Crisp Up Pepperoni Into A Tasty Snack With Your Air Fryer

While it's common to look to your air fryer for fast side dishes like sweet potato fries and easy desserts like apple fritters, it's understated how useful this appliance is when you're whipping up a tasty snack. Air fryers work by circulating hot air around a small cooking chamber, convection style, to quickly cook a myriad of dishes with ease. The forced air from the powerful fan is instrumental in crisping up french fries and frozen chicken tenders, and the same goes for homemade snacks like air fryer artichokes. If you're in the mood for a one-ingredient low carb treat, you can rely on your air fryer to transform sliced pepperoni into the ultimate crispy bite.

You can certainly bake sliced pepperoni in the oven, but one of the main perks of the air fryer is that with its smaller cooking area, it'll finish up your dishes faster. That means you'll be snacking on these delicious chips in just minutes. Once done, pepperoni chips make a great addition to sandwiches, salads, and even fried eggs. They can also be enjoyed on their own or with a flavor-bursting dip like ranch or marinara sauce.

For perfectly crispy air fryer pepperoni chips, preparation begins before we even consider the protein. Start by preheating your air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Foods meant to be extra crispy tend to benefit from starting in a hot environment. Next, skip the parchment. While it is safe to put parchment paper in an air fryer, and this practice saves you time during cleanup, I wouldn't recommend using any for this dish because parchment paper will block the airflow that gives your pepperoni slices a quick and even, all-over crisp. Finally, you'll need to decide how to weigh down the pepperoni to keep it from flying around the cooking chamber and possibly into the fan.

One easy solution for fuss-free air fryer pepperoni is to pierce the slices with toothpicks, almost like a kebab, and anchor them in the perforations of the cooking grate to hold them steady. For an easier approach, you can alternatively remove the cooking grate and set the pepperoni in a single layer on the bottom of your air fryer basket. Place the cooking grate back on top of the pepperoni then begin cooking. Once you've chosen your method, air fry the pepperoni slices for 5-8 minutes until crisped to your liking. Place the pepperoni chips onto a paper towel to absorb any excess grease, then serve them warm or store them in the refrigerator for later use.