These soft and fluffy pizza buns, made from homemade pizza dough and homemade pizza tomato sauce are a great bite sized lunch or party snack!
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They are easy to make in your Air Fryer or conventional oven and you can add your favorite toppings to make your own fantastic version of these little delicious pizza snacks.
Why we love this recipe
- Easy to make
- Simple Ingredients
- The recipe can be adjusted to make your own favorite pizza roll version
- Bite sized
- An ideal snack to add to the lunch bag OR
- Fantastic Party Finger Food
- Can be made in Air Fryer or Conventional Oven
- Great to make with kids
What you need
All ingredients and equipment you need are listed and explained below. Detailed measurements can be found in the recipe card.
Ingredients
For this recipe, I am referring back to two other recipes from my blog for Homemade Pizza Dough and Homemade Pizza Sauce.
You will have to prep the pizza dough, as well as the sauce in advance to make the Pizza Rolls.
In addition to that, you need some grated Mozzarella Cheese.
Equipment
To make the pizza dough, the sauce, and ultimately the Pizza Rolls you need the following:
- Some Bowls and Spoons
- A Cutting Board and a Chef's Knife
- A Small Pot and a Cooking Spoon
- A Hand Blender*
- A Grater* for the Mozzarella Cheese (or buy grated cheese instead)
- A Rolling Pin* or an empty round bottle.
To bake the Pizza Rolls, you can use your conventional oven OR your air fryer. I use the Instant Vortex Plus 10 Quart Air Fryer* and absolutely love it. It is like a miniature oven and fits two baking trays and is incredibly easy to clean.
If you use an air fryer with the drawer set up, you may have to air fry your pizza rolls in multiple batches.
How to make Pizza Rolls
Prepare the Tomato Sauce as described and let it cool down completely. The sauce will thicken slightly when cooling down so it is not too runny. For best result, prepare the Pizza Sauce one day ahead and store it in the fridge overnight.
Prepare the Pizza Dough as described up until Step 9. You should have 2 evenly sized and well rested pizza dough balls when you start making the pizza rolls.
- Take one of the dough balls and flatten the dough on a lightly floured surface until about 3 mm thick. Try to reach a somewhat even rectangular shape.
- Spread half of the tomato sauce on top of the dough without going all the way to the corners. Next, sprinkle some grated cheese on top.
At this step, you can also add other toppings, such as mini pepperoni. However, do not go too heavy on the toppings.
- Starting from the longer end, gently start rolling the dough up. Do not push down hard, to avoid the sauce squeezing out towards the sides.
- Close the seams up tightly.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the dough roll into about 1 inch / 2.5 cm thick slices and gently place them on the tray of your air fryer, or on a parchment-lined baking tray if you use a conventional oven.
- Sprinkle some additional grated mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake in the preheated air fryer at 350℉ for 12 minutes or until the corners of the dough are golden brown and the cheese is melted. If you use a conventional oven with bottom heat, back in the preheated oven at 400℉ for 12 minutes. Remove the baked Pizza Buns from your air fryer or oven and let them cool down slightly.
- Repeat the whole process for the second pizza dough ball or store the second half of the sauce and pizza dough in the fridge if you would like to bake them at a later point.
The heat distribution varies from oven to oven and the baking time may therefore differ. Keep a close eye on the pizza rolls while baking and shorten or extend the baking time if needed.
Variations
As for pizza, you can make many different variations of these Pizza Margharita style Pizza Rolls. Simply follow the rule to chop the toppings fairly small and not to overdo it with the toppings. Otherwise, you will have trouble rolling the dough up.
As for toppings, you can add pepperoni, mushrooms, red onions, peppers, olives, feta cheese and soo much more.
Be creative and design your very own pizza buns!
How to serve it
You can serve these Pizza Rolls warm or cold. They can be warmed up in the microwave or in your oven or air fryer if you prefer to enjoy them slightly warm.
Pizza Rolls are the perfect food for Lunch Boxes, Picnics, a Roadtrip, Camping trips or served as appetizers for your next party.
Storage and Food Safety
The Pizza Rolls will last in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days days.
You can also freeze the Pizza Buns using a sealed container or freezer bag for 3-4 months. Defrost overnight in your fridge and re-heat them in your air fryer, oven or microwave.
See guidelines at USDA.gov for instructions on the safe handling of fresh ingredients.
Homemade Air Fryer Pizza Rolls
Tools
- 1 Dough Roller (or empty bottle)
Ingredients
- 1 batch homemade pizza dough
- 1 batch homemade pizza sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the Tomato Sauce as described and let it cool down completely. The sauce will thicken slightly when cooling down so it is not too runny. For best result, prepare the Pizza Sauce one day ahead and store it in the fridge overnight.
- Prepare the Pizza Dough as described up until Step 9. You should have 2 evenly sized and well rested pizza dough balls when you start making the pizza rolls.
- Take one of the dough balls and flatten the dough on a lightly floured surface until about 3 mm thick. Try to reach a somewhat even rectangular shape.
- Spread half of the tomato sauce on top of the dough without going all the way to the corners. Next, sprinkle some grated cheese on top.
- At this step, you can also add other toppings, such as mini pepperoni. However, do not go too heavy on the toppings.
- Starting from the longer end, gently start rolling the dough up. Do not push down hard, to avoid the sauce squeezing out towards the sides.
- Close the seams up tightly.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the dough roll into about 1 inch / 2.5 cm thick slices and gently place them on the tray of your air fryer, or on a parchment-lined baking tray if you use a conventional oven.
- Sprinkle some additional grated mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake in the preheated air fryer at 350℉ for 12 minutes or until the corners of the dough are golden brown and the cheese is melted. If you use a conventional oven with bottom heat, back in the preheated oven at 400℉ for 12 minutes. Remove the baked Pizza Buns from your air fryer or oven and let them cool down slightly.
- Repeat the whole process for the second pizza dough ball or store the second half of the sauce and pizza dough in the fridge if you would like to bake them at a later point.
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