Air Fryer Pasta Chips
These viral Air Fryer Pasta Chips are an easy and inexpensive snack that cooks in minutes and are a perfect mix of flavor and crunch.
PASTA CHIPS AIR FRYER RECIPE
Are you familiar with homemade pasta chips? They are the latest TikTok sensation that everybody is going mad for.
The recipe consists of cooked pasta tossed with your favorite olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and spices, then air fried until crispy-crunchy.
I was excited to give this fun food-trend a try and let me tell you, it does not disappoint. The pasta chips came out perfect for dipping right into the marinara sauce.
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I’m anxious to make more air fryer pasta chips so I can experiment with making some new dipping sauces.
Use any shape of pasta you prefer – rigatoni, spiral, bowtie, whatever. Or, make this appetizer even more fun by using a combination of pasta shapes.
PASTA CHIPS IN AIR FRYER INGREDIENTS
- Rigatoni pasta: You may substitute rotini or bow tie pasta, if preferred. Just use pasta that’s big enough to easily hold in your fingers as finger food or to be dipped into a sauce. Think potato chip size!
- Olive oil: I cook mainly with olive oil or avocado oil, but you can surely use vegetable or canola oil for making pasta chips in the air fryer.
- Grated parmesan cheese: I love how crispy the Parmesan gets in the air fryer!
- Granulated garlic: You can substitute garlic powder instead of granulated garlic if that’s what’s in your spice cupboard. I prefer using granulated garlic and granulated onion because they pack more flavor.
- Italian seasoning: If you don’t have Italian seasoning on hand, combine equal parts dried oregano leaves, basil leaves, and crushed rosemary leaves. Works great!
- Black pepper: Freshly ground is always best.
- Fresh parsley: I love the peppery-bite that Italian parsley has when it’s freshly minced. If you don’t have easy access to fresh herbs, you can substitute dried parsley. Just use one-half or one-third as much when substituting dried spices for fresh herbs.
RECIPE TIPS
- Cook the pasta just until al dente. This means it will have a little “bite” when you test it instead of being completely soft.
- If you’d like your pasta chips to be a little bit spicy, add some red pepper flakes to the Parmesan cheese.
- Don’t pack the air fryer rack too full of the pasta since this will keep the chips from cooking evenly. It works better to air fry the chips in batches that can be spread out more so the hot air can circulate to lightly brown the pasta, making it crispy as it cools.
- Try pasta chips using gluten-free pastas too! Pasta chips made with chickpea pasta and cassava pasta are delicious.
HOW TO MAKE PASTA CHIPS IN THE AIR FRYER
Cook the pasta in boiling water according to package directions until al dente; drain well.
While the pasta is cooking, combine the Parmesan cheese with the spices and half of the fresh parsley.
Place the drained pasta into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and gently toss using two spoons.
Add the Parmesan mixture to the pasta and toss gently once more.
Spread the prepared pasta over the air fryer rack.
I think cooking in a rack-style air fryer (instead of a basket-style) is much easier because you can easily spread foods over the rack in a single layer. They tend to cook much more quickly too.
Also, the air fryer heat has more access to the food spread out on the rack, so you get more golden brown crispiness.
Air fry the pasta at 425 degrees F for 8 minutes. Gently toss the pasta then air fry once again for another 8 minutes.
Serve pasta chips at once with warm marinara as a dipping sauce, if desired.
ARE PASTA CHIPS DIFFERENT THAN UNCOOKED PASTA?
Yes, pasta chips are not something you can eat right out of the box.
They are twice-cooked pasta that is first boiled and then made crispy with olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings in the air fryer.
HOW LONG TO COOK PASTA CHIPS IN THE AIR FRYER
This recipe calls for rigatoni pasta chips to be cooked for 16 minutes in the air fryer.
The cooking time can vary depending on the type of air fryer you are using and the size of the pasta.
BOWTIE PASTA CHIPS IN THE AIR FRYER
Even though we used rigatoni pasta for making air fryer pasta chips in this recipe, don’t think you are limited to just that pasta for making pasta chips!
Bowties make pasta chips in the air fryer, as does just about any other shape of pasta that’s big enough to easily hold in your fingers as finger food or to be dipped into a sauce.
CAN YOU MAKE PASTA CHIPS IN THE OVEN?
Yes, if you’re using a convection oven, bake the pasta chips on a rimmed baking sheet at 400 degrees F. for about 20 minutes.
If you have a non-convection oven, opt for baking the pasta chips at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes.
CAN YOU USE GLUTEN-FREE PASTA TO MAKE PASTA CHIPS?
Yes, just be extra sure you boil the gluten-free pasta until it’s barely al dente.
Gluten-free pasta is easy to overcook, and once that happens, you’re sunk. And, yes, pasta chips made with chickpea pasta and cassava pasta are delicious!
ARE PASTA CHIPS HEALTHY?
I consider pasta chips to be healthier than fried potato chips since they are air fried using a small amount of healthy oil.
ALTERNATIVE SEASONINGS
If you’re looking for some new seasoning options for pasta chips, you could add these to the Parmesan to change things up a bit:
- Smoked paprika
- Taco seasoning
- Everything Bagel seasoning
- Creole seasoning
- Ranch seasoning
- Buffalo seasoning
WHAT DIPS ARE GOOD TO SERVE WITH PASTA CHIPS?
Ranch dip is delicious with pasta chips, and so is a creamy buffalo dip. Alfredo sauce makes a creamy, warm dip for pasta chips, too.
Add a splash of heavy whipping cream to the marinara for a good pasta chip dip.
MORE AIR FRYER RECIPES TO ENJOY
Made with a golden, flaky crust and filled with gooey cheese, these easy Air Fryer Pizza Bread Sticks are the perfect pizza dippers.
Are you on the lookout for chicken sausage recipes? I am! Air Fryer Loaded Chicken Sausage Melt is my new favorite way to enjoy chicken sausage.
Air Fryer Cheesy Bacon Poppers are a cinch to cook up for the fam, and you can make them in a flash since there’s no bacon-wrapping involved – the bacon is right in the filling.
These Air Fryer Breakfast Pizzas are a quick handheld breakfast that requires only four ingredients. Such a score!
Air Fryer Pasta Chips
Ingredients
- 12 oz. rigatoni pasta
- 2-3 Tbs. olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp. granulated garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley divided use, optional (may substitute 1 tsp. dried parsley if desired)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in boiling water according to package directions until al dente; drain well.
- While the pasta is cooking, combine the Parmesan cheese with the spices and half of the fresh parsley.
- Place the drained pasta into a large mixing bowl; drizzle with olive oil and gently toss using two spoons.
- Add the Parmesan mixture to the pasta and toss gently once more.
- Spread the prepared pasta over the air fryer rack. Air fry the pasta at 425 degrees F for 8 minutes. Gently toss the pasta then air fry once again for another 8 minutes.
- Serve at once with warm marinara as a dipping sauce, as desired.
