Easy Pepperoni Rolls may be a regional classic in West Virginia but they are delicious everywhere! Perfect for an after-school snack, easy lunch for kids with marinara sauce for dipping or game night appetizer. This recipe is a family friendly, crowd pleaser.
West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls
Summers visiting my grandparents in West Virginia were some of my best childhood memories. My Grandma would take us to the local swimming pool and give all of us grandkids enough money to buy a couple Pepperoni Rolls from the concession stand.
These Easy Pepperoni Rolls are my homage to those long summer days at the pool. The strong smell of chlorine, coconut scented tanning lotion, and pepperoni rolls will forever be sealed together in my memory as the smells of summer.
In fact West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls are so iconic, there is an entire book written about them. While I love the memory of those pool concession stand rolls, homemade are ten times more delicious!
Ingredients Needed for Pepperoni Rolls
These Pepperoni Rolls only require three ingredients:
- Pizza Dough - of course you can make your own but it's easy enough to just buy the pre-made dough from the grocery store. You can usually find it in the deli section net to the take and bake pizzas. Trader Joe's also sells pre-made pizza dough.
- Pepperoni - it wouldn't be a classic pepperoni roll without it!
- Cheese - a block of mozzarella cheese that can be cut down into small sticks.
How to Make Pepperoni Rolls
Remove pizza dough from packaging and cut into eight equal parts, rolling each into a small ball. Let dough sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, which will give the dough time to relax and warm up a bit. This makes the dough much easier to roll out.
Roll each ball of dough out on a well floured board and top with three slices of pepperoni and one stick of mozzarella cheese.
Fold the sides of the dough up and over the pepperoni and pinch together starting with the short ends and ending with the long ends.
TIP: This step is important to ensuring the cheese does not leak out leaving you with a hollow pepperoni roll. If the dough is not sticking together at the seams, you can use your finger to add a small amount of water which will help dough stick together.
Place rolls seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and prick each roll three times with a toothpick to allow steam to escape.
While making pepperoni rolls, I've found that they almost always leak a little bit of cheese. Some batches will leak less and some more but they always end up delicious. Here are the two most important tricks for keeping pepperoni rolls from turning out hollow:
- Make sure not to over stuff the rolls - only three slices of pepperoni and a small stick of cheese are necessary.
- Pinch the seam of the your dough together well so that there are no holes.
- Prick with a toothpick before baking.
Once pepperoni rolls are out of the oven, transfer to a serving tray along with a warmed bowl of marinara sauce for dipping! Warning: the inside of these rolls will be very hot! I cut them in half and let them cool slightly before serving to my twins.
Tips For Making Pepperoni Rolls
- Can you freeze them? Yes, you sure can! Spreading them out on a baking sheet and popping them in the freezer until firm. They you can store them all in a large ziplock bag. Reheat in the toaster oven or microwave.
- Can you prep them ahead of time? I wouldn't recommend doing this too far ahead of time as store bought pizza dough should be baked right away.
- Are there any substitutions for the pepperoni? You can change them up completely by making them with sliced ham lunch meat or small sausages. They will be another type of roll entirely but still delicious.
- Dip options? We love dipping these in marinara sauce but kids also enjoy these dipped in ranch dressing.
Looking for More Easy Recipes?
- Brie and Roasted Tomato Pizza
- Pimento Cheese Grilled Pizzas
- Pizza Pull-Apart Bread
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Easy Pepperoni Rolls
Easy 3-Ingredient Pepperoni Rolls made with store bought pizza dough, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese are a West Virginia classic at home.
Ingredients
- 1 lb prepared pizza dough
- 24 sliced pepperoni
- ¼ lb mozzarella cheese
- flour, for dusting the board
- marinara sauce, for dipping
Instructions
Recipe Revised: 9/14/21
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Dust a cutting board with flour. Remove pizza dough from packaging and cut into eight equal parts, rolling each into a small ball. Let dough sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This makes the dough much easier to roll out.
- Meanwhile cut 8 sticks of mozzarella, about 3" long and ¼" wide.
- Roll out each dough ball with a floured rolling pin until you have a small rectangle.
- Add three slices of pepperoni and one stick of mozzarella to each piece of dough.
- Starting with the short sides of the rectangle, fold dough down over the pepperoni and cheese.
- Fold the long sides in pinching the seam tightly so that the dough seals itself. You may need to add a tiny bit of water if your dough is not sticking together.
- Place rolls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, seam side down.
- Poke 3 holes in the top of each roll with a toothpick.
- Bake 10 minutes or until dough is cooked through and golden on top.
- Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes
Tips For Making Pepperoni Rolls:
- Make sure not to over stuff the rolls - only three slices of pepperoni and a small stick of cheese are necessary.
- Pinch the seam of the your dough together well so that there are no holes.
- Prick with a toothpick before baking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 62Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 240mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 3g
Beth says
Is this a 1 lb pizza dough ball? Trying to judge how much it is because I will be making my own.
Thanks
Leah Bergman says
Hi Beth, thank you for asking! Yes, this is a 1 lb dough ball. I'll updated the recipe card now. 😉
adrianna says
i’m from WV and this post is the BEST!! pepperoni rolls were such a staple in my life. and they’re super good 😋
Leah Bergman says
I love that! My family lives in WV and I have such great memories of summers there. What a beautiful state.