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Whip up a batch of these easy homemade pizza rolls in your air fryer for a quick meal your whole family will love! Made with whole wheat pizza dough, veggies and your kids’ favourite pizza toppings, these homemade air fryer pizza rolls are perfect for packing for lunch or as a fun handheld meal!
AIR FRYER PIZZA ROLLS – SO DELICIOUS!
These healthy pizza rolls are such a fun take on regular pizza! They have some extra veggies for additional fibre and nutrients, yet, they still have that classic pizza flavor.
Plus, you can pop them in the air fryer basket to bake delicious veggie pizza rolls in no time at all!
What are Pizza Rolls?
Although there are many different types of frozen pizza rolls on the market, they’re typically made with a pastry-like pizza dough filled with molten tomato sauce and cheese. They’re usually highly processed but taste great for a fun treat!
This DIY pizza rolls recipe is a little different. You’ll doctor some pizza dough with your kiddos’ favourite toppings, roll them up into a log, then cut them like cinnamon rolls before baking them in the air fryer.
They’re low-mess, endlessly customizable, and the perfect way to convince even the most reluctant eaters to eat up.
Air fryer pizza rolls
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Why We Love These Veggie Pizza Rolls
- Customizable: Since kids can be particular about what they will eat, I love that these air fry pizza roll ups are endlessly customizable. Add their favorite sauce and toppings to make delicious pizza rolls your little one will love to eat!
- So quick: Especially if you use store-bought pizza dough, you can make this air fryer pizza rolls recipe with just a few minutes of active effort.
- Perfect for lunches: Make a double batch of these delicious air fryer pizza rolls and send the leftovers in your kid’s lunch box for an easy lunch!
Ingredient Notes
- Pizza dough: You can purchase premade whole wheat or regular pizza dough at the store. If you’d prefer to make it from scratch, prepare your favourite recipe for homemade pizza dough, like this 3 Ingredient Pizza Dough.
- Olive oil: Brush a little oil on your dough before baking to keep it from getting soggy.
- Marinara sauce: Use your favorite pizza sauce, but go light! You don’t want too much sauce. Otherwise, the rolls lose their structure. You can serve the rolls with extra sauce on the side, too. We love this Low Sodium Pizza Sauce Recipe!
- Seasonings: Sprinkle Italian seasoning and garlic powder over the pizza dough to add flavour to every bite.
- Baby spinach: Fresh spinach will shrink and hide under the cheese, making this a great way to get some greens in your little one’s tummy.
- Red pepper: Add some finely chopped bell pepper with the spinach for extra nutrients.
- Mozzarella cheese: Top your sauce and veggies with shredded mozzarella for an ooey gooey cheese pull.
- Pepperoni: The sky is the limit regarding pizza roll fillings! I like to add pepperoni slices for a little extra protein.
I like to place my chopped red pepper on some paper towel and dab it to remove excess moisture. This can prevent soggy pizza rolls!
Step-By-Step Instructions
How to Make Pizza Rolls
- Spray the bottom of the air fryer with non-stick spray and place a piece of parchment paper down. Then, preheat air fryer to 325°F.
- Flour your workspace well and roll out the pizza dough into an 8″ x 12″ rectangle.
- Brush the surface of the pizza dough lightly with olive oil to prevent the filling from making your pizza rolls soggy. Spread ½ cup of pizza sauce evenly across the surface of the dough. Make sure to leave a 1-inch gap around the edges so you can seal the roll.
- Sprinkle lightly with Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Top evenly with chopped spinach and bell peppers.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese evenly over the dough.
- Starting on the long end of the rectangle, tightly roll the dough like you would with cinnamon rolls. The tighter the better.
- Adjust the roll so the seam-side is face down on your countertop and using a sharp knife, cut 10 – 12 individual 1-inch rolls. Carefully tuck the dough around the fillings if some fell out when cutting the rolls and pinch the bottom of each roll (as best as possible) to seal the sauce and cheese inside. Dip the bottom of each roll into cornmeal if desired.
How to Cook Pizza Rolls in Air Fryer
- Evenly space out the rolls in your preheated air fryer – they should NOT touch. Leave about ½ inch of space between each. Cook in two batches if your air fryer is too small. Top each roll with the remaining ½ cup of shredded cheese.
- Air fry at 325°F for 10 – 14 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the dough is puffy and cooked through. Check at the 10 minute mark and add time as needed. They should be golden brown and fully cooked. Remove from the basket and cool down for a few minutes before serving with extra pizza sauce, marinara sauce, or pesto.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
TIPS FOR THE BEST PIZZA ROLLS
- Be sure to flour your working surface and dough really well to prevent the dough from sticking. The stickier the dough is, the harder it is to roll and cut.
- Try to roll your dough as evenly as possible. If it’s too thin in some places, it may rip and some of the toppings may come out as you’re rolling the dough.
- If you use pepperoni (or other protein), I recommend chopping it up into smaller pieces since the larger slices can make the log of dough tougher to roll.
- The dough and toppings can be a bit messy to roll, but try your best to roll them as tightly as possible, tucking the toppings in to keep them contained in the dough. If some of the toppings come out, you can just stick them back in again and reform the rolls once you’ve cut them. They don’t have to be perfect.
- To make the log of dough easier to cut and help prevent the rolls from falling apart as you slice, place it in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes.
- I like to pour some cornmeal onto a plate or bowl. Dip the bottom of each roll into cornmeal and place in the air fryer cornmeal side down. The cornmeal is optional, but gives the bottom of the rolls some additional crispiness and helps to absorb some of the excess moisture to help the pizza roll ups better stay together.
- Allow these pizza roll ups to cool for several minutes as they will be fairly hot when they first come out of the air-fryer.
- Pizza rolls are best served right after cooking, though they can be stored in the fridge for several days and reheated.
Recipe FAQs
The answer depends on the size of your air fryer and your uncooked pizza rolls! Space your rolls so they have room to grow evenly. A small air fryer may only hold a few large rolls at a time, while a large one can hold much more. I used the 10 quart Ninja Foodi Air Fryer and was able to fit all 12 rolls, 6 in each basket.
Whether you’re making healthy pizza rolls from scratch or reheating frozen Totinos pizza rolls, it’s a good rule of thumb not to stack them; instead, place them in a single layer with at least 1/2 inch of space between them.
This will ensure all surfaces are exposed to an ongoing stream of hot air for a great rise and crispy texture. Especially with these homemade pizza rolls, placing rolls on top of each other will prevent them from rising properly, and they’d likely crush each other.
Yes! This is an important step many people miss. Even if your air fryer says it’s ready to go, it probably isn’t. Be patient and give your air fryer 10 minutes or so to preheat for best results.
Storage & Reheating Guidelines
- Store any leftover pizza rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-4 days. Microwave the chilled rolls for approximately 1-2 minutes to reheat them.
- Freeze leftover pizza by placing it in a freezer-safe bag. It will stay fresh for 1-2 months. Be sure to thaw the frozen pizza roll ups in the fridge before reheating, following the instructions above.
What Goes Good with Pizza Rolls
These air-fried pizza rolls are a great main dish to fill your kids up! Try serving the rolls with extra protein and fibre to keep them satisfied all day.
They also make a great after-school snack or a quick snack to enjoy on your way to sports practice!
Try serving them with:
- Veggie sticks with dip
- Air Fryer Veggie Tots
- Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
- Cheese
- Pepperoni stick
- Nuts
- Side salad with extra veggies
- Fresh fruit
What to Dip Pizza Rolls In
What kids don’t love dip? Pack your leftover pizza rolls with your little one’s favourite dipping sauce to make them even more enticing!
- Pizza sauce
- Marinara sauce
- Pesto
- Ranch dressing
Recipe Variations
- Pesto Parmesan Chicken: Replace the marinara sauce with a layer of pesto, sprinkle the chicken, then top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. So good!
- Enchilada roll-ups: Use a mild enchilada sauce as the base and sprinkle with ground beef and queso asadero for a Mexican-style pizza roll up.
- BBQ Chicken: Adapt these easy pizza rolls by brushing BBQ sauce on the dough as the sauce. Top with smoked chicken, slivered red onion, and sharp white cheddar for the perfect quick snack.
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Homemade Pizza Rolls in Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole wheat or regular pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup pizza or marinara sauce
- Sprinkle of Italian seasoning to taste
- Sprinkle of garlic powder to taste
- 1 cup baby spinach finely chopped
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red pepper
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- Slices of pepperoni (optional)
Instructions
- Spray the bottom of air fryer with non-stick spray and place a piece of parchment paper down. Then, preheat air fryer to 325°F.
- Flour your workspace well and roll out the pizza dough into an 8″x12″ rectangle.
- Brush the surface of the pizza dough lightly with olive oil to prevent the filling from making your pizza rolls soggy. Spread ½ cup of pizza sauce evenly across the surface of the dough. Make sure to leave a 1-inch gap around the edges so you can seal the roll.
- Sprinkle lightly with Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Top evenly with chopped spinach and bell peppers.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese evenly over the dough.
- Starting on the long end of the rectangle, tightly roll the dough like you would with cinnamon rolls. The tighter the better.
- Adjust the roll so the seam-side is face down on your countertop and using a sharp knife, cut 10 – 12 individual 1-inch rolls. Carefully tuck the dough around the fillings if some fell out when cutting the rolls and pinch the bottom of each roll (as best as possible) to seal the sauce and cheese inside. Dip the bottom of each roll into cornmeal if desired.
- Evenly space out the rolls in your pre-heated air fryer – they should NOT touch. Leave about ½ inch of space between each. Cook in two batches if your air fryer is too small. Top each roll with remaining ½ cup of shredded cheese.
- Air fry at 325°F for 10 – 14 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the dough is puffy and cooked through. Check at the 10 minute mark and add time as needed. Remove from the basket and cool down for a few minutes before serving with extra pizza sauce, marinara sauce, or pesto.
Notes
- Be sure to flour your working surface and dough really well to prevent the dough from sticking. The stickier the dough is, the harder it is to roll and cut.
- Try to roll your dough as evenly as possible. If it’s too thin in some places, it may rip and some of the toppings may come out as you’re rolling the dough.
- If you use pepperoni (or other protein), I recommend chopping it up into smaller pieces since the larger slices can make the log of dough tougher to roll.
- The dough and toppings can be a bit messy to roll, but try your best to roll them as tightly as possible, tucking the toppings in to keep them contained in the dough. If some of the toppings come out, you can just stick them back in again and reform the rolls once you’ve cut them. They don’t have to be perfect. To make the log of dough easier to cut and help prevent the rolls from falling apart as you slice, place it in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes.
- I like to pour some cornmeal onto a plate or bowl. Dip the bottom of each roll into cornmeal and place in the air fryer cornmeal side down. The cornmeal is optional, but gives the bottom of the rolls some additional crispiness and helps to absorb some of the excess moisture to help the pizza roll ups better stay together.
- Allow these pizza roll ups to cool for several minutes as they will be fairly hot when they first come out of the air-fryer.
- Pizza rolls are best served right after cooking, though they can be stored in the fridge for several days and reheated.
