Homemade air fryer pizza rolls are so good it's embarrassing

Sometimes you just want trash food. I love a fancy, composed dish as much as the next person, but sometimes you just want junk to shovel into your mouth. There's nothing wrong with that.

And is there any better junk than a pizza roll? Probably not. It's melty cheese, and pizza sauce, and a crispy exterior. That is impossible to mess up. Even so, this viral TikTok recipe from @arimonika is exceptionally tasty. With the simple addition of a wonton wrapper, it elevates the humble pizza roll into something extra crispy and fun. Here's what you need to know to make the recipe.

Ingredients

• wonton wrappers

• jarred pizza/pasta sauce

• shredded mozzarella cheese

• pepperoni

Directions

1. Lay a wonton wrapper down on a cutting board.

2. Place about a teaspoon of sauce, a pinch of cheese, and a couple of pepperoni at the center of the wrapper. Be sure to not overfill your wonton. Leave enough space to fold it over.

3. Using your finger or food-safe brush, paint the edges of the wonton with water.

4. Fold the wonton in half making a triangle that completely encapsulates the filling.

5. Pinch the edges of the wonton to seal it tightly.

6. Air fry at 400 degrees for nine minutes. Enjoy!

The details

Here's the big mistake you need to avoid: Do NOT overfill your wonton. I did that with a couple of my pizza rolls, leaving my fold and pinch wanting, which resulted in a pizza roll unraveling in the air fryer. Don't get greedy. Only fill your wonton to a level you feel comfortable pinching together.

Otherwise, this is the perfect cheap eat. Sure, it's junk-ish food. But for a few bucks at the grocery store you have practically limitless pizza rolls that are simple to make and probably tastier than the frozen variety. The whole idea of the recipe from @arimonika — which has racked up 4.5 million views — was to make a tasty, cheap snack for college kids. It definitely succeeds in that regard.

Here's how mine looked, all done in the air fryer.

Crunch + cheesy = not bad. Credit: Mashable

Not bad, right? Sure, my wonton pinching could use some work. And yes, some of the corners got charred. But the exterior was crispy and the interior was gooey and tasted like, well, average pizza. But average pizza is great! Especially in crunchy bite form.

Now there is an issue any time you air fry a wonton wrapper. Sans hot oil, it won't get that addictive, bubbly, flaky crust. The deep fryer simply creates a different product than the air fryer. But that doesn't mean the air fryer product isn't good. It's just not quite as good as less healthy, more messy deep fryer. I ran into the same issue when making egg rolls in the air fryer. There's a price to pay for the convenience of the air fryer.

But still, the verdict? I'd definitely recommend making this recipe. It's kind of embarrassing how much I enjoyed the little wonton pizza rolls. It's unsophisticated but it's cheesy, gooey, and delicious. Sometimes that's just what you need.