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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.
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.
Fried ravioli 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.
Vegan fried ravioli
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.)
Fried ravioli in the air fryer really couldn’t be easier since it’s made with store-bought ravioli. There are several vegan ravioli options on the market, but I used the only kind that’s available locally – Rising Moon Organics.
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.
Kite Hill also makes vegan ravioli, and I’m sure that would work here too.
Rising Moon ravioli 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 ravioli 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.
Never heard of 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.
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 ravioli 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 the ravioli a wonderful crunch. It’s perfect for dipping into your choice of marinara.
This fried ravioli makes a wonderful appetizer for a party. Or you can smother it in sauce, and voilà, you have lunch or dinner.
Vegan fried ravioli in the air fryer
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.
Sarah says
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!
Cadry says
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!
Becky Striepe says
Cadry, these look amazing, and I love your video. So smart adding crunchy panko to the outside.
Cadry says
Thanks, Becky! That’s nice to hear. Got to love the finger foods.
Jojo says
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!
Cadry says
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!
Caitlin says
Yum! I used to love the fried ravioli at one of the vegan restaurants in London but they’ve stopped doing it… This looks like a great way to get that taste at home. 🙂
Cadry says
Awesome, Caitlin! I hope you enjoy it.
Shauna says
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!!
Cadry says
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!
Darlene says
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!!!!
Cadry says
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
Eve-Marie says
So you don’t cook the ravioli according to package directions before breading and air frying? Thanks!
Cadry says
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.
Eve-Marie says
Thank you for such a fast response, you are awesome! Trying this tonight 😊
Cadry says
My pleasure! I think you’re going to love it! Let me know how it goes.
Eve-Marie says
They turned out great – an easy, fun, and delicious recipe – thanks!
Cadry says
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear it. Thank you for coming back and letting me know!
Ginny McMeans says
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.
Teri says
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.
Cadry says
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!
Laurie says
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!
Cadry says
I’m so happy to hear that, Laurie. Thank you for letting me know!
tehodler says
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.
Cadry says
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!
Teri says
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.
Cadry says
I’m so happy to hear that, Teri! And good ideas on the cauliflower gnocchi and potato puffs. I’ll have to try that!