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Pizza Hut Cheese Sticks are the cheesy, buttery, golden edged copycat that tastes exactly like the ones you grab on pizza night, and I started making them at home after Lizzie begged for them one rainy Friday when we did not feel like leaving the house. The from scratch dough comes together in one bowl with no mixer, and if you love a cheesy pull apart bake you have to try our sheet pan pizza too.
Soft and tender on the inside, crispy and cheesy around the edges, and ready for a big bowl of warm marinara, these are dangerously easy to make at home.
Pizza Hut Cheese Sticks Quick Look
- 🕐 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🍴 Cook Time: 31 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 66 minutes
- 🍽 Serving: 8 cheese sticks
- ⚡ Calories: 190kcal
- 🌶 Flavor Profile: Buttery, garlicky, and loaded with melty mozzarella and parmesan
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our copycat onion petals
Quick Answer
Bloom active dry yeast in warm water, then whisk it with melted butter, sugar, salt, and an egg yolk. Stir in flour to form a soft dough, spread it into a buttered 9 by 13 baking dish, and rest 15 minutes. Brush the top with melted butter, sprinkle on mozzarella, parmesan, garlic salt, and oregano, then bake at 350 degrees for 28 to 31 minutes until golden and bubbly. Cool, cut into 8 sticks, and serve with marinara.
Jump to:
- Pizza Hut Cheese Sticks Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Pizza Hut Cheese Sticks
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Pizza Hut Cheese Sticks FAQs
- Other Recommended Copycat Appetizer Recipes
- Copycat Pizza Hut Cheese Sticks Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Blooming the yeast guarantees a rise. Proofing it in 110 degree water until foamy proves it is alive before it ever touches the dough.
- Butter in the dough, not just on top. Whisking melted butter into the wet ingredients makes the inside rich and tender, like the real thing.
- A 9 by 13 dish gives even, thick sticks. Pressing the dough into a baking dish bakes up uniform and easy to cut into clean strips.
- Mozzarella plus parmesan is the magic combo. Mozzarella brings the gooey pull and parmesan adds the salty, savory edge.
- Butter on top crisps the surface. Brushing more melted butter over the dough before baking is what creates those golden, crispy edges.
- A short rest is all it needs. Just 15 minutes lets the dough relax so it bakes light instead of dense.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They taste just like the restaurant. Buttery, cheesy, and golden, without leaving your kitchen.
- No mixer and one bowl. The dough comes together by hand in minutes, perfect for new bakers, like our jalapeno popper pinwheels.
- An any night appetizer or side. Serve them with pizza, pasta, soup, or just a big bowl of marinara for dipping.
Key Ingredients
- Active Dry Yeast: Gives the dough its soft, bread like lift. Make sure it foams before using.
- Unsalted Butter: Used both in the dough and brushed on top for that signature buttery, crispy edge.
- All Purpose Flour: The simple base that keeps the dough tender and easy to work with.
- Mozzarella and Parmesan: The cheesy heart of the recipe; mozzarella for the melt, parmesan for the savory punch.
- Garlic Salt and Oregano: The classic pizzeria seasoning that makes these taste like the cheesy bread we serve with our favorite party appetizers.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
- Switch up the cheese. A blend of mozzarella and provolone or a little cheddar gives a different flavor.
- Add some heat. Sprinkle about half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes on top before baking.
- Go garlicky. Stir minced garlic into the butter you brush on top for extra punch.
- Skip the oregano. Not a fan? Leave it off, the sticks are still delicious.
- Change the dip. Swap marinara for ranch, garlic butter, or alfredo, the way we do with our loaded potato skins.
How to Make Pizza Hut Cheese Sticks
- In a small bowl, add the yeast and set aside. In a large bowl, add the thinly sliced butter, sugar, and salt; set aside.
- Warm the water to 110 degrees. Pour half into the yeast, stir gently, and let sit 5 minutes until foamy.
- Pour the remaining warm water into the bowl with the butter and let it sit while the yeast blooms.
- Whisk the butter mixture until combined. The butter may not fully melt, and that is okay.
- Add the egg yolk and the foamy yeast mixture to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Add the flour to the bowl.
- Stir everything together until just combined into a soft dough.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the melted butter to a 9 by 13 baking dish and brush it all over the dish.
- Spread the dough evenly into the dish, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the wrap, pour the rest of the melted butter on top, and brush to cover.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella all over, followed by the parmesan, garlic salt, and dried oregano.
- Bake 28 to 31 minutes until the edges are dark golden and the cheese is bubbly. Cool 10 minutes, cut into 8 sticks, and serve with marinara.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Check your water temperature. Around 110 degrees is perfect; too hot kills the yeast and too cool will not activate it.
- Wait for the foam. If the yeast does not get foamy in 5 minutes, it is dead, start over with fresh yeast.
- Do not skip buttering the dish. It keeps the sticks from sticking and crisps the bottom.
- Shred your own cheese. Block mozzarella shredded at home melts smoother than pre shredded.
- Watch the edges. They should be dark golden brown; that is where all the crispy flavor lives.
- Let them cool before cutting. A 10 minute rest helps the sticks hold their shape into clean slices.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Pizza Hut Cheese Sticks are the ultimate shareable starter, so I love setting them out with a big bowl of warm marinara right in the middle of the table. They are perfect for game day, movie night, or alongside a cozy bowl of soup.
For a full pizza night spread, serve them with our sheet pan pizza and a few more cheesy bites like our baked cream cheese wonton cups. Hosting a crowd? Build a whole appetizer board with our cheddar bacon ranch celery sticks and our jalapeno popper pinwheels for a mix of warm and cold bites.
However you serve them, have extra marinara ready, because these cheesy sticks vanish fast.
Pizza Hut Cheese Sticks FAQs
Low moisture shredded mozzarella melts best and gives you that classic stretchy pull, with a little grated parmesan on top for salty, savory depth. Shred your own off the block if you can, since pre shredded cheese has anti caking agents that melt less smoothly.
Aim for about 110 degrees, which feels like warm bath water. Too hot will kill the yeast and too cool will not activate it, so a quick thermometer check is worth it. The yeast should look foamy after 5 minutes.
They are best fresh and hot, but you can bake them, cool completely, and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes to crisp the edges back up. You can also freeze baked sticks for up to 3 months.
Warm marinara is the classic, but ranch, garlic butter, alfredo, or a spicy arrabbiata are all delicious. Set out a few options so everyone can pick their favorite.
You can use refrigerated pizza dough in a pinch, but the texture and flavor will not be the same as this from scratch version. The homemade dough is buttery and tender, which is what makes these taste like the real thing.
Store cooled sticks in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer rather than the microwave so the edges stay crisp instead of going soft.
Other Recommended Copycat Appetizer Recipes
If you make these Pizza Hut Cheese Sticks, I would love to hear how they turned out! Leave a star rating and a comment below, and tag us in your cheesy photos. Happy baking!
Want more cheesy copycats? Try cheesy cream cheese wontons next.
For more copycats, make Taco Bell nacho fries next.
Copycat Pizza Hut Cheese Sticks Recipe
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter thinly sliced
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons warm water 110°F, divided
- 1 egg yolk lightly beaten
- 1 ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
For assembly:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted, divided
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- marinara sauce for dipping
Instructions
- In a small bowl add the yeast, set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the thinly sliced butter, sugar, and salt, set aside.
- Warm the water to 110°F in the microwave or in a small saucepan. Pour half of the water into the bowl with the yeast, stir gently, let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Pour the remaining water into the bowl with the butter. Let it sit while the yeast is sitting.
- After 5 minutes, whisk the butter mixture until combined, the butter may not fully melt, that’s okay.
- Add the egg yolk and yeast mixture to the wet ingredients, whisk to combine.
- Add the flour and stir it all together until just combined.
- From the assembly ingredients, add 2 tablespoons of the melted butter to a 9×13 baking dish and brush it all over the dish.
- Spread the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Take off the plastic wrap from the baking dish. Pour the rest of the melted butter on top and brush it all over the dough so it is covered.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella all over the top, followed by the parmesan, garlic salt, and dried oregano.
- Bake for 28-31 minutes until the edges all around the baking dish are dark golden brown and the cheese on top is bubbly and browned.
- Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Take the breadsticks out of the pan and cut into 8 even slices. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes
- The dough only needs 15 mins of rest time!
- You can use other cheeses, see my tips above.
- Other dipping sauces can also be used, again see above.
- If you are not an oregano fan you can absolutely leave that off.
- You can use refrigerated pizza dough, but the outcome will not taste the same.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- Want to add some heat, sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes on top.
Nutrition
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