This Halloween, creep out your friends and family by serving them these realistic-looking stuffed Pizza Skulls. These skull-shaped pizzas are really easy to make using store-bought pizza dough and your favorite pizza toppings.
Pizza, stuffed inside a pizza crust skull is easier to make than you'd ever imagine as long as you have a skull pan.
Back when I created the original pizza skulls in 2013 for our Zombie Halloween party. I used a Wilton 3-D Mini Skull Pan to make stuffed pizza-shaped skulls filled with pizza sauce, Mozzarella cheese, and mini pepperoni.
You can see a picture of those skulls below.
I loved the look of these skulls and so did all of you. This recipe was an instant hit.
A few years later, after creating a pizza skulls video that went viral on Facebook, the pan sold out and Wilton had already stopped manufacturing them.
Thankfully Nordicware came out with an even more amazing skull-shaped pan.
You can now make skull pizzas that look super realistic.
These skulls make a festive Halloween dinner or appetizer. The have been so popular with our friends and family that we have served them at our Day of the Dead Party, our Dead Man's Diner Party, and our Halloween Carnival party.
I'll show you how to make them in a step-by-step tutorial and video below.
This video was created using the Wilton Skull pan. See how I made the pizza skulls using the Nordicware Pan in the recipe card.
Video
Ingredients
- melted butter or baking spray - You'll need to grease your pan so that the pizzas don't stick.
- pizza dough - I kept this recipe easy and used tubes of Pillsbury Pizza Dough. You can make homemade pizza dough if you prefer.
- pizza sauce - Use your favorite jar of pizza sauce.
- pizza toppings - I originally filled my pizza skulls with mini pepperoni. When I created the second video using the Nordic Ware pan, I also made some pizzas with ham and pineapple (my favorite pizza toppings). You can use your favorite pizza toppings including meats like sausage, hamburger, or chicken and/or veggies like mushrooms, peppers, onions, roasted red peppers, artichokes, and more.
- Mozzarella cheese - I highly recommend using freshly shredded Mozzarella Cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking agents like potato starch which affects melting.
Supplies
- pastry brush
- skull pan - You can use either the Wilton Skull Cakelet Pan or the NordicWare 6-cavity Skull Pan.
- kitchen shears (scissors) or a knife
You can find the skull pan on Amazon. I earn a small commission when you use the Affiliate links to make a purchase at no extra cost to you.
Nordic Ware Halloween Bakew...Shop on Amazon 
Wilton Dimensions 8-Cavity ...Shop on Amazon
Instructions
Grease the pan.
I originally created this tutorial using the Wilton pan. I'll share some pictures using the Nordicware pan too.
- Butter the inside of the 4 faces in your Wilton 3-D Mini Skull Pan or the 6 skull cavities in the Nordicware Skull Pan.
Fill with sauce and cheese.
- Cut pieces of pizza dough (I cut my Pillsbury dough in half) and snuggle them down into the cavities in the pan, making sure you have enough dough to come up over the top all around the opening.
- NOTE: If using a 6 skull cavity pan you will need to use 3 rolls of pizza dough and more ingredients.
- Fill with your pizza toppings sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. See the recipe below for quantities for each of the pans.
These pizza skulls are filled with a combination of ham and pineapple.
You can add any toppings that you like.
Just be sure you don't overfill them
Fold the dough over.
- You then will need to cut off the excess dough and pinch together the seams using egg wash as glue to hold the seams together.
- Remove any excess dough.
- You can use the scraps of dough to make some small pizzas for a snack.
- I didn't try pressing the scraps together to make more skulls. It might work, but I have a feeling the sauce will seep out between the cracks. Of course, that could look kind of creepy and cool.
Brush with egg wash.
- Brush egg wash over the backside of your skulls to make sure the seams are really well "glued" together.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake the skulls.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until the crust looks cooked through and golden brown if using the Wilton Pan. You'll need to bake the larger skulls in the Nordicware pan for up to 30 minutes.
- Just a note, the faces of your skulls have been in contact with the pan and will be much browner, so do not overbake them.
Unmold.
- Carefully turn the mold over allowing the skulls to fall out onto your counter.
- Serve immediately.
These are the skulls that came out of the Nordicware pan. So cool!
Storage
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Make Ahead
You can refrigerate the pizza skulls for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to a month and then reheat them in a 300-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 15 minutes until heated through.
Variations
You can use the skull pan to make other delicious Halloween appetizers or meals.
Each of these skulls is made using homemade tortillas and is filled with taco meat, black beans, corn, tomatoes, and cheese.
These skulls are also made using homemade tortillas but they are filled with chicken, cheese, and enchilada sauce.
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Skulls
I made these stuffed pizza crust skulls using the Wilton pan. They are filled with chicken, cheese, and broccoli.
It is super easy to make cornbread skulls using a boxed mix or a homemade cornbread recipe.
If you don't have a skull pan, you can cut your pizza dough into a skull and top it with cheese and your favorite pizza toppings. See my vampire pizza post for instructions.
Related Recipes
If you are looking for more skull-shape appetizers and desserts, be sure to check out these other recipes.
Recipe
3-D skull-shaped pizzas can be filled with your favorite pizza toppings and make a great appetizer or dinner for Halloween.
- 1 ½ tablespoons melted butter, to grease the pan
- 3 rolls Pillsbury Pizza Dough (or 33 ounces of homemade pizza dough)
- 9 tablespoons pizza sauce
- ¾ cup pizza toppings (mini pepperoni, sausage, ham, pineapple, mushrooms, and or veggies)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- egg wash 1 egg mixed with 1 teaspoon water
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Cut each dough sheet in half.
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Drape the pizza dough into a skull cavity in your skull pan.
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Fill with 2 tablespoons of sauce, 2 tablespoons of pizza toppings, and ⅓ cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
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Cut off the excess dough, and pinch together the seams.
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Brush egg wash over the top of the dough.
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Repeat creating 4 skulls if using the Wilton skull pan and 6 skulls if using the Nordic Ware skull pan.
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Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Bake for 18-20 minutes if using the Wilton pan or 28-30 minutes if using the Nordic Ware pan until the crust looks cooked through and golden brown.
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Remove skulls from pan and serve.
Recipe Video
- If using the Wilton pan you will use fewer ingredients. I used 1 ½ tablespoons of pizza sauce and about 1 ½ tablespoons of pizza toppings. and ¼ cup of shredded cheese.
- You will have scraps of pizza dough leftover. You can brush the excess pizza crusts with melted butter or olive oil, sprinkle Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese over the top, and bake to enjoy as a snack.
- These pizza skulls are best served the day they are made but can be made ahead, baked, and refrigerated for up to 3 days. On the day of your party, reheat them in a 300-degree F oven for about 15 minutes until warmed through.
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The Incredible Shrinking Fattie says
We are doing a Dia de los Muertos themed party and will be making sugar skulls as a takeaway.
beth says
We are too, so be sure to check back closer to Halloween to see all the Day of the Dead food I'm creating. It's a new theme for us. Our house is decorated and looks so very different than years past, but I really like it.
Debra Lee says
I love these even more knowing they will dross the hubs out!
AnnaZed says
I'm not, I'm going to friends; it would be great to bring skull shaped cakes.
PS: I LOVE your pizza idea - you are brilliant!
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{in the contest I am Margot Core on the Rafflecopter}
Shannon R says
So many great ideas here. I dont have a theme, but I want to try a few of these.
Shannon R says
So many great ideas here. I dont have a theme, but I want to try a few of these.
Tootie-Fruitie says
We are hosting a Halloween party this year! It's "A Haunted Carnival" theme. Loving the skull molds!
beth says
We did a carnival one year for Halloween. It was so much fun to have games for the kids and all the carnival foods. Have a great party.
macgirl says
These are awesome! I'm going to have to make these for the halloween party I am going to!
Home and Heart says
GENIUS! Seriously it's one of those ideas where you say to yourself "WHY didn't I think of that?!" Looking forward to making them for my boys. Thanks for the fun giveaway chance too!
Fool in a Tree says
I am not throwing a party, but I am making a skull head cake and graveyard cupcakes for my cousin and his wife's party! (If I am the lucky winner, I will make skull pizzas too!(
Fool in a Tree says
I am going to a party that my cousin and his wife are throwing. I plan on making a skull head cake and graveyard cupcakes!!
Anonymous says
No plans for one yet, but plan to do a lot of baking for friends, as always. annc999 at yahoo dot com
Rodney Jackson says
yes we have a party, but no particular theme just lots of fun mrsrodjac at hotmail dot com
f4ef45ac-3429-11e3-b674-000f20980440 says
LOVE
amy Cowan says
This looks fantastic. Not just for Halloween in my house!
Anna G says
I'm not hosting a party, but I like to make 'gross' Halloween edibles for my boys -- they loved the gelatin eyeballs I did one year. I'm sure they'd go crazy for stuffed pizza skulls. 🙂
jody cowan says
Just a small family dinner. I'd love to make the pizza
Jessica says
we just moved and don't have friends to invite so no party...
jessicarwarfield at gmail dot com
beth says
Oh, sorry to hear that. I hope you find lots of new friends in your new neighborhood. I actually met most of my neighbors when I hosted a block party and we've all gotten closer due to our annual Halloween parties.
D Schmidt mummytotwoboys says
I am sadly not hosting one but I wish I was because I have some fantastic ideas!
dragonswing says
All these cool recipes make me wish someone would have a halloween party!!! Unfortunately, everyone around here are humbugs!! Maybe I should make them just for myself.
beth says
Oh, I hate Halloween humbugs!!!
Cuevas77 says
No party this year but planning a trunk or treat for church and this would be a great snack for the kiddos before we start.