Air Fryer Margherita Pizza
Recipe Snapshot
PREP + COOK TIME: 20 minutes
METHOD: Air fryer
OTHER TOOLS: parchment, pizza cutter
TOTAL INGREDIENTS: 6
Who doesn’t love a freshly-baked homemade pizza? Instead of picking up takeout or paying sky-high delivery fees, make a quick air fryer margherita pizza with these classic ingredients. It’s crisp, delicious, and ready in minutes!
What’s To Love About This Recipe
- Margherita pizza is a classic favorite, but this recipe is also a great base option for personalizing dietary needs (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, etc.).
- Air fryer pizza is customizable and a simple single-serve option! It’s a great choice for family night or entertaining. Let everyone build their own pizza or make up a few to share as appetizers.
- This recipe has a quick cook time in the air fryer! No need to preheat the oven or heat up the kitchen – especially if you want a hot and fresh pizza on warmer days.
- You will get a perfectly crisp crust with melty cheese in under 10 minutes.
- This is a fun way to use up leftovers or simply make a small batch on demand.
- Get the kids involved and have them help you make this easy meal for weeknight meals, snacks, or lunch!
Ingredients Needed
- Prepared pizza dough – You could make your own crust, but having a quality, prepared dough on hand makes it so easy! I like using Trader Joe’s store-brand dough, but look for any fresh or frozen 8-ounce dough or divide it into the appropriate size. If you choose frozen dough, be sure to thaw it first.
- Olive oil – Olive oil adds traditional flavor and helps the dough crisp up slightly in the air fryer.
- Crushed tomatoes – Crushed tomatoes add a little more texture than just regular sauce, and are a classic component of margherita pizza.
- Fresh mozzarella – Fresh mozzarella is the signature ingredient of this pizza! Use small mozzarella pearls, or cut a ball into small pieces or slices.
- Shredded Italian cheese blend – A shredded cheese blend helps hold the pizza toppings together and melts perfectly across the tomatoes.
- Fresh basil – A few leaves of fresh basil are a necessity for topping off the margherita pizza.
How To Make Air Fryer Pizza
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 ℉.
- Roll out the prepared pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick.
- Drizzle the dough with oil, then spread the tomatoes over the dough and top with cheeses.
- Place the pizza in the air fryer for 6-8 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned and the cheese is melted, and it has just a few crispy spots.
- Cut 2-3 leaves of basil into tiny strips and add to the top of the pizza.
- Let the pizza cool for 5 minutes before slicing.
Pro Tips
- Assemble the pizza directly in the air fryer basket (or on parchment paper cut to size) to avoid transferring fragile, uncooked dough.
- Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the other toppings to help keep everything in place during air frying.
- If you are making multiple pizzas, keep the cooked pizzas warm in a 200 ℉ oven or in the air fryer on low heat while preparing the rest.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
It’s not a true personal pizza until you customize it just how you like it! There are so many options to make each pizza tasty and enjoyable for everyone.
Crust
- Use store-bought naan, flatbread, or a fresh pita for convenience – just adjust the cooking time as needed.
- Maybe you already have a tried-and-true dough recipe that you love! If you want to mix up a fresh batch, that works well, too. Simply divide the dough into portions and roll out to 6-8 inch crusts for the air fryer.
- The fastest, easiest option for pizza night? Use pre-baked crusts! You can find these in a variety of options, usually in prepared sizes that will work for the air fryer.
- If you need gluten-free options, look for gluten-free crusts such as cauliflower crust, gluten-free flatbread, or gluten-free tortillas.
Cheese
- For the most traditional margherita, use thick slices of fresh mozzarella or mozzarella pearls.
- For a more kid-friendly option, use shredded mozzarella. It melts more evenly and keeps everything on the pizza better!
- Other tasty options include provolone, fontina, goat cheese, or dairy-free alternatives.
Pizza Bar Toppings
Set out a range of ingredients and make a personalized pizza bar for dinner! This is a great option for the end of the week when you want to get creative and use up leftovers.
- Use meats such as pepperoni, sausage, bacon bits, prosciutto, and shredded chicken.
- Chop or slice veggies like bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, olives, jalapeños, and red onion.
- Change up the sauce options with traditional tomato, pesto, garlic oil, alfredo, and BBQ.
Pizza Variations
Use this base recipe to make a new pizza combo with whatever you have on hand. Try one of these favorites:
- Taco Pizza: Use seasoned ground beef, cheddar, salsa drizzle, and top with shredded lettuce after cooking.
- All Meat: Combine sausage, pepperoni, bacon, and mozzarella.
- BBQ Chicken: Drizzle BBQ sauce over chicken, red onion, and mozzarella, and top with cilantro.
- Veggie Lovers: Chop up mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, and red onion.
What To Serve With Air Fryer Pizza
Serve a simple air fryer pizza with as many sides as you like! A Wedge Salad with Herbed Buttermilk Dressing, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, garlic bread, or fresh fruit would be delicious options to balance the meal.
Before serving, top off the pizza with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese, or garlic salt.
Storing and Reheating
How to Best Store Leftovers
Fridge
Store leftovers in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in foil for up to 3 days.
Freezer
I don’t recommend freezing since an air-fried crust can dry out, and the toppings may not reheat evenly.
How to Best Reheat Leftovers
The air fryer is the best option for reheating. Pop the pizza back in the basket at 350 ℉ for 3-4 minutes. This re-crisps the crust nicely – and it also works great for reheating any takeout pizza!
If you need a faster reheating option, you can use the microwave, but you may lose crispness. Place each slice on a paper towel to reduce moisture. You can also add larger batches of leftover pizza back to the oven to reheat at 375 ℉for 8-10 minutes.
Air Fryer Margherita Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz prepared pizza dough thawed if frozen
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup crushed tomatoes
- 2 oz fresh mozzarella pearls or cut into small pieces
- 1 oz shredded Italian cheese blend
- Fresh basil for topping
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 350 ℉
- Roll out prepared pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick
- Drizzle dough with oil, then spread tomatoes over dough and top with cheeses
- Place pizza in the air fryer for 6-8 minutes or until crust is lightly browned, cheese is melted, and it has just a few crispy spots
- Cut 2-3 leaves of basil into tiny strips and add to the top of pizza
- Let pizza cool for 5 minutes before slicing
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the air fryer (best option) at 350 ℉ for 3–4 minutes to get a crisp crust, or use the oven or microwave.
- To avoid moving fragile dough, assemble the pizza directly in the air fryer basket.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese over the other toppings to hold everything in place during cooking.
Would a cauliflower frozen crust work ,if yes how long for cooking
I’m not sure as I haven’t tested this out in an air fryer yet, but what a wonderful idea!