This easy calzone recipe is perfect for making mini calzones for parties or for little hands to eat for dinner. They only take minutes to make and will be a hit with all ages and all taste buds!
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I’m a big sucker for pizza – all things pizza really. Pizza loaf, mini pizza pies, even fruit pizza.
But know what I’m ever more of a sucker for? Calzones. Any time there are calzones on a menu, I go for those instead of a regular pizza. Well, those and pepperoni rolls.
With all of the parties that I host, I wanted to figure out a way to make an easy calzone recipe that would work for parties since a great big calzone really isn’t a good way to go for a party buffet.
These mini calzones are the perfect bite-size calzone for any party, making them a great appetizer for something like a Super Bowl party, basketball party, or really any time you want to serve delicious finger foods.
Why people love these mini calzones
- Little prep time – with these being mini you don’t need to prep a lot of veggies or other toppings, saving you valuable time.
- Versatile – these tasty snacks work for any occasion from party food to quick weeknight meal.
- Double as an activity – make a night of it and let people create their own masterpieces by stuffing calzones the way they like it.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
The ingredients for these calzones can be as varied as pizza toppings. The only real things you need to have are listed below.
- Pizza dough – I recommend making it from scratch using this homemade pizza dough recipe, but you can also use a store-bought dough.
- Mozzarella cheese – avoid using the fresh mozzarella balls if you want that gooey cheese center.
- Your choice of pizza toppings – these can be anything from mushrooms to bell peppers to bacon to ricotta cheese.
- Pizza sauce for dipping – you can make your own or buy a can from the store.
How to make mini calzones
When you’re making regular calzones the process is simple – roll out pizza dough, cover one side with toppings, fold over, seal, and bake. Below you’ll find all the recipe details but also some tips.
1 – Make the Dough
If you’re using store-bought dough, you can skip this step completely. If not, here’s how to make the pizza dough!
To make the dough, combine hot water, yeast, honey, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow this to sit for 5 – 10 minutes until the yeast begins to foam.
Once foamy, add the salt and flour to the mixer and combine using a dough hook until a ball forms. You want to add just enough flour to be sticky but not stick to your finger when lightly pressed. Typically, when it starts to clean the sides of the bowl, it has enough flour.
Once a ball starts to form, turn it to medium-low speed and allow it to knead for three minutes.
Transfer dough to a mixing bowl and allow to rise in a warm spot for about an hour or until it doubles in size.
2 – Prep the Ingredients
Now that your dough is ready to go, it’s time to gather all your toppings and prep them as needed.
Grab your muffin tin and lightly grease it. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
3 – Cut out The Dough
To begin roll out your pizza dough to roughly 1/2 inch thick on a work surface lightly sprinkled with flour.
Then using a circular cookie cutter that is larger than a muffin tin, cut out at least 12 circles. You will have to re-roll the excess dough, just avoid kneading it too much during that step.
Once you have cut all the dough gently press each circle into one of the greased muffin tin spots. Make sure you have some dough going up the sides so you can easily seal them later.
No cookie cutter No Problem!
If you don’t have a circular cookie cutter that is big enough, don’t worry about it. Instead of rolling your dough take the dough ball and divide it into twelve equal portions.
Once divided using either your hands or a rolling pin roll each section into a circular shape that is larger than the muffin tin.
4 – Fill and seal the Mini Calzones
Grab your fillings and begin adding them to the center of the pizza dough. Avoid stuffing them too full or you won’t be able to seal them properly.
Top the fillings with a layer of cheese. This is also a great time to sprinkle in some oregano, parmesan cheese, or basil for extra flavor.
5 – Seal the muffin tin calzones
Once you’ve got them filled to your liking it’s time to seal them up. To do this you will gently pull the sides of the pizza dough to stretch it enough to cover the fillings. Go slowly so you don’t tear the dough and create an escape for all of the delicious toppings you just put in.
Once you’ve got enough dough to fully cover the topping begin pinching together the seams. It’s more important that is it sealed completely than it looks pretty. Dipping your finger in warm water then tracing the edge of the seal with the wet fingertip before pinching the dough together can help seal it.
Repeat the sealing process until all of your mini calzones are sealed up.
6 – bake and serve
Put in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven, top with butter, and serve with a side of warm marinara or pizza sauce.
Tips and Storage Info
If your oven bakes hot on the bottom add a baking sheet under your muffin tin to keep the bottoms from getting too dark.
Get the most out of your toppings by cutting them into small pieces. This will allow you to fill it with a larger variety of toppings without over flowing your cups.
These puff up bigger than you expect, so get as much filling in there and sealed as you can!
If you need help with the dough, this same day pizza dough recipe has all the answers for you.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Place in the freezer after cooking for up to three months.
Recipe FAQS
Do calzones have sauce on the inside?
No, calzones do not have sauce on the inside. Instead, they are traditionally served with one cup pizza sauce on the side for dipping.
How do you tell if a calzone is done?
The easiest way to tell if a calzone is done is by looking at the color of the crust. If the crust is golden brown and firm when pressed it is done.
More Pizza Recipes
If you love these mini calzones and want more pizza inspired recipes, try one of these!
- Pizza loaf – pizza dough topped with toppings then braided all together and baked, this is one of my all-time favorite recipes!
- Pizza rollups – pepperoni and cheese rolled up into crescent rolls for a quick and easy appetizer or dinner!
- Biscuits and gravy pizza – a breakfast pizza like you’ve never had before!
- Homemade pepperoni rolls – pepperoni rolls that are better than restaurant ones made with just pizza crust, pepperoni, and cheese!
- Pizza twist recipe – pizza dough topped with toppings then twisted!
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Easy Calzone Recipe
Ingredients
Pizza Dough Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup warm water
- 1 tsbp sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp yeast
- 1 tsbp honey
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 ½ – 4 cups flour
Calzone Ingredients
- toppings of your choice
- 1 jar pizza sauce
- olive oil or avocado oil spray
Instructions
Pizza Dough
- Combine warm water, sugar, yeast, and honey in the base of a stand mixer and allow to sit for 5 – 10 minutes or until foamy.2 1/4 tsp yeast, 1 tsbp honey, 1 tsbp sugar, 1 1/2 cup warm water
- Once foamy, add in salt and mix lightly with the dough hook.2 tsp salt
- With mixer on low speed gradually add flour until a soft dough forms. This may require a little more or less flour depending. You have enough flour once you can press your finger lightly into the dough without any sticking to your finger.3 1/2 – 4 cups flour
- Allow the dough to knead in the mixer for three minutes on medium-low speed.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and shape into a ball. If you find it to be too sticky, flour your hands and work a little extra flour into the dough while you shape it.
- Transfer shaped dough into a lightly greased bowl and allow to rise in a warm space for one hour or until doubled in size.
Calzones
- Preheat oven to 450 and spray muffin tin with olive oil or avocado oil spray.olive oil or avocado oil spray
- Once dough has doubled, roll out your pizza dough to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
- Use a circle biscuit cutter to cut out 12 circles of dough.
- Place one circle of dough into each of the muffin tins and press down and into the sides.
- Add toppings to each of the dough circles.toppings of your choice
- Fold the dough together over the toppings and pinch to seal.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 12-13 minutes or until golden brown and the dough is cooked. Serve with your favorite pizza sauce for dipping.1 jar pizza sauce
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