Air Fryer Pizza Rolls Recipe + Video
Whether you need a quick snack for party food or a children's packed lunch, here's my ultimate guide on how to make easy homemade air fryer pizza rolls, with lots of tried and tested tips for the best results!
Servings: 15 pizza rolls
Calories: 126kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Pizza dough Or 400g/13,8 oz canned or fresh pre-rolled pizza crust (serves 2)
- 160 g Mozzarella Grated (1.5 cups)
- ½ tablespoon Basil Dried
- 100 g Pepperoni Chopped from 27 slices (¾ cup)
- 130 g Pizza sauce (½ cup)
Instructions
- Dust a clean kitchen counter well with plain flour and roll out fresh pizza dough into a 15" x 10" rectangle with a rolling pin. OR roll out pre-rolled store bought dough with the baking paper still attached if it comes with it.
- Next spread on your pizza sauce, leaving a 1" gap all along the edges. Then sprinkle on the cheese, pepperoni and dried basil.
- From the longest side of the rectangle, roll into a pizza sausage while also tucking in the pizza filling as you go.
- Once you get to the end, press the final 1" dough down to seal - you may need to stretch slightly and press down.
- Place it in the fridge for 10 minutes to slightly firm up. If you want to preheat your air fryer at 150c/325F while you wait, you can.
- Cut a piece of baking paper to line your air fryer basket for a soft pizza roll base, or spray with oil spray fro a crispy base. (See notes below).
- Remove the large pizza sausage (AKA stromboli), from the fridge and brush with olive oil if wanting a crispy finish.
- Slice into 1" slices and bake for 10-12 minutes in batches, spacing them 2" apart.
Video
Notes
Can I make pizza crescent rolls?
Yes, store bought croissant pastry is perfect for easy pizza rolls! Just unroll the dough and spread tomato sauce, cheese and pepperon slices and roll. Then bake for 8-10 minutes at 160c (350F).
Do I need to preheat my air fryer?
We tested in a hot air fryer and without and found no difference in preheating.
Can I proof pizza dough in an air fryer?
If making these pizza bites from scratch, I found better results by oiling a cake pan (make sure if fits), and adding my dough ball, and covering it with clingfilm to prevent it from drying out and forming a papery skin.
Then proofing at 40c (104F) for 30 minutes on the dehydrate setting. This was half as quick and the dough was much smoother and superior to proofing at room temperature.
Do I need to line my air fryer with baking paper?
We were worried that cheese and tomato would leak through the air fryer tray, but we tested without paper and sprayed oil spray instead.
Very little oozed out and was mostly fat from the pepperoni. And they didn't stick. The biggest difference was: the ones with paper had a softer base (our preference) with no added oil and those without paper had a crispy cheese base.
Or, you could use toaster oven parchment with holes to let the air fryer cook while circulating more air for some crispiness.
Can I bake this pizza roll recipe together in a pan?
Yes, baking them together in a baking pan is the best way to save time and a great option for tear and share at the centre of the table!
Just place your 1" slices in an oiled 8-9" round pan, or square/rectangle if that fits in your Ninja Foodi air fryer oven.
Then cover with clingfilm and proof if on dehydrate setting at 40c/104F for 20 minutes. Remove the film and bake on air fryer mode at 150c (325F) for 20-25 minutes.
Can I make pizza rolls with wonton wrappers?
Similar to Totino's pizza rolls, you can fill wonton wrappers or egg rolls with 1 teaspoon of mixed pizza sauce, cheese, and shredded meat.
Then wet the ends, fold into little parcels to seal before spraying with oil spray, including the basket or rack and bake them in the air fryer for 12-14 minutes at 170c (375F). You could give it a good shake half way through. Will puff pastry work? I've not made pizza rolls using puff pastry, but they would make an easy snack as do my mince pie pinwheels which use the same filling and rolling technique.
They're then flattened before baking in the oven. Note: flattening pizza rolls with pizza dough doesn't look pretty, but they're great in soup! Why is the dough raw in the middle? If your dough is raw in the middle, yet the roll looks cooked on the top, then the temperature is too high. Next time, try cooking them for longer at a lower temperature. Can I freeze pizza dough for later? I've never tried freezing pizza dough, but it is recommended by several sources to only freeze after it has risen so the yeast can still do its job. Will this recipe make air fryer pizza balls? Yes! Instead of rolling an entire sheet, you can divide it into 16 or more dough balls. Then roll each into flat rounds with a rolling pin and spoon the filling in the centre before tucking over and pinching to seal.
Then wet the ends, fold into little parcels to seal before spraying with oil spray, including the basket or rack and bake them in the air fryer for 12-14 minutes at 170c (375F). You could give it a good shake half way through. Will puff pastry work? I've not made pizza rolls using puff pastry, but they would make an easy snack as do my mince pie pinwheels which use the same filling and rolling technique.
They're then flattened before baking in the oven. Note: flattening pizza rolls with pizza dough doesn't look pretty, but they're great in soup! Why is the dough raw in the middle? If your dough is raw in the middle, yet the roll looks cooked on the top, then the temperature is too high. Next time, try cooking them for longer at a lower temperature. Can I freeze pizza dough for later? I've never tried freezing pizza dough, but it is recommended by several sources to only freeze after it has risen so the yeast can still do its job. Will this recipe make air fryer pizza balls? Yes! Instead of rolling an entire sheet, you can divide it into 16 or more dough balls. Then roll each into flat rounds with a rolling pin and spoon the filling in the centre before tucking over and pinching to seal.
Nutrition
Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 342mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 41IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg