We love a themed dinner idea, and this easy Mummy Pizza Braid is the perfect Halloween time dish. It’s kid-friendly, great for customizing, and always the first thing gone at any party. It looks complicated, but all you need is a store-bought pizza dough, some toppings, a little pizza cutter action and VOILA! The cutest, tastiest Halloween dinner that you can make before you head out trick-or-treating.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready quick! This one only takes 25 minutes from start to finish. Perfect for a busy Halloween season.
- Kid-approved. Listen, we’re all for chili cookoffs, but my kids aren’t eating full bowls. This is the perfect kid-approved side (or main dish) to add to those chili traditions.
- Easy to customize. Swap in any toppings your family loves and leave out any toppings they won’t eat.
Key Ingredients
- Dough: We use a 13.8 ounce refrigerated can of pizza dough. Refrigerated crescent roll dough or crescent dough sheets will work, too.
- Pepperoni: any kind will work – turkey, extra spicy, mild, mini – whatever you have on hand or prefer. You could also swap this out for other toppings like sausage, bacon, ham, etc.
- Cheese: we like to use regular shredded mozzarella cheese, but you can swap it for a pizza blend or provolone in a pinch.
- Sliced olives: we use these for the eyes, but you can also sprinkle them through the braid itself.
- Melted butter: you only need a tablespoon to brush this over the top before baking.
- Grated Parmesan: we sprinkle this over the top of the “mummy” before baking.
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
- Sheet Pan (Half Sheet)
- Parchment Paper
- Pizza Cutter
How to Make a Mummy Pizza Braid
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Roll out the pizza dough onto the baking sheet.
- Fill. Spread marinara down the center of the pizza crust, leaving a few inches of crust on each side. Sprinkle cheese, pepperoni, and any other desired pizza toppings over the sauce.
- Wrap. Using a pizza cutter, cut strips down the sides of the pizza about 3 inches long and ½” wide. Alternate folding strips over the center of the pizza braid – save space at one end for the mummy’s eyes!
- Finish. Place two olive slices for eyes, then brush melted butter on top of pizza braid and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.
- Bake and serve. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into slices and serve.
Recipe Tips
- The dough will stretch best to make the strips for the “mummy” without breaking when it is closer to room temperature. Remove the dough from the fridge 30-45 minutes before baking for a stretchier dough that’s easier to work with.
- Don’t overfill the center! This can lead to uneven baking and can cause the mummy to leak its guts during baking (I mean, if you’re going for that, it’s fine, but if you’re not, don’t overfill it!).
- For neat “bandage” lines, alternate criss-crossing strips as you fold. For a messier, more “authentic mummy” look, go more random (just make sure you don’t leave any big gaps where the center can leak out).
Variations
- Mini Mummy Pizza Braids: Divide the dough in half or into quarters and make individual-sized portions that would be so cute for a party. Make sure you reduce the bake time a little and watch them closely.
- Crescent dough version: swap the pre-made pizza dough for crescent dough (like this danish). Just make sure to seal the serrated, pre-cut edges together before you make the mummy.
- Spicy mummy pizza braid: add some pepperoncinis, jalapeno slices, crushed red pepper flakes, or a drizzle of hot honey before you fold up the mummy.
- BBQ Chicken or White Sauce Mummy Braid: not a fan of red sauce on pizza? Try switching out the ingredients to make it a BBQ chicken or alfredo mummy pizza braid instead.
Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating
Make-Ahead
You can fully assemble the braid (through folding it and adding the olive eyes) up to 24 hours in advance. Cover it tightly and refrigerate unbaked. Remove from the fridge, brush it with butter and parmesan, and then bake as directed. Add a few minutes of bake time if you’re going directly from the fridge because it will be cold!
Storing Leftovers
Let the pizza cool completely, then store leftover slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing
Let the pizza braid cool completely, then freeze it whole or in slices, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 2 months.
Reheating
Reheat refrigerated or thawed slices in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350℉, until just warmed through. You can also reheat in the microwave, although the crust will be a lot softer.
Frequently Asked Questions for Mummy Pizza Braid
Yes, you absolutely can. A can or two of crescent dough or crescent dough sheets work well. If you’re using regular, pre-cut crescent roll dough, just make sure you press the seams together so they don’t come apart.
This usually means that the center was overfilled or the strips weren’t folded together closely enough. Make sure to leave a few inches of bare dough on each side, and the dough strips should overlap comfortably.
YES! Divide the dough into smaller portions before assembling. This works well for pirates or younger kids. You’ll want to reduce the baking time by a few minutes (and watch them closely).
You sure can. Assemble the braid completely (except for the brushing with butter and parmesan), cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Just remember to add a few extra minutes if you’re baking it straight from the fridge.
Any toppings will work in this cute little mummy pizza. We’ve made this with ham and pineapple, sausage, peppers, artichokes – pretty much anything you’d put on a pizza. Just make sure you don’t overfill the center and the braid pieces can still easily overlap when assembling.
If your family isn’t a big fan of olives, you can swap the olives for mini pepperoni pieces, small mozzarella balls or slices of mozzarella cheese sticks.
More Halloween Recipes You’ll Love
- Halloween Mummy Dogs
- Spooky Halloween 7-Layer Dip
- White Chocolate Monster Munch Chex Mix
- Spooky Spider Web Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Cheeseball
Mummy Pizza Braid Recipe
Ingredients
- 13.8 ounces refrigerated pizza dough, 1 package
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 6 ounces sliced pepperoni, for topping
- 2.25 ounces sliced olives, for topping
- 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Spread pizza crust out on baking sheet and use hands to make a large rectangle.
- Spread marinara down the center of the pizza crust, leaving a few inches of crust on each side.
- Sprinkle cheese, pepperoni and any other desired pizza toppings over the sauce. You can add the olives here, just save 2 olive slices for the eyes.
- Use a pizza cutter, and cut strips down the sides of the pizza. Cut strips 3 inches long and ½ inch wide.
- Alternate folding strips over the center of the pizza braid.
- Save a space at the top for the mummy's eyes.
- Place two olive slices on for eyes.
- Brush melted butter on top of pizza braid.
- Sprinkle on grated Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Cut into slices and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
My kids absolutely loved this recipe for dinner! They thought it was hilarious and delicious.