Sharing a Christmas Tree Pizza with cheese-filled dough and delicious toppings is a fun and festive way to celebrate the holiday season. This is an easy, crowd-pleasing Christmas appetizer recipe.
Another Christmas finger food for parties is our super popular Spinach Dip Christmas Tree Appetizer.
This Christmas Tree Shape recipe is a holiday tradition for our family—it kicks off the season in a fun and flavorful way! It’s also a last-minute easy Christmas appetizer idea, and no one can resist pulling apart the cheesy dough and biting into a mouthful of pizza toppings.
The hidden cheesy middle is a bonus! Enjoying pizza night just got more fun with this easy recipe!
Our other go-to recipe during the festive season is this holiday Cheese Ball.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fun & Festive: Making a pizza in the shape of a Christmas tree adds a playful, holiday-themed twist to your party or gathering.
- Easy to Make: With easy-to-find and assemble ingredients, preparing a Christmas tree pizza can be fun for the whole family.
- Great for Parties: You’ll be the hit of your holiday party or potluck when you bring this easy-to-share savory Christmas appetizer.
Ingredient Notes
For the Pizza Dough Balls:
- Pizza Dough: You’ll need pre-made pizza dough that you’ll divide into balls to form your Christmas tree. Of course, you can always make your own pizza dough.
- Mozzarella Cheese Sticks: You’ll stuff the dough balls with a piece of mozzarella cheese so they bake up nice and gooey inside.
- Olive Oil: The oil coats the dough, giving it extra flavor and providing something for the spices to stick to while baking. You can also substitute melted butter.
- Italian Seasoning: What’s a pizza without Italian herbs to flavor it up!
- Garlic Powder & Red Pepper Flakes: Optional ingredients to amp up the flavor.
For the Christmas Pizza Toppings:
- Alfredo Sauce and Pesto: To make this recipe easy, use Alfredo and jarred pesto from the grocery store as your pizza sauce. Of course, you can make your own, but we rarely have time for that during the busy holiday season. You could also use a pizza sauce of your choice.
- Mozzarella Cheese: A classic pizza topping that works well to bring all the flavors together. You can buy pre-shredded or shred your own.
- Green Bell Pepper: Cut into strips, the green pepper forms a colorful garland for your tree. Of course, red bell peppers will also work.
- Cherry Tomatoes & Mini Pepperoni Slices: Use these toppings to make ornaments for your tree.
- Grated Parmesan: Parmesan adds a nice nutty cheese flavor to the finished recipe.
Optional Toppings
You can also use your favorite pizza toppings like:
- Red Onion
- Olives
- Sausage or other meat
Step-By-Step Instructions
Prep: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (200 degrees C.) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Chop and slice your ingredients, and cut your cheese sticks into slices.
Make the Dough Balls:
1. Make Dough Balls: Divide the dough into 23 even pieces (we like using a digital scale for even pieces) (Image 1). Now, focus on 21 of these dough pieces. In each one, place a piece of mozzarella cheese in the center (Image 2). Carefully fold the dough around the cheese and roll it into a small ball.
2. Arrange In a Tree Shape. To make a tree shape, start with 6 dough balls in the bottom row, then place 5 in the next row above, followed by 4 in the row above that, then 3, then 2, and finally 1 at the top to format a large triangle on the parchment-lined baking sheet (Image 3). Make sure to leave enough space on the baking sheet to create the tree trunk.
3. Make the Tree Trunk: Cut the remaining 2 dough balls without the cheese in half, creating 4 smaller pieces. Place them cut side down 2x2 in the center of the base of the tree (Image 4).
4. Pre-Bake: Brush the tops of the dough with half of the olive oil and sprinkle with 1 ½ teaspoons of the Italian seasoning (Image 5). Bake for 10 minutes. While it’s baking, mix the Alfredo and pesto sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Decorate the Christmas Tree Pizza:
1. Add the Sauce: Remove the tree from the oven and brush the dough with the remaining olive oil. Spoon the Alfredo sauce mixture onto the dough and spread it around, leaving a small gap at the outside edge (Image 6).
2. Add the Toppings: Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the sauce and decorate the “tree” with the bell pepper garland and ornaments with tomatoes and pepperoni. Sprinkle the “tree trunk” with the remaining Italian seasoning (Image 7).
3. Bake: Place the assembled tree back in the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
4. Serve: Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired.
Enjoy your Christmas pizza while it’s still warm, with a side of marinara if you’d like.
PRO TIP: Cut a star out of cheese to top your Christmas Pizza.
Expert Tips
- Baking Mat: One of the best ways to get a crisp crust is by baking your pizza on a Silpat Mat.
- Prep Your Ingredients: Prepare all your toppings in advance. Chop, slice, and arrange them in small bowls or containers, making it easier to assemble the pizza quickly.
- Don't Overload: While decorating your holiday pizza is fun, avoid overloading it with toppings. Too many toppings can make the pizza soggy and challenging to cook properly.
Storing
Refrigerator: Allow the pizza to cool to room temperature. Wrap it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or place it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freezer: Wrap individual pizza balls tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. This step helps prevent moisture loss and freezer burn. Place the wrapped pieces in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag and label and date it. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating: Reheat your pizza in an oven, toaster oven, or microwave until it’s heated through. Reheating in an oven or toaster oven at around 350°F (175°C) can help restore the crust's crispiness.
More Christmas Appetizer Recipes
Printable Recipe
Easy Christmas Tree Pizza
Equipment
- knife
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- silicone brush
Ingredients
Dough Balls
- 1 pound pizza dough (or two 11-ounce cans refrigerated bread dough)
- 5 mozzarella cheese sticks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Itailian herbs
Pizza Toppings
- ¼ cup Alfredo sauce (store-bought is fine)
- 1 tablespoon jarred pesto sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ small green bell pepper (sliced to make garland)
- ¼ cup cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
- 2 tablespoons mini pepperoni slices
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (200 degrees C.) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat.
Dough Balls
- Make Dough Balls: Divide the dough into 23 even pieces. Now, focus on 21 of these dough pieces. In each one, place a piece of mozzarella cheese in the center. Carefully fold the dough around the cheese and roll it into a small ball.
- Arrange In a Tree Shape. To make a tree shape, start with 6 dough balls in the bottom row, then place 5 in the next row above, followed by 4 in the row above that, then 3, then 2, and finally 1 at the top to format a large triangle on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Leave enough space on the baking sheet to create the tree trunk.
- Make the Tree Trunk: Cut the remaining 2 dough balls without the cheese in half, creating 4 smaller pieces. Place them cut side down 2x2 in the center of the base of the tree.
- Pre-Bake: Brush the tops of the dough with half of the olive oil and sprinkle with 1 ½ teaspoons of the Italian seasoning. Bake for 10 minutes. While it’s baking, mix the Alfredo and pesto sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Christmas Pizza Toppings
- Add the Sauce: Remove the tree from the oven and brush the dough with the remaining olive oil. Spoon the Alfredo sauce mixture onto the dough and spread it around, leaving a small gap at the outside edge.
- Add the Toppings: Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the sauce and decorate the “tree” with the bell pepper garland and ornaments with tomatoes and pepperoni. Sprinkle the “tree trunk” with the remaining Italian seasoning.
- Bake: Place the assembled tree back in the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Serve: Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Prep Your Ingredients: Prepare all your toppings in advance. Chop, slice, and arrange them in small bowls or containers, making it easier to assemble the pizza quickly.
- Don't Overload: Avoid overloading your pizza with toppings. Too many toppings can make the pizza soggy and challenging to cook properly.
- Adapted from Ree Drummond's recipe.
Sarah Jane Skaggs says
This recipe is so yummy and delicious! My family loved that it was like pull-apart bread.
Erin Henry says
This pull-apart pizza is perfect for sharing. Glad your family enjoyed it, Sarah!
Mel says
This is a fun and festive holiday treat. The Cheese-filled dough is amazing plus the tasty toppings. This can be a crowd-pleasing appetizer for Christmas celebrations. Perfect for parties too, along with Spinach Dip Christmas Tree Appetizer.
Erin Henry says
You're right, Mel, this is such a festive recipe for parties. You can go wrong with this one or our Spinach Dip Appetizer.
Kristyn says
Love the pops of red!! This will be perfect for the holidays & I love that you can pull it apart!
Erin Henry says
It's a great sharable recipe for Christmas parties, or even family movie night!