Zucchini pizza bites are perfect for snacking and serving as an appetizer at your next party. Thick sliced zucchini is topped with marinara, cheese, and pepperoni and broiled to perfection in the oven.
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Savory marinara, melty cheese, and pepperoni on top of perfectly cooked and tender (not soggy) zucchini slices.
Ready in 15 minutes. Makes a quick and easy appetizer or snack!
Cooked under the broiler. Cooking pizza bites quickly under the broiler melts and browns the cheese without making the zucchini slices soggy or wet.
Yield: About 24 bites
You may also like: Pizza Zucchini Boats and Baked Zucchini Sticks
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Zucchini - You'll need about two large zucchini for this recipe.
- Seasoning - A bit of salt and pepper add savory flavor to the zucchini.
- Marinara - Use your favorite store bought or homemade marinara sauce.
- Mozzarella - Shredded mozzarella or an Italian cheese blend works great.
- Pepperoni - Either use mini pepperoni (like shown above) or regular pepperoni slices that have been quartered. You're also welcome to add other toppings to your pizza bites like onion, cooked sausage, bell peppers, and mushrooms.
How to make zucchini pizza bites
- Pat zucchini dry with a paper towel. This is important to ensure your bites don't turn out wet and soggy.
- Add zucchini to a foil covered pan and season with salt and pepper.
- Top with your favorite pizza toppings like marinara sauce, cheese, and pepperoni.
- Broil until cheese is melted and golden brown across the tops.
Tips and tricks
Thick slices - Slice your zucchini into thick, ½ inch slices (like shown). This ensures they don't get soggy or flimsy after broiling in the oven.
Pat zucchini dry - After slicing your zucchini, it will begin to "sweat" and release water. Pat your zucchini dry before assembly to help prevent your bites from getting soggy in the oven.
Add your favorite toppings - I used pepperoni today, but any toppings can go on your zucchini pizza bites. Crumbled and cooked sausage, onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms make great additions as well.
Don't walk away from your broiler - Food under the broiler can burn quickly. Stay in the kitchen and keep an eye on your food while it broils. Rely less on the time listed in the recipe and more on the look of your food.
Storage
Zucchini pizza bites are best served fresh, but leftovers will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Keep in mind that your leftovers may get soggy when reheated.
Frequently asked questions
Zucchini is made of over 90% water, so no matter what you do (aside from dehydrating), your zucchini isn't going to turn out crispy. However, you can prevent soggy zucchini by not overcooking your pizza bites. I like to cook my pizza bites under the broiler so the cheese has time to melt and brown but the zucchini stays firm.
Zucchini turns out soggy from overcooking. The longer it's cooked, the more the texture softens and more water is released. To prevent overcooking, I recommend slicing your zucchini into thick, half inch slices and only cooking under the broiler for about 4 to 5 minutes.
Yes, feel free to add any toppings you like to your pizza bites. Meats need to be cooked beforehand.
📖 Recipe
Zucchini Pizza Bites
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup mini pepperoni
Instructions
- Move oven rack to top third of the oven, ideally within about 6 inches of the broiler.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
- Slice zucchini into ½ inch thick slices and pat dry with a paper towel. Arrange zucchini slices in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Season tops with salt and pepper.
- Top zucchini slices with marinara sauce, cheese, and pepperoni slices (or your favorite pizza toppings).
- Turn on broiler to preheat for a minute.
- Broil zucchini for 4-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted, golden brown, and bubbly. Keep an eye on your broiling food and do not walk away during this time.
- Remove from oven and serve warm.
Recommended Equipment
Notes
- Leftovers: Zucchini pizza bites are best served fresh but leftovers will keep for about 2 days in the refrigerator.
- Soggy zucchini: To prevent soggy zucchini, slice your zucchini into thick, ½ inch slices and take care not to overcook. Overcooked zucchini will turn out soggy.
Made these today for my Lunch! They were delicious! Great, easy recipe! Thank you!
So glad to hear you enjoyed them!
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!