Cheesy air fried pepperoni crisps are an easy, quick, and delicious finger food for parties, appetizer, or side dish for pizza night. In less than 15 minutes, these mozzarella and parmesan crusted fried pepperonis are ready to eat!
These delicious air fried pepperoni crisps are breaded with a mozzarella and parmesan cheese mixture, then cooked for only minutes in your air fryer. The result is a crispy, salty, smoky, and sweet cheesy pepperoni snack!
These make a great finger food for game days, New Year's parties, and just hanging around the house on the weekend. They make a wonderful side dish for pizza on pizza night too.
Ingredients
Air fried pepperoni crisps require just 4 simple ingredients:
- Sandwich style pepperoni: these are the large pepperoni, not the small ones used for pizza. They can be either packaged pepperoni or freshly sliced from the deli.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Breadcrumbs: Italian seasoned breadcrumbs work best.
Olive oil is also used to lightly coat the pan and spray them before air frying so that they are guaranteed to turn golden brown and crispy! I use extra virgin olive oil for all of my air frying, but feel free to use your favorite oil spray.
Step-By-Step Instructions
STEP 1: Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper. Spray lightly with olive oil and sprinkle on parmesan cheese to lightly cover the parchment paper.
STEP 2: Arrange pepperoni on top of the parmesan cheese.
STEP 3: Combine the breadcrumbs, ¼ cup of parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese. Mix well, then sprinkle on top of the pepperoni.
STEP 4: Spray lightly with oil. Air fry at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 7 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Do not flip halfway through cooking.
Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
Helpful Tips
- Storing: keep in the fridge for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 2 months in an airtight freezer safe bag.
- Reheating: reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds or in the air fryer for 1-2 minutes.
- Pepperoni crisps can also be eaten cold or at room temperature. This makes them great for parties or quick snacking!
- Add seasonings to the cheese breading, such as Italian seasoning, garlic powder, or red pepper flakes.
Yes! Follow the instructions for assembling the pepperoni crisps, then bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes.
Yes! Make these keto or lower in carbs by eliminating the breadcrumbs. Replace them with extra parmesan cheese with a 1:1 substitution.
Sandwich style pepperoni can be found in packages in the specialty meat section of the grocery store. It can also be sliced fresh from the deli in most grocers. Sandwich style pepperoni are large pepperoni, about three times the size as the pepperoni you are used to seeing on pizza.
Recipe
Air Fried Pepperoni Crisps
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 slices sandwich style pepperoni
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling
- ⅛ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- cooking oil spray
Instructions
- Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper. Spray lightly with olive oil and sprinkle on parmesan cheese to lightly cover the parchment paper. Lay the pepperoni over the parmesan cheese.
- Combine the breadcrumbs, ¼ cup of parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Mix well, then sprinkle on top of the pepperoni.
- Spray covered pepperoni lightly with olive oil. Air fry for 7 minutes at 400°F, until golden brown and crispy. Do not flip halfway through cooking.
- Use tongs to transfer pepperoni crisps to a serving dish. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition
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