The Best Pizza Flavored Snacks
Nothing quite compares with pizza in modern culinary culture. It’s the go-to takeout food for families across the western world and fills the freezers of grocery stores to offer an easy, convenient meal on the fly.Â
Pizza is America's favorite food—but it's also Italy's and Israel's and basically anywhere that people have taste buds.
Meat-eaters love pizza for the indulgent beefy toppings, vegetarians enjoy it with veggies and cheese, and even vegans find workarounds that allow them to get in on the fun.
The bottom line is that pizza rules, and you aren’t alone if you want to eat it every day. The problem is that the all-pizza lifestyle is frowned upon by society, not to mention that it isn’t great for your health. Even the “clean” pizza recipes we try at home are still often packed with fats and carbs.
That’s why so many people are seeking alternatives that will satisfy their pizza craving and still capture the essence of pizza in all its glory with a lighter, healthier nutrition profile. If you’re on the go or just chilling on the couch at home, you want something light to munch on that brings the tasty pizza vibes without committing to an entire pie.
Here’s a list of snacks that deliver big on pizza flavor while saving you some convenience and calories. Dare we say that some of our suggestions might even be healthy? Read on to learn about our favorite pizza-flavored snacks you can pick up at the store or make at home.
Easy Pizza Snack Mix
The best snacks are the ones that fill up a big plastic bowl and rest comfortably on your lap as you enjoy your favorite show at the end of a long day. Snack mix is definitely a classic in this category, bringing us back to a simpler time.
Sure, you can unload a bag of crunchy cereal and pretzels into a bowl and call it quits, but what’s the fun in that? Those basic salty flavors will only take you so far, and you owe it to yourself to add a dash of pizza goodness to the equation. That slight umami taste and that cheese flavor are a flavor combo that will always make you say, "Whoa." Luckily, that’s pretty easy to pull off.
To make a quick pizza snack mix, take your favorite classic mix and load it into a bag with some parmesan, vegetable oil, garlic powder, and just a splash of spaghetti sauce from the fridge (or a tomato-red powder for less mess). Seal the bag up and shake everything until the cereal and pretzels are fully coated from every angle. Sprinkle in a little bit of cheddar cheese (or your cheese of choice) to really deliver your pizza fix. You can use anything that's in proximity that you think would be delicious in your pizza mix.
The best part of these customizable recipes is that you really can make it yours—whether you want whey protein powder, skim milk, or a load of dairy alternatives.
You can then spread out the mix on some parchment paper and let it crisp up in the oven for a few minutes before you take it out and enjoy. Extra parmesan cheese is always welcome.
Pizza Mini-Bagels or Toasts
Ready for a throwback? You don’t need to prowl the frozen food aisle to have some tasty pizza bagels at home. In fact, this is one of the easiest recipes out there, so give it a try.
You only need basic pizza sauce, some shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese (we suggest a mix of both), and whatever toppings you want for your creation, all chopped up. Sausage, pepperoni, bell pepper, olives, mushroom, it’s all fair play.
Layer on the sauce, the cheese, the toppings, and bake until they look perfect. Mini bagels are just one idea. The recipe works great with English muffins, mini-toasts, or any other starchy substitute you can come up with.
Simple Pizza Sandwiches
Pizza subs, open-faced pizza sandwiches – did someone say pizza grilled cheese? Anything is possible, and with the same basic ingredients we described above, you can bring your vision to life way easier than you might think.
Remember that you don’t need to go all-in on toppings, American cheese, and sauce to give a sandwich a subtle pizza influence. Just a little bit goes a long way, and it works great with other classic sandwich toppings like lettuce, tomato, bell peppers, and onion.
Deli meats are also not a necessity to get into the pizza groove. You can slice some thin tofu to add a meaty texture and still create a spicy flavor profile on your next sandwich. It’s all about creativity, so embrace your inner chef and get busy! Grab random stuff from the international food aisle, embrace the presence of tomato paste, or even smooth some vodka sauce on those bad boys for a spicy kick. There are no instructions, just vibes.
Pizza Muffins (For Breakfast!)
Whoever says that you can’t enjoy pizza-flavored snacks for breakfast is someone who can’t be trusted. You can use these classic ingredients on English muffins or make more delicate pastries from scratch or with a standard muffin mix.
If you don’t have the skills to make reliable batches of muffins, this is a great excuse to start your baking journey. The only difference here is that you garnish with a scoop of sauce, cheese, and fine-chopped toppings to make them a certified pizza snack.
These may not be your go-to breakfast every day of the week, but save them for a lazy weekend morning, and you won’t be disappointed.
Quick Pizza Popcorn
Are you ready for the simple pizza snack recipe that’s about to change your life? This pizza popcorn is so easy to make, and after one handful, you’ll wonder what took you so long to discover it.
You can easily pick up a pre-made pizza seasoning from the store and sprinkle it on your favorite pre-popped popcorn, but that’s for amateurs! Go all-in by popping your own kernels, layering on the Wisconsin cheddar, sprinkling with your favorite toppings and herbs, then bake at low heat until it’s all perfectly melty.
There are even tiny pepperoni pieces available to add a meaty dimension to your pizza popcorn. It’s so filling that you may not want to eat dinner, so leave some room!
Toasty Pizza Pita Pockets
If you want a blast of nostalgia but don’t want to heat up a frozen pizza pocket from the gas station, we don’t blame you. It’s pretty easy to recreate this indulgent snack using standard pita pockets, sauce, onion powder, cheese, and your preferred pizza toppings at home for natural flavors that maintain that tomatoey goodness.
Just make sure your pitas are glazed with a light coating of healthy oil like corn oil, veggie oil, or palm oil before you load them up and set them in the oven to bake. It won’t be obvious when they’re done, so it might take some patience and some trial-and-error before you figure out the perfect timing. Wait for it to turn a yummy caramel color, or for a little of the cheese to start oozing from the inside of this hot pocket of pizza. Yummmm!Â
Try a bunch of different fillings and enjoy the old-school pizza pocket sensation with way fewer calories and unwanted additives.Â
Hot and Tasty Pizza Dip
Do you find yourself craving the comfort of a classic 7-layer dip but want to keep things simple, quick, and pizza-forward? You can make a homemade pizza dip in under half an hour with ingredients you probably already have on hand.
Just mix together sour cream and cream cheese to coat the bottom of a baking pan, layer it with pizza sauce, top it completely with real cheese, then add your favorite topping combos to make a creamy dip that cooks quickly in the oven. You can easily make a classic pizza dip, or try some of your favorite pizzeria combos like veggie lovers, BBQ chicken, or Mexican blend. If you're not into the whole tomato thing, you can replace the pizza sauce with a white sauce, or just sprinkle tomato powder on top of all this cheesy deliciousness. Each individual serving can be personalized to what you want, which is part of what makes pizza dip so much fun.
Load up a bowl with corn chips (or steak-cut potatoes), and bask in the glory of this amazingly easy snack.
Baked Pizza French Fries
Whether you make your fries from scratch or prefer the frozen fries in a bag, it doesn’t take much time or effort to transform them into a pizza feast starring all the key ingredients we love.
Make sure your potato strips are at room temp (or thawed out from the freezer) and then mix them up in a large zip-lock back with tomato paste, paprika, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and sugar. You can also speed things up by using a store-bought pizza sauce.
Arrange the pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer, then bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees before turning and shuffling them around (while adding more cheese, of course).
In another 15 minutes, you’ve got a gorgeous batch of pizza fries that will impress anyone present. Prepare yourself for compliments!
Superior (Healthy!) Pizza Puffs
Walk down the snack aisle in any grocery store, and you’ll see a huge array of pizza-inspired snacks. From crackers and chips to mini pizza-shaped treats, there’s no shortage of snacks in this category, all with their own unique style. They taste great served with tomato soup, and each bite reminds you of a beloved food from childhood.
The problem with these store-bought snacks comes on the nutrition side of things. The snacks we suggested earlier may not be super healthy, but at least you know what’s going into them. When you look at the labels for these pizza-inspired chips and pizza rolls, you'll see so many of these snack food companies use weird chemicals or unnatural ingredients like disodium guanylate, malic acid, maltodextrin, sodium acid pyrophosphate, soy lecithin, citric acid, and even beef fat. And don't be surprised to see enzymes and cheese cultures instead of real cheese.
When buying snacks from the store, you want something healthy, satisfying, and real (and without any plastic-like note).Â
As longtime pizza lovers, we were inspired to create TakeOut Meal-in-a-Bag Puffs that eliminate the guilt and do not fall short on flavor, spices, or crunch. This snack is gluten-free, certified vegan, and contains 21 powerful grams of protein. That’s something to celebrate!
Cheesy Crunchy Pork Rinds
If you love the crunch of pork rinds and wish there were a way to pizza-fy them, just add your favorite seasoning at home. For a healthy, plant-based alternative, our original Pig Out Pigless Pork Rinds definitely fit the bill.
So much protein, so much flavor, and so few fats and salts. This is a powerful snack ready for the pizza treatment right out of the bag.
We do things a bit differently at Outstanding Foods, so read up on our mission here.
Conclusion
Are you ready to embrace your love of pizza, morning, day, and night? While it's common to see a pizza-centric snack item in the aisles of supermarkets or the counters of gas stations in recent years, you can make your own pizza-licious snack at home (or try Outstanding Foods' Outstanding Puffs or Pig Out Pigless Pork Rinds). Whether you love crunchy oven-baked pizza fries, microwave pizza pockets, or anything made with paprika extract, garlic powder, and a hint of tomato, the sky is the limit for what you can create. You could even make a pizza cookie dough, if that's what you wanna do.
These snack ideas will make pizza a daily thing for you and your family without buying pie after pie.
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Sources:
30 Pizza Flavored Recipes | Food.com
Pepperoni Pizza Popcorn {Easy Gourmet Snack} | Spend With Pennies
