Air-fryer pizza zucchini bites
22 min · 11 g protein · 162 cals / serving
Thick zucchini coins air-fried until their edges brown, then spooned with pizza sauce, piled with bubbling mozzarella and crisp mini pepperoni and finished with oregano and parmesan. Every bite is a tiny pizza with a juicy, tender base.
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1.5 cm (⅝-inch) rounds
- 1 tsp olive oil, or a light spray
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup pizza sauce
- scant 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 16 turkey pepperoni slices, quartered
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp grated parmesan
- a pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- a few leaves fresh basil, torn (optional)
Steps
- Heat the air fryer to 400°F. Pat the zucchini rounds dry, toss with the oil and salt, and air-fry in a single layer for 6–7 minutes, turning once, until the edges are golden and the coins are just tender.
- Spoon a little pizza sauce onto each coin, top with the mozzarella and pepperoni, and air-fry for 3–4 minutes more, until the cheese bubbles and the pepperoni curls at the edges.
- Sprinkle with oregano, parmesan, pepper flakes and basil, and eat hot.
Good to know
Mine came out soggy?
Thin coins release water before they brown. Keep them at least 1.5 cm thick, dry them well, and give them the first cook without toppings so the surface sears. Crowding the basket steams them; cook in two batches if needed.
No air fryer?
Roast the coins on a lined tray at 450°F for 10 minutes, then top and bake 4–5 minutes more, finishing under the broiler for colour.
Other toppings?
Sliced olives, a few jalapeño rings or chopped mushrooms all work. Keep the cheese at a thin layer so it browns rather than slides off.
Per
- Calories
- 91
- Protein
- (28%)
- 6 g
- Fat
- (51%)
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- (22%)
- 5 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 365 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 325 kcal goes into the pot and 454 g of ingredients comes out as about 355 g of food: 91 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.