Crispy Air Fryer Calzones are the easiest weeknight dinner to pull together! Ready in about 20 minutes, these calzones come out beautifully baked, with a delicious blend of pepperoni, ham, and cheese on the inside. They're like "adult pizza pockets" but way tastier, and you can customize them with whatever your favorite pizza toppings are.
Looking for more easy dinner recipes? Try my Tortilla Pizza or Chicken Quesadillas next!
About This Recipe
My wife and I used to make these air fryer calzones on repeat when we first got our air fryer. The air fryer crisps up the outside incredibly well and makes the inside soft and melty so much quicker than a regular oven, while still being just as delicious. Whether you're feeding your family or just need a quick solo dinner, these always disappear quickly!
Feel free to use your favorite pizza toppings for the filling. I personally love a classic combination of ham, pepperoni, and cheese, but you can swap those for whatever you want. Some ideas are cooked Italian sausage, crispy bacon, roasted mushrooms, green peppers, or whatever you love on your pizzas.
Key Ingredients
Pizza dough: You can either make your own pizza dough from scratch or buy pre-made pizza dough from the grocery store. If you have time, I always recommend making your own dough, because pre-made pizza dough is quite salty.
Pizza sauce: I have a wonderful recipe for homemade pizza sauce using tomato paste. Click the previous link to see it. Or, you can buy pre-made pizza sauce from the grocery store, but try to find a higher-quality sauce since I've found the cheaper ones have a lot of filler ingredients.
Pepperoni: Feel free to swap in salami or cooked Italian sausage instead, or use a mixture of both.
Ham: Any deli ham will work. My favorite is using leftover baked ham chopped into cubes.
Mozzarella cheese: If possible, shred the mozzarella yourself since pre-shredded cheese has anti-clumping agents which prevent it from melting as smoothly. You can also swap this for cheddar cheese, but mozzarella is pretty classic in calzones because it has a more melty texture.
Instructions
STEP 1: Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each into a ¼-inch thick circle as best as you can. Spread the sauce on half of the dough, leaving the edges clean.
STEP 2: Top with pepperoni, ham, and cheese.
STEP 3: Fold over the clean side of the dough and press the edges to seal. Use a sharp knife and make 3 small slits on the top. Transfer to the air fryer basket.
STEP 4: Spray the calzones with oil. Air fry for 6-10 minutes until golden brown. Remove and repeat with the remaining calzones. Allow the calzones to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Air Fryer Calzones
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- ½ cup pepperoni
- ½ cup ham
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each into a ¼-inch thick circle.
- Spread the sauce on half of the dough, leaving the edges clean. Top with cheese, pepperoni, and ham. Fold over the clean side of the dough and press the edges to seal. Use a sharp knife and make 3 small slits on the top.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F.
- Spray the air fryer basket with oil. Place 2 calzones inside and spray them with oil as well. Air fry for 6-10 minutes until golden brown. Remove and repeat with the remaining calzones. Allow the calzones to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
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