Enjoy these super crunchy air fryer pasta chips without parmesan but packed with an easy and delicious seasoning. They make for an irresistible snack or appetizer, perfect for vegans and those following a gluten-free diet.
What Are Air Fryer Pasta Chips?
Have you ever thought to yourself, can you air fry pasta? The answer is yes! And the result is amazing!
Air fryer pasta chips are a trendy snack (made popular by TikTok) made by air frying cooked pasta until crispy. The pasta is typically seasoned with herbs, spices, and grated cheese (or nutritional yeast) before being air fried, resulting in a crunchy and flavorful chip-like texture.
It's a creative way to repurpose leftover plain pasta or simply enjoy a crunchy snack.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Pasta snacks, or pasta crisps, are a budget-friendly treat made from everyday pantry staples. This straightforward recipe is a godsend for snack aficionados like myself, craving that oh-so-satisfying crunch! With every bite, you'll experience an immensely satisfying crunch—just listen to it in the video finale.
- The beauty of this recipe lies in its adaptability. You can easily tweak the seasoning of the pasta chips to suit your taste buds, whether you're craving something sweet or savory.
- And fear not, dietary restrictions won't cramp your style with this air fryer pasta chips recipe. It's completely vegan-friendly, made with no parmesan or any other cheese, and can also be whipped up using gluten-free pasta, ensuring everyone can indulge in this crunchy treat.
Ingredients and Variations
The complete list of ingredients with measurements, can be found in the full recipe card below.
Pasta - Choose your favorite bite-sized pasta variety. I've experimented with several types, and air-fried pasta shells (conchiglie) have stood out as my top choice.
I typically go for gluten-free options with no egg, but feel free to use whatever type you prefer.
Penne pasta chips are a popular choice, but you can also try farfalle (bowtie), rigatoni, rotini, cavatappi, broken lasagna noodles, or fusilli for variety.
Seasoning - at the basic level, salt needs to be added to your taste if you would like to enjoy savory pasta chips, then build it up from there with garlic powder etcetera.
I encourage you to try using your favorite seasoning, I have had someone say they will try these with rosemary or even ranch seasoning.
Nutritional Yeast is what I use to make air fried pasta chips without parmesan cheese. This gives a wonderful cheese flavor. This is a non-dairy product, perfect for vegans which is called “nooch”.
Oil - I have used avocado oil to air fry with, you can choose your preferred cooking oil.
Otherwise, for sweet air fryer pasta chips make a mixture of tahini and molasses and then once air fried, sprinkle with cinnamon.
How To Make Pasta Chips In Air Fryer
Cook The Pasta
Follow the packet instructions for how cook the pasta. Then place the cooked pasta into a colander and run cold water through it. Always cook pasta al-dante, which is generally 1 minute less than per packet instructions, the result is perfect and not mushy.
Season
In a large bowl, toss the olive oil through the pasta and all other ingredients. Be sure to evenly coat each pasta piece.
Air Fry Pasta
Place the coated pasta in air fryer and fry on high for 12-18 minutes, stirring halfway through (to ensure even air frying).
Serve warm or cold, with your favorite pasta chip dip. See serving suggestions below.
Other Cooking Methods
Deep-fried
Place the seasoned cooked pasta into hot oil and fry until golden. Then place the golden pasta chips onto a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.
Oven Baked
Arrange the seasoned cooked pasta in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking tray in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) and bake until golden brown.
Pro Tips
As air fryers differ, initially cook for 12 minutes and check to see how fried they are, then determine how many more minutes they may need. This air fryer is similar to the one I have at home (with a tray, you might need to take out some of the cooked pieces and allow others to cook a little longer).
FAQ
No, nothing like eating raw pasta which has a chewy hard consistency. These are super crunchy like eating thick seasoned chips.
Select bite-sized pasta; bow-tie, spiral, penne or shells, as these will give you individual chips. Avoid any long varieties such as fettuccini, spaghetti, linguine etcetera.
Upon cooking pasta per packet instructions and then draining them. Add flavorings and oil as indicated by the recipe and place them into the air fryer for 16-18 minutes on high or until crunchy.
More Pasta and Air Fryer Recipes
If you love pasta, you will love my vegan mushroom pasta or this impressively bright pink pasta using beet pasta sauce.
For a divine quick weeknight meal, enjoy my plant based mac and cheese without oil, so much yum!
Check out my amazing baked pasta that requires no pre boiling. Or try making air fryer corn ribs, they are so much fun!
Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ star rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.
Recipe
Air Fryer Pasta Chips No Parmesan
Ingredients
- 15 oz Pasta bite sized pasta, use gluten free if needed
- 2½ tablespoon Avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast heaping
- 1 pinch Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
Instructions
- Cook pasta as per instructions. Place cooked pasta into a colander and run cold water through it.
- In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta through the oil and all seasoning ingredients.
- Place pasta into the air fryer and fry on high for 12-18 minutes, stir half way through. Serve warm or cold.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
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Jan
I love these vegan pasta chips! My two kids love eating these, which is better than any prepacked chips IMO. We made them both savory and sweet as per your Tik Tok. The kids think the sweet ones taste like churros.