Homemade Pizza Bagels

My childhood diet was approximately 40% frozen mini pizza bagels. I would eat them every day by the dozen before soccer practice and somehow still be able to run. It’s truly a mystery. 

Now I make a slightly more grown-up version using full-size bagels. Yay! The bagels, when baked, become the most wonderfully chewy base for toppings as simple as red sauce, pepperoni, and cheese.

Be sure to leave a comment below if you grew up with Bagel Bites!

What Is a Pizza Bagel?

The name pretty much describes what we are doing here—build the pizza toppings on bagels instead of pizza dough! Bagels have a chewy texture that gets crispy around the edges, which is nice. It’s a sturdy vessel, for sure, and excellent in pizza form. Plus, it’s naturally made to be hand-held. No need for slicing.

Pretty much any pizza topping can go on a bagel, but with moderation. If you pile on too many toppings, they’ll be hard to handle. A well-made bagel pizza has crispy edges, toasted bottoms, and a chewy middle. 

Easy Recipe, Easy Tips

There are a few tips and tricks to making these bagel pizzas really good.

• For starters, there is no need to get super fancy bagels. It’s okay to use store-bought plain bagels. Save the local deli bagels for a lox brunch situation. 
• Do not over-sauce the bagels. Shoot for about a tablespoon of sauce per slice. Too much sauce will make it soggy. 
  
• It’s fun to use mini pepperonis as they’ll fit on the bagel nicely. If you can’t find them, cut regular pepperoni into quarters.

Use Any Savory Bagel

You can use any type of bagels. A sesame, garlic, or poppy seed bagel works well. A salted bagel may be overkill since we are adding salty toppings. You may want to stay away from sweet bagels. 

Other Pizza Bagel Toppings I Love

Sick of pepperoni? Try these yummy variations!

• BBQ chicken: Schmear BBQ sauce and top with smoked gouda, shredded chicken, and thinly sliced red onions. 
• Hawaiian pizza: Top with thinly sliced ham and diced pineapple with mozzarella or Monterey jack cheese. Canned pineapples should be drained and dried well. 
• Mushroom and sausage: Crumbled Italian sausage and sautéed mushrooms are one of my favorite pizza toppings.

We Have Fun With “Pizza”

• Hawaiian Pizza With Cauliflower Crust
• Pizza Casserole
• Tortilla Pizza With Onions, Mushrooms, and Ricotta
• Skillet Tortilla Pizza
• Mozzarella and Tomato Skillet Pita Pizzas