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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, and 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.)
Air fryer bagel pizzas
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 my bagels for a couple of minutes on their own in the air fryer before adding the toppings, because 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 air fryer 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.
Air fryer bagel pizza topping ideas:
- Whole cloves of air fryer roasted garlic, fresh basil, and thinly sliced fried potatoes
- 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.
These air fryer 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, air fryer buffalo cauliflower, and vegan chili cheese tater tots.
Vegan air fryer bagel pizzas
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 air fryer. 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 air fryer. (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.
Jenn says
Oh, I LOVE this idea. We do pizza on baguettes, tortillas, naan, etc., but I’ve never tried it on bagels. Considering my kids yell at me if I come home from the grocery store without bagels, I think these would be a HUGE hit in my house!
Cadry says
You are one pizza loving family! David adores French bread pizzas, and so I think that will be our next air fryer experiment. Let me know if you try these pizza bagels and what your kids think!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
Oh yeah, these look good! I finally found some vegan gluten-free bagels that are decent, so I will be making bagel pizzas soon!
Cadry says
Oh, that’s good to know, Amy! Do you mind sharing the brand of the vegan gluten-free bagels you like? I could include it in the post for my gluten free readers.
Mel | avirtualvegan.com says
What a quick and easy lunch idea. My son would love them!
Cadry says
Yes, so easy and quick! It seriously doesn’t get faster than this.
Mary Ellen | VNutrition says
Soooo cool Cadry!! I’ve been so obsessed with pizza bagels since I was little so these will be a must-try for me!
Cadry says
Oh, that’s awesome, Mary Ellen! I hope these air fryer pizza bagels take you back.
Becky Striepe says
Oh man, Dave and I were just talking about how we missed pizza bagels, and here you come with a solution to our problem. This is so on!
Cadry says
Yay! I aim to please.
Katie Koteen says
Wow, the air fryer is so versatile. I never would have thought to make a pizza bagel! LOVE
Cadry says
Thanks, Katie! It really is so versatile. I used to always envy people with double ovens, and now I barely use my (single) oven at all! The air fryer has taken over.
Shell says
What a fabulous idea! I love using pita bread to make a personal size pizza in my air fryer. I will try this, too!
Cadry says
That’s a great idea too, Shell! You’ve been holding out on me. 😉
Dianne says
I can’t wait to make these! There’s a great bagel place just a few blocks from here, so I’m going to have to head over this weekend and pick some up.
Cadry says
Oh, how nice for you! I hope you love them, Dianne. You’ll have to let me know what you choose for toppings!
Sarah De la Cruz says
I’m totally in awe of all of the things you make in your air fryer! My go to after school snack as a kid was a bagel topped with ham and melted cheese. I feel like the pizza bagel is a logical extension!!!
Cadry says
Thank you, Sarah! What a sweet thing to say. You’re right; this is totally a logical extension of your former after school snack. Herbivorous Butcher makes some really good Cuban-style vegan ham that I used on a bagel pizza one day, and it was delightful!
Marlene says
This post got me to thinking about cheese and the air fryer!! It has inspired me to use my air fryer for melting cheese!!! When I need cheese to be melty in something I make…like tacos, I am going to pop them in the air fryer to melt that cheese instead of forgoing cheese or (gasp) using the microwave, which I rarely do. Sorry, the comment isn’t about bagel pizzas, but I am GF, but I read it anyway because your posts are just that awesome, and it gave me the melty-cheesy idea!
Cadry says
That’s great, Marlene! I’m glad this post gave you some inspiration in whatever form. Thanks for the kind words!