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My recipe for Puff Pastry Pizza Twists is so easy, kids can help with the prep! Perfect for back-to-school lunches or a fun appetizer, especially on game day. All you need is puff pastry, tomato sauce, cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings. Twist and bake, and they're ready in 30 minutes! My grandkids and I make these together all the time!
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Pizza Twists
When my kids were growing up, we loved making pizza twists together. It always brought a smile to my face to teach them how to prepare their favorite snack, and they would always get so excited!
These days, I'm teaching my grandkids how to make pizza twists, too. My little foodies love prepping the pizza toppings and rolling the pastries into twists so we can bake them together!
The best thing about this recipe for pizza twists with puff pastry is that it is so simple to make. You need only a small handful of ingredients that you can customize, and the dough is simply refrigerator puff pastry sheets, so there's no need for any extra prep.
I promise you, these pizza twists are an adult favorite, too. Serve these with marinara sauce for dipping on movie night or game day, and watch them disappear in record time.
Yummy, easy and whole new twist , haha on pizza. Easy to eat and fun!
Rosa on Pinterest
Pizza Twists Ingredients
- Puff Pastry: If your puff pastry sheets are frozen, make sure to thaw them in the refrigerator for about one hour. You want them to be completely thawed through so they're easy to twist into shape and bake properly.
- Tomato Sauce: Use your favorite tomato sauce for pizza, plus more for dipping. I also have a few dip recipes for pairing with pizza twists that I'll share with you below.
- Mozzarella Cheese: You can buy mozzarella shredded in a bag, or shred your own from a block. I typically prefer to shred my own because the cheese melts better that way, but because you don't need the cheese to be extra creamy, you can use bagged shredded cheese. Only use shredded cheese or block cheese to fill the pizza twists. Fresh mozzarella balls have too much moisture and will not work well for this recipe.
- Egg and Water: This creates an egg wash you will use to brush the twists, which helps them brown beautifully in the oven. Because this is just for an egg wash, you don't need particularly high quality eggs, but I always recommend cage-free and pasture-raised eggs. They are higher quality and the chickens are happier, too!
- Dried Oregano: As part of the simple seasoning I use for pizza twists, oregano offers great Italian spice flavor without overpowering the other ingredients. I like to keep the seasoning simple, especially when I'm making these for kids who don't enjoy complicated flavors.
- Garlic Powder: A little bit of garlic powder adds so much to this puff pastry pizza twists recipe. It balances out the flavor perfectly. Don't use fresh garlic! It would be overpowering, and will burn.
- Parmesan Cheese: A little bit of parm sprinkled on top makes the "crust" cheesy, too. Irresistible!
This is one of the easiest puff pastry pizza recipes, using just a handful of simple ingredients. If you want, you can customize your pizza twists by adding your favorite toppings, like pepperoni. I'll list a few below for you to try.
This recipe is one of my favorites to pack for school lunches. See more of my School Lunch Ideas; they're perfect for picky eaters!
Optional Puff Pastry Pizza Toppings
Puff pastry finger food is such fun! Want some variety? Try different adding some of these delicious ingredients to your pizza twists:
- Pepperoni: An irresistible classic. Use your favorite little pepperonis. Kids love pepperoni pizza twists!
- Peppers and Onions: Whip up a batch of peppers and onions to use as a topping with pizza twists. Even better if you add some crumbled cooked sausage.
- Mushrooms: Try making my sliced mushrooms to pair with these pizza twists. Oh, they are so good!
- Sausage: Crumbled hot Italian sausage is incredible on pizza twists, if you enjoy sausage on pizza. Make sure to cook it first to ensure it's cooked through properly.
- Spinach: I like to make my own sauteed garlic spinach to use for pizza twists, especially if I'm making bianca pizza with a white sauce or my famous alfredo. This combination is heavenly.
- Cheesesteak: You can make cheesesteak pizza by using shredded cheesesteak beef and adding cheesesteak cheeses like pepper jack and cheddar. Get creative!
- Ground Beef: Want to make taco pizza twists? You can! Try using up leftover taco meat and your favorite taco toppings to create a taco pizza.
- BBQ Chicken: Try making these pizza twists using the toppings from my BBQ chicken pizza recipe. It's so tasty!
- Pulled Pork: Yes, you can even make pulled pork pizza using this recipe for pizza twists!
Dipping Sauces for Pizza Twists
- Garlic Butter for Pizza: You need to try this combo! Garlic butter makes the perfect dipping sauce for pizza of any kind, but my family especially loves it with these pizza twists. It's easy to make, too!
- Buttermilk Ranch: It's easy to make your own homemade ranch, and frankly too good to be true. Give this recipe a try, and you'll never want to buy bottled ranch for your pizza dipping again.
- Blue Cheese Dressing: I love dipping my pizza in blue cheese dressing, but it's even better when it's homemade.
- Garlic Sauce: This creamy garlic sauce makes a tasty white sauce for dipping puff pastry pizza twists.
- Pesto Sauce: Classic pesto is great with pizza. You can even use it as your pizza sauce and customize your twists into pesto pizza twists!
How to Make Pizza Twists with Puff Pastry
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly grease with cooking spray.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll sheets of puff pastry into smooth, equal rectangles.
- Brush the tomato sauce over the top of one of the puff pastry sheets, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges.
- Sprinkle evenly with the shredded mozzarella. Top with the other sheet of puff pastry.
- In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolk and water. Brush this egg mixture over the top of the puff pastry, then sprinkle evenly over the top with the oregano, garlic powder, and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Cut the sheet lengthwise into 9 equal long strips, then cross-wise twice to cut the strips into thirds, making 27 small sticks.
- Twist each stick gently in your hands while holding the two sheets together, and place it on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and golden, about 15-20 minutes. Serve with additional tomato sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
Puff Pastry Pizza FAQ
You can make puff pastry pizza twists ahead of time by assembling them into twists, then freezing them. Bake them straight from frozen until cooked through and golden by adding 5 more minutes to the baking time. They are so easy to make ahead this way!
You can freeze pizza twists by assembling them into twists first, then arranging them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze solid, then transfer to a freezer bag labeled with the date. Store for up to 2 months. Follow the make-ahead instructions answered in the question above to bake them from frozen.
Leftover puff pastry pizza will last stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
You can make gluten-free pizza twists by using gluten-free puff pastry. Double-check to make sure your tomato sauce is gluten-free as well; some sauces are thickened using flour.
Puff Pastry Pizza Recipe Expert Tips
- You can use pizza dough instead of puff pastry to make pizza twists if you prefer.
- Defrost frozen puff pastry to room temperature for about an hour before making this recipe to make it easier to roll and twist.
- Add only a thin layer of tomato sauce to the puff pastry, or your pizza twists will leak everywhere!
Pizza Recipes
Pizza Twists
Equipment
- Parchment paper or cooking oil spray for greasing baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry - defrosted if frozen
- ¼ cup tomato sauce - plus more for dipping
- ¾ cup mozzarella - shredded, low-moisture
- 1 egg yolk - separated from egg white
- 1 teaspoon water
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. If you don't have parchment paper, cooking spray can also be used to grease the baking sheets.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry sheets into smooth, equal rectangles.2 sheets puff pastry
- Brush the tomato sauce over the top of one of the puff pastry sheets. Leave a half-inch border around the edges.¼ cup tomato sauce
- Sprinkle shredded mozzarella evenly over the tomato sauce, then cover with the other sheet of puff pastry.¾ cup mozzarella
- Separate egg yolk from egg white.
- Add egg yolk to a bowl with water. Beat until combined well.1 teaspoon water,1 egg yolk
- Brush the egg wash over the top of the puff pastry. Evenly top with oregano, garlic powder, and grated Parmesan.½ teaspoon dried oregano,¼ teaspoon garlic powder,¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Cut the sheet lengthwise into 9 equal long strips, then cross-wise twice to cut the strips into thirds. This should make 27 small pizza sticks.
- Gently twist each pizza stick while holding the two sheets together. Place on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in your preheated oven until puffed and golden, about 15-20 minutes. Serve with additional tomato sauce for dipping, and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use pizza dough instead of puff pastry to make pizza twists if you prefer.
- Defrost frozen puff pastry to room temperature for about an hour before making this recipe to make it easier to roll and twist.
- Only use shredded cheese to fill the pizza twists. Fresh mozzarella balls have too much moisture and will not work well for this recipe.
- Add only a thin layer of tomato sauce to the puff pastry, or your pizza twists will leak everywhere!
Skyee says
Best recipe ever for a fun party snack! Making this today for my god daughters birthday party 😀
Isabel Laessig says
So happy to hear this. My grandkids love these pizza twists, too!