One of my kids' favorite snacks is pizza bites, which are delicious little mini pizza pockets. And they love to share them with friends who come over. But when they wanted them, in the midst of a heat wave this summer, there was no way I was turning on the oven! So I made these Air Fryer Pizza Bites instead. Making frozen pizza bites in the air fryer is the perfect way to cook pizza rolls. You don't have to dirty a sheet pan, it's quick (in just minutes) and easy, won't heat up your house, and uses less electricity! I have also included an easy dipping sauce for these pizza rolls that uses ingredients you already have on hand.
Making pizza bites in the air fryer is an easy and quick snack, the perfect after-school snack, or side dish for kids, and the ideal finger food for movie nights, as well as parties and gatherings. We always make Air Fryer Pizza Bites part of our New Years' eve finger food spread because of how quick and easy they are to make! And a delicious pizza roll sauce recipe is included!
Jump to:
- Recipe Overview: Air Fryer Pizza Bites
- Summarize and Save this Content on:
- 🥘Ingredient Notes
- 📖Variations & Substitutions.
- 🔪Step-by- Step: How to Make Air Fryer Pizza Rolls (with Dipping sauce)
- Expert Tips:
- 🥗 What to serve with Pizza Rolls
- 🍽Equipment
- 🌡️Storage
- 👪 Serving Size
- Recipe FAQ's
- Didn't find the answer you're looking for?
- 📋More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
- 📋Air Fryer Pizza Bites (with dipping sauce) Recipe
Recipe Overview: Air Fryer Pizza Bites
- Ready In: 10 minutes
- Serves: 50 pizza bites per 1.5 lb bag)
- Calories: 13 kcal (approximately, per serving)
- Main Ingredients: Frozen pizza rolls, oil spray, ranch dressing, and sour cream.
- Dietary Info: Kid-friendly, Party Snack
- Weight Watchers Points: Bites: Most brands of pizza rolls: 6 standard pizza rolls are about 7 points. This makes them roughly 1 point per bite.
- The Dip: By using fat-free sour cream and a light ranch dressing, you can keep a 2-tablespoon serving of the dip to just 1-2 WW points. It's a spectacular way to indulge during a movie night without blowing your daily budget!
- Difficulty: Easy.
- Why You'll Love It: It's the ultimate "set it and forget it" snack! You get a much crispier texture than the microwave without the long wait or house-heating effect of a traditional oven. Plus, the zesty 4-ingredient dip turns a basic snack into a party-worthy treat.
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🥘Ingredient Notes
You only need 2 ingredients to make crispy air fryer pizza rolls, and yes, one of them is spray oil (not PAM- see Top Tip for explanation) and a bag of pizza rolls.
Some people get air fryers and think they no longer need oil, but an air fryer doesn't eliminate the need for oil, just the need to use a lot of it. Spraying a little oil on your food will yield the best results because it prevents the food from getting dry and gives it a golden brown finish.
- Frozen Pizza Bites (aka pizza rolls): You can use any brand (like Totino's or Pillsbury) and any flavor! Whether you prefer Pepperoni, Combination, or Three Cheese, the air fryer method remains the same.
- Non-Propellant Oil Spray: This is the most important rule! Avoid aerosol sprays like PAM, which contain soy lecithin that can gunk up and damage the non-stick coating of your air fryer. Use a high-heat stable oil like avocado or canola oil in a simple pump bottle.
- Litehouse Homestyle Ranch: As I always say, this is the best-tasting ranch! It provides the perfect herb-forward base for the dipping sauce.
- Light Sour Cream: This thins out the ranch slightly and adds a cool, creamy tang that balances the hot, zesty pizza rolls perfectly.
*See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
📖Variations & Substitutions.
- Spray oil - it's best to use avocado, canola, or olive oil spray because they have a high smoke point and neutral flavor.
- Green onion - you can use chives instead of green onion
- Sour cream - you can use regular, light, or fat-free sour cream
- Ranch dressing - you can use Litehouse brand (which I use) or your favorite brand of ranch dressing (but don't use the packets of dry ranch dressing unless you add a lot more sour cream)
- Add-ins - add a little Italian seasoning, if you wish
- Spicy - if you want to spice up the dip, add a little sriracha sauce or crushed red pepper
🔪Step-by- Step: How to Make Air Fryer Pizza Rolls (with Dipping sauce)
How to cook pizza bites in the air fryer (the cooking process is very simple):
Spray a couple of pumps of spray oil on the air fryer tray to prevent sticking
Then place a single layer of pizza rolls in drawers or an air fryer basket (depending on the type of air fryer you have.
*If you have a drawer-type air fryer and they are a little crowded, don't worry, as you will shake it after.
Spray a few pumps of spray oil on top of pizza bites.
Alternatively, you could brush on a little oil with a pastry brush.
Set the air fryer to 360 degrees F (182 degrees C) and air fry pizza rolls for 4 minutes, then shake. *Remember to set "match cook" if you have a dual-drawer Ninja
Spray a couple more pumps of oil and cook for an additional 4 minutes, for a total of 8 minutes.
*Note: Cooking time can vary (as well as how much you can cook at once), depending on the type and size of air fryer you have, so you may need to cook them for a couple of extra minutes.
Pizza Roll Dipping Sauce: Mix dip ingredients together in a separate bowl and serve.
HINT: Remove with silicone-tipped tongs to avoid damaging the surface of your air fryer.
Expert Tips:
- Prevent the "Explosion": We've all seen pizza rolls burst in the oven. To minimize this in the air fryer, do not overcook. Start checking them at the 6-minute mark. A few might still leak a tiny bit of cheese, but that's how you know they are perfectly hot inside!
- The Single Layer Rule: For the absolute best crunch, avoid overcrowding. The air needs to circulate around each bite. If you're cooking for a crowd, it's better to do two fast batches than one soggy one. If you have a drawer style (Ninja etc) air fryer, then don't worry - crowding isn't an issue.
- The "Shake" is Key: Don't skip the shake at 4 minutes! This redistributes the oil and ensures the "bottoms" get just as crispy as the tops.
- Dipping Hack: Make the sauce first and let it sit in the fridge while the pizza bites cook. This allows the green onion and parmesan flavors to "bloom" into the ranch.
🥗 What to serve with Pizza Rolls
Pizza bites are a great snack on their own, but if you're not sure what to dip pizza rolls in, they go great with the pizza roll dipping sauce included in this recipe (it's the best dipping sauce for pizza rolls).
Or try them with Garlic Mayo Dipping Sauce, this Spicy Mayo Dip, or marinara sauce, or your favorite sauce. Then serve carrot sticks on the side! If you really want to indulge, serve these crispy pizza rolls with French fries or sweet potato fries.
🍽Equipment
Of course, you will need an air fryer for this pizza bite recipe. I did a lot of research before I bought my Ninja Foodi dual zone 2 basket 8 quart air fryer, (affiliate link)- 9 months to be exact. Yeah, I know, I could have had a baby in that amount of time, but I'm glad I researched it so thoroughly because I got the perfect air fryer for my family and my budget. It's the best countertop kitchen appliance I have ever owned! Some people like the basket-style air fryer, but I prefer the drawers because I can cook more than one thing at a time. If you are looking for an air fryer, check out my 'what to look for in an air fryer; post
I also purchased stainless steel tongs with silicone tips (affiliate link) so I don't damage the non-stick coating on my air fryer when using it.
Lastly, I recommend everyone own an instant-read thermometer! (affiliate links). The internal temperature of food is the BEST way to check for doneness and you can use it for everything (pie, bread meat, etc) and even these pizza bites!
🌡️Storage
Fridge: Store leftover pizza rolls in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Store the dip in a separate sealed container for up to 5 days.
Reheating: To get the crunch back, pop the leftovers back in the air fryer at 350°F for 2-3 minutes. Avoid the microwave for leftovers, as they will turn gummy!
👪 Serving Size
This air fryer pizza rolls recipe makes 50 servings/pizza bites using the 693 g (1.5 lb) bag. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
Recipe FAQ's
This usually happens if the air fryer was overcrowded or if you skipped the oil spray. The oil is what conducts the heat to create that "deep fried" crunch.
Not all air fryers require reheating (for example, the Ninjas do not). If your air fryer requires heating, for small snacks like this, you don't necessarily need to preheat. However, if you do, your cooking time may be 1-2 minutes shorter, so keep a close eye on them!
Yes! If you are using fresh dough, you will likely need to increase the cook time to 10-12 minutes total, but the 360°F/182°C temperature is still the best setting.
This depends on your model. In a standard 4-quart basket, you can usually fit 20-25 bites. In a dual-drawer Ninja, you can easily do the whole 50-count bag at once using the "Match Cook" setting!
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So if you are looking for an after-school snack for kids or easy party food, these air-fried pizza rolls are ideal! Making pizza bites in the air fryer is the best way to cook them, especially if it's hot or you need oven space!
📋More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
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📋Air Fryer Pizza Bites (with dipping sauce) Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb - package of frozen pizza bites * I use Pilsbury (693 g)
- 4-6 pumps spray oil * I use avocado
Dipping sauce for pizza rolls
- ½ cup sour cream *I use light
- ¼ cup ranch dressing * I use Litehouse
- 2 tablespoon parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoon green onions
Instructions
- Spray a couple of pumps of spray oil on the bottom of the air fryer drawer or basket to prevent stickingThen place pizza rolls in drawers or air fryer basket (depending on the type of air fryer you have.)1.5 lb - package of frozen pizza bites, 4-6 pumps spray oil
- Spray a few pumps of spray oil on top of pizza bites.
- Set air fryer to 360 degrees F ( 182 degrees C) and cook for 4 minutes, then shake.
- Spray a couple more pumps of oil and cook for an additional 4 minutes.
Pizza Roll Dipping sauce
- To make the sauce for pizza rolls, simply mix ingredients together in a bowl.½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup ranch dressing, 2 tablespoon parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoon green onions
Notes
- Avoid the "Explosion": We've all seen pizza rolls burst in the oven. To minimize this in the air fryer, do not overcook. Start checking them at the 6-minute mark. A few might still leak a tiny bit of cheese, but that's how you know they are perfectly hot inside!
- The Single Layer Rule: For the absolute best crunch, avoid overcrowding. The air needs to circulate around each bite. If you're cooking for a crowd, it's better to do two fast batches than one soggy one. If you have a drawer style (Ninja etc) air fryer, then don't worry - crowding isn't an issue.
- The "Shake" is Key: Don't skip the shake at 4 minutes! This redistributes the oil and ensures the "bottoms" get just as crispy as the tops.
- Dipping Hack: Make the sauce first and let it sit in the fridge while the pizza bites cook. This allows the green onion and parmesan flavors to "bloom" into the ranch.
Terri Gilson says
My kids actually liked this air fryer version better than baked and they LOVED the dipping sauce!