Rice paper pizza bagels are two sheets of rice paper wrapped around mozzarella, passata and pepperoni, joined into a ring and air fried until the outside shatters. They take about 20 minutes, come in at 400 calories and 21g of protein for both, and there’s no dough and no gluten anywhere.
This is somewhere in the twenties of my “100 ways to eat rice paper” project, and it exists because of you lot. The pizza pockets are one of the most-made things on this site, and the question underneath every video was some version of: what else can you shape it into. Turns out: a bagel.
The ring shape isn’t just for show. Rolling the filling into a log and then joining the ends means the seam ends up on the inside of the curve, where it’s held shut rather than trying to unravel in the air fryer. You also get more surface area, which means more of the outside goes crisp.
- 21g protein and 400 calories for both bagels, so it’s a genuine snack rather than a nibble
- Naturally gluten free, no dough, no proving, nothing to roll out
- About 20 minutes start to finish, most of it hands-off in the air fryer
Key ingredients
Rice paper does everything pastry would. Use the round 22cm sheets and dip them for a couple of seconds only, they keep softening after they come out of the egg, and an over-soaked sheet tears the moment you try to roll it.
Grated mozzarella melts into the seam and effectively glues the roll shut. Scatter it in a line rather than a pile, and keep it away from the very ends, or it escapes and burns onto the basket.
Passata goes on sparingly. One tablespoon per bagel is genuinely enough, any more and the moisture works against the crisping, which is the whole point of the exercise.
Pepperoni brings the fat that makes this taste like actual pizza. It also renders out as it cooks, which matters for how you cook them (see below).
Egg and milk is the wash that turns the rice paper properly golden rather than pale and chewy. Most of it stays in the bowl, so it adds far less than a whole egg to the finished bagels.
A coaching note
I ruined an entire batch learning this, so take it from me: don’t line the air fryer basket with foil or parchment. The pepperoni releases quite a bit of fat as it cooks and if there’s nowhere for it to drain, it pools underneath and steams the base of the bagel into something soft and sad. Straight onto the basket, every time.
If you want the original, my rice paper pizza pockets are the version this grew out of, and the rice paper cheeseburger rolls are the next one down the same rabbit hole.
Alex 🙂
Rice Paper Pizza Bagels (Air Fryer, Gluten Free)
Rice paper wrapped around mozzarella, passata and pepperoni, rolled into a log, joined into a ring and air fried until golden and crisp. No dough, naturally gluten free, about 20 minutes, and 21g of protein for the pair.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Whisk the egg and milk together in a shallow bowl until smooth. Dip one rice paper sheet in for a couple of seconds only and lay it flat on a board — it keeps softening once it is out.
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Scatter half the mozzarella in a line down the middle of the sheet, keeping it well away from the two ends.
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Spoon a tablespoon of passata along the cheese and season with Italian seasoning. Go easy — too much sauce and the rice paper steams instead of crisping.
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Lay four slices of pepperoni along the filling.
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Roll the sheet up lengthwise into a log, leaving a little clear rice paper at each end so nothing escapes.
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Bring the two ends together and press them firmly to seal into a bagel ring. Repeat the whole process with the second sheet.
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Sprinkle with sesame seeds and air fry at 170C / 340F for 12 to 16 minutes, until deep golden and crisp. Let them sit for a couple of minutes before eating — the filling is molten. Serve with extra passata for dipping.
Alternative cooking methods:
- Oven: Bake at 180°C / 355°F for 18–20 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Pan fry: Shallow fry in a teaspoon of oil until evenly golden.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1 ServingCalories:400kcalTotal Fat:26gSaturated Fat: 11.5gSodium:880mgTotal Carbohydrate:20gDietary Fiber: 1gSugars: 2gProtein:21g
Note
- Do not line the air fryer basket with foil or parchment. The pepperoni fat needs somewhere to drain or the bases go soggy
- Two seconds in the egg wash is plenty, the rice paper keeps softening after it comes out
- Keep the filling away from the ends of the sheet so it does not escape while cooking
- One tablespoon of passata per bagel. More sauce means more moisture and less crunch
- Best eaten within about 10 minutes of cooking, while the outside is still crisp
- Nutrition is for both bagels and counts roughly half the egg wash, since most of it stays in the bowl. Values are estimates
