French Bread Pizza in the Air Fryer

When the craving strikes, treat yourself to this homemade French Bread Pizza in the air fryer! Best of all, you only need 5 ingredients and about 10 minutes to make it.

Pizza is always a crowd-pleaser in my family. After all, who doesn’t crave a fluffy crust slathered in marinara and topped with delicious, melty cheese? It’s like my garlic cheese bread recipe.

When we’re in the mood for comfort food, I love throwing together this super easy air fryer French bread pizza recipe!

You’re probably familiar with the premade version of this dish from the frozen aisle at the grocery store. While those can hit the spot (especially when you make them in the air fryer), there’s nothing quite like this homemade version!

Best of all, you only need 5 ingredients and about 10 minutes to make it.

Here’s what I’m going to teach you in this post:

• The easiest way to make air fryer French bread pizza
• How to cook air fryer frozen French bread pizzas
• Ideas for toppings to add and how to keep them from moving around or getting lost in the air fryer

Everyone loves pizza night. And making air fryer French bread pizza is such a fun way to put a twist on a classic! You can keep it simple with cheese and pepperoni, or let everyone choose their own toppings. Go ahead and have some fun with it!

How to Make Air Fryer French Bread Pizza

A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.

STEP ONE: Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees.

STEP TWO: Slice your french loaf in half, then cut lengthwise for 4 total pieces. If necessary, slice off extra so the bread fits in the air fryer.

STEP THREE: Once the air fryer is heated, place 2 pieces of bread in the air fryer and fry for 2 minutes. This helps toast the bread so it get nice and crispy and not mushy from the tomato sauce.

STEP FOUR: Carefully remove the loaf pieces, then add your desired amount of marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, and shredded mozzarella.

Use one of these listed Italian seasoning alternatives if needed.

STEP FIVE: Cook for 4-5 minutes.

STEP SIX: Turn your air fryer off, open it, and place the pepperoni slices on the French bread pizza.

STEP SEVEN: Close the air fryer for about 1 minute to allow the pepperoni to melt into the cheese.

How to Make Frozen French Bread Pizzas in the Air Fryer

Want to skip the assembly and use a Stouffer’s french bread pizza, Red Baron, or another brand of frozen French bread pizza? No problem! In my experience, the air fryer is the best way to cook them to perfection.

1. Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees.
2. Place the frozen french bread pizza in the air fryer basket or rack.
3. Cook for about 6 minutes.

Don’t have french bread pizza? Follow these directions for cooking other mini frozen pizzas in the air fryer (personal sized).

How to Reheat French Bread Pizza in the Air Fryer

1. Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees.
2. Place 2 pieces of leftover French bread pizza at a time in the air fryer.
3. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until thoroughly warmed then enjoy!

Tips for Making the Best Air Fryer French Bread Pizzas

• Frying the bread by itself first will crisp it up so the sauce won’t soak in and make it soggy.

• For each slice, I like to use about 2 tablespoons of marinara and then sprinkle Italian seasoning on the sauce to taste. After, I top with about half a cup of cheese.

• If the bread is wobbling, lean it against the side of the air fryer. This will help keep the cheese from sliding off. You can also lay a toothpick under the tilting side to keep it upright.

How to Keep Toppings from Moving Around in the Air Fryer

When I first tried this recipe, I added my pepperoni at the same time as the cheese and marinara. To my surprise, I discovered that when the air starts circulating in the air fryer, it can pick up pepperoni and move it! 

I lost a few the first time I tested it. Then, when I was making one pepperoni and one cheese for dinner, the cheese ended up with two pepperonis on it.

That’s why I started adding the pepperoni at the very end after I’d cooked the rest of the French bread pizza. The temperature in the air fryer is enough to heat the pepperoni, but you won’t risk losing them during the cooking process.

This works for other toppings and recipes as well! We also use this technique when we make Air Fryer Hamburgers.

Is There A Way to Make The Bottom of My Bread Crispier?

Yes! It can depend on the bread how crispy it gets with this recipe as is.

If you find it not crispy to your liking, just flip your bread crust side up prior to adding any toppings and let it cook for about 2 minutes to crisp up the bottom of the bread.

You can do this up to 5 minutes or to your crispy liking!

Topping Ideas for Your Air Fryer French Bread Pizza

One of my favorite variations for french bread pizzas is to add store-bought white garlic sauce. I brush it on the bread with the marinara for a little flavor boost.

And if you want to add some other toppings besides cheese and pepperoni, feel free to get creative! Just make sure any protein is pre-cooked. A few ideas to get you started:

• Bacon
• Sausage
• Shredded chicken
• Mushrooms
• Peppers
• Pineapple
• Fresh mozzarella
• Basil

Other Air Recipes You’ll Love:

• Air Fryer Pizza
• Frozen Pizza in Air Fryer
• Tortilla Pizza in the Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Frozen Pizza Rolls
• Garlic Bread in the Air Fryer
• 65 of the Best Air Fryer Dinners To Make Tonight
• Air Fryer Boneless Wings
• How to Reheat Pizza in the Air Fryer

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