Cauliflower pizza bites are easy to hold and easy to eat! They are great for serving a crowd, or for eating smaller portions to have alongside a salad. And the cauliflower crust means it's gluten-free!
Everything seems to taste better when they're in a miniature form, don't you think? Okay, well, maybe not everything...but a lot of things! Mini sausages, mini sandwiches, mini chocolate chips, baby carrots...they're often more appealing than their regular sized counterparts. And bite-sized appetizers and finger foods always seem more inviting to eat than a big plate of food.
Well, these Cauliflower Pizza Bites are no exception!
Do you remember my Cauliflower Crust Pizza recipe? Oh-so-yummy, right? Well, I thought, what if I converted the pizza into smaller pizzas...or bites? What if I made them small enough that they are more of a side dish or appetizer to a meal?
See where this is going?
Cauliflower Pizza Bites are small and fun to eat. You might say that because they're small and fun to eat, that's what makes them BETTER than a big ol' pizza!
They are basically the same as the regular pizza, but you make them in a muffin tin instead of on a pan. A layer of steamed chopped cauliflower (that's been mixed with eggs and cheese and seasonings) starts it off. Then your favorite pizza sauce and chopped toppings. And don't forget the cheese.
One difference here between the bites and a whole pizza is that you have to chop the toppings. That makes them easier to bite into and eat...no accidentally pulling out the whole piece of pepperoni when you take your first bite! When the toppings are chopped up, you can be assured of getting some in EVERY bite!
I love these cauliflower pizza bites. They're so easy to eat, and it's much simpler to just hold one in your hand and take a bite. Everything is contained nicely in this little cup shape. They make a great snack, or make a bunch of them and serve them as appetizers.
Furthermore, like any pizza, you can customize them with your favorite pizza toppings. However, each cauliflower pizza bite in a muffin tin can be a different flavor! So in a standard muffin pan, you can have 12 different varieties if you want! If you make a whole pizza, it's hard to customize it with anything more than two different toppings on each half! Cauliflower Pizza Bites are easy to dress up how ever you want....then everyone can be happy!
If you like the Cauliflower Crust Pizza, you are going to LOVE these Cauliflower Pizza Bites. Give them a try and let me know how they turn out in the comments below!
~ Lisa.
Recipe
Cauliflower Pizza Bites
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 1 egg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ½ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 ½ cups grated mozzarella divided
- ⅓ cup your favorite pizza sauce
- Your favorite pizza toppings chopped up into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven 425 deg F (220C).
- Cut cauliflower into large chunks and grate using a fine grater. For any pieces that are too small to grate, but are too big for the crust, give them a quick chop at the end. (If you've got a food processor, cut the cauliflower into smaller chunks and toss it in the bowl and process until fine.)
- Put all the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 4-6 minutes until soft and tender.
- Pour cauliflower into a tea towel cloth and let cool until you can handle it, about 15-20 minutes. Wrap the towel around the cauliflower and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. This is an important step as the drier it is, the better it will hold together as a crust once mixed with the other ingredients.
- In mixing bowl, combine cauliflower, egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Parmesan, and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Mix well.
- Scoop cauliflower crust mixture into parchment lined muffin tin, dividing the mixture evenly among the cups. Pat down cauliflower mixture with the back of a spoon, making it compact.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and spoon a small amount of pasta sauce onto each cauliflower crust.
- Top with chopped pizza toppings of choice. Top with remaining 1 ½ cups of mozzarella, dividing evenly among the bites.
- Bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let sit in pan for 5 minutes before moving each bite to a cooling rack. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Remove parchment paper liner from each bite and serve on a platter.
Thanks for stopping by! If you make this dish or any of my other recipes, I would love it if you could take the time to comment and rate it below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
This recipe was updated September 6th, 2019 with instruction photos in the recipe card.
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