Homemade pepperoni rolls are a favorite in our house and they will be in yours too, skip those frozen pizza rolls.! Quick to make and with only six ingredients, these easy pepperoni rolls make a delicious dinner, lunch or game day appetizer. Dip them in marinara or eat them hot or cold, yum!
Why We Love Pepperoni Rolls
- Crowd Pleasing Appetizer– Perfect for game day and snacks, everyone cheese when this recipe is ready.
- Quick And Easy– This is a fast recipe that doesn’t take tons of effort to make for delicious results!
- Delicious Family Dinner– This recipe is really tasty as a main dish for dinner, and also slide’s into my kid’s lunchbox easily for a portable lunch too.
If you need more great snacks, try these homemade mozzarella sticks, my parmesan cheese garlic zucchini fries, or my gooey easy ham and cheese sliders – all of which have instructions for the air fryer or the oven just like this pepperoni rolls recipe.
Ingredients For Pepperoni Rolls
- 1 tube pizza dough About 11 to 13 ounces of premade pizza dough like Pillsbury- or you can use homemade dough, crescent dough, or even defrosted bread dough like for rolls. You can also use my homemade pizza dough recipe.
- 36 pepperoni slices four per roll, sometimes I use spicy pepperoni or even salami in these. Stick pepperoni is also somtimes traditionally used in pepperoni rolls.
- ¾ cup mozzarella cheese– You could also use pieces of string cheese.
- 2 tablespoons butter – melted you could also use olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Marinara sauce (optional) – A side of marinara sauce for dipping is delicious or ranch dressing is also a favorite easy dip.
How To Make Pepperoni Rolls
- Stretch the pizza dough into a large rectangle. Cut the dough into nine equal rectangle pieces.
- Place a tablespoon of the cheese in the center of each piece of dough. Top the cheese with four slices of pepperoni. You could also add a sprinkle of Italian seasoning if you choose.
- Roll the dough the long way tightly. Pinch the ends of the dough with your fingers until closed and well sealed.
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter, garlic, and salt. Then follow the instructions for either the oven or the air fryer below. You could also top with an egg wash if you prefer which is great for when you are serving them cold, but I find the melted butter is a little tastier.
How To Bake Pepperoni Rolls In The Oven
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Transfer all of the pizza rolls onto a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Place the pepperoni rolls on the tray so they aren’t touching.
- Brush the tops of the rolls with butter using a silicone brush.
- Bake pizza rolls for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
How To Make Pepperoni Rolls In The Air Fryer
- Brush butter over top of the rolls with a silicone brush.
- Place a few of the rolls into the basket of your air fryer, this can vary depending on how big your air fryer is. The rolls should not be touching each other.
- Air fry at 350°F for 8-9 minutes or until golden brown. Bake any remaining rolls in batches.
Where Do Pepperoni Rolls Come From?
Though some of us ’90s and 2000’s kids think of the frozen pizza rolls, pepperoni rolls actually have deep roots in West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania. It’s actually the state food of West Virginia!
According to the West Virginia tourism board you can trace the origins of pepperoni rolls back to when Italian ingredients were working in the coal mines. Coal miners needed a quick and tasty lunch they could eat with one hand.
Seems my whole family agrees too, West Virginia pepperoni rolls are easy and delicious. Especially when we dip in warm pizza sauce!
Can I Freeze Homemade Pepperoni Rolls?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze pepperoni rolls. Let the rolls cool then freeze on a cookie sheet. You can then place them in a freezer-safe container or in a freezer zip-top bag.
They can then be reheated from frozen in the air fryer or toaster oven, it only takes a few minutes typically at 350. You can also place them to defrost overnight to slide them into lunchboxes the next day.
Other Recipes You Will Love
Hawaiian Roll Pizza Sliders – Gooey and packed full of pepperoni flavor, you can make these pizza sliders in the oven or air fryer!
Homemade Pepperoni Pizza– You can make this simple recipe with my homemade pizza dough from scratch or using homemade dough. Plus find topping ideas your family will love!
Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread– This recipe uses biscuit dough to make the CHEESIEST, gooiest garlic bread!
Cold Veggie Pizza – This easy appetizer is a fan favorite at parties, for a light lunch or especially on warm days. Full of creamy ranch flavor and crunchy veggies top a crescent roll dough base, quick and easy to make!
Baked Taco Cups– Easy to make, these warm taco bites start with crescent dough and have layered taco flavors for a delicious bite.
Pigs In A Blanket– Make them in the air fryer or oven, these pigs in a blanket have a crunchy golden brown outside that is pillowy, until you get to the savory sausage in the center!
Homemade Pepperoni Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 tube pizza dough About 11 to 13 ounces of pizza dough
- 36 pepperoni slices four per roll
- ¾ cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Marinara sauce optional for dipping
Instructions
- Stretch the pizza dough into a large rectangle. Cut the dough into nine equal rectangle pieces.
- Place a tablespoon of the cheese in the center of each piece of dough. Top the cheese with four slices of pepperoni.
- Roll the dough the long way tightly. Pinch the ends of the dough with your fingers until closed and well sealed.
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter, garlic, and salt.
For The Oven
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Transfer all of the pizza rolls onto a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Place the pepperoni rolls on the tray so they aren't touching.
- Brush the tops of the rolls with butter using a silicone brush. Bake pizza rolls for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
For The Air Fryer
- Brush the butter over the top of the rolls with a silicone brush. Place a few of the rolls into the basket of your air fryer, this can vary depending on how big your air fryer is. The rolls should not be touching each other.
- Air fry at 350°F for 8-9 minutes or until golden brown. Bake any remaining rolls in batches.
Notes
- Air frying circulates the hot air more around the machine which is the technology that makes things crispier and bake faster. We need a slightly lower temperature in the air fryer so the pizza rolls don’t burn.
- I have found that Air fryers can vary a little in temperature from machine to machine. I suggest keeping an eye on your pizza rolls and start checking them at 6-7 minutes for doneness.
- Pizza dough or homemade pizza dough can be used for this recipe. Crescent roll dough or even dough meant for rolls can also be used.
- If using storebought pizza dough that is not in a tube let it come to room temperature on the counter for at least 20-30 minutes before trying to roll the dough. Cold pizza dough doesn’t stretch as easily and will be difficult to roll into a sheet.
- You could also top with an egg wash if you prefer which is especially great for when you are serving them cold, but I find the melted butter is a little tastier.
Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
