Air fryer french bread pizza is an easy meal or snack the whole family will love. You only need a loaf of French bread and your favorite pizza toppings for a tasty meal that takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. It is perfect for quick meals or an after-school snack and sure to become a family favorite.
We love using the air fryer for quick pizzas. Most air fryer pizzas take only a few minutes, making them a perfect quick lunch or dinner.
If you don’t have French bread but are craving pizza, we also have directions for air fryer tortilla pizza and delicious pizza bagels!
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Air fryer french bread pizza may become your favourite quick meal. While you can buy prepared French bread pizza in the freezer section of the grocery store, this easy recipe is for homemade pizza using fresh ingredients. And we promise, it’s so much better and so simple to prepare.
Homemade pizza is always a big hit for dinner, yet it can be a lot of work, especially if you make the crust from scratch.
French bread pizza makes things super easy. No need to make the dough; you split a loaf of french bread open, add your sauce, toppings, and cheese, and pop it in the air fryer. It takes only a few minutes to put together and less than ten minutes to cook.
French bread is usually inexpensive, often available for less than one dollar a loaf in the grocery store’s bakery section, making this an economical meal on a budget. And it’s easy to slice into portions, allowing everyone in the family to make a personal-sized pizza with their own toppings.
Depending on the size of the loaf, you should be able to feed anywhere from four to six people from one loaf of bread.
Pizza made with French bread is a great way to use up bread that may have gone a little stale since it is being toasted anyway. You can even use leftover garlic bread. The pizza sauce and toppings will help soften the bread yet won’t make it soggy, and the outside will have a nice, crispy crust.
To make smaller pizza bites, you can use French baguettes instead of the larger-size traditional French bread.
If you don’t have French bread, any soft, crusty bread will work fine.
Serve it with a simple green salad, Caesar salad, or a plate of air-fried french fries for a simple meal.
Ingredients & Substitutions
For a full list of ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this pizza. The great thing about homemade French bread pizza is that there is no end to the number of variations and ways to customize it to your liking.
French Bread – We use standard, white French bread sold in the grocery store’s bakery section. You can use whole-wheat or other soft, crusty bread if French bread isn’t available. Italian loaf, ciabatta, and even a French baguette will work. The bread doesn’t have to be super fresh; this is a great way to use day-old bread if it’s available, and it’s usually sold at a discount.
Cheese – We kept things simple and used a pre-shredded pizza blend, but you can use any cheese or combination of cheese you like; shredded mozzarella, cheddar, marble, or a mix are all great choices. For this recipe, both pre-shredded and freshly shredded work fine. Don’t forget a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Pizza sauce – We just used a store-bought jar of sauce. But you can make your own homemade pizza sauce if you like. Or you can use another favorite sauce such as marinara sauce, pesto, alfredo sauce, or BBQ sauce.
Toppings – Get as creative as you want. Keep it simple with pepperoni or ham, or load them up with all the veggies. It’s up to you.
Some of our favorite toppings are:
- Pepperoni slices
- Cooked, crumbled bacon
- Cooked, crumbled sausage
- Ham
- Diced bell peppers
- Sliced olives
- Diced onion
- Sliced jalapeno
- Fresh basil
Pro Tip – Have a fun pizza night with the family. Set up a buffet of bread slices, English muffins, bagels, and various toppings, and let everyone make their own.
While we would usually recommend shredding your own cheese for most recipes, it is ok to use pre-shredded cheese in this recipe. It will make little difference to the final result.
Step by Step Instructions
Assemble the French Bread Pizza
Step 1 – Begin by slicing the bread in half crosswise to open it up, then cut it lengthwise into sections that will fit in your air fryer basket.
Step 2 – Spread each piece with pizza sauce, then add your desired toppings and cheese.
Air Fry the Pizza
Preheat the air fryer to 350°F for 5 minutes.
Step 3 – Place the pizza in a single layer in the air fryer basket; you may need to work in batches depending on the bread and basket size.
Pro Tip – While we don’t always find preheating the air fryer necessary, for this recipe, we found that preheating the air fryer helped melt the cheese faster and prevent the air circulation from blowing the cheese or toppings off of the pizza. Therefore we recommend not skipping this step.
Step 4 – Set the air fryer to 350°F and cook for 5-7 minutes until the pizza is hot and the cheese is melted, bubbly, and golden brown. The cooking time will vary slightly depending on the model and size of your air fryer.
Storing Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about three days. You can also store leftovers in the freezer for several months.
Reheat leftover french bread pizza by popping it in the air fryer at 350°F for 3-4 minutes or using the microwave.
FAQS
You can reheat the pizza in the air fryer, oven, or microwave. To reheat it in the air fryer, set the air fryer to 350°F and warm the pizza for 3-4 minutes until heated through.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
Printable Recipe
Air Fryer French Bread Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 loaf french bread
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- your favourite pizza toppings
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F for 5 mintutes.
- Begin by slicing the bread in half crosswise to open it up, then cut it lengthwise into sections that will fit in your air fryer basket.
- Spread each piece with pizza sauce, then add your desired toppings and cheese.
- Place the pizza in a single layer in the air fryer basket; you may need to work in batches depending on the bread and basket size.
- Set the air fryer to 350°F and cook for 5-7 minutes until the pizza is hot and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.