Yes, you can cook pizza in an air fryer, and it turns out crisp with gooey cheese when you match time, heat, and crust thickness.
Can You Cook Pizza In An Air Fryer? Basic Rules And Benefits
Air fryers handle pizza far better than a microwave and with less fuss than a full oven. Hot air moves around the slice or whole mini pizza, so the crust firms up while the cheese melts again. As long as you leave space for air flow and avoid very wet toppings, air fryer pizza comes out with a pleasant crunch instead of a soggy base.
The same basket works for fresh dough, frozen pizza, and leftover slices. You only adjust thickness, toppings, and time. For pizza with meat or dairy toppings that sat in the fridge, aim for an internal center temperature of 165°F (74°C), which matches the reheating guidance for leftovers from the FoodSafety.gov temperature chart. A quick probe with a food thermometer gives peace of mind, especially for deep-dish or loaded slices.
There are trade-offs. The basket limits size, so very large pies need to be cut into slices or cooked as personal pizzas. Cheese can blow around if the fan sits close to the top. With a simple setup and a little practice, though, you can turn your air fryer into a pizza tool that fits weeknight dinners and late-night snacks.
Air Fryer Pizza Time And Temperature Guide
The table below gives starting points for common pizza styles in a typical basket-style air fryer. Each appliance behaves a bit differently, so treat these as baselines and adjust after the first test run.
| Pizza Type | Temperature | Approx. Time |
|---|---|---|
| Thin Crust Slice (Leftover) | 350°F / 175°C | 3–5 minutes |
| Thick Crust Slice (Leftover) | 320–340°F / 160–170°C | 5–7 minutes |
| Personal Fresh Pizza (Thin Base) | 375°F / 190°C | 7–9 minutes |
| Personal Fresh Pizza (Thicker Base) | 360–370°F / 180–188°C | 9–12 minutes |
| Frozen Mini Pizza | 360°F / 180°C | 8–12 minutes |
| Frozen French Bread Pizza | 350°F / 175°C | 6–9 minutes |
| Homemade Flatbread Pizza | 360–375°F / 180–190°C | 6–8 minutes |
| Very Topping-Heavy Slice | 320°F / 160°C | 6–9 minutes |
Start on the lower end of the range. Check the crust and cheese, then cook in one-minute bursts until the slice reaches your preferred texture. Once you know how your model behaves with pizza, you can repeat that time every time with steady results.
Cooking Pizza In An Air Fryer: Times, Temps, And Crust Styles
Cooking pizza in an air fryer comes down to three levers: base thickness, topping load, and air circulation. The main keyword can you cook pizza in an air fryer appears in many search bars for a reason; home cooks want that mix of speed and crunch without babysitting a pan or preheating a full oven for one or two slices.
Fresh Pizza Dough In The Air Fryer
For fresh dough, stretch a small round or oval that fits your basket with a bit of room around the edges. A thin base cooks faster and crisps up quickly. A thicker base needs lower heat and extra minutes so the center cooks through before the top darkens.
Brush the dough lightly with oil on both sides. Par-cook the base alone at 360–375°F (180–190°C) for 3–4 minutes. This step firms up the bottom, so sauce does not soak straight through. After this first cook, flip the base, add a thin layer of sauce, cheese, and toppings, then return it to the basket for another 4–6 minutes until the crust turns golden and the cheese bubbles.
Frozen Pizza And Mini Pizzas
Many frozen mini pizzas and French bread pizzas work nicely in air fryers. Keep the pizza frozen; no need to thaw. Place it in a single layer, so hot air can move around the edges. Frozen bases hold moisture inside, so medium heat helps the center warm through while the exterior firms up.
For a standard frozen mini pizza, 360°F (180°C) for 8–12 minutes works for most units. Thicker French bread bases sit better at 350°F (175°C) so the crumb stays tender. Check halfway through and adjust by a minute or two next time based on browning level, cheese melt, and how the crust feels when you lift a corner with tongs.
Leftover Pizza Slices
This is where air fryers shine. Instead of rubbery microwave slices or a long oven preheat, the basket brings leftover pizza back to life in a few minutes. Arrange slices in a single layer with gaps between them. Crowding the basket leads to uneven heat and dull crust.
Thin slices handle 350°F (175°C) for about 3–5 minutes. Thicker or loaded slices prefer 320–340°F (160–170°C) for 5–7 minutes so the toppings do not scorch while the center warms. Leftover pizza that came from a takeaway box still counts as a cooked food, so aim for that 165°F center mentioned in the USDA FSIS leftovers guide.
Step-By-Step Method For Air Fryer Pizza
The basics stay the same whether you cook fresh dough, frozen pizza, or yesterday’s slices. This simple framework keeps things repeatable and takes the guesswork out every time can you cook pizza in an air fryer pops into your head before dinner.
Prepare The Base And Toppings
Start by choosing the base: leftover slice, frozen mini pizza, flatbread, or a small round of fresh dough. Pat away extra moisture on the bottom with a paper towel, especially if the pizza sat in a box or container and the crust feels wet. A dry base leads to better browning.
Use a modest layer of sauce and toppings. Thick mounds of cheese or many wet toppings like fresh tomato slices or canned pineapple slow down cooking and can burn on the top while the center stays cold. For fresh pizzas, shred cheese yourself if you can, since pre-shredded cheese often contains anti-caking powder that softens melt quality.
Preheat And Line The Basket
Most basket-style air fryers benefit from a short preheat. Two to three minutes at your target temperature gives the heating element and air space time to warm up. When the pizza hits a hot basket, the crust starts crisping right away instead of steaming.
Line the basket with a perforated parchment sheet or a reusable liner made for air fryers. Solid sheets catch drips but block air flow, so pick liners with holes. Trim any excess so paper cannot reach the heating element. A light spray of oil on the liner helps prevent sticking and gives the crust an even, gentle sheen.
Cook, Check, And Rest
Place the pizza in the basket in a single layer. For fresh dough, start with the par-cook stage mentioned earlier, then add toppings. For frozen or leftover pizza, place slices directly in the lined basket.
Set the timer on the lower side of the time range for your pizza type and let it cook without opening the drawer for the first half of the time. Midway through, check the crust color and cheese melt. Rotate the slice or pizza if your air fryer browns more on one side. Add one-minute increments until the base feels firm when you lift a corner and the cheese looks melted and lightly browned.
When the pizza comes out, let it rest on a rack or cutting board for two to three minutes. This brief pause stops cheese from sliding off and gives steam a chance to leave the crust so the base stays crisp.
Avoid These Common Air Fryer Pizza Mistakes
Air fryers are forgiving, yet a few habits can ruin the texture of pizza. This section pairs typical problems with straightforward fixes so you can tune the process quickly.
| Problem | Likely Cause | Simple Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Soggy Or Limp Crust | Basket not preheated; wet base; no air gap under crust | Preheat, pat crust dry, use perforated liner or rack |
| Burnt Cheese, Pale Base | Heat too high; pizza too close to element | Lower temperature by 20–30°F and add a minute or two |
| Dry, Tough Slice | Cooked too long; thin pizza at high temperature | Cut time, drop heat slightly, check a minute earlier |
| Cheese Flying Or Splattering | Loose shredded cheese near fan; no sauce anchor | Press cheese gently into sauce; avoid huge piles |
| Uneven Browning | Overcrowded basket; slice thicker on one side | Cook in batches; rotate slices halfway |
| Raw Center On Fresh Dough | Dough too thick; no par-cook stage | Par-cook base first, then add toppings |
| Sticking To The Basket | No liner or oil; cheese overflowed onto metal | Use perforated liner and a light oil spray |
Once you note how your own air fryer reacts with your favorite brand of frozen pizza or style of homemade base, you can repeat the same routine every time. From that point, the answer to can you cook pizza in an air fryer turns into a simple habit instead of an experiment.
Topping Ideas And Flavor Tweaks
Because air fryers work best with fairly thin layers of toppings, aim for flavor-dense ingredients rather than very heavy loads. Strong cheeses like aged cheddar or a little blue cheese add plenty of character in small amounts. Pre-cook sausage or bacon in the air fryer itself, then slice or crumble and add to pizza for the final stage so fat renders and food safety stays on track.
Vegetables benefit from a quick pat dry before they go on top of the sauce. Water on sliced mushrooms, fresh tomato rounds, or canned artichokes turns into steam and softens the crust. Roast vegetables in the air fryer for a few minutes first, then spread them over the pizza for concentrated flavor and a cleaner base.
For an easy twist, brush the crust edge with garlic butter or olive oil and dried herbs before the last two minutes of cooking. That outer ring browns nicely and adds a pleasant bite even when the slice cools a little in the plate or lunch box.
Food Safety And Storage For Air Fryer Pizza
Good texture matters, but so does safety. Leftover pizza that includes meat, poultry, or dairy should move into the fridge within two hours of cooking, or within one hour if the room feels hot. Guidance from agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that bacteria grow fast between 40°F and 140°F, often called the “danger zone,” so pizza should not sit out for long stretches.
When you reheat pizza in the air fryer, aim for a center temperature of 165°F (74°C). That target matches the standard for leftovers in the FoodSafety.gov and USDA charts mentioned earlier, and it keeps repeat meals safer without extra effort. A slim digital thermometer slides into the thickest part of the slice without tearing it apart.
Store leftover pizza in shallow containers or wrap slices separately so they chill quickly. When you ask can you cook pizza in an air fryer a day later, cold slices are ready for a fast round trip through the basket. A short preheat, a single layer, and a quick check on time and temperature are all you need for crisp crust and melted cheese straight from your air fryer.