Air Fryer Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks

Today I’m sharing my recipe for air fryer cheesy garlic breadsticks. They come out golden and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and loaded with melty cheese and garlic butter.

This is one of those recipes that sounds fancy but is actually super simple. You only need a handful of ingredients and about 10 minutes in the air fryer.

The base is just store-bought pizza dough, which makes everything so much easier. Top it with melted garlic butter, mozzarella, and parmesan, and you’re good to go.

Serve them with some warm marinara sauce for dipping and you’ve got yourself the perfect snack or side dish. They’re great for game day, movie night, or just when you’re craving something cheesy.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Ready in Minutes – These cheesy garlic breadsticks come together super fast in the air fryer, way quicker than heating up your whole oven. From start to finish, you can have hot, melty breadsticks on the table in about 15 minutes.

Only a Few Simple Ingredients – You just need pizza dough, butter, garlic, cheese, and a couple of seasonings. There’s a good chance you already have most of these sitting in your kitchen right now.

Crispier Than Oven-Baked – The air fryer gives these breadsticks a perfectly golden and crispy outside while keeping the inside soft and chewy. It’s that combo of textures that makes them so addictive and hard to stop eating.

The Garlic Butter Is Unreal – Melted butter mixed with fresh minced garlic and Italian seasoning gets brushed right on top, and it soaks into the dough as it cooks. Every single bite is loaded with buttery garlic flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Pizza Dough, room temperature
• 3 tbsp Butter, melted
• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
• 1 cup Marinara Sauce, for dipping

How to Make

Step 1

Roll out pizza dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 12 even strips using a pizza cutter.

Step 2

Mix melted butter with minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Brush half of the mixture over the dough strips.

Step 3

Preheat air fryer to 350°F. Place breadsticks in the air fryer basket in a single layer, leaving space between each. Cook in batches for 6-7 minutes until golden brown.

Step 4

Remove breadsticks and immediately brush with remaining garlic butter. Sprinkle generously with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Step 5

Return to air fryer for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with warm marinara sauce.

Tips

Make Sure Your Dough Is Actually Room Temperature

Cold dough is stiff and fights back when you try to roll it out. If your pizza dough has been in the fridge, pull it out at least 30-45 minutes before you plan to use it so it can warm up and relax.

You’ll know it’s ready when it feels soft and stretchy, and it doesn’t keep shrinking back every time you try to shape it. If it’s still pulling back on you, just cover it with a towel and give it another 10 minutes.

This one step makes a huge difference in how easy the rest of the recipe goes.

Use a Pizza Cutter for Clean Strips

A regular knife tends to drag and squish the dough, which gives you uneven strips that cook at different speeds. A pizza cutter or a sharp bench scraper rolls right through and keeps every strip the same width.

Try to get all 12 strips as close in size as possible. If some are thick and some are thin, the thin ones will get too dark while the thick ones are still raw in the middle.

A light dusting of flour on your surface and your cutter will keep things from sticking.

Don’t Skip Preheating the Air Fryer

Putting breadsticks into a cold air fryer means they’ll start cooking unevenly. The outside won’t get that nice golden color, and the timing in the recipe won’t be accurate.

Let your air fryer run at 350°F for about 3 minutes before you put anything inside. It only takes a minute or two and it makes a real difference in how the breadsticks turn out.

Related Recipes

• Air Fryer Pizza Dough Knots with Garlic Butter
• Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks
• Air Fryer Crispy Ravioli with Marinara
• Air Fryer Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms
• Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use store-bought pizza dough for these air fryer cheesy garlic breadsticks?

Absolutely. Store-bought pizza dough from the refrigerated section of your grocery store works perfectly for this recipe. Just make sure you let it sit out at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before you start working with it so it’s easier to stretch and shape.

You can also grab fresh dough from your local pizzeria if they sell it. Either option will give you great results without the extra work of making dough from scratch.