Pesto Pizza Bites: Crispy Mini Pizzas with Fresh Basil

Big, bold flavors in a small bite—perfect for your next party or gathering. Both kids and adults love these vegan Pesto Pizza Bites.

Close up of vegan pizza bites on a green tray. Small bowl of pesto in the background.

The Big Game is coming up—what will you snack on while you watch the action? These Vegan Pizza Bites should be on your menu. They’re seriously delicious and easy to make.

Crispy pizza dough cups hold vibrant pesto, sautéed mushrooms, and fresh cherry tomatoes. Each bite is packed with flavor; my family devoured a batch for lunch the other day.

Tray of vegan pizza bites topped with pesto, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms.

I first spotted the idea while looking at hummus cups and liked that the original used store-bought pizza crust for convenience. I kept that shortcut and swapped in flavorful vegan toppings. These bites are shown here with a pumpkin seed pesto, but you can substitute a kale walnut pesto or spinach-artichoke pesto for variety.

There’s so much flavor you won’t miss the cheese. We enjoyed them so much I’m tempted to turn this into a sandwich version next time.

Pizza dough formed into little bite size cups filled with pesto, tomatoes, and mushrooms.

For convenience I used refrigerated pizza dough — many store-bought brands are vegan and make prep quick. You can use your preferred store-bought or homemade dough; whole-wheat dough is a nice option.

If you don’t have a mini muffin pan or want to avoid extra dishes, bake the dough circles flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet instead. These toppings are also delicious served on baguette slices as a bruschetta-style snack.

Overhead view Vegan Pizza Bites on a green tray.

Make a double batch—you probably won’t have any leftovers. These bites are crowd-pleasers at parties, enjoyed by meat-eaters, omnivores, and vegetarians alike. Kids and adults tend to gobble them up quickly.

Hand holding one vegan pizza bite. Tray full of more pizza bites in the background.

More vegan appetizer recipes

  • Vegan Polish Mistakes
  • Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms
  • Vegan Cucumber Bites
  • Spicy Stuffed Mini Peppers
  • Southwest Tortilla Rollups
  • Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do. If you try it, please leave a star rating and a comment with your feedback. For more family-friendly meatless recipes, check out the author’s cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook.

Vegan Pizza Bites

Vegan Pizza Bites

Big, bold flavors in a small bite—perfect for your next party or get together. Recipe adapted from Inspired Taste.
5 from 1 vote

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Course: Appetizers and Light Bites, Snacks
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 15
Calories: 136.5kcal
Author: Jenn Sebestyen

Ingredients

  • 1 refrigerated pizza crust dough (I used a thin refrigerated dough)
  • 1/2 recipe Pumpkin Seed Pesto
  • 5 large cremini mushroom caps sliced
  • 10–15 cherry tomatoes quartered

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
  • Roll out the pizza dough on a clean surface and cut circles about 2.5 inches in diameter using a cookie cutter or a clean empty 4 oz can. You should get roughly 15 circles.
  • Lightly oil a mini muffin pan and press each dough circle into the cups so the dough covers the bottom and sides. Pierce the bottom once or twice with a fork to prevent excessive puffing.
  • Bake for 8–10 minutes until the dough is lightly browned and cooked through. Remove and let cool for a few minutes.
  • While the dough bakes, sauté the sliced mushrooms for 3–4 minutes until they release their moisture and become tender. Stir often; you shouldn’t need extra oil or water.
  • Top each dough cup with 1–2 teaspoons of pesto, a few mushroom slices, and a few cherry tomato pieces.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Notes

You’ll only need about 1/2 cup of pesto for the bites, but making a full batch of pesto is worth it. Leftover pesto is great on roasted vegetables, baked potatoes, rice or pasta, or as a dip.

Nutrition

Calories: 136.5kcal | Carbohydrates: 15 g | Protein: 4 g | Fat: 8 g

Nutrition values are estimates calculated with online tools. Please verify with your own data if needed.

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