Air Fryer Pizza

A 250 g ball of fresh dough, divided into two 18 cm rounds, par-baked plain for 3 minutes at 205 °C, flipped, topped, then cooked 5 minutes more: a crisp bottom without turning on the oven.

Air fryer pizza cooks in two stages. Start with the dough alone, without sauce or cheese, for 3 minutes at 205 °C, oiled side down. Flip it, top the side that’s already set, and 5 minutes later the bottom is golden and the mozzarella is melted. That’s 8 minutes per pizza, and one ball of dough makes two personal pizzas.

Why par-bake the dough on its own

In an air fryer, the heat comes almost entirely from above. If you add the toppings from the start, the cheese browns and the sauce bubbles long before the bottom has time to cook : the crust comes out pale and soft.

Three minutes on its own solves the problem. The round firms up and starts to brown, and the side that cooked against the basket ends up on top when it’s time to add the toppings. The sauce then goes onto a dry, sealed surface that won’t turn soggy, while the still-pale side finishes cooking against the hot basket.

Key ingredients for this pizza

You’ll need one ball of fresh pizza dough, about 250 g, a drizzle of olive oil, 60 ml tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella or thin slices of mozzarella, and no more than three or four toppings.

Plan on about 125 g of dough per 18 cm round. So a 250 g ball makes exactly two pizzas. Using more dough for the same diameter gives you a crust that puffs up yet stays undercooked in the center, especially in an appliance that doesn’t heat from below.

The oil is not just for looks : brushed onto the side that touches the basket, it creates the direct contact that makes the bottom crisp and helps prevent the dough from tearing when you flip it. Spread the sauce in a thin layer, leaving a border all around.

A few technical pointers

The basket dictates the size, not your appetite. A standard basket fits rounds 18 to 22 cm across. A family-size pizza won’t fit : this method is for two personal pizzas cooked one after the other.

Go light on the sauce and toppings. Every moist ingredient releases water, and that moisture stays in the basket instead of evaporating as it would in a large oven. An overloaded pizza cooks twice as slowly and ends up soft.

Tuck light toppings under the mozzarella so the airflow doesn’t blow them around. If the cheese browns too quickly, add it only for the last 2 to 3 minutes : it melts in no time.

Every appliance heats a little differently. In practice, the cooking time ranges from 7 to 10 minutes : check halfway through, then every minute toward the end, because at 205 °C the edges can go from golden to burnt very quickly.

A sheet of perforated parchment paper makes the pizza easier to transfer and keeps the cheese from sticking. The perforations are essential, and never place the sheet by itself in a hot basket : it can blow up into the heating element.

What to serve it with

Slide the pizza onto a board, let it cool for a moment, then cut. A simple green salad on the side is all you need, and the two rounds cook quickly enough to make this a meal ready in 20 minutes or less.

Other versions cook differently. A store-bought ready-made crust topped all at once needs 180 °C for 8 to 12 minutes, a frozen pizza needs 170 °C for 12 to 14 minutes straight from frozen, and a leftover slice regains its crispness in 3 to 5 minutes at 180 °C.