Air Fryer Focaccia Pizza

Yes, you heard that right! You can make easy Air Fryer Focaccia Pizza with a perfectly cooked base without needing a pizza oven. A focaccia base is topped with a delicious tomato sauce and loaded with cheese and fragrant Sicilian style herbs. Pizza night just became a lot more fun!

I find focaccia so satisfying. The pillowy soft pockets of bread, which are delicately flavoured, are just too good to pass up. Layering on some fragrant and bright tomato sauce, cheese and fresh herbs takes the focaccia to a whole new level.

Suddenly, the popular starter becomes a main dish - focaccia pizza is easily a lunch or dinner in its own right! It tastes incredible and is totally filling.

I chose to make the whole pizza in a sheet pan for ease. The focaccia dough is semi-cooked first and then the toppings are added after.

The texture has resemblance to deep-pan pizzas rather than the thin crust thanks to plenty of yeast in the dough which gives a fluffier texture.

Sometimes, I make these Air Fryer French Bread Pizza from fresh baguettes!

Ingredients for vegetarian focaccia pizza

Focaccia ingredients

See my Grape and Rosemary Focaccia recipe for notes on ingredients required for the focaccia. Of course, leave out the grapes and goats cheese.

To make it even simpler, buy a store-bought focaccia mix. To go super-duper simple, buy ready made focaccia, simply top with tomato sauce, cheese and herbs for the quickest ever pizza meal!

Tomato sauce - I used a homemade marinara sauce using canned tomatoes which is rich with flavour. See below for the full recipe. You can also use passata (sieved uncooked tomatoes) or store-bought pizza sauce.

Cheese - I used a blend of grated mild cheddar and sliced fresh mozzarella. If using fresh mozzarella, make sure to drain as much of the moisture as possible or else the pizza will be soggy.

Sicilian herbs - This is optional but I highly recommend adding these blend of herbs for an incredible boost of flavour. I made my own blend (recipe below) but as an alternative, use Italian seasoning.

Plum tomatoes - To top the pizza, I sliced some baby plum tomatoes lengthways.

Toppings

This pizza tastes fantastic and has all the flavour you need as it is, however you can get more adventurous. You can add all sorts of toppings to suit your taste, think of this recipe as the base.

I love adding different grilled veggies like in this Chargrilled Vegetable Pizza.

How to make focaccia pizza in the air fryer

Focaccia Pizza is made in a few easy steps, with the end-result being so rewarding!

Preparing the focaccia crust

Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl then mix in warm water until you have formed a wet sticky dough.

If you are using a focaccia bread mix, follow the packet instructions.

Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes or use a stand mixer.

Generously pour a few glugs of olive oil over the dough, cover with a towel and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour (do not leave directly in sunlight). Use the Instant Pot to speed the process - see recipe notes below.

Once the dough is risen, knock out the air and arrange on a sheet pan approximately 1 inch thick. The baking tray should be brushed liberally with oil. Cover again and allow to rise for 30 minutes.

Using your fingers, dig deep holes/grooves into the focaccia.

Place the sheet pan in the Air Fryer and select Air Fry at 205C or 400F for 5 minutes. The focaccia will have risen and very slightly browned on top.

At this point, spread on the tomato sauce and sprinkle over the dried Sicilian herb mix. Top with grated cheese going all the way to the edges.

Put cut tomatoes on top.

This time, I have lowered the temperature to allow the focaccia to cook all the way through and prevent the cheese from burning. Air fry at 170C or 340C for around 10-12 minutes. The cheese should be bubbling.

Cut with a knife and serve immediately with plenty of fresh basil and scatter over more dried herbs if you wish.

How to make marinara sauce

No sugar is necessary and this marinara sauce will be bursting with sunny tomato flavour without being sour - you just need patience.

To make 500ml marinara sauce, you will need

• 2 tins (400g each) of plum tomatoes,
• 1 large brown onion,
• 4 garlic cloves,
• 2 tablespoon tomato puree,
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano,
• 2 teaspoon red chilli flakes,
• salt and pepper to season

I made the marinara in the Instant Pot pressure cooker to save time but you can also make it on the stove.

Add 2 tablespoon olive oil to the pan/inner pot and sauté roughly chopped onion and garlic cloves (the sauce will be hand blended later). When the onion is translucent and the garlic has softened, tip in all of the tomatoes and the tomato puree, herbs and spices. Stir well. Add approximately 150mls of water and close the Instant Pot lid.

Pressure cook on High for 12 minutes and allow for NPR.

For stove top - cover with a lid and simmer on low/medium heat for around 30 minutes or until you see oil appearing around the sides. The mixture should be thickening and reducing down.

Blend the sauce and season with salt and pepper. If it is still a bit loose, sauté for 5 minutes to reduce further.

The marinara sauce is ready to be used to dip into, to be stirred into cooked pasta, used in a pasta bake or as a pizza topping.

How to make Sicilian herb mix

This gorgeous seasoning blend is so beautiful with the deep tomato sauce and cheese. I add it on top of the tomato sauce rather than on the cheese to prevent it burning as the pizza cooks.

You will need

• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 1tbsp dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon red chilli flakes
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1tsp crushed fennel seeds

Recipe notes for the best focaccia pizza:

The dough:

Give the dough plenty of time to rise to achieve the fluffiest base - I use my Instant Pot on yogurt mode to prove the dough faster during cool months (thanks UK weather!). For this method, generously add olive oil to the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Brush some oil on the sides of the inner pot as the dough will rise. Place the dough in the inner pot and cover with a clear lid (not the Instant Pot lid). Select Yogurt or Sous Vide and set the temperature to 30C if it gives you the option. Prove for 30 minutes. The dough should have doubled in size. If not, add another 15 minutes at a time.

To allow for full flavour of the focaccia, wrap the kneaded dough and keep in the fridge overnight. This allows the yeast and flour to develop a sourdough flavour. The next day, you will gave to punch down the air from the dough and allow to rise again for another hour prior to using.

Cooking tips:

Ensure the sheet pan or baking tray that you use is at least 3 inches deep to allow for the focaccia to rise.

For the softest focaccia, do two proofs - once with the kneaded dough and once after the dough is laid into the pan.

Some recipes suggest to use the highest possible heat settings when cooking the focaccia. I found that in the air fryer, 205C for 5 minutes was sufficient to par-cook the focaccia before adding toppings. Then lowered the heat to 170C and cooked the pizza with toppings for 12 minutes. I had perfectly cooked, fluffy crust and golden melted cheese. You may have to make small adjustments to these times.

Cooking the focaccia twice first allows the crust to almost cook then adding the toppings. This way, the crust is fully cooked and crispy and the toppings do not burn.

Allow the pizza to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into.

FAQs

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