These Eight Ball Zucchini Pizza Bites are such a fun (and tasty!) way to enjoy round zucchini!
For these 8 ball zucchini pizza bites, I use either pepperoni, mushroom, or olive on individual bites, which makes this appetizer or light meal flexible for individual diets and tastes. They are naturally gluten-free, are easily made vegan with a sub of vegan mozzarella, and always delicious.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- What is Eight Ball Squash?
- About the Recipe
- Eight Ball Zucchini Pizza Ingredients
- Adaptations & Variations
- How to Make Them
- More Zucchini
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Low-carb + gluten-free – perfect for either of those special diets.
- Easily made vegan – Use vegan/dairy-free cheese (such as Daiya mozzarella) for a vegan zuchhini pizza bite.
- Adaptable – Customize zucchini pizza bites to individual tastes.
What is Eight Ball Squash?
Eight Ball Squash is essentially a round zucchini. It’s best eaten small, when it’s approximately the size of – you guessed it – an 8-ball!
It’s perfect for zucchini pizza bites because, when cut into rounds, it’s large enough to make a three- or four-bite pizza, without being super seedy like a larger, traditional zucchini might be.
Learn more about this unique zucchini in my 8-Ball Squash Guide!
About the Recipe
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best … and I firmly believe these zucchini pizza bites have a place in every home!
Tender rounds of zucchini, topped with your favorite pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and a couple of toppings and baked until melty. So good.
Eight Ball Zucchini Pizza Ingredients
All it takes is a simple list of ingredients and you have mini pizza deliciousness in no time!
- Eight Ball Zucchini – 4 or 5 of them (you can totally substitute regular zucchini here! I suggest medium size so that you have enough surface area for your “pizzas.”)
- Salt – to help draw out some of the moisture of the zucchini
- Olive oil
- Pizza sauce – try this long-simmered, full of flavor homemade pizza sauce or my super-fast fresh tomato pizza sauce recipe. Or, you can use your favorite jarred variety, too!
- Mozzarella cheese – of course!
- Toppings – we like pepperoni, mushrooms, and olives
- Fresh herbs, if you like. Basil and parsley are always winners!
And … yep, that’s it!
Adaptations & Variations
- Swap your zukes – you don’t strictly HAVE to use 8-ball zucchini if you don’t have it. Any zucchini will work!
- Vegan – use vegan cheese.
- Vegetarian – opt for vegetarian toppings.
- Parm – it’s optional but a delicious addition.
How to Make Them
I really like to salt my slices first in order to draw any extra moisture out of my zucchini pizza bites. It’s not a required step, but I do recommend it.
First, you slice your zucchini into 1/2-inch thick rounds, then lay them on a paper towel. Sprinkle with some salt, and let them sit for 20-30 minutes to get some of the moisture out of the slices.
Dab off excess moisture, brush with olive oil, and bake for a bit to get them just tender. Then pull them out of the oven, top, and bake until the toppings are cooked and the cheese bubbly and melty.
Then the only thing left to do is enjoy!
More Zucchini
- Zucchini Guide – everything you need to know about zucchini!
- 8-Ball Zucchini Guide – all about this uniquely shaped zucchini.
- 30 Unique Zucchini Recipes
- Simple Sautéed Zucchini
- 1-Loaf Zucchini Bread Recipe (THE perfect zucchini bread!)
- Zucchini Pickles
- Zucchini Fritters
Eight Ball Zucchini Pizza Bites
Ingredients
- 4 – 5 eight ball zucchini (about 2 pounds of squash)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Fresh chopped herbs (Parsley and/or basil make an excellent garnish)
Pizza toppings:
- Mini pepperoni (regular sized pepperoni are fine, too, just not as cute!)
- Sliced olives
- Sliced mushrooms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels (for draining the zucchini; you'll remove the paper towels when baking).
- Slice the zucchini into 1/2-inch thick rounds and place on the paper-towel lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with half of the salt, then turn the slices over and sprinkle with the remaining salt. Let your zucchini slices rest for 20-30 minutes to get some of the moisture out of the slices.
- Remove the zucchini from the paper towels, discard the paper towels, and line the zucchini slices back on the baking sheet.
- Divide the pizza sauce among the slices of zucchini, smearing it to the edges. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, then top with pepperoni, olives, and/or mushroom slices.
- Bake for about 6-7 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Optionally, broil for a minute or two longer if you'd like to get a bit of golden color on the cheese. Top with chopped herbs if using any and serve.
