Zucchini Pizza Bites
Healthy, nutritious pizza bites that come together in just 15 minutes with only 5 ingredients!
Jason and I ordered a late-night pizza the other day as “post vacation recovery” food. But when I woke up the next morning, I felt so nauseous and bloated the entire day. I know I don’t have the metabolism of an 18-yr old but man – I don’t think I can do late night pizza runs anymore!
So when I had another pizza craving 2 days later, I just had to try these 5-ingredient zucchini pizza bites instead. And boy, was in for a treat.
I honestly didn’t know what to expect using a zucchini round as a pizza base. After all, carbs and I (particularly pizza crust carbs) have a love affair happening. But little did I know that these zucchini rounds were an amazing substitute for all those heavy calories.
The zucchini rounds were so great for portion control, and such fun finger foods to pass along the table. You can also control the amount of cheese to top off – if you’re really watching your calories, a little bit goes a long way. Plus, the mini pepperonis make these even more fun to eat!
Zucchini Pizza Bites
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- â…“ cup marinara sauce
- ½ cup finely grated mozzarella
- ¼ cup pepperoni minis
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to broil.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, add zucchini and cook, flipping once, until golden, about 1-2 minutes on each side; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place zucchini rounds onto a large baking sheet. Top each zucchini round with marinara, mozzarella and pepperoni minis.
- Place into oven and cook until the cheese has melted, about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with Italian seasoning, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Very tasty
I am happy to see that the net carb and sugar content is really low.
Tasty little treat. I am happy to see that the net carb and sugar content is really low.
looking so delicious!
Absolutely delicious!
how many zucchini rounds are in one serving? thank you!
Preheat oven to what?
Preheat oven to broil.
I bought my ingredients from an organic food store that didn’t have pepperonis so I used organic hot dogs instead. Cut those up to mimick pepperonis. The recipe still tasted good! I also added finely cut fresh garlic for taste. Make sure to cook the zucchini in very little olive oil.Â
Fresh garlic is always a great idea!
In your zucchini pizza video, it didn’t look like you sautéed the slices before loading and baking them. Which is right–the recipe or the video? thanks for clarifying
It is best to saute as the recipe states to allow the zucchini to soften a bit. The video recipe is a simplified version of the written recipe. Hope that makes sense!
Very tasty but very wet. Next time I will salt and dry the zucchini slices before cooking and might possibly roast them on a rack rather than frying. I love that I can add what ever I want on them, my grandson wanted parmesan cheese and that was good.
Made these for my Keto hubby, added garlic powder and onions. Used 2 zucchini and he was ecstatic. Most I’ve seen him eat in months! I will pay the zucchini dry next time (Iknewbetter). Delicious! Thank you for posting.
Made it. 10/10 would recommend! I love healthy appetizers that are ACTUALLY healthy and not just lip service.
My boyfriend even loves them and he doesn’t even care one iota that it’s healthier than your average appetizer. Genius!! The combination of flavors is quite unexpectedly delicious.
A friend told me about these…. And my first thought was maybe I had finally found something to replace the chips I use for nachos! (I use scoop type cups, and load them up as tiny tacos) I can’t wait to try it both ways!
These are beyond amazing! I put some garlic in the pan when frying them. I left pepperoni off because I don’t like it but added some freakin Greek seasoning (like italian). I will probably make these weekly!
Holy crap!! Â These things are amazing!! I love your website and almost everything on your site my picky family of 2 boys and hubby will eat!!! Â Not to mention, I have never considered myself a good cook, and I’ve always hated cooking because recipes hardly ever came out right. However, your recipes have given me more confidence in my cooking skills because everything I cook from your site is damn delicious! Â Thank you for all the wonderful recipes, and for all your hard work!!!
I want to make these for a friend, but they will not be eaten right away. How long should they be put back in the oven to reheat them?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
thanks great recipe
I used the Dom Pepino Pizza sauce on the zucchini & eggplant, with the olive oil going on first & then the pizza sauce & topping with the mozzarella cheese. I baked them instead of frying first & they came out nice & tender & delicious!! Thank you for putting such a yummy guilt free treat together!!
Looks soooo good! How many are in a serving size?
This recipe yields about 8 servings but it is very difficult to say how many bites are in each serving size as this can vary quite a bit depending on the thickness of the zucchini slices.
Thank you for posting! A great option for watching carb intake!
Making this tonight! My garden zucchini was left too long, and now I have a 5″ diameter zucchini that should make perfect pizza bases. Thanks for the idea.
We absolutley loved these, great hit. My zucchini came out cooked throughout, soft and delicious. These pizza bites do not taste like zucchini to us. Its perfect. Thank you for sharing.
will the zucchini come out ok if I just put it in the oven with all the toppings instead of frying it first?
Unfortunately, the zucchini will not cook through entirely.
I made it! I used chicken instead pepperoni. Thank you for this delicious recipe. Regards from Colombia.
These are great, I just finished making them.Â
My husband is pretty much inhaling his portion 🙂
This is really good!! I’ve made these twice. As per the directions (with the pepperoni) and loved it, then instead of the pepperoni I used mushrooms and an olive slice to bring to my in-laws, Â (my in-laws are vegetarians), and we LOVE!!!Â
and by the way its more than 5 ingredients!!! Â
I’m so glad you enjoyed these! And yes, there are technically more than 5 ingredients – 7 to be exact – but olive oil, salt and pepper don’t really count. 🙂
Made these for me and my roommates today and it was a hit!!! So yummy and quick and easy
These were super tasty! Question for you though, because I’m not sure if I’m doing this right. Should the zucchini be firm and almost crunchy-ish or a little more soft? I’m not sure if I should have left them in the pan longer.
Thanks! Such an easy recipe.
The zucchini has more of a tender-soft-texture.
What a great idea! I’m always on the lookout for quick, healthier meals and cannot wait to try these!
PINNED!!!!!
just made these and they are so delicious!!
what a fun thing for me to try with the kids! They are not so big on zucchini by itself so this is a way i can try and “mix it up”
I have been craving pizza, and this was the perfect lunch! Yummy and healthy! It was also a great way to use the extra tomato sauce I had in the fridge.
What type of marinara sauce did you use?
I used what I had on hand (I can’t remember if it was a generic brand or not). But you can really use any brand you choose to – it’s up to you!
Omg. I’m 9 months pregnant and my little family has been eating pizza like 2x a week. I LOVE pizza. This? It satisfies me the same. The best part? I can eat a whole pan, guilt free!!!
Found these on the Paleo website, but thought dairy products were not allowed. Am I missing something, or is this veggie cheese?
I’m not entirely sure what Paleo website you found this on but this recipe is not classified as Paleo-friendly.
This would be great with tiny diced red bell peppers instead of pep.
How long would these hold up in the fridge? Do you think they could be frozen?
They should keep for 1-2 days but I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! I recommend using your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I’m home today, craving something warm for lunch, but limited by my diet and these look AWESOME. I want to try them RIGHT NOW. Catch: I don’t have zucchini – I have cucumbers. Any idea if they’ll hold up like zucchini?? Seems like they’re a little juicier??
You can certainly substitute cucumbers but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
This is a great idea for an after school snack. So much healthier than frozen pizza rolls
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I just made these. I split a batch into two- one to save, one to make in a few when my boyfriend gets here. I had a friend over who “wasn’t hungry” and “didn’t want to eat.” I made him try one. Just one.
He ate 14. Proposed to me. Claimed I made crack. Danced and sang around my apartment about how he’s never had anything better.
This is divine and you are a goddess for posting this. This will definitely be a weekly thing in my apartment. Thank you!!!
I didn’t have italian seasoning but fresh basil, so i added that. So good.
I made these and thoroughly enjoyed every bite! Thanks for a delish recipe!
These look delicious! Do you think they will still be good if I re-heat them in the microwave? I want to eat them for lunch at work 😉
I recommend reheating using a convection oven instead of a microwave, if possible.
Just made these. So yummy and filling! Used sliced fresh mozzarella and cut up sopressata. Next time I’ll pat the zucchini dry before placing them on the baking sheet. Thanks for sharing!
Now I have another amazing recipe to help use up the zucchini from the garden! Looks incredible! Pinned!
I just made these and have to say “outstanding!”. I have been doing no bad carbs and no sugar for 1 month successfully, but miss some foods badly! I must say i really thought i was eating pizza! I used hot salsa in place of maranara sauce and i just couldnt get enough of them! The pepperoni really makes it. Also, i normally skin my zucchini,but followed ur instructions to leave skin on. I couldnt even tell,really! Very easy to make, but o so much easier to eat. Thanxx:-)
I think I’m going to combine two of your recipes; I’m going to use the Zucchini Parmesan Crisps as the base for the Pizza Bites>>>> A little less healthy but I can’t stop thinking of how great they’re going to be!!
GENIUS!
These zucchini bites look perfect! And so delicious. Last summer my dad made something similar to these, only with grilled eggplant — so good!
Pinning this! Gorgeous photos.
Thanks so much for so many creative and healthy recipes! Great pics as well!
Wow, the pepperonis are so cute! Love that you experimented with zucchinis – a very unusual pizza variant. Regardless, I think I’m gonna have to give this a try. It looks so dainty, yummy and fresh – perfect for snacks while I’m on vacay. The honeyed asian chicken you posted was a big hit at home. It turned out so great. It’s now a staple for weekends. =)
I tried these today and they were super yummy! Don’t let them get cold though or else they will need to go back to the oven to be heated 😛
Healthy and nutritious pizza bites!?! These look delicious and I love the teeny tiny pepperoni!
Want to make this for dinner… wondering if 3 zucchinis worth of tiny pizzas will fill me up! Haha, thank you very much!
Yes, these are definitely filling!
These sound like an amazing pizza alternative! I had the pizza hangover (I’m currently suffering through one) so these are an amazing substitute to keep my on track with healthy eating as well 🙂
These are the cutest bites ever, what a crowd pleaser!
Oh, what a great idea! These look like they’d be great party food, too! Thanks for sharing.
I love this alternative to pizza dough! This looks like the perfect recipe for a party with my friends!
These tiny zucchini pizzas are so cute! Love this healthier way to snack on pizza. 🙂
Delicious
Love this. Such a fun recipe. Also, um how did I now know that mini pepperonis were a thing? SO CUTE!!
Great idea! Love those little pepperonis!
I love these as an appetizer for my next party since everyone loves pizza!
These look positively scrumptious. What a simple yet delicious alternative and a healthy snack. Can’t wait to try them.
I was definitely planning to eat some boring steamed zucchini for dinner…and not dinner just got exciting! I LOVE pizza (like any normal human) and I LOVE zucchini, so I am all over this! Pinned!
This is fabulous! I have seen aubergine/eggplant being used as base before, which I am not the biggest fan off (too chewy almost if not cooked for long enough!) so using zucchini instead sounds brilliant! Perfect it you wanna treat yourself with some fancy evening snack and a movie 😀 Thanks! x
These are so cute looking!! Perfect bite size appetizer!
Looks like a good way to snack! Anything with mozzarella and marinara sauce is delicious.
Oh these look incredible! Love that they’re bite sized and bless your heart for making ALL those little rounds and not getting cheese all over the baking sheet in the process 🙂 They’re gorgeous!