Can you air fry pizza rolls? Can you air fry frozen pizza rolls? Yes on both counts! Don’t miss this ultimate guide on cooking pizza rolls in the air fryer! Whether you want to make homemade air fryer pizza rolls or air fryer frozen pizza rolls, I’ve got you covered! You’ll learn how to air fry Totino’s pizza rolls and other frozen pizza bites, plus get my recipe for DELICIOUS sausage and pepperoni pizza rolls!
We’re air frying pizza rolls today! I think it’s just one of those days when only comfort food will do.
Best of all, I’ve got a recipe for pizza rolls regardless of your time constraints and cooking ability. First up, I’m going to show you how to make homemade pizza rolls in air fryer. They’re lovingly made with a whole grain dough and filled with pepperoni, sausage, and melty mozzarella cheese.
If there’s no time for cooking from scratch, I’ve also got a recipe for cooking frozen pizza rolls in the air fryer. Making frozen pizza rolls in the air fryer might be one of the easiest things ever. It’s definitely a recipe that provides some near-instant gratification.
I made Amy’s cheese pizza snacks, which are mini pizza rolls. They’re an option if you’re looking for vegetarian pizza rolls with some organic ingredients. Annie’s pizza rolls are another brand that is commonly found in health food stores.
If you want to make regular grocery store pizza rolls, like Totino’s, the air frying directions will be a little different. Keep reading to get all the tips and tricks you need for pizza roll making success!
Jump to:
Benefits
Why should you make my pizza bites air fryer recipe when it’s so easy to buy frozen pizza rolls? Before you dismiss the idea of air fried homemade pizza rolls, check out these nutritional benefits:
- Made with whole grains: It’s fairly difficult to find store-bought pizza rolls made with 100% whole grains. I’ve yet to come across a brand offering this. When you make DIY pizza rolls, you can make whole wheat pizza rolls, gluten free pizza rolls, or whatever you need.
- No added sugar: Some frozen pizza rolls contain added sugars! That is an ingredient that definitely does not need to be in there. It’s easy to skip it when you make homemade pizza bites.
- No weird additives that you don’t want in there: BHA? BHT? Potassium sorbate? Titanium dioxide? TBHQ? Some of the most popular pizza roll brands use a ton of additives and preservatives in their formulations. You don’t need these ingredients for homemade.
- Fill them how you like: You can put any of your favorite pizza toppings in your homemade pizza rolls. Make vegetarian or vegan pizza roll filling, add more vegetables, chopped ham or meatballs... whatever floats your boat!
- Get a better filling-to-bread ratio: I like to really pack my pizza rolls with filling. Some store-bought pizza rolls mostly taste like bread to me.
- No ultra-processed foods: Remember my article on ultra-processed foods and why we should limit them? Store-bought pizza rolls definitely count as ultra-processed, unlike my homemade pizza rolls.
- Tastes better: Our family taste test results are in! My homemade pizza rolls beat the store-bought pizza rolls not only nutritionally, but also in flavor. It’s an easy win, since you can flavor a homemade pizza roll exactly the way you want.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to made homemade pizza roll wrappers:
- White whole wheat flour (spelt flour may also be used)
- Large eggs
- Salt
- Water
In full disclosure, making your own pizza rolls wrappers is a lot of work! What if you want the benefit of making pizza rolls with customized fillings without making wrappers? You have several options!
You can make pizza rolls with wonton wrappers or egg roll wrappers from the store. Alternatively, you could use Pillsbury crescent dough. The downside of all of these options is that they are made of refined grains and often highly processed as well.
Here’s what you need for the filling for air fryer pizza pockets:
- Italian chicken sausage (raw ground sausage, remove from casing)
- Chopped turkey pepperoni
- Marinara sauce
- Dried oregano
- Dried basil
- Garlic powder
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Cooking oil spray
- Egg (for an egg wash)
I also like to have fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese on hand for garnish. Make sure to have extra marinara sauce for dipping!
For the Italian sausage, you can choose store-bought or try my Italian Fennel Sausage Recipe if you really want to go the extra mile. If you have a meat grinder, it’s worth keeping some of this in the freezer!
So those are the ingredients for homemade pizza rolls. For air fried frozen pizza rolls, here’s what you need:
- Frozen pizza rolls (I used Amy’s pizza rolls)
- Cooking oil spray
- Warm marinara sauce (for dipping)
You’ll only need the cooking oil spray for certain brands of pizza rolls. For example, you can skip the cooking spray when air frying Totino’s pizza rolls. On the other hand, I do recommend using cooking oil spray for air frying Amy’s vegetarian pizza rolls.
Equipment
The only thing you need to make frozen pizza rolls is an air fryer. Nuwave, Cosori, Ninja Foodi, Breville, Philips, or whatever brand you have should work.
I use a 10-Quart Kalorik Digital Air Fryer Oven, and I love it! If you use a different air fryer than I am using, you may need to adjust the cooking times slightly. Also, air fryer baskets may hold less than my air fryer trays, so you may need to cook multiple batches.
To make the homemade pizza rolls, you’ll need some other kitchen equipment in addition to the air fryer. A small tortilla press is handy for pressing the pizza roll wrappers very thin. I wasn’t able to get them as evenly thin as I wanted using a rolling pin.
You’ll also want to have a cast-iron skillet for browning the sausage filling. A pastry brush is nice to have for brushing on the egg wash before air frying.
How to Make Air Fryer Pizza Rolls
Let’s make pizza rolls! Begin by making your pizza roll wrappers.
Stir the whole grain flour, eggs, salt, and water together in a medium-sized bowl. After stirring it for a little bit, knead the dough with clean hands. Make sure all of the flour is incorporated into the dough, it will take several minutes.
Divide the dough into 32 small balls. It’s easiest to make them even in size by dividing the dough in half, then dividing those pieces in half, etc. until you get 32 pieces.
Line a cast-iron tortilla press with plastic. Sandwich-size baggies work perfectly here. The plastic is the easiest way to prevent the dough from sticking to the tortilla press; trust me on this!
Press each small ball of dough in the tortilla press TWICE. Press it once, rotate the circle of dough, and press again. (Check out the recipe video below to see how it is done!)
Each circle of dough should be 3-3.5 inches in diameter. Layer plastic between each of the dough circles after they are pressed.
After making the wrappers, you are ready to make the pizza roll filling. Cook the sausage in the cast iron skillet over medium heat until it is browned. It will take about 10 minutes.
Stir the pepperoni, marinara sauce, oregano, basil, and garlic powder into the sausage. Let it cool, and then stir in the mozzarella cheese. I had exactly enough filling to fill the pizza roll wrappers.
Wrapping Pizza Rolls
To wrap your rolls, put about one tablespoon of filling in the center of a wrapper. Fold the right side of the wrapper over the filling, then fold the left side. Fold the top of the wrapper over the filling, tucking any filling that is spilling over inside the dough.
Finally, fold the bottom of the wrapper over the filling, completely sealing the filling inside. Tuck the sides in a bit more if needed. I like to pack the filling into the rolls as much as possible without overfilling.
Try to avoid making or leaving holes in the dough- the filling will leak out as it cooks. That said, don’t worry about being absolutely perfect. A small amount of cheese melting on the outside of the rolls isn’t necessarily a bad thing!
Fold and fill all of the pizza roll wrappers as I’ve just described. It can be easier to see this process versus read about it. Don’t forget to check out the video in the recipe card if you need more visuals!
How to Air Fry Pizza Rolls
To air fry homemade pizza rolls, start by misting your air fryer trays with cooking oil spray. I used two air fryer trays for this recipe.
Put the pizza rolls in a single non-touching layer on the trays. Whisk an egg and brush it all over the tops of the pizza rolls. Now they’re ready to put in the air fryer!
Cooking Time and Temperature
How long to cook pizza rolls? Your homemade pizza rolls will cook for a total of 20 minutes at 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
Start by cooking the rolls for 5 minutes at 360F. Then switch the position of the trays in the air fryer oven and cook the rolls for 5 minutes more.
Next, flip all of the pizza rolls over and spray them with cooking oil spray. Switch the position of the trays in the air fryer and cook for another 5 minutes at 360F.
Switch the position of the trays in the air fryer oven one last time. Air fry the pizza rolls for 5 final minutes at 360F.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the warm rolls and garnish with fresh chopped basil. Let them cool a bit prior to chowing down- they're hot!
Air fry frozen pizza rolls for a total of 8 minutes at 390 degrees Fahrenheit. I cooked the frozen pizza rolls in the top rack position of the air fryer and flipped them halfway through cooking time.
The brand of pizza rolls that I used (Amy’s pizza rolls) are a mini pizza roll. They benefited from a spritz of cooking oil spray before being air fried. Many brands of pizza rolls (including Totino’s) don’t need the cooking spray.
How to Serve Pizza Rolls
Enjoy a few of my made from scratch pizza rolls as a snack or appetizer. An alternative is to have them as a meal with warm marinara sauce and big side salads. My chop salad bowl would be a nice salad to accompany these.
Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). These homemade pizza rolls are under 100 calories each, but let’s get real. Hardly anyone will stop at just one or two of these! I’m dividing this recipe into 4 servings (8 pizza rolls each) because I think that’s a more realistic serving size.
I rarely have pizza rolls because there are other ways I can enjoy similar flavors that I find more satisfying. (A bunless pizza-topped burger is a favorite here!) When I do have pizza rolls, I add a salad and extend it into a meal. Tbh, I know I’ll eat too many for a reasonable snack portion. Haha
Store-bought frozen pizza rolls could not be easier to make, but they are not very nutritious. I recommend reserving them for a once in a while treat.
Remember that it’s the big picture that counts when it comes to diet. If you mostly eat nutrient rich foods but splurge on a serving of store-bought pizza rolls once or twice a month, it’s probably fine. My general recommendation is to try to get at least 90% of your calories from healthful choices, with 10% (or less!) for treats.
If your diet is already filled with ultra-processed frozen foods, aiming to eat more nutritious whole foods is a good goal. The right balance that composes a “healthy diet” will look a little different for each of us.
As I’ve shown here, it’s possible to make whole grain, protein-packed healthy pizza rolls. That said, they’re a lot of work to make and rather high calorie for a reasonable portion. Whether you choose homemade or store-bought, pizza rolls are probably only going to be a once in a while thing if you’re aiming to eat healthier.
FAQs
Yes, you can deep fry pizza rolls, but if you want a healthier alternative, try air frying them instead!
You don’t need additional oil if you’re air frying Totino’s pizza rolls. Some other brands of frozen pizza bites do benefit from a spritz of oil spray.
I don’t preheat the air fryer for cooking pizza rolls. If you do preheat your air fryer, it may shorten the cooking times I’ve provided.
I might be biased here, but I definitely think air frying is the best way to cook frozen pizza rolls! The microwave can leave the outsides of pizza rolls a bit too soft, while oven baking can take too long. I like the combination of short cooking times plus great results that air frying provides.
More Frozen Foods to Cook in Air Fryer
The air fryer is a great way to quickly cook all of your favorite frozen foods! After trying this recipe for air fryer frozen pizza rolls, be sure to check out these other frozen air fryer recipes:
- Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets
- Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
- Frozen Meatballs in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Frozen Hash Browns
- Air Fryer Frozen Pizza
- Frozen Pot Pie in Air Fryer
- Trader Joe's Orange Chicken (Air Fryer)
Also, don't miss our article on Best Frozen Foods for the Air Fryer!
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The Disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Pizza Rolls | Air Fryer Frozen Pizza Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
For Homemade Pizza Roll Wrappers:
- 3 cups white whole wheat flour (can substitute spelt flour)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons water
For Homemade Pizza Roll Filling:
- 8 ounces Italian chicken sausage (227 grams; raw, no casings; store-bought or homemade fennel sausage)
- 2 ounces chopped turkey pepperoni (57 grams)
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (170 grams)
- cooking oil spray of choice
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)
- fresh basil for garnish
- 1 cup warmed marinara sauce (for dipping)
For Frozen Pizza Rolls:
- 6 ounces small frozen pizza rolls (170 grams; I used Amy's pizza snacks, but you can use your favorite brand)
- cooking oil spray of choice (not needed for air frying certain brands of pizza rolls, such as Totino's)
- warmed marinara sauce (for dipping)
Instructions
To make homemade pizza roll wrappers:
- Stir the flour, eggs, salt, and water together in a medium-sized bowl. After stirring it for a little bit, knead the dough with clean hands. Make sure all of the flour is incorporated into the dough. It will take several minutes.
- Divide the dough into 32 small balls. It’s easiest to make them even in size by dividing the dough in half, then dividing those pieces in half, etc. until you get 32 pieces.
- Line a cast-iron tortilla press with plastic. Sandwich-size baggies work perfectly here. The plastic is the easiest way to prevent the dough from sticking to the tortilla press.
- Press each small ball of dough in the tortilla press TWICE. Press it once, rotate the circle of dough, and press again. (Check out the recipe video!)
- Each circle of dough should be 3-3.5 inches (7.6-8.9 cm) in diameter. Layer plastic between each of the dough circles after they are pressed. Work on the pizza rolls filling immediately after finishing with the wrappers so they do not dry out.
To air fry homemade pizza rolls:
- Cook the sausage in the cast iron skillet over medium heat until it is browned. It will take about 10 minutes. Crumble the sausage with a spatula while it cooks.
- Stir the pepperoni, marinara sauce, dried oregano, dried basil, and garlic powder into the sausage.
- Let it cool, and then stir in the mozzarella cheese.
- To wrap your rolls, put about one tablespoon of filling in the center of a wrapper. Fold the right side of the wrapper over the filling, then fold the left side. Fold the top of the wrapper over the filling, tucking any filling that is spilling over inside the dough.
- Finally, fold the bottom of the wrapper over the filling, completely sealing the filling inside. Tuck the sides in a bit more if needed. Fold and fill all of the pizza roll wrappers.
- Pack the filling into the rolls as much as possible without overfilling. Cheese will ooze out while air frying if there are holes in the wrappers. I was able to use all of the filling. (Refer to the recipe video for visuals of this process.)
- If you have two air fryer trays, mist them both with cooking oil spray. Put the pizza rolls in a (non-touching) single layer on the trays.
- Whisk an egg and brush it all over the tops of the pizza rolls with a pastry brush.
- Air fry the rolls for 5 minutes at 360°F (182°C). Then switch the position of the trays in the air fryer oven and cook the rolls for 5 minutes more.
- Next, flip all of the pizza rolls over and spray them with cooking oil spray. Switch the position of the trays in the air fryer and cook for another 5 minutes at 360°F (182°C).
- Switch the position of the trays in the air fryer oven one last time. Air fry the pizza rolls for 5 final minutes at 360°F (182°C). (That's a total cooking time of 20 minutes.)
- Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the warm rolls and garnish with fresh chopped basil. Let them cool a bit before you enjoy them dipped in warm marinara sauce.
To air fry frozen pizza rolls:
- Mist one air fryer tray with cooking oil spray (if using Amy's brand pizza rolls). Arrange the pizza rolls on the tray in a (non-touching) single layer.
- Spray the pizza rolls with the cooking oil spray if you're using Amy's brand. (Skip the cooking oil spray if using Totino's pizza rolls.)
- Air fry pizza rolls in the top rack position of the air fryer for 8 minutes at 390°F (199°C). Flip the pizza rolls over halfway through the cooking time (4 minutes).
- Let them cool a bit before serving them with warm marinara sauce.
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