Everybody loves pizza. Really. Do you know anyone who doesn’t love a good slice of pizza? Well, we don’t.
✦ Fun Fact: Did you know, the #1 takeout food in the world is pizza? That’s how much pizza is loved!!Â
And that’s also the reason why we’re so excited about making the air fryer pizza roll ups!
Pizza rolls come in many varieties, from pepperoni-stuffed pastries to swirls of sauce and dough formed into savory cinnamon-bun-looking delights.
All pizza rolls benefit from the fact that they are hand-held, and therefore more fun to eat and to share with friends and family! Plus, they make a perfect game day snack!
In this recipe, we use soft bread to roll up pizza ingredients before coating the whole roll in egg and crispy panko and air frying it to golden brown perfection.
The process is easy and the result is a snack or appetizer that will please the kids (and adults)!
Table of Contents
Air Fryer Pizza Roll Ups Recipe Ingredients
✦ You can find the exact measurements of the recipe ingredients and customize the serving size in the recipe card after the detailed step-by-step instructions section.
The ingredients needed for the pizza roll ups air fryer recipe are simple and are easy to find at your local grocery store.
- Sliced bread, preferably sandwich bread
- Pizza or marinara sauce
- Pepperoni
- Mozzarella cheese
- Egg
- Panko breadcrumbs
Obviously, you can use whatever type of pizza-related ingredients you want in your roll filling, so don’t feel confined to just our suggestion!
We used a soft white sandwich bread, but you could use whole wheat sandwich bread, artisan bread, keto bread (to reduce the recipe’s total carbs), tortillas, premade pizza dough or even Pillsbury Crescent rolls to make your pizza roll-ups.
✦ If you are using a raw dough, like pizza dough or crescent rolls, you may want to avoid the panko step, so that the dough can brown and get crisp in the air fryer.
The filling possibilities are also endless!
In this recipe, we chose a classic pepperoni and mozzarella filling, but you could really fill these pizza rolls with any of your favorite pizza toppings!
Here are some ideas: sliced onions (cooked or raw), black olives, ham, pineapple (controversial but delicious), prosciutto, sauteed eggplant, cooked sausage, sauteed mushrooms, cooked chicken pieces, cooked bacon, peppers- the list is truly endless!
Just make sure that whatever toppings you’re using in your filling are cut small enough to be rolled up!
Oh, and did we mention cheese?
We use mozzarella in this recipe but you could use any type of delicious, melty cheese!
Try fontina, asiago, taleggio, or even ricotta cheese to switch up your pizza rolls.
Recipe Video
How to Make Pizza Roll Ups in the Air Fryer?
Making pizza roll ups in the air fryer is fun, easy and takes less than 15 minutes, making it a perfect lunch, afternoon snack, or appetizer before dinner!
Step 1: Preheat the air fryer to 360°F (182°C).
If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheating option, you can set the temperature to 360°F (182°C) and then let it cook for 5 minutes.
You may also skip this step by adding 2-4 minutes to your cooking time until you achieve your desired finish.
Step 2: Prepare the bread crumbs and egg wash.
For breading the rolls, you’ll need 2 shallow bowls. In one bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs. In the other bowl, whisk the egg until smooth.Â
đź’ˇ Pro Tip: Add some grated pecorino romano cheese to the panko crumbs for an added layer of cheesy goodness.
Step 3: Trim and flatten the bread slices.
Remove the crust from the bread slices. Using a rolling pin, flatten each slice until it is thin.
Step 4: Put together the Pizza Roll Ups.
Assemble the pizza rolls. Spread a spoonful of sauce over the whole piece of bread. Then, in the bottom third of the bread slice, add the mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.Â
✦ We used ½ piece of sliced mozzarella, but you could also use a whole piece or shredded mozzarella. The cheesier, the better!
Starting with the bottom third of the slice, carefully roll up the bread, pressing as you roll, until the entire slice is rolled up, pressing the seam to seal.
Repeat with remaining bread slices and filling.
Step 5: Coat the stuffed bread slices with egg wash and bread crumbs.
Bread each pizza roll: dip each roll-up in the beaten egg, ensuring the entire roll is coated. Then, allowing any excess egg to drip back into the bowl, transfer to the panko crumbs and coat evenly, pressing gently to adhere.
Step 6: Air fry pizza roll ups for 4-6 mins.
When the air fryer is fully preheated, add the pizza rolls in a single layer and air fry for about 4-6 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown, flipping once halfway through.
✦ I used a 6-quart air fryer to test this recipe. Cooking time and temperature may vary depending on your air fryer and the number of servings you are making. For optimal results, begin with the lower end of the suggested cooking time.
Step 7: Serve and enjoy your air fried pizza roll ups with a side of marinara sauce.
When the pizza roll ups are crisped and browned, transfer them to a plate and serve immediately with a side of warmed marinara sauce!
Instead of marinara, you could dip the rolls in any type of pasta sauce. Try vodka sauce or alfredo sauce for a delicious twist on these awesome rolls!Â
🤯 Flavor Booster: For an added flavor, add fresh basil leaves to the inside of your rolls. Basil is a classic pizza topping and the freshness of this fabulous herb bursts through when added to these cheesy rolls!
Another idea is to swap the marinara sauce in the air fryer pizza rolls for pesto! Pesto is a combination of herbs, nuts, cheese and olive oil and boy, is it delicious.
The most classic pesto is Pesto Genovese, which is a combination of fresh basil leaves food processed with garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, toasted pine nuts and extra virgin olive oil.
The herby and umami sauce would be awesome baked inside these crispy rolls!
Freezing & Storage
Freezing: The rolls can be easily frozen. Allow the rolls to cool completely before adding to a freezer-style zip-top bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and follow the reheat instructions below.
Fridge: When the rolls are completely cooled, add to a zip-top bag or airtight container and store for up to 5 days.
Reheating: To reheat the rolls, preheat an air fryer to 350°F. When the air fryer is preheated, add the rolls and air fry for 3-4 minutes or until hot and golden, flipping once halfway through.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make pizza roll-ups in the air fryer, start by preheating it to 360°F (182°C). Then, assemble the roll-ups by trimming the sides of the bread, flattening it with a rolling pin, and adding marinara sauce, a slice of cheese, and some pepperoni slices. Roll it up, drench it in egg wash, and coat it with bread crumbs. Finally, cook it for 4-6 minutes, flipping it halfway until it’s slightly golden.
If you’re making pizza roll-ups with crescent rolls, place the filling about an inch before the wide end of the dough, leaving some space to prevent the filling from spilling out. Then air fry at 360°F (182°C) for 4-6 minutes.
This ingredients checklist is interactive; you can use it as your grocery list.
Ingredients
- 8 bread slices
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- 16 pepperoni slices
- 4 mozzarella cheese slices sliced in half
- 1 egg
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 360°F (182°C).
- Prepare the breading ingredients. Put the bread crumbs into a flat container. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk an egg until it turns thin and runny. Then, set aside for assembly.
- Trim the sides of the bread slices and flatten them with a rolling pin.
- To assemble the pizza roll-ups, start by placing the flattened bread on a cutting board. Spread pizza sauce on top, and then add half a slice of cheese and two slices of pepperoni. Roll up the bread and repeat the process until all of the bread slices have been stuffed.
- After rolling the bread slices, dip each pizza roll-up into the egg wash and coat it evenly with bread crumbs.
- Air fry at 360°F (182°C) for 4-6 mins until slightly golden. Flip halfway.
- Serve and enjoy your air fryer pizza roll ups with any pizza sauce on the side!
Recipe Video
Notes
- If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheating option, you can set the temperature to 360°F (182°C) and then let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
- To prevent the Mozzarella cheese from oozing out, place it at the center of the rolls. You can add more cheese if you want.
- Add some grated pecorino romano cheese to the panko crumbs for an added layer of cheesy goodness.
- Filling ideas: sliced onions (cooked or raw), black olives, ham, pineapple (controversial but delicious), prosciutto, sauteed eggplant, cooked sausage, sauteed mushrooms, cooked chicken pieces, cooked bacon, peppers- the list is truly endless!
- Bread alternatives: Instead of white bread, you can substitute tortillas, Pillsbury Crescent Rolls or any Pillsbury dough, wheat bread, artisan bread, and keto bread – the options are literally endless.
- Recipe variations: air fryer tortilla pizza roll ups, crescent roll pizza roll ups, pizza roll ups crescent rolls
- If you are using a raw dough, like pizza dough or crescent rolls, you may want to avoid the panko step, so that the dough can brown and get crisp in the air fryer.
- Instead of marinara, you could dip the rolls in any type of pasta sauce, like vodka sauce, Alfredo sauce, or pesto sauce.
- For added flavor, add fresh basil leaves to the inside of your rolls. Basil is a classic pizza topping, and the freshness of this fabulous herb bursts through when added to these cheesy rolls!
- I used a 6-quart Instant Pot Vortex Plus to test the air fryer pizza roll ups recipe. Cooking time and temperature may vary depending on your air fryer and the number of servings you are making. For optimal results, begin with the lower end of the suggested cooking time.
Nutrition
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