Air Fryer Pitta Pizzas (Flatbread)

Air Fryer Pitta Pizzas are the perfect quick and easy recipe for a favouite meal. Make these super simple pizzas with ready made flatbreads, a homemade tomato sauce and the toppings of your choice.

Why make Air Fryer Pitta Pizzas?

Everyone loves pizza but takeaway pizza can be expensive, especially if everyone wants different toppings. While supermarket pizzas are handy to keep in the freezer I find them a bit disappointing in flavour and texture. These flatbread pizzas are good value, taste fresh and can be made with ready-made pitta (pita) bread or any flatbread.

Air Fryer Pitta Pizzas are a great recipe for children to make. They can choose their own toppings, which is likely to ensure that they eat them too!

What is an Air Fryer?

An air fryer is a bit like a mini oven. However, the element is only at the top of the air fryer and it uses a powerful fan to circulate the heat. This combination of intense heat and circulation means that food crisps up quickly.

Air fryers were originally sold for their ability to create ‘fried’ food with less fat. However, the air fryer has developed and more people are recognising the potential to cook and bake all kinds of foods in this way.

What kind of Air Fryer can I use to make Air Fryer Pitta Pizzas?

You will need the kind of air fryer that has temperature control as well as a timer and no paddle. Otherwise, any air fryer brand should do the job very well.

I have two air fryers, one is the type with a pull-out square drawer and the other an oven type. Both need to be pre-heated before use and Pitta Pizzas bake well in both air fryers. If you have a different kind of air fryer you may need to adjust the timing or temperature by a minute or two either way.

What ingredients do I need to make Air Fryer Pitta Pizzas (Flatbreads)?

Most of the ingredients you need to make these pitta pizzas are everyday groceries that you may already have at home or that are easily available to buy. You will need:

• Pitta bread or Flatbread
• Canned cherry tomatoes
• Dried herbs
• Garlic
• Salt
• Sugar
• Mozzarella
• Toppings of your choice
• Olive oil (optional)

A full list of the ingredients and the required quantities is found in the recipe card at the end of this article.

What is pitta bread?

Pitta or Pita is a flatbread baked from wheat flour and raised with yeast. There are many different styles of this bread which is common in the Mediterranean and North Africa. Some but not all pitta can be split to form a pocket that is perfect for a variety of fillings.

Can I substitute any other bread?

You can make the Pitta Pizzas with any type of flatbread that will fit into your air fryer. When I first made these Pitta Pizzas back in 2016, the only flatbreads I could get from my rural supermarket were the oval pittas that you can split.

Now there are many more types of flatbread available and you can choose whether you want a thinner flatbread like the Piadina flatbread that I have used for the photographs. Or you can choose a thicker flatbread for your pizza base.

Why should I use canned cherry tomatoes for the pizza sauce?

I like to use canned cherry tomatoes because they are sweeter than other types of canned tomatoes and cook down well to make a delicious sauce.

What can I substitute for canned cherry tomatoes?

If you don’t have canned cherry tomatoes, you can make your sauce with fresh, skinned tomatoes or you can use other good quality canned tomatoes or tomato passata.

What dried herbs should I use?

The classic Italian herbs are basil and oregano and these are ideal to add a herby flavour to your sauce. If you prefer to use a favourite ready-made mix such as Italian seasoning or Herbes de Provence that is fine too. These are your pizzas and you can flavour them however you wish.

Can I use fresh herbs?

If you have access to fresh herbs then you can use them in your sauce. I recommend that you make a little bouquet garni (a bundle of herbs tied together with string) or tie them inside a piece of muslin. You’ll get all the flavour without leaving any bits in the sauce.

You can also add fresh herbs to the finished pizzas, some small leaves of basil or tear larger leaves and scatter over the finished pitta pizza.

Do I have to use herbs?

If you don’t like the flavour of herbs or you don’t have any then you don’t need to add them.

What kind of garlic should I use?

I use fresh crushed or grated garlic. However, if you don’t have any fresh garlic then you can add 1/2 teaspoon of garlic granules.

Why should I add sugar to the tomato sauce?

Tomatoes are very acidic and a small amount of sugar helps to cut through the sharpness and bring out the sweetness in the tomatoes. You can leave it out but it is surprisingly effective in improving the taste of the sauce.

What is mozzarella?

Mozzarella is a buffalo milk cheese from the Campania region in Italy. There are various theories on when mozzarella was first made in Italy, with some saying the 12th century and others that it was as early as the 7th century.

Although buffalo milk is traditional for this cheese, it can also be produced from cows’ milk. And it is even possible to buy dairy-free mozzarella substitutes.

What kind of mozzarella do I need for the Air Fryer Pitta Pizzas?

There are lots of different grades of mozzarella and it’s up to you how much you want to spend and what kind of mozzarella you like. I use either ready-grated mozzarella or the type that is sold as pizza mozzarella as it is robust enough to stand being cooked.

What kind of toppings can I use?

The sky is the limit as far as pizza toppings are concerned. Here are some ideas for toppings that you might like to try:

• Classic Marguerita is topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil leaves are added before serving.
• Spicy pepperoni is a popular pizza topping and simple to create with ready-sliced sausage.
• Add thinly sliced mushrooms that have been lightly sauteed in garlic butter.
• Olives, capers and anchovies make a great topping if you love those flavours
• If you love Hawaiian pizza then you can go all out with your favourite ham and pineapple topping.
• I love seafood so I’ll happily add prawns, scallops, mussels and squid to my pizza.

Can I make Air Fryer Pitta Pizzas ahead of time?

These simple Pitta Pizzas take such a little time to make that it’s not really worth making them ahead of time. You can, however, make the tomato sauce in advance and store it in the fridge for up to four days ready to make your pizzas.

Can I freeze Pitta Pizzas?

The finished pizzas are suitable for freezing. But you can freeze the tomato sauce and keep it for up to 6 months. You can also freeze bags of ready-grated mozzarella and take only as much as you need to make the pizzas.

Vegetarian

You can make your pizzas vegetarian by using vegetarian mozzarella and a vegetable topping such as mushrooms or olives.

Gluten Free

Use Gluten Free pitta bread and check other ready-made ingredients to ensure that your dietary requirements are met.

For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.

How should I serve Air Fryer Pitta Pizzas?

I like to serve the Pitta Pizzas with a simple salad, you can add some coleslaw or pasta salad. And, if you want to make them into a more substantial meal, then add some Air Fryer Chips (fries), or an Air Fryer Baked Potato.

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First published in 2016