Air Fryer Garlic Knots

These air fryer garlic knots are soft, buttery, and ready in under 15 minutes. If you love the kind you get at pizza shops, you can now make them at home with way less effort.

The outside gets golden and slightly crispy in the air fryer, while the inside stays perfectly soft and chewy.

Once they come out, you toss them in a simple garlic butter mixture with parmesan and parsley. Every single knot gets coated and the flavor is incredible.

All you need is some store-bought pizza dough, a few basic ingredients for the garlic butter, and your air fryer. That’s it.

Serve them with warm marinara sauce on the side and watch them disappear in minutes.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Irresistibly Soft and Pillowy – These knots puff up beautifully in the air fryer with a fluffy inside that practically melts in your mouth.

Perfectly Golden and Crispy Outside – The air fryer gives every knot an even golden crust that you just cannot get as easily in a regular oven.

Loaded With Garlic Butter Flavor – Tossing the hot knots in real garlic butter means every single bite is rich and buttery from edge to edge.

Ingredients

For the Knots

• 1 lb Pizza Dough, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil

For the Garlic Butter

• 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

For Serving

• 1/2 cup Marinara Sauce, warmed

How To Make

Step 1

Divide the pizza dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 7-inch rope on a lightly floured surface, then tie each rope into a simple knot, tucking the ends underneath. Set the shaped knots on a parchment-lined tray.

Step 2

Lightly brush each knot with olive oil. This helps them brown evenly and prevents sticking.

Step 3

Preheat the air fryer to 340 degrees F for 3 minutes. Arrange the garlic knots in the basket in a single layer, leaving about an inch of space between each knot. Work in batches if needed.

Step 4

Air fry the knots for 7 to 8 minutes, flipping them over halfway through, until they are puffed up and golden brown on all sides.

Step 5

While the knots cook, stir together the melted butter, minced garlic, garlic powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Step 6

Transfer the hot garlic knots directly into the garlic butter bowl and toss gently until every knot is thoroughly coated. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, then toss once more.

Step 7

Serve the garlic knots warm with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

Tips

Let the Dough Warm Up First

If your pizza dough is cold from the fridge, it’s going to fight you when you try to roll it into ropes. Cold dough springs back and won’t hold the knot shape well.

Take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you start. You want it to feel soft and stretchy when you poke it. Room temperature dough rolls out smoothly and ties into knots without tearing or shrinking back on you.

Roll the Ropes Evenly

When you’re rolling each piece into a rope, use your fingers spread apart and roll from the center outward. This keeps the rope the same thickness all the way through.

If the rope is thicker in the middle and thin on the ends, the thin parts will cook way faster and get hard while the middle stays doughy. Even ropes mean even cooking, which matters a lot in an air fryer where things cook fast.

Don’t Skip Preheating

That 3 minutes of preheating at 340 degrees F makes a real difference. When the knots hit a hot basket, the outside starts setting right away, which gives you that golden crust while the inside stays soft and pillowy.

If you put them in a cold air fryer, they’ll dry out more as the temperature slowly climbs. The texture won’t be the same – you’ll get something that feels more like a breadstick than a soft garlic knot.

Related Recipes

• Air Fryer Pizza Dough Knots with Garlic Butter
• Air Fryer Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks
• Air Fryer Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread
• Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
• Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks

Frequently Asked Questions

How many garlic knots can I fit in the air fryer at once?

It depends on the size of your air fryer basket, but most standard-sized air fryers (around 4-6 quarts) will comfortably fit about 5-6 knots per batch. You really need that inch of space between each one so the hot air can circulate and cook them evenly on all sides.

If you crowd them, they tend to stick together and you end up with doughy spots that never fully cook through. Working in two batches only takes a few extra minutes and the results are way better.