This simple recipe for Air Fryer Garlic Knots made with pizza dough combines fragrant garlic and cheesy parmesan into irresistible bread bites. They’re done in 15 minutes without heating up the kitchen with the oven!
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Thinking up fun ideas for snacks and appetizers, either for your family or for guests, can be tricky. You don’t want to make something that’s super time-consuming, but you also want a dish that the people around your table will love.
That’s where these air fryer garlic knots come in! They take only 15 minutes to make, but their garlicky, salty, and rich flavor will make them the star dish — even as a side for your main meal.
I’ve made this recipe for my family countless times, and these pizza dough garlic knots never fail to be a crowd-pleaser. We love to make a batch for school lunches, road trips, as a pre-dinner snack…you name it, and we’ll find a reason to make these garlic knots! My kids even love to help roll out the pizza dough.
This garlic knots recipe is a great, quick way to get your family in the kitchen for a snack they’ll love! Frozen garlic knots in the air fryer can even be reheated, so feel free to prepare them ahead of time.
How to Make Air Fryer Garlic Knots
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
STEP ONE: Roll out your pizza dough (store-bought is great!), and slice it up into 12 even rectangular strips. Fold into circular knot shapes.
STEP TWO: Cook your garlic knots in an air fryer for 5 minutes at 360 degrees F. Work in batches, since overcrowding the air fryer will prevent the garlic knots from cooking all the way through.
STEP THREE: While your air fryer garlic knots are cooking, add your salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes to a bowl. Mix with a fork, then add the parsley and parmesan cheese.
STEP FOUR: Once your garlic knots are out of the air fryer, brush some olive oil over the tops of each knot and sprinkle your spice mixture over each one.
STEP FIVE: Pair with your favorite dipping sauces like marinara sauce, pizza sauce, or ranch dressing.
What to Serve With Pizza Dough Garlic Knots
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- 3 Ingredient Mac and Cheese
- Air Fryer Tortilla Pizza
- Ninja Foodi Pork Tenderloin
- Air Fryer Pizza
- Air Fryer Blooming Onion
- Chicken Bacon Wraps
- Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
- Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Variations for Garlic Knots in the Air Fryer
- Try these crescent roll garlic knots with a little extra spice by dipping them in chili oil!
- Add bacon over the tops of each knot for a little extra crunch and flavor!
- Try using different types of cheese in addition to parmesan — cheddar and Colby Jack are great with these garlic rolls!
- Wanting a sweet twist? Make these same pizza rolls in the air fryer, but top with butter, sugar, and cinnamon instead of your garlic spice mixture!
- Try dipping your garlic knots in nacho cheese!
More Garlic Recipes
- Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Garlic Cheese Bread
- Air Fryer Roasted Garlic
- Garlic Parmesan Wings in the Air Fryer
- Honey Garlic Air Fryer Pork Chops
- Garlic Bread in the Air Fryer
Storing and Reheating Leftover Air Fryer Garlic Knots
These garlic knots will keep for about 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. You can also freeze them!
Warm them back up in the microwave for 10 seconds, covering them with a damp paper towel for moisture. You can also use your air fryer at 360 degrees F for 30 seconds.
To reheat frozen garlic knots in the air fryer, cook them at 360 degrees F for 3 minutes.
Are Crescent Roll Dough and Pizza Dough the Same Thing?
While both have very similar taste and textures, crescent dough is light and flaky and pizza dough is chewier.
But for our purposes, yes — they can be used interchangeably. Either option works great for this garlic knots recipe, depending on the texture you’re going for or what you have on hand. For frozen garlic knots in the air fryer, either one works as well.
Are Garlic Knots Spicy?
If you use red pepper flakes in this garlic knots recipe, they can be! Don’t worry too much, though — the spice is pretty toned down, and should be just fine for your kids or even people who don’t like spicy foods.
If you know you don’t want your pizza dough garlic knots to be spicy, you can omit the red pepper flakes from the spice mixture.
More Air Fryer Bread Recipes
- Air Fryer Cornbread
- Air Fryer Texas Toast
- Air Fryer Bread
- Air Fryer Toast
- Air Fryer French Bread Pizza
- Air Fryer French Toast Sticks
- Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
- Air Fryer Tuna Melt
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Air Fryer Garlic Knots
Ingredients
- 1 Premade Pizza Dough like Pillsbury Pizza Dough
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tablespoon Chopped Fresh Parsley
Instructions
- Roll out the premade pizza dough and slice them into 12 strips about 1 ½” to 2” wide.
- Fold the dough in half so the rectangles measure 1”x12”.
- Fold them into a knot shape and wrap the ends under and over making them into a circle knot shape.
- Heat your air fryer to 360 degrees F
- Add 6 dough knots into your air fryer basket, making sure that there is space between each knot.
- Cook them at 360 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- While the knots are cooking, add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes to a small bowl. Then add in the fresh chopped parsley and parmesan cheese.
- Using a small whisk or fork, stir to combine the ingredients.
- Remove the knots from the air fryer basket and bake the other 6 knots as you did before.
- Once the knots are finished cooking, brush some olive oil over the top and sprinkle some of the garlic-parmesan mixture on the top as well.
- Serve immediately with some pizza sauce, marinara sauce, or your favorite dipping sauce.
