salad. Other pizza night side ideas for a pizzeria-inspired meal include garlic knots, garlic bread, mozzarella sticks, baked zucchini fries, or minestrone soup. A chocolate chip cookie cake or sugar cookie fruit pizza makes an excellent dessert pairing, too!
What’s a good small pizza oven temperature?
I always use 425ºF, which bakes the crust all the way through. This temperature generally works for most pizzas, including my sheet pan pizza!
What is the secret ingredient for pizza?
A chewy crust that’s easy to shape is key for a kid-friendly pizza recipe. You’ll also want a good sauce—I like Rao’s homemade pizza sauce, which is a bit pricier, but worth it. Some experts say that grated Parmesan is the secret to perfect pizza sauce. Whether you’re using homemade pizza sauce or store-bought, try adding some Parm and see what you think!
Mini Pizza Recipe for Kids
A pizza recipe for kids that adults will love too? Now that’s a winning weeknight dinner! Make these mini pizzas and let everyone in the family customize them with their favorite toppings.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 2.25 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
For the toppings
- Pizza sauce
- Shredded cheese
- Pepperoni, sausage, ham, pineapple, olives, peppers, and any other toppings you like
Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Combine the yeast, water, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir, then let sit for 10 minutes, or until the mixture is creamy and has small bubbles on the top.
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To the yeast mixture, add the salt, olive oil, and flour. Stir until everything is incorporated and the mixture forms a ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for a minute or two, or until it feels smooth and elastic.
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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.
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Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and form them into balls. One at a time, place each ball onto the floured work surface and use a rolling pin or clean hands to roll, pat, or pull the dough into a pizza crust shape.
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Spread sauce and sprinkle cheese onto the pizzas, then top with desired toppings.
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Place the pizzas on the prepared baking sheets and bake for about 16 minutes, or until the edges are puffy and golden and the cheese is melted and browned in spots.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Recipe Notes
Storing/Reheating: Leftovers can be frozen for later! Let the pizzas cool completely, then wrap them in plastic wrap and pop them in an airtight storage container or freezer bag. I recommend reheating them in a 425ºF oven, which re-crisps the crust; the microwave works too, but the crust gets a bit rubbery.
Nutrition Disclaimer: Because toppings will vary, the calories here are for the crust alone.
Nutrition
If you make this pizza recipe for kids, be sure to leave a comment below and tag me on Instagram @designeatrepeat. I LOVE seeing what you made!
