At a glance

What stands out: Zucchini pizza bites are a low carb pizza option thanks to a zucchini “crust.” Pizza bites are reliable for a speedy snack, fun appetizer, or even a light meal. Betcha can’t eat just one!

How long it takes: about 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: oven broiler, shallow rimmed baking pan
Servings: makes about 30

Zucchini pizza bites with mini pepperoni.

Low-Carb Pizza Snack

What’s better than pizza? We'd say straightforward-to-make, low-carb pizza bites made with a slice of zucchini squash! (Well, maybe not better than pizza, but certainly a close runner-up.) Zucchini pizza bites are low carb and low calorie, too, with only 121 calories per serving.

Our daughter is obsessed with pizza and she loves these zucchini pizza bites. The thing is, she won’t eat zucchini if we just sauté, roast, or grill it, but if it’s covered with pizza sauce, melty cheese, and crispy pepperoni, she’s all in.

Straightforward Zucchini Pizza Bites

Straightforward to mix. These little gems are seriously straightforward to mix. Really! You can have these pizza babies on the table in about fifteen minutes. They’re reliable for a quickie dinner or lunch, without a lot of cleanup to do either.

Nutritious. Basically, each bite is mostly zucchini with a little extra love thrown in. Three basic food groups are represented: vegetable, dairy, and meat. Zucchini squash is low carb, low calorie, with fiber, antioxidants, and nutrients. These pizza bites are gluten-free, too.

Make ’em to order. If you’re not a fan of pepperoni, go ahead and leave it off. You can top these pizzas with a different pizza topping, or leave them as cheese pizzas. Customize the pizzas to fit your family’s preferences.

A popular appetizer. Set out a platter of zucchini pizza bites at the next game night you host and watch them disappear. For a heartier version, be sure to try our stuffed pizza bites with garlic butter (made with pizza dough). And if you like the idea of zucchini appetizers, be sure to check out our cheese & pesto stuffed zucchini or boursin cheese stuffed zucchini.

What goes in

Zucchini: This tender-skinned summer squash comes in all sizes. The larger the squash, the larger your pizzas will be. Avoid the giant ones because the seeds tend to get a little tough if the squash is overly mature. By the way, there’s no need to peel zucchini; the dark green skin is evenly edible and nutritious.
Olive Oil: We use olive oil spray to lightly coat each slice. It adds flavor and helps the slices brown nicely. You can also brush olive oil on them.
Italian Seasoning: This combination of dried herbs is used often in Italian dishes. We like to sprinkle a bit on each slice to enhance the pizza flavor. If you only have dried basil or dried oregano, that’ll work, too. You can also use from-scratch Italian seasoning.
Pizza Sauce: Choose your favorite canned/jarred pizza sauce or make your own pizza sauce. The from-scratch sauce recipe is pretty straightforward and tastes so much better. Marinara sauce works, too.
Mozzarella Cheese: What’s a pizza without cheese?! A pinch of shredded mozzarella on each pizza bite gives you just enough gooey melty cheese.
Pepperoni: Always a favorite, pepperoni pizza is a classic. We used mini pepperoni for the photos but regular size is fine, too.
Parmesan Cheese: Top it all off with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.

How it comes together

Tried and true! We tested this recipe a few times to get it just right for you. We tried baking them and broiling them. We broiled them before the toppings were added, and after the toppings were added. The tricky part was getting the zucchini tender without overcooking the toppings. We did all that testing so that your zucchini pizza bites would be reliable the first time you make them!

Prep the zucchini. Slice the zucchini into even slices, about a quarter inch thick. Discard the stem and blossom ends. Coat each slice lightly with olive oil and arrange them in a single layer on a shallow baking pan. Sprinkle the slices lightly with Italian seasoning.

Broil. Broil the slices for four minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and flip each slice over.

Add toppings. Top each slice with sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, and parmesan.

Broil again. Put the pan back under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and the pepperoni is starting to curl.

Serve. Let the pizza bites cool for a few minutes before you serve them. They can scorch your mouth otherwise.

Hope you love these fun mini pizzas as much as we do!

Tips For Success

Preheat the broiler. It’s important to have the oven piping hot before you put the pizzas in.
Slice the zucchini evenly. We found that ¼ inch thick was just right. Thicker slices stay too hard; thinner slices tend to disintegrate.
Don’t overload the pizzas. They are MINI pizzas. If you put too much on them, it all slides off.

Straightforward Recipe Variations

Get creative with the toppings. There are any number of pizza toppings available so choose what you like best. Pretty much anything goes, but just remember you can’t fit a lot on them!

Vegetarian pizza bites: Simply omit the pepperoni.

More carb-free pizza ideas: If the idea of pizza without the carbs speaks to you, try pizza chicken, pizza stuffed spaghetti squash, or pizza quinoa stuffed peppers.

More straightforward pizza ideas: Try pizza quesadillas, air fryer bagel bites, or from-scratch hot pockets.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate: Zucchini pizza bites are best eaten fresh. If you have any left over, refrigerate them in a single layer, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.

Reheat: Leftover pizza bites can be warmed up in the microwave or baked in your toaster oven until heated through. A speedy stint in the air fryer will do the trick, too.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #23. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

Browse Meal Plans

Everything Pizza!

Yield: 6
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 6 minutes
Total: 19 minutes

Ingredients

2 large zucchini, cut into ¼ -inch rounds
olive oil spray, as needed
½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
¼ cup pizza sauce
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
30 slices pepperoni (one for each pizza)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Method

Place oven rack 6 inches from broiler and preheat the broiler (High).
Lightly spray rimmed baking pan with olive oil spray. Place zucchini slices on pan, flip to coat both sides with oil. Sprinkle lightly with Italian seasoning.
Place under the broiler for 4 minutes. Remove pan from oven and flip each slice over.
Top each slice with sauce (about ½ teaspoon), mozzarella cheese, one pepperoni slice, and Parmesan cheese.
Return zucchini to oven and broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until pepperoni is slightly crisp and cheese is melted.
Let cool 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

Notes

Yield note: The number of pizza bites will vary depending on size of zucchini and how thick you slice them. Stick as close as you can to ¼ inch slices for best results.

Toppings: If you prefer, omit the pepperoni and make cheese pizzas. Other toppings of your choice can be substituted for the pepperoni. Don’t overload the pizzas because the toppings tend to slide off if there’s too much on each slice.

Storage: Zucchini pizza bites are best eaten fresh. If you have any left over, refrigerate them in a single layer, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the microwave or bake them in your toaster oven until heated through.

Recipe retested and revised 11/30/2022.