Step aside frozen pizza, there’s a new guy in town. We’re talking about the Air Fryer Pizza! Perfectly crispy, easy to make, personal pan pizzas that are about to revolutionize pizza night.
This recipe has been UPDATED to fix the uncooked crust issue that many have commented on. Thank you everyone for your input – this community wouldn’t be the same without you!
We’ve established that you can cook a whole lot in the air fryer. Like vegetables and French fries and even Buttermilk Fried “Chicken”. But as a lover of all things pizza, I’m amazed that it took me this long to try throwing one in the air fryer.
But being that is is pizza week here on the blog, I decided to give it a shot. And all I can say is…air frying pizza is a game changer. Not only does the pizza cook more quickly, but you get that perfectly crispy bottom crust that can be difficult to achieve in a traditional oven.
(Curious about which air fryer is right for you? We rounded up the best air fryers here.)
How to Cook Pizza in an Air Fryer
The general process for cooking a homemade pizza in an air fryer goes something like this:
- Cook crust in the air fryer for 3 minutes. Precooking the crust will help to give you a crispy bottom without overcooking the toppings!
- Assemble pizza in the air fryer. Given how most air fryers are structured, it would be too difficult to make a pizza then transfer it into the air frying basket. Keep the pre-cooked dough in the air fryer, then you can add the toppings. (If your air fryer is shaped with a front-opening door, like a mini oven, you may be able to assemble the pizza outside of the air fryer.)
- Cook at 375 degrees F for about 7 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and cheese has melted.
- Eat after letting the pizza cool (it’ll be piping hot!)
Our favorite homemade pizza recipes
I love a simple tomato sauce + buffalo mozzarella combo on these air fryer pizzas, but here are a few more pizza toppings that you might like!
- Easy Seitan Pepperoni
- Asparagus Pizza with Burrata and Arugula
- Autumn Pear Pizza
- Beet Pesto Pizza with Goat Cheese and Kale
- Beer Caramelized Onion and Brussels Sprout Pizza
- Goat Cheese and Mushroom White Sauce Pizza
- Three Cheese Roasted Grape Pizza
I used a Philips Air Fryer (affiliate link) to make these air fryer pizzas and absolutely love it, though any air fryer should do the job!
Pro tip: Whip up this quick Restaurant-Style Olive Oil Bread Dip for dipping your crust into!
Ingredients
- Buffalo mozzarella
- Pizza dough 1 12-inch dough will make 2 personal sized pizzas
- Olive oil
- Tomato sauce
- Optional toppings to finish: fresh basil, parmesan cheese, pepper flakes
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat air fryer to 375°F (190°C). Spray air fryer basket well with oil. Pat mozzarella dry with paper towels (to prevent a soggy pizza).
- Cook Crust: Roll out pizza dough to the size of your air fryer basket. Carefully transfer it to the air fryer, then brush lightly with a teaspoon or so of olive oil. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Assemble: To the precooked crust, spoon on a light layer of tomato sauce and sprinkle with chunks of buffalo mozzarella.
- Bake: For about 7 minutes until crust is crispy and cheese has melted. Optionally top with basil, grated parmesan, and pepper flakes just before serving.
Tips & Tricks
More Air Fryer Recipes
Here are a few more air fryer recipes you'll love (find all of our vegetarian air fryer recipes here).
Buttermilk Fried Mushrooms
With air fried oyster mushrooms and a crunchy coating, this tastes just like fried chicken!
How to Cook Air Fryer Potatoes
How to make baked potatoes, homemade French fries, and potato chips in your air fryer, using both white potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Which air fryer is best?
Not sure which air fryer is best? Here are a few of our favorites (complete list of best air fryers here).
Jennifer James says
Do I need to put pizza base on anything in oven fryer
Sarah says
Just the air fryer racks should be good!
Carol says
My bottom of pizza never got brown and I put it on bottom rack for 20 mins
Sarah says
Sorry to hear it, Carol! Every air fryer is a little different. Next time you might try preheating the air fryer so it’s piping hot when the pizza goes in. Otherwise, try bumping up the heat 😀
Sue says
Wow! So many crust issues. I’m wondering if those who had crust problems precooked the crust as per the recipe before adding their toppings. It doesn’t sound it. I always preheat my small Ninja for five minutes before I add food to it. I will try your recipe, including the dough. I’ll probably have to flip it as others have suggested.
Exactly how cooked should the precooked crust be? Should it have started to brown? Perhaps if you were to add a range of time for precooking, such as 3-5 minutes, it might help. Thank you for trying.
Sarah Bond says
I precook it until it is dry to the touch but not browned yet!
Patricia says
Maybe flip it half way
Zzzyp says
I followed directions exactly but crust didn’t crisp on bottom. Yes on the sides. I’m wondering If I made the crust too thick. Next time I might try to heat the crust a bit before putting toppings on so crust gets a head start
Sarah says
Every air fryer is a little different too, so it may just take some finessing to figure out what works best in your air fryer! 😀
Martin says
Missing a step. You have to put the dough in by itself for 5-7 minutes then take it out and flip it the. Put the oil and all that on it and put it back for another 5-7 minutes. Otherwise the bottom won’t crisp up. I’m using the Emril lagasse air fryer
Sarah says
In my experience this hasn’t been necessary, but every air fryer is different 😀
April says
I love the idea of making pizza in the air fryer, but this really wasn’t worth the hassle. Like other posters, the center bottom was not done at all. If I was to turn up the heat, the toppings would all have burnt. This is what finally worked: fry the dough 3 minutes (poke holes in it first), flip over and bake for 1 minute more. Then place sauce and toppings and fry for around 3 minutes. Thanks for the idea, though.
Malaqui says
Yes, your method actually works in any air fryer incl my 8-qt. Bella pro. You may want to lower temp during final fry with the toppings so they wont burn.
Sheena says
This seems to be the recipe with the least amount of hassle. I will give it a go but I’m wondering about the dough…. We don’t put oil in ours and I’m wondering if anyone can specify a dough recipe! Maybe if there is oil in it it would crisp up on the bottom where if it is not made with oil it would stay dry?
Sarah says
This is our dough recipe! Just uses a smidge of oil.
Deborah says
Iliked the idea of this, but it just did not work out. Other reviewers had my problem-soggy bottoms. And I don’t think that saying every airfryer is different solves the problem. I made 4 of these, adjusting time and temperature. There is only so much you can adjust before the toppings burn. We had to put one in the oven. It just wasn’t getting done. I won’t attempt this again. It’s a big waste of time and ingredients.
Sarah says
Sorry to hear it, Deborah! Thanks for letting us know how it went.
Dodi says
try using a pre cooked crust thats what im going to do cook it 3 min or so then flip it over so bottom browns take out and make your pizza i think this will work great
Cindy says
Your comment that you tried it 4 times doesn’t contradict “every air fryer is different” unless you tried it 4 times in 4 different air fryers, which you didn’t. All your experiment proved was that it didn’t work for you 4 times using the same equipment. You could have also listed your times if you wanted to help other readers…
I found it a little soft for my liking but next time, I’ll add a few minutes to the crust. Everyone else like it without complaints.
Disclaimer: It’s really a 4 star review but I’m giving it 5 stars to off-set the unfair one(s) from people using different equipment and getting less than ideal results.
Erin says
The very middle of the pizza bottom didn’t cook at all and the bottom in general was undercooked. The top was perfect. Maybe a lower heat and longer cook time?
Bubba Kid says
Use parchment paper and preheat air fryer. Coat the parchment with a little oil and the air fryer will not be needed to be cleaned.
Chandra Dee says
This was a bust (and a waste of precious food budget in our low income home).
I’m having the same issue everyone is having and I don’t see anyone in comments who had success. Please don’t say “every air fryer is different”.
Maybe update this recipe to be specifically for whichever one worked for you, and add the suggestions from other commenters (like the step about cooking the dough separately and flipping before starting.) I was skeptical I could cook a pizza from scratch, since the dough pretty much stops the air from circulating all the way around. That proved to be true in my Instant Pot Vortex. Husband decided to flip the entire pizza (toppings and all) upside down as a last resort, and that seems to have saved it for the most part.
If I try pizza again, it will be with a pre-cooked dough.
Sarah says
Thanks for your thoughtful review, Chandra, and I’m so sorry to hear it didn’t work for you. I’ll get to retesting this one soon so we can work out where the problem may be.
Papa Bob says
I was scrolling around and found this site my son loves his air fryer and was looking for some descent sounding recipes,just a suggestion from a dumb old truck driver, could you put a pizza stone or pizza steel in fryer basket and preheat it I don’t know if that defeats the air circulation but could be worth a try
Sarah says
I think that may interrupt the air circulation! Can always give it a go though! 😀
nancy says
Considering I have seen a shrimp scampi recipe being made on YouTube where she uses a small pan in her air fryer to contain the sauce, if you have a baking stone that fits, I would definitely try to make a pizza in your air fryer if I were you!
Nicole says
Thank you for posting this recipe! This is the first time I’ve made pizza in the air fryer and first time it was gluten free too. It was delicious. After reading the comments I cooked the base 3 minutes on one side and flipped it over and did 2 minutes on the other before adding the ingredients. I have to say the next time I’ll provably do 3 flip and 4 on the other side and then add the ingredients. But I have to say in any event it was delicious and easy and quick and wonderful. So thank you very much!
Janis g says
Cheese too brown and crust not cooked
TrvH says
I tried this tonight! But like others, the crust was undercooked, so I’m heating the oven to finish it. It’s still a great idea if one knows one’s air fryer will cook the dough.
I like your suggestion of using naan bread! I’ll do that next time, or prebake the crust as others suggested. As you point out, all air fryers are different. I suspect mine (Gourmia – Costco Canada house brand) doesn’t have enough space under the basket to really cook the dough. But prebaked would be perfect!
Thank you for the recipe, and Happy New Year!
marten says
can l steam dimsims in an air fryer
Sarah Bond says
Air fryers act much different from steamers (hot air vs hot steam being used to cook), so I don’t think this would work!
Maureen says
Followed the directions and bottom was uncooked so I put it in oven, then it was very good
Amy says
After several attempts I finally figured out how to get it to cook through. First couple ones I had to put in a pan on the stove to cook the bottom! I heated the dough first for about 3 minutes then flipped it and heated it again for a few minutes to ensure it was cooked. Then put on sauce and cheese/toppings and cooked about 5 min. Keep checking to see when done. Everyone loved them. Lots of work though compared to just pooping one or two pies in the oven.
Amy says
I meant pop!!! Popping them in the oven!!!
Manu says
lovely typo 🙂
David Newton says
Stop bombing me with vegan recipes, I don’t roll that way
Ray says
Top was well done while bottom was almost uncooked. Uneven air circulation. Used a Gourmia 7 quart air fryer
Austin says
Definitely regret not reading reviews before attempting this! Preheating my oven as I type this.
Michelle says
Considering almost every single comment said that the bottom never cooked and was soggy af, mine included, I think it’s really crappy of you to keep this recipe up. I’ll definitely never use your recipes again. Also, don’t try telling me every air fryer is different; they aren’t *that* different especially since most of us got the exact same results.
Sarah Bond says
Thanks for letting me know, Michelle! I’ve actually been working on updating this recipe and the modifications just went live! 😀
Nate says
Got this to work, but I did it at 400 for 7 minutes just to get the dough cooked.
Then I flipped it so the crispy side faced down and did my toppings.
Then 400 at 13 minutes. Came out great, but a little over done for toppings.
Next time I’d do 9 minutes just the dough, then flip and do 10 with all the toppings.
Alex says
Great recipe, I used cosori AF, spray oil on AF, add crust for 2 min@370. Added cheese and sauce (kids) 370 for 7 min. 5/3yr old approved.
Sarah Bond says
So happy to hear it, Alex! 😀
Borls Mileshin says
It was all very very helpful. Thank usomuch
Mp says
Not for me. After 5 minutes, the cheese was completely burnt to a black crisp.
T Hartwig says
This worked pretty well! I adjusted the time on my air fryer to add another minute. I’m kind of aghast at some commenters blaming you for this not working – all recipes have an element of risk.
The naan suggestion is also on point! I use naan when I want a quick snack fix. 🙂 Thank you!
Sarah Bond says
Thanks for letting us know how it went! Enjoy! 😀
Char says
Lower temp cook a little longer for uncooked dough folks😁🥰
Ashelie smith says
Great Idea!! I wanted to use my Crux Artisan Air Fryer but something fun for the kids to help out as well.
After trial and error ONE pizza turned out perfect after reading tips from other commenters.
I needed to precook/crisp dough prior to adding my toppings.
Otherwise one pizza cooked uneven, raw in the middle, toppings burnt etc
But overall very good.
Randall P says
Dynamite recipe! Nice and crispy crust, authentic restaurant taste. This recipe is a keeper!
Charlene says
My new stove and oven has a built in air-fryer but I don’t know what time and temperature or other instructions to make my Gluten free DeGiorno 12″ pizza.
Sarah Bond says
Hi Charlene! I’m honestly not sure on the exacts, but for pizza I usually do HOT (450F) for 8 to 10 minutes.
Luis says
do u have a recipe for a crust?
Sarah Bond says
Yes! Here’s our pizza dough recipe. Enjoy!
Sherry says
You will end up with raw dough using this “recipe”. It’s a waste of ingredients, unfortunately.
Winnie says
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve been craving a good pizza for so long I gave up until now. Easy, breezy great tasting cheesy pizza in minutes.
Loved it says
Great recipes shared it twice already total perfection with nan bread and premade individual pizza crust. Phenomenal
Sarah Bond says
So happy to hear it! 😀
Mario says
Great recipe, although for our air fryer (gourmia) we had to cook the dough on either side for 5ish min each (until it was golden brown) then add the toppings and cook for another 4ish minutes. This ensured the dough was cooked to perfection and crispy. Thanks!
JOE martin says
Nice BUT, I THINK MOST already knew about cooking the crust first,for home made. BUT, theres still NO WAY to cook a frozen pizza that has the bottom of the crust brown. I have a $180.00 air fryer,grill combo. , a GOOD, POWERFUL one. Top of pizza is great, bottom still white and mushy. No crisp at all. Ive tried every setting i could, no good,. Surely theres SOMETHING out there to put the pizza on that help cook the bottom? I called the maker of my unit [ overseas ] their answer was [ ready ? ] put pizza in upside down,, I just hung up. I mean, come on, can put man on moon, but cant brown a pizza ???
Devon says
And that my friend, is because they never did put a man on moon 👀
J nichols says
So how do you get your pizza crust crispy if you are cooking a pre-made frozen pizza so far every pizza that we have cooked the crust is soft in the middle
Sarah Bond says
You could try lowering the temperature to give the crust more time to cook through before the toppings burn 😀
Jeff Smith says
I’ve been doing this a while… I always cook the crust until its browned, then flip it, now the bottom is browned and the new top can cook with the toppings on it. Make sure y’all get a cold fermenting dough recipe and keep it in the fridge overnight for that authentic pizzeria flavor. We make several batches of dough in the bread machine and keep it all in a bag with some olive oil in there to keep it from sticking to the bag. Pizza sauce is much cheaper by the gallon too if you can find it.
My favorite thing to do now is sprinkle some everything seasoning on the crust before the first cook, so its all across the bottom of the pizza when its done 🙂