Air fryer bagel pizzas: 10 minute lunch recipe

I’m back with another easy recipe that’s great for lunch or dinner – air fryer bagel pizzas. This vegan recipe is so simple, you could get the kids involved with it. Everyone can add their own toppings. Lunch is ready to go in 10 minutes!

The world can be a divisive place right now. But if there’s one thing that we can all agree on, it’s pizza.

While we may prefer one topping over another, there’s something about warm and chewy bread covered in sauce and toppings that makes any day better.

(It’s no secret that my pizza enthusiasm runs deep. I have recipes on the blog for pizza hummus, vegan taco pizza, and vegan chili dog pizza as well.)

Today I’m turning that beloved dinner staple into something very lunch appropriate with these air fryer bagel pizzas. If you’re a fan of English muffin pizzas or French bread pizzas, you need to get on these bagel pizzas ASAP.

The chewiness of the bagels make the pizzas wonderfully hearty. You can go with plain bagels, so that they don’t compete with the flavors on top.

Or you can go with sun-dried tomato or rosemary olive oil bagels for flavors that live in harmony with the toppings adorning your pie. (Sun-dried tomato is my preferred option!)

Because I’m all about the bagels, ’bout the bagels…

As I wrote in my post on vegan fast food options, I usually get my bagels at Bruegger’s. However, there are lots of vegan bagels out there.

Just find the ingredients online, ask at the bagel shop, or read the package to be sure there’s no cheese inside or egg wash on top.

If you have a wonderful local bagel bakery that you can visit, I envy you. By all means, go there!

I like to cook the bagels for a couple of minutes on their own before adding the toppings. Otherwise the bread becomes a little too wet and doughy. If you give the bagels a chance to crisp on their own, then when you add the marinara and toppings, the bagels hold up to the sauce without softening.

If you’re short on time, though, it’s not a deal breaker. They are still awfully good, even without the pre-toasting.

As I mentioned in my vegan air fryer recipes post, air fryers cook by whipping hot air around food.

So I was a little concerned that the fast-moving air might cause the cheese to fly off of the bagels, especially if it was in shreds. However, that wasn’t an issue. I added a generous spoonful of marinara to each slice, and all of the toppings stuck to the bagel pizzas without issue.

(I chose to go with slices for this post, simply because I like the look a little better. Both taste equally good, though.)

I topped my bagel pizzas with Herbivorous Butcher pepperoni & mozzarella. Their non-dairy cheese melts beautifully.

Of course, feel free to use the seitan, vegetable, and/or dairy-free cheese of your choice. Keep the ingredients even in size and on the thin side for best cooking.

The topping options are limitless! Here are some ideas to get you started.

Topping ideas:

• Whole cloves of air fryer roasted garlic, fresh basil, and thinly sliced fried potatoes
• Tofu ricotta
• Spinach, green peppers, and black olives
• Vegan ham or bacon & pineapple
• Spicy black beans, tomatoes, onions & cilantro for a bagel taco pizza
• Artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and red onion
• Seitan sausage & mushroom

Word of warning: These melty pizza bagels are hot once taken out of the air fryer. Don’t be like me and bite into them right away.

I know that melty cheese is calling to you, and those perfectly toasty edges beckon. Resist! At least for a few minutes until it has a chance to cool… Otherwise, you’ll have to suffer a burned roof of your mouth, as I did.

The pizza bagels tested my patience, and they won.

Bagel pizzas make for an easy lunch or dinner.

They would also be super fun at a games night with some other air fryer appetizers like fried artichoke hearts, fried pickles, buffalo cauliflower, and vegan chili cheese tater tots.

Vegan air fryer bagel pizzas

These adorable bagel pizzas can be made in 10 minutes thanks to your air fryer. Perfect for lunch in a rush or a games night with friends! Makes 2 bagel pizzas.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Italian, Vegan

Keyword: kid friendly, pizza

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 1 people

Calories: 353kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 bagel
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons marinara sauce divided
• ▢ 6 slices vegan pepperoni
• ▢ 2 heaping Tablespoons non-dairy mozzarella cheese or several small, thin slices
• ▢ A pinch or two of finely chopped fresh basil Optional garnish

Instructions

• ▢
  Cut bagel in half. (I like to use a bagel guillotine for even slicing.)
• ▢
  Toast bagel halves in air fryer at 370 degrees for 2 minutes.
• ▢
  Remove bagel halves from basket. Top each half of a bagel with a Tablespoon of marinara, three vegan pepperoni slices, and a heaping Tablespoon of non-dairy cheese.
• ▢
  Return bagel halves to the air fryer. Air fry at 370 degrees for 4 to 5 minutes. (Check at 4 minutes to see if the non-dairy cheese is melty enough for you. If not, continue one minute longer.)
• ▢
  Carefully remove bagel halves from basket. (I recommend spearing them with a fork to pull them out.) Top each bagel pizza with a pinch of chopped fresh basil (optional). The pizzas will be quite hot. So wait a couple of minutes before eating.

Notes

Bagels vary in size, and so adjust any toppings accordingly. If you're making several bagel pizzas, be aware that you'll likely have to cook in batches. With the bagels I used, a 3.7 quart air fryer could hold 2 bagel halves (one bagel), and a 5.8 quart air fryer could hold 3 bagel halves (1 ½ bagels).

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 904mg | Potassium: 205mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1.9mg

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