This Homemade French Bread Pizza is a classic sausage and mushroom pizza created on a loaf of French bread and cooked in an air fryer! The result is a soft and chewy inside, perfectly crisp on the edges pizza topped with a tangy red sauce, melty mozzarella cheese, and Italian sausage!
If you love homemade pizza check out this Thai Chicken Pizza or this Grilled Pizza with Proscuitto and Pears.
Contents:
Recipe Highlights
Using your air fryer to cook pizza means that you can have pizza at any time of year, even on hot summer days, without heating up your oven.
- This recipe is ideal for any night of the week and makes a fun addition to a casual gathering too.
- This pizza makes a great addition to any game-day party.
- French bread pizza is easy to make at home. You start with a simple pizza sauce, add some toppings and pop it in the air fryer!
This is the perfect recipe to add to your everyday meals recipe collection. Read on to learn more about how to make this Homemade French Bread Pizza, or jump straight to the recipe to start cooking!
Recipe Ingredients + Substitutions
- French bread: You'll want one large loaf of french or sourdough bread.
- Crushed tomatoes: A 15-ounce can of tomatoes is ideal for this recipe.
- Italian sausage: I generally use mild sausage, but if you want to add a little extra kick to your pizza you can use a spicy version.
- Mushrooms: Baby Bella mushrooms are my first choice for this pizza. If you can't find them, white button mushrooms work too.
- Cheese: You can stick with just mozzarella, ideally freshly grated, or if you like, you can add in some parmesan and/or asiago as well.
- Fresh basil: I like to add some fresh basil ribbons after the pizza is done baking
- Spices: ground ginger, sea salt, ground pepper
- Pantry staples: Olive oil, honey, white wine vinegar, dark sesame oil
Recommended Tools
Air Fryer - I've had a couple of different air fryers and this is the one I currently use. It's a good size for smaller households.
Air Fryer liners - These are lifesavers when it comes to cleanup. If you use your air fryer often and don't want to wash it every time, pop one of these liners in and it catches any oil, sauce or melty cheese. Be sure to get the correct size for your air fryer.
How to make this recipe
I love this recipe because it only requires a few ingredients, most of which you probably have in your kitchen, and it's ready in less than 30 minutes, so it's the perfect everyday meal.
- Make the sauce. Since this is such a quick and easy recipe, I like to make my own sauce, however, if you want to save a few minutes of prep time, you can also use a jarred sauce. This makes a bit more sauce than you will probably use for the pizzas, however, the extra is great for dipping the crispy crust edges!
- Flatten and toast the french bread. Cut the loaf of French bread in half, then each half lengthwise to make two pieces, so you'll have four pieces total. Slightly flatten each piece, and then toast in air fryer at 400°F for 2 minutes.
- Cook the sausage. Brown the sausage in a small pan over medium-high heat.
- Assemble and air fry the pizzas. When the bread is done toasting, remove the bread from the air fryer and spread each half of the bread with sauce, then top with cheese, mushrooms, and sausage. Return the pizza to the air fryer and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the edges are crisp and golden brown. Carefully remove the pizzas from the air fryer, slice, and serve!
Alternative Baking Method
If you don't have an air fryer you can make this pizza in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Toast the bread in the oven for 4 minutes then top as instructed in the recipe. Bake the pizzas for 10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any leftovers, wrap them in aluminum foil and store them in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, unwrap the aluminum foil and pop the leftover slices in a 400° toaster oven for about 15 minutes (maybe a little longer, depending on your oven).
You can experiment with different veggies but I'd recommend artichoke hearts, green pepper or red onions. Or you can leave the mushrooms off and add some extra sausage or another meat like pepperoni or salami.
Serving Suggestions
A simple green salad is usually my go-to side dish when serving any type of pizza.
More everyday dinner recipes
If you are looking for other easy weeknight dinner ideas check out these reader favorites:
- Skillet Lemon Chicken. This is another great 30-minute meal option for busy weeknights. It's a one-pan dish so clean-up is a breeze.
- Garlic Ginger Cashew Chicken Stir Fry. This better-than-take-out stir fry is a great way to change up your everyday meal routine.
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Homemade Air Fryer French Bread Pizza
Ingredients
- 4 ounces mild Italian sausage
- 1 ⅓ cups crushed tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 loaf french bread
- 4-5 leaves fresh basil, sliced into ribbons
Instructions
- Cook the sausage. Add the sausage to a small non-stick skillet and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until crumbled and no longer pink. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Make the sauce. Add the oil to a small sauce pan and heat to medium. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt and red pepper. Stir to combine and let simmer over low heat until you are ready to assemble the pizzas.
- Prepare the bread. Slice the loaf of bread in half vertically and then slice each half horizontally to give you a total of four pieces. Push down on each piece with your hands to slightly flatten the bread. Toast in an air fryer at 400°F for 2 minutes.
- Air fry the pizzas. Once the bread has been lightly toasted, remove it from the air fryer. Top each piece with a generous portion of tomato sauce, mushrooms, sausage and cheese. Return the pizza to the air fryer and bake for 4-5 minutes or until the edges are very crispy and the cheese is melted. Repeat if needed.
- Serve. Remove the pizzas from the air fryer and slice each into 3-4 pieces. Top with fresh basil and serve immediately.
Notes
- Depending on the size of your air fryer you may need to cook the pizzas in several batches. Reduce the cooking time by about a minute for the second batch.
This post was originally published in October 2022. It was updated in May 2024 with some new information and photos. Some changes were made to the original recipe.
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