Air Fryer Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites

Recreation of a childhood freezer aisle fave: Air Fryer Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites! Homemade with 5 ingredients and cooked for only 5 minutes in the air fryer. Everyone will love these quick and easy, freezer-friendly mini pizzas!

Those mini pizza bagel bites from the freezer section were something I’m sure I always wanted as a kid, but rarely got. So as an adult, when I saw mini bagels at the grocery store, I instantly thought, “I can make my own pizza bagel bites!”

To take it one notch further, I was 100% sure it could be done in the air fryer – all I had to do was figure out the right cook times.

Once I put the idea into action, I was actually shocked at how quickly these pizza bagel bites came together, especially when the air fryer was involved. Five minute cook time. Yes, for real!

What are the ingredients in these Air Fryer Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites?

All of these ingredients should be relatively easy to find at your local grocery store! You can also modify the toppings by using a different sauce and whatever veggies or cooked protein you have on hand.

Here are the ingredients I used for my Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites:

• mini bagels – I like using mini bagels for these bagel bites because they reminded me most of the mini pizza bites from the freezer aisle (but I’m pretty sure regular sized bagels would work too). At my grocery store, the mini bagels always seems to be on the very bottom shelf below all the other types of bagels.
• pizza sauce – Use your favorite pizza sauce. I just grabbed a jar from the grocery store since I didn’t have any at home already.
• shredded mozzarella cheese – For some reason, I bought finely shredded cheese (see photos lol), but the thicker shreds would definitely work too. What’s more important is that some of your cheese is on top of the pepperoni pieces so they don’t fly away!
• pepperonis – Just because I’m a turkey pepperoni fan doesn’t mean you have to be too. Use your favorite pepperoni!! I’ve also used slices of Chomps Turkey Pepperoni meat sticks, and that worked well too.
• Italian seasoning – I find that adding even just a touch of seasoning really elevates these little bagel bites. I LOVE using Penzey’s Frozen Pizza Seasoning for this, but I’m currently out, so Italian it is!

How do you make Air Fryer Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites?

Making these Air Fryer Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites really is as simple as assembling, and then cooking them for only 5 minutes in the air fryer!

Start by cutting your bagels in half (if they aren’t already) and laying them cut side up on a cutting board. Use a spoon to spread a heaping 1/2 tablespoon of pizza sauce evenly onto the bagel halves.

One thing I do here is use an actual 1/2 tablespoon measuring spoon to measure and spread the pizza sauce, which helps me portion more evenly.

Next, it’s time to move on to the cheese and pepperonis. For the first layer, start with adding a small pinch of shredded mozzarella cheese to each bagel on top of the sauce to create a thin layer of cheese.

After the first layer of cheese, add 7-10 pepperoni quarters to each bagel, followed by a heavy pinch of cheese added on top of the pepperoni. Finally, lightly sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the top of all the bagels.

Place as many bagel bites as comfortably fit into a single layer into your air fryer basket. If you have a rack or larger air fryer, feel free to do this in one batch, as long as the pizza bagels are not overlapping.

Air fry the pizza bagel bites at 350F for 5 minutes. For subsequent batches or preheated air fryer, reduce cook time by 1 minute. So, for your second batch of bagel bites, air fry at 350F for 4 minutes.

If you want crisper bagel bites, add 1-2 minutes of cook time, or up the cooking temperature by 10-20 degrees. The pizza bagel bites are done when the cheese is melted and the top is starting to brown to your liking.

Can I use regular sized bagels instead of mini bagels?

Though I have not personally tested this, I’m positive you could get the same result using regular sized bagels. Because of the slight size increase, you may need to add 1-2 minutes of cook time.

Testing notes for the Air Fryer Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites:

While testing this recipe, here are a couple things I noticed:

• If you put the pepperoni on top of the bagel bites, the fast moving air in the air fryer will lift the pepperonis and take them flying off the bagel. To solve this, keep the bottom layer of cheese thin, and put additional cheese on top of the pepperonis. This seems to keep the pepperonis weighed down, as well as semi stuck to the bagel by the sauce.
• Any cook temperature in the range of 330F to 370F will work for these bagel bites. Lower temperatures will melt the cheese but give you less browning. High temperatures will give you more browning and a crisper bagel. I prefer right in the middle at 350F.
• Though the recipe as written makes 8 mini pizza bagel bites, you can make as many or as few as you want. Use this recipe as a guideline for amounts and cook time.

No air fryer? Here are oven instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425F. Assemble the pizza bagel bites as directed in the recipe. Place assembled bagel bites on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted and edges are beginning to brown.

How do you meal prep these Air Fryer Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites?

These Air Fryer Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites may not look like a classic meal prep option, but it is definitely possible to make them ahead of time to enjoy later!

1. Ingredient prep: Portion out and prepare all the toppings ahead of time so dinner can come together quickly when it’s time (cut pepperoni and other toppings, cut bagels, portion cheese and sauce).
2. Complete prep for leftovers: Prepare the recipe as written and enjoy a portion or two now, while saving the rest for another lunch or dinner in the next 4 days.
3. Prep & freeze for later: Prepare the recipe through step 2. Instead of cooking, place pizza bagel bites on a small lined sheet pan and into the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight to flash freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag or airtight container and enjoy within 3-6 months for best quality.

What should you serve with these Air Fryer Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites?

In my opinion, these mini pizzas can be served as a snack (have a couple) or as a main dish option (have a plate with four!).

You can serve them alone or with any side dish you’d normally eat with pizza. For example, I think a small side salad would go great with these mini pizzas!

Alternative customization ideas:

The best part about these mini pizzas? You can customize with whatever toppings you want! Don’t pile the toppings too high or the toppings could fall off when you move the mini pizzas into the air fryer.

The only thing to keep in mind is that light flat toppings (like pepperoni) need cheese on top to hold them down. Topping ideas:

• pineapple & ham
• mushroom & green pepper
• cheese only
• sausage & pepperoni
• pesto sauce & fresh mozz
• add fresh tomato after cooking
• any toppings you want!

What kind of air fryer do you use?

The air fryer I have currently, and the one that is pictured in this post is the Cosori XL 5.8 qt Air Fryer (affiliate link!).

If you’re going to invest in an air fryer to cook things for two or more people, you should opt for a larger size like this one, in my opinion!

I previously had a slightly smaller Philips Air Fryer with a metal grate basket which I liked, but I prefer the larger Cosori model with the nonstick coated basket instead.

How to store prepared Air Fryer Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites:

Store leftover cooked bagel bites in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy as leftovers within 4 days.

How to freeze Air Fryer Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites:

To freeze bagel bites for later, prepare the recipe through step 2. Instead of cooking, place pizza bagel bites on a small lined sheet pan and into the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight to flash freeze.

Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag or airtight container and enjoy within 3-6 months for best quality.

To cook from frozen, air fry at 270F for 7-9 minutes, checking at 7 minutes.

How to reheat prepared Air Fryer Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites:

To reheat from the fridge, air fry at 350F for about 4 minutes or until steaming hot and melty again!