How to cook frozen Pizza in an air fryer

Air fryers will make easy work of any frozen pizza but only if it fits, and if it doesn't that isn't to say you can't air fry cut to fit frozen pizza slices instead.

Air frying a frozen pizza can be achieved with a temperature of 340°F / 170°C, in under 12 minutes. I cooked a thick crust pizza with these instructions and the results were perfect. But first I air fried the pizza upside down to toast the base, then flipped it the right way up to cook it as it should be.

How to approach air frying a frozen pizza would normally have you concerned about whether it fits or not, so let's assume the pizza fits in your air fryer basket.

Air frying frozen pizza will allow you to give and take the time and temperature, and therefore its up to you to keep an eye on proceedings to ensure nothing is burning.

Air fryers cook frozen food really well with it being no different to any other food item.

All you need to do is position the pizza in the air fryer and cook it up to half the time, as suggested for oven cooking. With my featured pizza to demonstrate how to cook a frozen pizza; the box suggested 23-25 minutes, while I air fried it for just 12 minutes.

And you know what, the pizza turned out absolutely beautiful, as you will see in the pictures I took while showing you how its done.

As expected the pizza toppings were crispy along with the melted cheese, yet the crust was nice and firm with no bend.

Fortunately I have a trick to that, rather than air fry the frozen pizza the right way up; it was first cooked upside down - with loose pizza toppings removed - which allowed me to toast the underside which I fear, would be soggy if it wasn't given this much attention.

I returned the pizza toppings I brush off back on the pizza once it was the right way up, half way through cooking, and it all came together very well.

Pizza crust tip: With frozen pizzas producing a soggy crust, cook the pizza upside down - with crust facing up - then flip it over to cook the pizza as normal with the toppings added back on top for the remaining minutes.

Prepare pizza

Cooking a frozen or chilled pizza in an air fryer must always begin with a little preparation; that is to always brush as much loose pizza toppings off as possible - and some will brush off even if its a frozen pizza - to prevent the pepperoni, onions to mince beef, falling through the air fryer basket, to never be seen again.

• STEP 1: Remove all packaging - Of course you must remove all packaging, including that cardboard disk beneath the pizza, which often cooks along with the pizza in oven, as it goes unnoticed
• STEP 2: Brush loose Toppings on packaging - You are going to first cook the frozen pizza upside down. To do that you must first brush off any loose pizza toppings - to ensure most of the toppings can be saved to be put back on later

• STEP 3: Line Parchment Paper in Basket - Its vitally important you line the air fryer with parchment paper, as it will be used to not only protect the air fryer basket from pizza grease; the parchment paper will catch the pizza toppings you will collect and add back on the pizza mid way through cooking
• STEP 4: Insert Pizza upside down into cold Basket - To cook what is my deep pan frozen pizza, you must always place the pizza upside down in the air fryer basket - and remember to line it with parchment paper

Do try to save your pizza packaging as it will be useful to brush your pizza toppings on to. It would then be easier to slide all toppings back onto the pizza half way through air frying, when you're done lightly toasting the pizza underside.

How to air fry frozen pizza

My particular deep pan meat feast pizza recommended a temperature of 340°F / 170°C, along with a 23-25 minute time. In reality, the air fryer will cook it much faster and it did. I kept the recommended temperature but air fried the pizza in just 12 minutes. Cooking for 5 minutes upside down; before returning the pizza right way up for 7 minutes.

• STEP 1: Set temp: 340°F / 170°C; time 12 Min. - Simply set the air fryer time to a mid temperature of 340°F / 170°C, with only 12 minutes on the timer
• STEP 2: Cook 'Crust Side' up for 5 Min. - With the pizza toppings faced down in the air fryer basket - and hopefully rested on top of parchment paper - you'll cook the upside down pizza for 5 minutes

• STEP 3: Flip Pizza over, return toppings - At the 5 minute mark, you'll need to flip the frozen - and now slightly toasted - pizza over, which is where you will now return the loose pizza toppings back onto the pizza, which were originally brushed off to save falling everywhere
• STEP 4: Cook correct way up for 7 Min. - With the pizza the right way up and the toppings carefully positioned back over your pizza, continue to cook the pizza for the remaining 7 minutes (with a total 12 minute of air fry time)

If you fail to preserve the loose pizza toppings as you cook the frozen pizza upside down, the toppings are likely to be wasted as they end up falling through the air fryer basket, where they're likely to cook in a pool of oil and fat.

Remove Pizza with caution

When it comes to removing the frozen pizza once its fully cooked, it can be a little tricky to remove out of a what could be a deep air fryer basket making it hard on you.

What I would suggest is carefully remove the pizza - which is now sitting the correct way up I might add - with your finger tips to reduce the possibility of making a mess of removing a pizza while squashing it with tongs, or absorbing sauce in an oven glove.

In fact I would tip the air fryer basket to the side while pinching the pizza underneath, to allow the pizza to slide out with minimal effort on your part.

I don't think an air fried pizza will split or collapse on itself, simply because you first toasted the crust, which will now be nice and toasted, and will create a solid base of which you can be a little more rigorous.

Only if frozen pizza sits flat

Unfortunately, it isn't stated enough when we talk about cooking a frozen pizza in an air fryer, where you can only do so if said pizza fits in the air fryer basket; and believe me its rare a whole frozen pizza can fit in an air fryer.

In my case, my 21cm wide and 2cm thick pizza slid nicely into the basket of my air fryer, but it was a close call as seen in the picture.

What you won't want to do is attempt to air fry a full rounded frozen pizza that simply won't sit flat in the basket. A leaning pizza will only burn on one side that is closest to the heating element - while the other end isn't going to air fry evenly.

In all tense and purposes, a frozen pizza that fits in an air fryer will yield the same results, yet a too big pizza isn't going to cook evenly.

What you can think about doing is if your pizza is simply to big, you can cut it into quarters with a sharp nice - being careful not to cut your hand - while cooking a small slice of the pizza at a time to then save the rest for later.

You don't have to eat pizza slices cold as the air fryer will do well to reheat the pizza which will only need to be air fried uncovered, for 4-5 minutes.

Adjust time / temp of your Frozen Pizza

The Tesco Deep Pan Meat Pizza I air fried on this particular day recommended an oven cooking time of 23-25 minutes.

I was sure that would be far to long for an air fryer and thus I reduced the time to just 12 minutes. It was guess work as it was my first time but as it was, the 12 minutes was all I needed to cook this frozen pizza to what I would consider perfection.

In addition, oven temperature was suggested for 340°F / 170°C, which I felt didn't need adjusting, so I set my temperature to that exactly.

Let's no forget I air fried a pizza with a temperature and time set for this particular pizza; which was a certain size and thickness which plays into how little or long the pizza cooks for with its recommended oven cooking instructions.

Now these exact cooking instructions are unlikely to apply to you, but I feel you can learn a lot from these instructions. I don't think you'll need to cook your pizza much longer or shorter, with the temperature being a safe bet for most air fried store-bought frozen pizzas.

Summary

Air fryers will cook frozen pizza really well thus its up to you to make sure the temperature is just right, and you don't over do it on time.

First prepare any frozen pizza by removing the packaging, before brushing off loose pizza toppings onto the original pizza packaging; which will be used to drop the toppings back on the pizza, midway through air frying.

Ensure you begin air frying the frozen pizza upside down - which is why loose toppings must be removed - as you want to air fry the base for a few minutes to ensure a toasted, crispy base; as oppose to soggy mess a 'cooked from frozen' pizza can produce.

You'll turn the frozen pizza - and now fairly soft at this point - at about 5 minutes in, to cook the pizza as you normally would, cheese side up. Let's not forget to add the loose but still frozen pizza toppings back onto the pizza, to allow them to cook for the remaining minutes.

What you will be left with after 12 or so minutes is a well cooked, crispy pizza with a solid base, thanks to toasting it upside down.

Obviously not all frozen pizzas are going to fit in your air fryer basket, thus its vital you ensure it will fit. And if it doesn't you can think about cutting the frozen pizza into smaller slices, which can than be air fried individually.

Don't take my temperature and timing as a given as our frozen pizzas aren't all the same. I would add though the timing and temperature should work well with all kinds of frozen pizzas - with perhaps a little less time for mini pizzas and frozen pizza rolls.

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