Get dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes! These air fryer english muffin pizzas are simple to make, using just 4 ingredients. They cook in less than 10 minutes, and are picky eater approved. What more could you want in a weeknight dinner recipe!?
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It's 5 o' clock, the whole family just walked through the door, and you've been crazy busy all day long. Suddenly, you realize you forgot to take something out for dinner! Oh no, looks like it's going to be take out for the third time this week!
But it doesn't have to be like that if you have an easy recipe like these Air Fryer English Muffin Pizzas in your back pocket. If you have english muffins, cheese, canned pizza sauce, and some toppings, you've got dinner on the table! This recipe is perfect for those busy weeknights, or for those jam packed weekends. Serve alongside a quick garden salad and you have an easy dinner. Or, serve as is for a quick and filling lunch!
Last Minute Meals
There are a few pantry staples I keep on hand for emergency meals. English muffins are one of them! English muffins freeze great, and thaw quickly. You can even use frozen english muffins if you toast them just slightly first.
Another easy meal I make in the air fryer are these amazing Salmon Patties that use canned salmon. I love keeping canned salmon on hand because it's healthy, and I never have to worry about remembering to take it out to thaw!
Ingredients
- English muffins: Use your favorite brand of english muffins, or day old homemade english muffins.
- Pizza sauce: You will need about 6oz (¾ cup) of pizza sauce. Canned pizza sauce works great for an easy recipe like this one, but you can use homemade if desired.
- Shredded cheese: You will need about 3 cups of shredded cheese. Both pre-shredded and freshly grated cheeses work for this recipe. Freshly grated cheese does melt better, although it's negligible.
- Sliced pepperoni (optional): This is for those that like a classic pepperoni and cheese pizza. These taste great both with and without the optional pepperoni slices. We used regular sized pepperoni slices, but I think mini slices would be adorable.
- Favorite toppings (optional): If you'd like to load up your mini pizzas with your favorite toppings, feel free to do so! Keep in mind that the fan inside the air fryer can blow toppings around quite a bit, so be prudent with the extra toppings and press them into the melted cheese when adding them to the hot pizzas.
Instructions
Preheat your air fryer to 350 for at least 3 minutes, or according to your manufacturers instructions.
Split the english muffins using a fork or a butter knife, and place them, cut sides up, on a baking sheet or plate. Only prepare as many english muffin pizzas as you can fit in the air fryer at once. This will help the pizza stay crispy, preventing them from sitting too long with the moist ingredients.
Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of pizza sauce onto each english muffin half. Use the back of the spoon to spread it evenly over the bread.
Top each half with a small portion of shredded cheese, about ¼ cup.
Place the prepared english muffin pizzas into the air fryer and cook at 350F for 4-6 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the bread is toasted.
Top with 2-3 slices of pepperoni and return to the air fryer for 1-2 minutes.
Remove the air fryer basket and quickly adjust any pepperoni slices that have flown off of the pizzas. If you would like to add any other toppings, do so at the same time you add the pepperoni.
Remove the pizzas from the air fryer and let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Repeat the process with the remaining english muffins, working in batches until all of the muffins have been used up.
Topping Suggestions
Meat Toppings
- Pepperoni
- Salami
- Bacon bits
- Crumbled cooked sausage
- Crumbled cooked beef
- Cooked and shredded chicken
Vegetable Toppings
- Diced bell peppers
- Sliced jalapeno peppers
- Black olives
- Green olives
- Sundried tomatoes
- Minced garlic
- Roasted garlic (try this easy Air Fryer method!)
Tips for Success
Pepperoni:
- The pepperoni will fly around quite a bit in the air fryer. I tested several methods for including the pepperoni, and adding them during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking is what works the best AND has the best taste.
- If you want to keep your pepperoni slices in place, you can add the slices in between the pizza sauce and the cheese. I find the result is not as good when you use this method, and there is very little crunch, but they do stay in place.
- Alternately, you can omit the pepperoni or top with cold pepperoni slices.
Toppings:
- If you want to add your favorite toppings, do so during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking (at the same time you would add the pepperoni). Keep in mind that the fan of the air fryer can cause your toppings to fly around quite a bit. If you like meat toppings, ensure you use fully cooked meat since 1-2 minutes is not long enough to cook any raw meats. Crumbled beef or sausage, bacon bits, and cured meats are all great options.
Excess Grease:
- If you find your English muffin pizzas to have a significant amount of grease on top, simply dab them with a paper towel to absorb the excess grease.
Cheese:
- You can use any type of shredded cheese you have on hand, but mozzarella and cheddar tend to work best.
- If possible, use freshly shredded cheese, since it melts better, but pre-shredded cheese is fine too.
- If using pre-shredded cheese, pizza style and italian style blends work best for these air fryer english muffin pizzas.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to prevent the english muffin pizzas from getting soggy, is by preparing them just before they are ready to go into the oven or air fryer. Additionally, ensure your oven or air fryer is preheated. If you can, toast the english muffins for 1-2 minutes before adding the pizza sauce and cheese. This results in an extra sturdy base, which makes for a crispy result.
Since english muffin pizzas are small, you want to keep the size and quantity of toppings on the small side to ensure for even cooking. Diced bell peppers, sliced jalapenos, olives, and cooked and crumbled meats are the best toppings for these easy mini pizzas.
Yes! Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the prepared english muffin pizzas on the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. If you want your pizzas to be crispy, toast the english muffins for 1-2 minutes before topping with sauce and cheese. Then, return to the oven and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes.
What to Serve With English Muffin Pizzas
- Garden salad
- Steamed vegetables
- Raw vegetables and dip
- Sweet potato fries
- French fries
- Caesar salad
Ingredients
- 6 english muffins split in half
- 1 6oz can pizza sauce (¾ cup)
- 3 cups shredded cheese
- 36 slices pepperoni optional
- Optional toppings: chopped peppers mushrooms, sausage crumbles, bacon bits, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 350 for at least 3 minutes, or according to your manufacturers instructions.
- Split the english muffins using a fork or a butter knife, and place them, cut sides up, on a baking sheet or plate. Only prepare as many english muffin pizzas as you can fit in the air fryer at once. This will help the pizza stay crispy, preventing them from sitting too long with the moist ingredients.
- Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of pizza sauce onto each english muffin half. Use the back of the spoon to spread it evenly over the bread.
- Top each half with a small portion of shredded cheese, about ¼ cup.
- Place the prepared english muffin pizzas into the air fryer and cook at 350F for 4-6 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the bread is toasted.
- Top with 2-3 slices of pepperoni and return to the air fryer for 1-2 minutes. Remove the air fryer basket and quickly adjust any pepperoni slices that have flown off of the pizzas. If you would like to add any other toppings, do so at the same time you add the pepperoni.
- Remove the pizzas from the air fryer and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
- Repeat the process with the remaining english muffins, working in batches until all of the muffins have been used up.
Notes
Nutrition
Resources
- Homemade English Muffins - Bigger Bolder Baking
- Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce - Joy Food Sunshine
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