Reasons to Love Mini Pizzas
If you ask me why everyone loves Mini Pizzas or why should you try this coin pizza? It is because they are
Cheesy Cute bite-sized treats Savory Crispy on the edges Customizable Mouth-watering and delicious! Perfect for entertaining
About Pizza Margherita
Margherita Pizza is one of my favorites. It’s a classic dish first prepared by Raffaele Esposito in honor of the Queen of Italy, Margherita of Savoy, and the Italian unification, according to Wikipedia’s page on Margherita Pizza (link opens in new tab). Combine three simple ingredients whose colors represent the colors of the Italian flag - fresh mozzarella cheese (white), tomatoes (red), and basil (green) and see the magic that happens in your kitchen. You cannot beat the flavor of this dish - fresh and simple. Most of the time, the simplest dishes are the ones that become show-stoppers 🙂 I use these three ingredients to make delicious pasta and even sandwiches. Since summer is here, I could not find a better way than to welcome it with these coin-size mini pizzas. Summer is the time of the year when we, as a family, end up spending most of our time on road trips, potlucks, picnics, and beaches. This pizza would be perfect to be served at these venues. So don’t forget to add this to your summer to-do list. Kids love bite-sized food. It’s even more fun when you get them involved with you in the kitchen 🙂 Give them a cookie cutter and allow them to cut out mini pizza bases from the rolled-out pizza dough. Of course, you can also prepare regular margherita pizza from the same dough if you do not want to experiment with mini pizzas. I have presented the mini pizzas in two ways: For the first method: Spread sauce on the base, add thick fresh mozzarella slices, and top it with fresh tomatoes and basil. This is to get an even distribution of oozing cheese in every bite, as we all love cheese! For the second method: Spread sauce on the base, add half chopped tomatoes and half fresh mozzarella, and sprinkle fresh basil. This is to make it more colorful and attractive. This is relatively healthy compared to the first method due to the smaller amount of cheese in each mini pizza. This can be served as a party snack, finger food, or even as an appetizer for lunch or dinner. All you need to do is to see how your kids, family, and friends gobble it 🙂 Oh wait, don’t forget to reserve some for yourself because these mini pizzas are going to disappear in a matter of seconds once they are served. If you are a cheese lover just like us then don’t miss to give this recipe a try. While you are here you can also check out my other pizza recipes. I would love to know which are your favorite pizza toppings or cheese blends in the comment section below. I would love to give them a try.
Ingredients for Mini Pizzas
For the dough
All-purpose flour is the main ingredient in the dough. Pizza flour (high protein and gluten content) or Whole wheat flour can also be used. Salt is added for flavor. Sugar is added to help the yeast activate. Honey can also be used. Active dry yeast is used as the leavening agent. You can also use regular yeast or quick-rise yeast. Sourdough prepared using natural yeast can also be used. Warm water (about 98 degrees F or 36 C) is used to activate the yeast and help in kneading the dough. Warm milk can also be used to obtain a richer dough. Olive oil to coat the dough and prevent it from drying out. Use any oil of your choice.
For the topping
Pizza sauce or any tomato sauce or pasta sauce of your choice. Mozzarella cheese - fresh or packaged can be used. You may use sliced or shredded cheese. If Mozzarella is not available, use any melting cheese of your choice. Tomatoes - fresh Roma tomatoes, plum tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes may be used for the topping. Basil leaves are used for flavor. Use Italian basil for authentic flavors. This is optional. Dried basil leaves are used for flavor. You can also use Italian seasoning or Pizza seasoning or other dried herbs such as oregano, thyme, etc. This is optional.
Refer to the recipe card for a complete list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Steps to Prepare Coin Margherita Pizza
Step 1 - First, activate the yeast. Add flour, and knead it until you get a smooth elastic dough. Cover and let it sit for 1.5 hours or until nearly doubled in size. Step 2 - Transfer the risen dough from Step 1 to a well floured surface, and roll it to desired shape and thickness. Roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness and cut them into rounds using a cookie cutter. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Top the crust the way you desire. Bake in the preheated 425 F (220 C) oven for 4 to 6 minutes or just until the cheese melts. Step 3 - Sprinkle some fresh basil as soon as the pizzas are out of the oven. Mini Pizzas or Coin Pizzas are now ready. Serve and enjoy.
Expert Chef Tips
Other Mini Pizza Ideas
If you are looking for inspiration for other similar mini pizza recipes to be served as appetizers or snacks at parties or gatherings, you can check out the following recipes.
Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions
These Mini Pizzas / Coin Pizzas can be made ahead of time. The mini pizzas can be assembled on cookie sheets and then placed in the freezer to firm up. Once frozen, they can be transferred to freezer-safe storage bags and stored for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, directly place them in a preheated oven to cook them through. Add 3 to 4 minutes to the cooking/baking time to account for frozen pizzas. If you have leftover mini-pizzas, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can reheat them over a griddle/pan, toaster oven, oven, air fryer, etc.
Topping Ideas
Cheese: Melting cheese goes well in this recipe, such as Mozzarella, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gruyere, Provolone, etc. But you may also try Mexican cheese, Parmesan, Feta, Blue Cheese, etc. Meat: Grilled chicken, Italian sausage, pepperoni, prosciutto, bacon, ham, chorizo, shrimp, etc. Vegetables: Roasted red/yellow peppers, sweet corn, peas, onions, sauteed mushrooms, green peppers, blanched spinach, cherry tomatoes, kalamata/green olives, jalapenos, banana peppers. Other: Grilled/Fresh pineapple, cooked beans, fresh basil (or other herbs), roasted garlic, bean sprouts, Paneer (Indian cottage cheese), Tofu, etc.
More Pizza and Pasta Recipes to Love
Did you like this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Recipe card
