Have you tried the new handheld Crazy Puffs from Little Caesars? These delicious pizza bites are so easy to make at home for a fraction of the price! Customize them to your liking, they're fun to make and ready in about 30 minutes. Perfect for a Friday night and for sharing!
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Little Caesars released crazy puffs - which are essentially pizza muffins with all the same ingredients as their pizza (pizza dough, sauce, pepperoni, cheese, and garlic butter) in March 2024.
They're sold in a pack of 4 for $3.99 each. So far, they've been quite popular, and they're super delicious. They're only available for a limited time, so try them out while you can - or better yet, just make your own!
They're easy to prepare, come together quickly, and you get a dozen for less than they cost at Little Caesars! 🤯 We'd consider that a win-win, personally. We like to add a few extras at home for fun, and you can customize them however you want.
Grab an apron and preheat your oven - let's make some crazy puffs!
Craving pizza flavor? You may also enjoy these pizza fries, this pepperoni pizza chicken, and these pizza bowls!
Jump to:
❤️Why We Love This Recipe
- Made with simple ingredients. Everything you need to make these delicious handheld pizza bites can be found at any grocery store if you don't already have what you need on hand.
- Easy to make. Home cooks of any skill level can master these simple to make crazy puffs!
- Better than takeout! Sorry Little Caesars, we like to make our crazy puffs at home with even more flavor, and for a fraction of the price.
- Great for sharing. These bites are great to make and share with a crowd. Perfect for gatherings, or anytime you're craving something extra delicious.
- Customizable. Mix and match, and make your favorite variations with different toppings and fillings to suit different taste buds.
🍕Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Pizza crust or dough. We used a storebought thin-crust version that didn't need any time to rise, it was simply roll, cut, shape, and bake! You can use whatever you prefer. Just be aware that some doughs will need time to rise, be sure to follow the package instructions.
- Unsalted butter. We recommend using unsalted butter for this recipe so you have complete control over the salt level.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- No fresh garlic. You can use garlic powder if you prefer, but we really do recommend using fresh garlic if possible for the best flavor!
- Extra buttery. Love extra buttery flavor? Add a bit of extra butter on top right when the crazy puffs come out of the oven!
- Less or more spicy. Add more or less red pepper flakes to taste to make this
- Extra garlicky. You can always add more garlic if you really love garlic!
✨Variations
- Customize your toppings. Swap pepperoni for Italian sausage or bacon, or even add more veggies like mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and olives for a pizza supreme style crazy puff!
- Add pesto. Try adding some of our homemade walnut pesto for tons of extra flavor!
- Gluten-free. Use your favorite gluten-free pizza crust. Everything else is naturally gluten-free.
- Keto version. Try using our keto pizza crust recipe to form the cups! We haven't tried this ourselves, but we imagine it should work just fine. It might be a good idea to bake the crust without any fillings in them for 5-10 minutes before adding the fillings.
- Dairy-free. Use your favorite dairy-free mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, and use vegan butter to make this recipe suitable for those who are lactose-free or don't eat any dairy.
- Vegan. Follow all the steps to make the recipe dairy-free, and use vegan pepperoni or omit the pepperoni completely to make the bites vegan.
🔪Prep work
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Mince the garlic and optional parsley.
- If grating your own cheese, do this now.
- Measure out all the seasonings and remaining ingredients.
📋Instructions
In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter with olive oil, minced garlic, fresh parsley, some of the parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, oregano, salt, and pepper. (Image 1) Set aside.
Now, separate your pizza crust (or dough) into 12 roughly equal sections. (Image 2)
⭑Pro tip: We had a storebought, thin-crust variety that didn't need any rise time. Some pizza dough may need time to rise, so pay attention to the package directions or recipe that you're using!
Start by brushing the garlic butter mixture into each of the holes for the muffin tin. If you'd like, you can sprinkle a bit of cheese at the bottom. This will get nice and crispy while the puffs bake. (Image 3)
Press the pizza dough pieces into each of the cupcake tins to form up the sides into a cup shape, then, brush the insides of each cup with more garlic butter. (Image 4)
Add some of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese to each piece. (Image 5)
Add a small dollop of pizza sauce on top of the cheese. (Image 6)
Add 2-3 pepperonis to the inside of each cup. (Image 7)
Top with the remaining cheese, optional mini pepperonis, and the remaining garlic butter. (Image 8)
Bake until golden brown and melty, about 18-23 minutes. (Image 9)
⭑Pro Tip: If the pizza begins to brown too much on top before the bottoms are cooked, you can cover the top with aluminum foil to continue cooking.
Allow the puffs to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before removing them. Top with fresh basil if desired, along with red pepper flakes, and more parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Use unsalted butter if possible. This will help you control the salt level!
- Shred the cheese yourself if you can. This will create the most melty cheese pulls!
- Use fresh garlic. This is a flavor enhancer you don't want to skip! Freshly minced garlic creates an incredible flavor.
- Watch them closely in the oven. You want the puffs to be nice and golden brown. If they start to brown too fast and the bottom isn't cooked however, feel free to cover them with foil and continue baking to prevent the cheese from burning.
- Use lots of cheese! You can't go wrong with the cheese here, more is more in this scenario!
Need supplies? Shop our Amazon store! Stock your pantry, and find all of our favorite kitchen tools! A Full Living LLC earns a small commission through purchases on our storefront to help support this site.
💭Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop, in the oven, in the air fryer, or in the microwave. We don't recommend freezing these after baking.
Yes! You can prepare the pizza puffs in the muffin tins and store them in the fridge, covered for 1-2 days before baking.
They can also be stored in the freezer tightly wrapped for up to 2 months before baking.
More Recipes To Consider
Did you try this recipe? Make sure to leave a 5-star review below! 🌟 This helps other readers find our recipes and encourages them to try them. Also, be sure to leave a comment with your experience. Follow along, and tag @AFullLiving on Instagram with your photos!
📖 Recipe
Crazy Puffs Recipe (Little Caesars Copycat!)
Equipment
- 12-cup standard muffin tin
- Pizza Cutter
Ingredients
Garlic butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons parsley finely chopped
- 6-8 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup parmesan grated (about .75 ounces or 21 grams)
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional and to taste
- salt to taste
Crazy Puffs
- 1 pound pizza dough or crust cut into 12 pieces
- ¾ cup marinara sauce
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese shredded (12 ounces or 336 grams)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated (about .75 ounces or 21 grams)
- 4 ounces pepperoni slices
- mini pepperonis to top optional
- Italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes, fresh basil, more parmesan for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter with olive oil, minced garlic, fresh parsley, parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, oregano, salt, and pepper.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons parsley, 6-8 cloves garlic, ¼ cup parmesan, ¼-1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, salt to taste
- Now, separate your pizza crust (or dough) into 12 roughly equal sections. We had a storebought, thin-crust variety that didn't need any rise time. Some pizza dough may need time to rise, so pay attention to the package directions or recipe that you're using!1 pound pizza dough or crust
- Start by brushing the garlic butter mixture into each of the holes for the muffin tin. If you'd like, you can sprinkle a bit of cheese at the bottom. This will get nice and crispy while the puffs bake.
- Press the pizza dough pieces into each of the cupcake tins to form up the sides into a cup shape, then, brush the insides of each cup with more garlic butter.
- Add some of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese to each piece.3 cups mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- Add a small dollop of pizza sauce on top of the cheese.¾ cup marinara sauce
- Add 2-3 pepperonis to the inside of each cup.4 ounces pepperoni slices
- Top with the remaining cheese, optional mini pepperonis, and the remaining garlic butter. Bake until golden brown and melty, about 18-23 minutes.mini pepperonis to top
- Allow the puffs to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before removing them. Top with fresh basil if desired, along with red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, oregano and more parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!Italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes, fresh basil, more parmesan
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop, in the oven, in the air fryer, or in the microwave. We don't recommend freezing these after baking.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Video
Notes
- Use unsalted butter if possible. This will help you control the salt level!
- Shred the cheese yourself if you can. This will create the most melty cheese pulls!
- Use fresh garlic. This is a flavor enhancer you don't want to skip! Freshly minced garlic creates an incredible flavor.
- Watch them closely in the oven. You want the puffs to be nice and golden brown. If they start to brown too fast and the bottom isn't cooked however, feel free to cover them with foil and continue baking to prevent the cheese from burning.
- Use lots of cheese! You can't go wrong with the cheese here, more is more in this scenario!
Comments
No Comments