Fast food is the fastest option but you have to consider the additional calories that you are going to pack on if you eat something like a greasy pizza or burger.
This post on how to cook a pizza in an air fryer would help you eat some healthy pizza so that you enjoy the taste but at the same time continue to make healthy food choices.
Yes, making pizza inside an air fryer can be done and it is way easier than what most people think. You are going to get the same taste and if you follow a few tips you can get a nice and crisp base that we are looking for.
This is perhaps one of the most interesting ways to cook pizza. We have heard of pizza on a grill, pizza on a cast-iron skillet, pizza on parchment paper, but this one is a little less popular.
Cooking pizza requires a lot of heat and you also need to make the temperature even. An air fryer is not the most famous piece of equipment to use when you want to cook pizza.
First of all, it is not huge so the pizzas that you can make in it will not be as large as you want. It also does not have flames that will help give more flavor to the pizza when cooked.
However, it does boast speed and efficiency. When you cook pizza in an air fryer, you will see how amazing it is as it can cook faster than most home ovens.
Plus, the incredible thing about cooking pizza in an air fryer is that it can also create nice crusts. This means that you get to cook even fresh pizzas in an air fryer and it will come out perfect.
So now, there is no need for you to order pizza from the nearest pizza place. You only need to stock a few of your favorite frozen pizza brands and fire up the air fryer which is far quicker.
See, it will take a lot of time to call the pizza place, they will cook it, and then deliver it. By the time that they arrive at your doorstep, the air fryer would have already cooked at least two pizzas.
So drop the phone, put a little more effort for the week and then get your air fryer ready. This recipe will help and guide you on how to cook pizza in an air fryer.
Table of Contents
Fresh Pepperoni Pizza Recipe in an Air Fryer
Ingredients
– 1 ball of frozen or fresh dough
– 1 tablespoon of olive oil
– 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce
– 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded
– 8 pepperoni slices
– Fresh basil leaves
– Pepper flakes
Procedure
Step 1: Preheat the Air Fryer
Unlike home and pizza ovens, the air fryer will not take long to preheat. So you can do this once you have assembled the pizza but we recommend that you do it before.
That way, while waiting for the air fryer to preheat, you get to do something by arranging the pizza instead of wasting time. So preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
This will take around 5-8 minutes, enough time for you to prepare the ingredients. Before setting up the temperature of the air fryer, spray some oil on the basket to season it properly.
Step 2: Assemble the Pizza
First, cut the ball in two if it is too large for the air fryer. Roll it out flat on a well-floured surface and then make a circular dough by stretching it to the size of the air fryer basket.
Use your hands in stretching the dough so you get more control over it. Push from the center outwards and create a thicker barrier on the edges of the dough to keep the sauce in.
Let the dough sit for a little bit while you prepare the other ingredients. Pat the mozzarella cheese dry so that it won’t sink in the dough and make it soggy later on.
Then, you can put the dough on the air fryer already if you want but we suggest that you assemble all the toppings before putting in the air fryer to be safe and to make sure that it preheats properly.
Brush the dough lightly with olive oil and get your tomato sauce and then put it on the dough. Do it spoon by spoon to make sure that you do not put too much on the dough and make it soggy.
Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the sauce and then place the pepperoni slices on top. Make sure that they are spread evenly and that the slices are thin enough for the small crust.
Step 3: Cook
Once the air fryer has preheated and has reached the desired temperature, place the pizza carefully inside it, and then close the lid.
Leave it in the air fryer for about 8 minutes or until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted. You can leave it longer if you want it to be crispier but 7-8 minutes will be enough to cook the pizza.
Step 4: Serve
The basil and pepper flakes are optional but of course, you can never go wrong with a little bit of garnish. Slice the pizza and serve!
Notes
1. After you are done stretching the dough, you can place it in the air fryer and arrange the toppings when it is already in there to make it easier.
The air fryer is a little bit hard to place food in. there is a risk that the toppings of the pizza will fall off when you put it in the air fryer after arranging it.
2. An air fryer is a small appliance but it will produce a lot of heat. So let the pizza rest for a little bit before you slice into it and serve it.
Frozen Pizza
Cooking frozen pizza in an air fryer is a more common occurrence than a fresh pizza. But not to worry, it does not take much effort to do this and will take around the same time as the fresh pizza option.
All you need to do is to remove the plastic or the wrapper of the pizza. Let it rest for a bit on the table and spray a thin layer of olive oil on top of the pizza to prevent burning the toppings.
With the same temperature and time frame as the fresh pizza recipe, let the frozen pizza cook in the air fryer and then let it rest for a bit before serving.
Deep-dish frozen pizzas will, of course, take longer to cook. It will go for about 12 minutes to cook so do not forget the layer of olive oil on the toppings of the pizza.
Conclusion
The varying sizes and thickness of the pizza crust will be the determining factor of how long you are going to cook the pizza in the air fryer. You can make a lot of pizzas in an air fryer.
The only limit is the temperature, which is already enough, and the size of the air fryer. You need to make do with how much space you have in order to cook the perfect pizza.
This recipe with this equipment will usually take more than one try. So do not be discouraged if you failed on your first try. Make it a lesson and see where you went wrong from the first try.
This recipe is pretty easy and you also do not need thick toppings on a pizza when you cook it in an air fryer. Just get the thinly-sliced pepperoni and vegetables and cook it in the air fryer!
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