Air Fryer Pizza Bagels

These pizza bagels are part of a new series I’m doing on Instagram: 30 minute meals.

While I already have plenty of 30 minute meals on my blog (and a whole roundup here), I love any excuse to make more easy, quick recipes.

Because as you well know, food should be simple. And cooking does not need to be complicated or time consuming in order to be nutritious and delicious.

And before you’re like “uhh… a pizza bagel isn’t a recipe,” know that we are making the bagels. That’s part of what makes this recipe so fun!

Is there anything wrong with a regular bagel? Absolutely not. And, as someone who lived in NYC for almost 15 years (I still miss it so much 😭), I can tell you that these bagels are nothing like those.

But I also find that, even when you freeze them, it’s really hard to keep regular bagels fresh. And I also love making my own versions of things. I couldn’t believe how easy these bagels were to make in the air fryer!

Plus, even though they aren’t the same as a regular New York bagel, they’re still delicious. They come out so pillowy soft and fresh. I’ll definitely be making these more often!

You can customize these pizza bagels in so many ways, too.

Make your bagel how you like it. I added sesame seeds because I love a sesame bagel (my husband thinks this is the most random preference of mine). You could also add everything but the bagel seasoning, some cheddar or parmesan cheese, or just keep the bagel plain.

Then, when you make the pizza bagel, the toppings are up to you too. I chose to add pepperoni, but you can add any veg or even some hot honey (yum!).

Finally, I opted to make a quick Caesar salad while my bagels were cooking.

Because these are homemade bagels, they’re a lot smaller than a regular bagel shop bagel and of course, not as filling.

Veggies help add some volume and fiber to the meal to make it more filling. And ain’t nothing wrong with an easy Caesar salad.

For mine, I chopped up romaine, added shaved parmesan, and store-bought Caesar dressing. Easy and delicious.

Troubleshooting your bagels

If your bagels don’t come out well, fear not. There are a few easy things to double check.

First, make sure there’s enough room in your air fryer for them to cook. You may have to cook the bagels in 2-3 batches so that the air fryer isn’t overcrowded. If so, I found it helpful to keep the bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet before adding them to the air fryer and then again when letting them cool.

Make sure to knead the dough for 2-3 minutes. It should be sticky, but not overly so.

Lastly, make sure to give the bagels ample time to cool before cutting into them. For the sake of keeping this recipe quick, I recommend giving them at least 5 minutes. But honestly, if you don’t, they just won’t be as easily able to be sliced – the texture and flavor won’t be affected at all. The longer you let the bagels cool, the easier it’ll be to slice them.

• Bagels: Because these bagels are so simple, I wouldn’t recommend swapping any ingredients. I haven’t tried them with a different flour or type of yogurt. If your bagels don’t come out well, see the bagel troubleshooting notes above. One thing to note: it’s okay if they aren’t perfect circles with round holes in the middle! Bagel shop bagels don’t always come out as perfect circles either – that’s part of the beauty of them.
• Customization: Make different bagel flavors with everything but the bagel seasoning or cheese on top of your bagel. You can add any pizza toppings to the pizza bagels too. Make sure to add the toppings under the cheese so that they don’t fly away in the air fryer. If you’re using pepperoni like I did, opt for mini pepperoni or cut them in half so that they fit on the bagels.
• Make ahead/storage: Make these bagels up to a week in advance. You can slice them, store them in the freezer and defrost toast them when you’re ready to eat. They’ll last up to 1 month. Then, make them into pizza bagels right before eating. As pizza bagels, they can stay in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Before eating, heat them up again (without making them soggy) either in the oven on broil on in the air fryer for a few minutes.