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Home » Air Fryer Crispy Tortellini

Air Fryer Crispy Tortellini

October 7, 2020 by Debi 5 Comments

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This Air Fryer Crispy Tortellini is a super tasty appetizer for tailgating snacks month! It’s easy! Kid tested & adult approved! Pasta lovers will flip for these crunchy, “fried” bites, especially when served with marinara or pizza sauce!

Tired of the same old appetizers? Make our Air Fryer Crispy Tortellini for your next game day or party and you won’t be disappointed! This easy-to-make dish is the perfect mix of fun and flavor. Scroll down to get the recipe and start enjoying this delicious treat!

And I have air fryer as well as oven directions for you!

But be warned: they’re so good! You won’t be able to stop at just one.

Air Fryer Crispy Tortellini with title sprinkled with Parmesan and served with marinara and Alfredo
So much fun!

We appreciate your support

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

Tailgating Snacks Month 2020 7th annual banner with fall leaves on a wood background
October is Tailgating Snacks Month on Life Currents – 7th annual this year! 2020

a Tortellini dipped in marinara sauce

Fun and yummy

Nothing compares to biting into crispy pasta filled with a creamy cheese. These air fry tortellini are versatile and can be served as an appetizer, lunch, or main dish for dinner with a nice salad and garlic bread.

Want to make more fun bar foods in your air fryer? Be sure to check out my Air Fryer Potato Skins, Air Fryer Pierogies, and Air Fryer Mozzarella Bites.

Because they’re air fried, you don’t have to worry about them being greasy and heavy.

square crop of a plate of appetizer Air Fryer Tortellini served with Alfredo and marinara

What if I don’t have an air fryer?

Well, then you really need to buy one! Seriously, I love mine and use it all the time! Here, hop over and buy one with my affiliate link.

But, if that’s not an option, these can be baked in the oven if you don’t have an air fryer. They don’t get quite as crispy or yummy, but it will work. Just preheat your oven to 350° F and bake for around 8-9 minutes or until lightly golden brown. 

Serving suggestions

Serve these crispy fried tortellini as a main dish paired with a nice green salad and some garlic bread.

Or serve it as an appetizer!

Don’t forget the dipping sauce! Marinara, ranch, pizza sauce, blue cheese dressing, Nacho Cheese, or Alfredo all get my vote for delicious sauces to dip in!

Crispy Tortellini served in an appetizer basket with dipping sauces
Serve in baskets for a fun presentation. Or serve them with toothpicks for easy eating.

What kind of tortellini should I buy?

You’ll find the best tortellini to use for this dish in the grocer’s refrigerator section. And, yes, you can totally use Costco Tortellini for this recipe!

Refrigerated tortellini is nice and fresh. I mean, you could make it homemade from scratch, but who has time for that?

Also, grab the largest tortellini you can find. My store also carries mini tortellini that are a lot of work to batter and fry. So, grab the bigger ones.

Frozen tortellini won’t work as well, as the batter won’t stick very well, so I don’t recommend going with frozen. 

Why do you have us soak the pasta?

You want the pasta to be nice and moist and supple. Almost al dente when you go to air fry it. If your pasta is already supple, you can omit the soaking and drying step.

If you air fried the tortellini straight from the package, it would be tough and difficult to eat.

Also, you don’t want to overcook the pasta, so the soaking step makes it just right for air fryer.

Recipe tips

Make sure you don’t overlap the tortellini in the Air Fryer.

If you overlap the tortellini, they won’t cook evenly, and the pieces that touch can remain soggy.

Cooking the tortellini in batches helps to make sure that everything is cooked nice and crispy.

recipe testing for Air Fryer Tortellini: left: individually dipped, and right batch tossed

Recipe testing

batch toss or individual coating

I wanted to see if I could make the dipping process easier. Dipping each tortellini into the egg mixture and then into the bread coating can be tedious. So I wondered if I could batch toss them into the beaten egg and then into the bread coating.

batch toss works

Yes, it absolutely works. They may not be quite as pretty and well coated, but it works. So, if you’re in a hurry, or if you just don’t want to take so much time in coating them, you can pour the soaked pasta in a large bowl. Pour the beaten egg over the top, mix to coat. Then toss the whole kit and caboodle with the breadcrumb mixture.

Still cook them in a single layer in batches though.

This isn’t my preferred method, but it works. You will get some nuggets of breadcrumb coating without any pasta. (And yes, those were tasty too!) So, you can decide how you want to make them.

cooking spray

I also tested cooking the tortellini with cooking spray, and cooking it without cooking spray. Honestly, I didn’t see a difference in the golden color of the final crispy tortellini.

So, I’m inclined to skip the spray on this recipe. I mean, you don’t need to do it, it saves time, and it saves some calories.

Panko, spices, and cheese in a bowl for coating Air Fryer Tortellini

How to reheat leftovers

Got leftovers? Store any leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days.

These tortellini are great popped back into the preheated air fryer at 350° F for about 5 minutes.

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Air Fryer Crispy Tortellini in a serving basket with marinara and title on the bottom
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Recipe

square crop of a plate of appetizer Air Fryer Tortellini served with Alfredo and marinara

Air Fryer Crispy Tortellini

Debi
Delicious, air fried tortellini is the perfect appetizer for game days, parties, and any other get-together. It's easy to make and always a hit – your guests will love it! Plus, it's a fun way to switch up your party food.
4.64 from 11 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 9 minutes mins
Total Time 14 minutes mins
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 340 kcal

Equipment

  • Air Fryer

Ingredients
  

  • 9 ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini
  • 1 cup Panko
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • pinch salt
  • 2 eggs

Instructions
 

  • Cover the tortellini with boiling water, and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain well. Gently blot the tortellini with paper towels to dry.
  • Preheat the air fryer to 350° F.
  • In a bowl combine panko with Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, basil, cayenne pepper, and salt, and stir well.
  • In a separate small bowl, beat eggs.
  • Dip tortellini in egg mixture, then dip into panko mixture, coating the tortellini all over, patting to help coating adhere.
  • Working in batches, place the coated tortellini in a single layer in the air fryer basket, and air fry at 350° F for 9 minutes, shaking the basket half way through frying.
  • Remove the fried tortellini, and serve hot, garnish with a sprinkling of dried oregano and some additional shredded Parmesan if desired. Don’t forget the dipping sauce.

Notes

Store any leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in a preheated air fryer at 350° F for about 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 340kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 19gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 619mgPotassium: 71mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 216IUCalcium: 284mgIron: 3mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword air fryer, tortellini
Tried this recipe?Mention @LifeCurrents or tag #LifeCurrents!
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Filed Under: Air Fryer, Appetizers, Budget, Game Day, Pasta Tagged With: air fryer, appetizers, Cooking, Food, pasta, recipe, Snacks, appetizers, tailgating, tailgating, tortellini, valentine, Valentine's Day, vegetarian

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about debi

ABOUT DEBI

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read more...

Previous Post: « Air Fryer Mac and Cheese Egg Rolls
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathleen Pope

    October 11, 2020 at 3:25 pm

    5 stars
    I made these for my kids last night and they loved them! They didn’t even share any with me. I will make them again so I get some of them.

  2. Julie Menghini

    October 11, 2020 at 6:12 pm

    5 stars
    I love finding finger food that make a great appetizer or lunch. I’m still learning to use my air fryer and I made these tortellinis – they were nice and easy!

  3. Jess B

    January 10, 2021 at 1:31 pm

    Could you use Italian breadcrumbs in place of panko?

  4. Debi

    January 10, 2021 at 2:05 pm

    Jess, Yes, you can use Italian breadcrumbs instead of Panko. Panko tends to be a little crispier, but the air fryer will help to crisp up the breadcrumbs. So, it’ll work just fine.

  5. Anoushka

    May 8, 2023 at 7:34 am

    5 stars
    Just made these. So easy and yum. With a quick homemade tomato sauce on the side. Really great!

4.64 from 11 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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Hi! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents, where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes with some great desserts and other goodies mixed in! Read More >>>

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