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Perfectly crisp vegan fried ravioli in the air fryer

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Vegan air fryer ravioli with marinara dipping sauce.

An appetizer the whole family will love. Fried ravioli in the air fryer – seasoned with basil, oregano, nutritional yeast, and garlic. On the side, marinara sauce for dipping. Vegan.

Panko-coated vegan ravioli on plate.

Finger foods bring people together. Whether everyone is snacking on a nacho plate with cashew queso or scooping into vegan spinach artichoke dip, there’s something about the experience that is communal.

Today I’m bringing another appetizer classic to the game – fried ravioli.

It is also known as toasted ravioli or breaded ravioli. Basically, it’s ravioli that’s coated in bread crumbs and fried until crisp and dippable.

Ravioli is already a hero in the pasta world. Who wouldn’t adore a pocket of dough stuffed with goodness like mushrooms, butternut squash, spinach, or non-dairy cheese? But when you coat it with spiced bread crumbs and fry it, it takes the whole taste & texture experience up a notch.

Today’s fried ravioli recipe is a little different, because instead of frying it in a vat of oil, these beauties are made in the air fryer. Dusted with a scant spritz of cooking spray, they are indulgent without being a heavy, oily mess.

(New to the air fryer scene? Here are 25+ vegan air fryer recipes you’ll want to try.)

Hand picking up toasted ravioli from plate.

Where can you find vegan ravioli?

Fried ravioli in the air fryer really couldn’t be easier since it’s made with store-bought pasta. There are several vegan options on the market, including Kite Hill and Rising Moon Organics (shown here).

Rising Moon has 2 vegan flavors – butternut squash & spinach Florentine. (Make sure to read the ingredients, because they sell non-vegan ravioli too.) I’ve made this fried ravioli with both flavors, and they’re each tasty in their own way.

The butternut squash is a little sweeter and more fall-like. The spinach Florentine has more of a classic ravioli taste.

Hand holding breaded ravioli over platter.

Rising Moon pasta is sold in the freezer section. If by some miracle you get a package with ravioli that aren’t stuck together, you can make these air fryer ravioli straight from frozen. However, scoring a package of noodles that aren’t at least somewhat stuck together is a rarity.

Luckily, there’s an easy fix. The day before you want to make fried ravioli, pop the package into the refrigerator to thaw. Once they are thawed, it isn’t difficult to carefully pull them apart.

(If there’s a little bit of tearing, don’t worry about it. The panko bread crumbs will cover that area just fine.)

Surprisingly, the ravioli straight from the freezer and the thawed ones take the same amount of time to cook in the air fryer. I don’t know how the air fryer manages to cook the inside so perfectly whether it’s frozen or thawed, but I can only assume it’s some kind of sorcery.

To make fried ravioli in the air fryer, start by dipping the ravioli into aquafaba.

Fried ravioli on plate with marinara and fresh basil.

David dipping fried ravioli into marinara.

What is aquafaba?

Aquafaba is bean cooking liquid. It’s the viscous liquid you’ll find in a can of chickpeas, for example. If you make your own beans from scratch, the cooking liquid from homemade beans works equally well.

Not only does aquafaba allow the bread crumbs to fully stick to the ravioli, they also help them to get toasty brown. (That’s why I use aquafaba to brush the top of vegetable pot pie.)

Aquafaba alternatives for this recipe

When I was testing this recipe, I tried a variety of flour & dipping options. An aquafaba dip with a coating of seasoned panko gave the most pleasing results. However, if you happen to not have aquafaba on hand, fret not.

Instead, you can dip the ravioli into eggless mayo like Vegenaise (being careful to remove any excess mayo) and then into bread crumbs. Or you can dip them into non-dairy milk blended with a small spoonful of cornstarch, then seasoned bread crumbs.

Close-up hand holding toasted ravioli.

Fresh basil in foreground. Cadry dipping fried ravioli into marinara in background.

Don’t skip the panko

For this recipe, definitely seek out panko bread crumbs. Don’t just use ordinary bread crumbs, which won’t offer the same kind of crackling exterior. Panko gives the noodles a firm crust.

The results of this fried ravioli are pretty spectacular. The spices in the breading give loads of flavor – basil, oregano, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper.

The combination of air fryer magic & the inherent crispiness of panko give a wonderful crunch. It’s perfect for dipping into your choice of marinara.

This dish makes a wonderful appetizer for a party. Or you can smother it in sauce, and voilà, you have lunch or dinner.

Plate filled with toasted ravioli by red napkin.

Vegan fried ravioli in the air fryer: Toasted vegan ravioli dredged in seasoned panko. A great party appetizer! | cadryskitchen.com

Vegan fried ravioli in the air fryer

Remember this for your next party! Fried ravioli in the air fryer – seasoned with basil, oregano, nutritional yeast, and garlic. On the side, marinara sauce for dipping.
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian, Vegan
Keyword: air fryer, dairy free, finger food, party food
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 23 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 150kcal
Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Pinch salt & pepper
  • 1/4 cup aquafaba liquid from can of chickpeas or other beans*
  • 8 ounces frozen or thawed vegan ravioli**
  • Spritz cooking spray
  • 1/2 cup marinara for dipping

Instructions

  • On a plate, combine panko bread crumbs, nutritional yeast flakes, dried basil, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
  • Put aquafaba into a small separate bowl.
  • Dip ravioli into aquafaba, shake off excess liquid, and then dredge in bread crumb mixture. Make sure that the ravioli gets fully covered. Move the ravioli into the air fryer basket. Continue until all of the ravioli has been breaded. Be careful not to overlap the ravioli too much in the air fryer, so that they can brown evenly. (If necessary, air fry in batches.)
  • Spritz the ravioli with cooking spray.
  • Set air fryer to 390 degrees. Air fry for 6 minutes. Carefully flip each ravioli over. (Don't just shake the basket. If you do, you'll lose a lot of bread crumbs.) Air fry for 2 more minutes.
  • Remove ravioli from air fryer and serve with warm marinara for dipping.

Video

Notes

*If you make beans from scratch, the cooking liquid from homemade beans works too! If you don't have access to aquafaba, vegan mayonnaise also works. Just be sure to wipe off any excess mayo. If it's too gloopy, it won't brown. Don't have that either? Use non-dairy milk mixed with a small spoonful of cornstarch.
**This recipe can be made with frozen or thawed ravioli. If your frozen ravioli are stuck together, allow them to thaw in the refrigerator. Then you should be able to carefully separate them.
***You will likely have leftover panko bread crumb mixture. You can save it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, and use it for future ravioli endeavors.

Nutrition

Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 5g | Sodium: 411mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 510IU | Vitamin C: 3.4mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1.6mg
Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!
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Posted On: May 21, 2017
Comment: Leave a Comment

About Cadry

Cadry Nelson is the writer, photographer, and recipe creator behind Cadry’s Kitchen, a vegan food & lifestyle blog started in 2009. Through approachable recipes, vegan travel guides, and down-to-earth discussions on the social aspects of being vegan, Cadry shows that living a vegan lifestyle is deliciously uncomplicated. Cadry has been featured on NBC News, Mashable, Today, Reader's Digest, Yahoo, Delish, Shape, and Huffington Post.

Comments

  1. Sarah says

    May 22, 2017 at 12:27 am

    These look delicious—we really like the Rising Moon ravioli too! And I agree—panko is my fave bread crumb! Can’t beat that crispy crunch!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      May 22, 2017 at 12:47 pm

      Thanks, Sarah! Once you get hooked on panko, there’s no going back to other bread crumb choices for breading. It’s so perfectly crunchy!

      Reply
  2. Becky Striepe says

    May 22, 2017 at 7:18 am

    Cadry, these look amazing, and I love your video. So smart adding crunchy panko to the outside.

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      May 22, 2017 at 12:48 pm

      Thanks, Becky! That’s nice to hear. Got to love the finger foods.

      Reply
  3. Jojo says

    May 22, 2017 at 4:25 pm

    Wow! I am a huge ravioli fan but I never knew that frying it was a thing people did. I need to try this ASAP!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      May 22, 2017 at 7:10 pm

      Apparently, fried ravioli was popularized in St. Louis, Missouri! I had no idea until I was working on this post. Iowa isn’t too far from Missouri, and so fried ravioli is something I’ve always known about. I just figured it was a common thing! If you’re a huge ravioli fan, you’ll love it breaded and fried!

      Reply
  4. Shauna says

    May 26, 2017 at 1:29 pm

    VegNews Magazine pinned this on Pinterest! How exciting. Also every time you post an air fryer recipe I get closer and closer to buying one. I need one so bad!!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      May 30, 2017 at 11:21 am

      Oh, that’s great! I had no idea. Thanks for letting me know, Shauna! It took me a while to give in to the air fryer mania, but I’m glad I finally did. I use it daily!

      Reply
  5. Darlene says

    September 20, 2017 at 5:04 am

    YUM! Neither my omni husband or I thought of this but he said he’d pick up some ravioli when he goes to the grocery this week. Girl, you need a You Tube channel!!!!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      September 20, 2017 at 10:41 am

      That’s great, Darlene! I hope you enjoy them. You are in luck – I have a YouTube channel. Check it out and subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/user/cadryskitchen

      Reply
  6. Eve-Marie says

    March 26, 2018 at 10:50 am

    So you don’t cook the ravioli according to package directions before breading and air frying? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      March 26, 2018 at 10:51 am

      That’s correct. You don’t cook the ravioli according to package directions before breading and air frying. They will cook in the air fryer instead.

      Reply
      • Eve-Marie says

        March 26, 2018 at 11:25 am

        Thank you for such a fast response, you are awesome! Trying this tonight 😊

        Reply
        • Cadry says

          March 26, 2018 at 11:36 am

          My pleasure! I think you’re going to love it! Let me know how it goes.

          Reply
          • Eve-Marie says

            March 27, 2018 at 11:03 am

            5 stars
            They turned out great – an easy, fun, and delicious recipe – thanks!

            Reply
            • Cadry says

              March 27, 2018 at 11:07 am

              Awesome! I’m so glad to hear it. Thank you for coming back and letting me know!

              Reply
  7. Ginny McMeans says

    September 2, 2018 at 8:30 pm

    5 stars
    I saw this recipe and thought it looks so delicious and couldn’t wait to try it. What a fantastic bonus when it turned out to be a favorite of my husbands too. I’ve made it at lest 10 times now. Thanks so much.

    Reply
    • Teri says

      September 7, 2018 at 3:00 pm

      5 stars
      Love this recipe! I just use almond milk and cornstarch for the dipping step (rather then aquafab) and then the panko crumbs and seasonings as listed in the recipe. We also alternate using marinara to dip them or a no oil vegan pesto that I make with basil and peas. I’m going to try this with the Engine 2 ravioli brand from Whole Foods next time we visit one.

      Reply
      • Cadry says

        September 11, 2018 at 3:20 pm

        I’m so glad to hear that you are both enjoying it! What a good idea to use different dipping sauces to mix things up. Thanks for the feedback!

        Reply
  8. Laurie says

    January 18, 2019 at 7:45 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for this recipe! I used soymilk to make the panko stick and it worked perfectly. This will be a new favourite around the house, I can already tell!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      January 24, 2019 at 11:28 am

      I’m so happy to hear that, Laurie. Thank you for letting me know!

      Reply
  9. tehodler says

    February 16, 2019 at 7:45 am

    This is neat. I saw it on Twitter. Thanks for posting it.

    I’ve been experimenting with flax meal soaked in hot water as an egg replacement and I have had a lot of success. I might try it with this recipe.

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      February 16, 2019 at 7:56 am

      Thanks! Flax eggs are really popular. I especially like them with baked goods. In this case, the ravioli really don’t need much to get the bread crumbs to stick. So I would think a flax egg might be a little heavy.

      If you didn’t want to use aquafaba as written in the recipe, I’d use vegan mayonnaise instead, and wipe off the excess before dipping in breadcrumbs. Or you can use non-dairy milk with cornstarch. Whatever you choose to use, let me know if you try it and how it goes!

      Reply
  10. Teri says

    February 16, 2019 at 8:41 am

    5 stars
    These are the best! We make them often and use the almond milk and cornstarch option. We also use the same panko crumb mix for cauliflower gnocchi and potato puffs, all in the air fryer.

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      February 16, 2019 at 9:56 am

      I’m so happy to hear that, Teri! And good ideas on the cauliflower gnocchi and potato puffs. I’ll have to try that!

      Reply
  11. Manisha says

    November 1, 2020 at 11:18 pm

    I have the air fryer that attaches to the instant pot and it does not have a basket. Do you think it will still work? Looks so yummy!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      November 3, 2020 at 6:15 pm

      I haven’t tried the Instant Pot air fryer, but I’d think it would work just fine. From what I’ve read about that air fryer, you may need to cook it a little longer than a standard air fryer. However, you’ll know the ravioli is ready when it looks nice and crisp. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  12. Pamela says

    January 24, 2021 at 1:45 pm

    5 stars
    Husband and I tried these as new air fryer owner. I am just starting my vegan journey. We tried the Wild Mushrooms and Spinach Florentine and both were good without sauce, with marinara, and with the aioli dip from the air fried artichokes recipe (tried those today also and very good). Will make again.

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      January 25, 2021 at 8:44 am

      I’m so glad that you and your husband enjoyed them, Pamela! Thanks for the great feedback!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Cadry Nelson. I'm the recipe creator, writer, and photographer behind Cadry's Kitchen.

Cadry's Kitchen is a vegan food blog featuring comfort food classics. Most recipes are ready in about 30 minutes.

Contact me at cadryskitchen@gmail.com.

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