These Pizza Cruffins are sheets of crescent roll dough filled and rolled with mozzarella, mini pepperonis, and garlic butter, baked to golden perfection in a muffin tin. Then, each savory cruffin is topped with more garlic butter and fresh parsley. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping to enjoy all of the flavors of a pepperoni pizza in a muffin, I mean, cruffin form! I plan to serve them as an appetizer for all of the big football games coming up! If you love these pizza cruffins, be sure to try my Cheesy Garlic Cruffins and Easy Cheesy Cruffins, too!
What Is A Cruffin?
A cruffin is a tasty combination of a croissant and a muffin. In this recipe, I use crescent roll dough instead of croissant dough, making it a simple, no-fuss option that anyone can easily make without the need for homemade dough. I have both savory cruffins (like these pizza cruffins) and sweet cruffins like blueberry cruffins and strawberries and cream cruffins, just to name a few!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Dough: Look for tubes of refrigerated crescent roll sheets (the kind without perforations); they make this recipe even easier! If you only have perforated sheets, don’t worry! Just pinch the seams together after you roll them out.
- Butter: I used unsalted butter for both the garlic butter spread on the crescent roll dough before baking and the garlic butter topping. If using salted butter, you might want to reduce the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Garlic: Minced garlic is used in both the filling and the garlic butter topping to add great flavor to the cruffins.
- Mozzarella: Shredded mozzarella is used in the pizza cruffins because it melts easily, creating a gooey, cheesy filling. The shredded texture also helps it spread evenly throughout the dough, giving each bite a cheesy, melty goodness. For a different flavor, you could try cheddar, provolone, or Monterey Jack cheese.
- Pepperoni: These cruffins are hand-held, fun-to-eat pepperoni pizzas, so I could not forget about the pepperoni! I used mini pepperoni, but you could also chop up regular-sized pepperoni into smaller pieces for the same great flavor. For a lighter option, add turkey pepperoni.
- Marinara Sauce: Dipping the cruffins in marinara sauce adds extra flavor and makes each bite even more delicious. The rich, tangy sauce pairs perfectly with the cheesy, savory cruffins, just like dipping pizza crust in pizza sauce! I also have a Five Cheese Marinara Sauce that would be delicious!
Can I Make The Dough From Scratch?
Sure! While I like how simple this recipe is with crescent roll dough, you can make the dough from scratch if you prefer. You can try my From-Scratch Cruffins and just leave out the cinnamon and sugar. Then, follow the recipe below. Or, you could use the dough I make for my Apple Turnovers.
Can I Make Cruffins with Puff Pastry Sheets?
Sure! You can use 3 sheets of puff pastry (1 1/2 boxes), thawed according to the package instructions, to make 12 cruffins. Just keep in mind that the baking instructions are a little different. When using puff pastry, follow the same steps for filling, rolling, and cutting. Then, place the cruffins in the prepared muffin tin and bake at 400°F for 24 minutes. (You’ll notice that the baking time and temperature are different from when you use crescent roll sheets.)
Can I Assemble Pizza Cruffins Ahead Of Time?
Yes, you can assemble the pizza cruffins ahead of time. After putting them together, place them in the muffin tin and cover them with plastic wrap. Store them in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to bake, let them sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before baking. I love this option so they are ready to pop in the oven the next day!
Tasty Meat Options For Pizza Cruffins Besides Pepperoni
Here are some tasty meat options you could use instead of pepperoni in pizza cruffins:
- Cooked sausage
- Ham
- Ground beef (my favorite, with onions!)
- Crispy bacon
- Chicken (Add my cooked shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken.)
- Salami
You can mix and match any of these options to create your perfect pizza cruffin! Let me know your favorite pizza cruffin you make!
Storing & Reheating Pizza Cruffins
To store pizza cruffins, first, let them cool completely, then put them in an airtight container. Keep them stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, warm them in the oven at 350°F for 5-10 minutes or microwave for 20-30 seconds.
Pizza Cruffins
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent roll sheets
Filling
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 cups (339 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 cup (113 g) pepperoni minis, divided
Topping
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- marinara sauce, warmed, for dipping
Instructions
Dough
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Working on a lightly floured work surface, roll out each tube of dough to a 12×16-inch rectangle. (We used crescent roll sheets; if you use perforated crescent roll dough, be sure to pinch the seams to seal.)
Filling
- In a medium bowl combine butter, garlic, and Italian seasoning.
- Spread about ⅓ of the butter mixture over the top of one sheet of dough.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella and ⅓ of the mini pepperonis evenly over the butter mixture.
- Starting on the long end of the dough sheet, tightly roll it up into a log.
- Cut the log in half, creating two shorter logs.
- Cut each of those shorter logs in half lengthwise, giving you four sections of dough.
- Repeat with the remaining two sheets of dough. You will have a total of 12 sections of dough.
- Working one section of dough at a time with the layered side facing out, roll it tightly into a cinnamon roll shape, tucking in the end piece of dough.
- Place into the prepared muffin tin. Repeat with the remaining 11 sections.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. While the cruffins are baking, prepare the garlic butter.
Garlic Butter
- To a small saucepan over medium heat, add butter and garlic. Cook for one minute, or until the butter is melted.
- Add parsley and salt. Stir to combine.
- Brush the garlic butter topping over the warm rolls.
- Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
These are such a fun (and delicious) twist on pizza! They are flaky, cheesy, and packed with flavor!
Elizabeth
I love these pizza cruffins! I want to try them with other pizza 'toppings', too!
Annabelle
These are very good. They would be a popular Super Bowl appetizer, especially with marinara sauce for dipping.
Bella
This is perfect for pizza lovers! What a neat idea!
Selena
Great combination of garlic, cheese, and pepperoni. A tasty snack!
