Description
Whip up these adorable and delicious Ghost Mini Pizzas for the ultimate Halloween treat! Ready in under 20 minutes, this spooktacularly simple recipe uses English muffins for a crispy, no-fuss base. It’s the perfect kid-friendly kitchen activity and a guaranteed hit at any Halloween party or as a quick festive dinner before trick-or-treating.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
4 English muffins, split into 8 halves
1 cup pizza or marinara sauce
8 slices mozzarella cheese
4–6 black olives, for the eyes and mouths
Optional Flavor Boosters
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or olive oil
A pinch of dried oregano or basil
Instructions
Prepare Your Baking Sheet and Toppings
First, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the English muffin halves on the sheet. If desired, lightly brush each half with melted butter or olive oil for extra flavor and crispiness.
Assemble the Mini Pizza Bases
Next, spoon about one to two tablespoons of sauce onto each muffin half, spreading it evenly. Afterwards, sprinkle a small pinch of dried oregano or basil over the sauce for that classic pizzeria taste.
Craft Your Mozzarella Ghosts
Now, use a small, ghost-shaped cookie cutter to press out shapes from your mozzarella slices. If you don’t have one, a small paring knife works just as well to carefully cut out wavy, ghost-like shapes by hand.
Bake Your Ghost Mini Pizzas
Carefully place one mozzarella ghost onto each sauced muffin half. Then, bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and the muffin edges are golden brown.
Add the Final Ghostly Details
Once baked, remove the pizzas from the oven and let them cool for a minute. Finally, use tiny pieces of black olive to carefully create eyes and mouths for your ghosts.
Notes
Perfectly Shaped Ghosts:
For clean, sharp edges, freeze your mozzarella slices for 10-15 minutes before using your cookie cutter or knife. This firms them up and makes cutting much easier.
Crispy, Never-Soggy Base:
Briefly toast the English muffin halves in the oven for 3-4 minutes before adding any toppings. This creates a seal that prevents the sauce from making the base soggy.
Even Cheese Melt:
Place the baking sheet on the middle oven rack. This helps the cheese melt evenly from the oven’s ambient heat, rather than browning too quickly from the top heating element.
Fun Variations:
Get creative! Make Mummy Pizzas by cutting mozzarella into thin strips and crisscrossing them over the sauce, or craft Jack-O’-Lantern Pizzas using shredded cheddar cheese and olive pieces for spooky faces.
Make-Ahead Tip:
You can fully assemble the pizzas a few hours ahead of time. Arrange them on a baking sheet, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Bake them straight from the fridge when you’re ready to serve.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini pizza
- Calories: 195
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 480mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
Keywords: ghost pizza, Halloween pizza, mini pizza, English muffin pizza, kid-friendly recipe, spooky food, Halloween appetizer, easy Halloween recipe, party food for kids