This easy recipe for crispy and baked toasted ravioli will be a new appetizer favorite! Now with additional air fryer instructions, ravioli is coated in egg and an Italian-spiced breadcrumb mixture and baked for a crisp, crunchy dish without frying! Serve with marinara sauce.
Somedays you just n-e-e-d something tried and true in your everyday eats. But not just anything! Comfort food (like lobster ravioli sauce) always sounds like a good idea, but with the temperatures creeping up and the sun staying out later each night, sometimes creamy and rich doesn't feel quite right.
Sunday sauce with meatballs and sausage is a hands-down family favorite, but you're out of luck if you don't have 2-3 hours (or more!) for stovetop simmering. Salads and smoothies are well and good too, but sometimes I'm just not in the mood for something so light. I like a nice balance.
So I present to you crispy and baked toasted ravioli. Refrigerated ravioli are dipped in egg and coated with a seasoned breadcrumb mixture, then baked intentionally to crisp up just right. Served with a warm marinara dipping sauce, these make an awesome appetizer recipe (or light meal served along with a side salad).
Update - Air fryers hit the scene in the eight years since this post was first published. New air fryer toasted ravioli instructions included in the recipe card below, as well.
Recipe Ingredients
- Ravioli: Refrigerated ravioli (not frozen) work best for baked toasted ravioli as they'll cook more quickly and evenly. Traditional toasted ravioli are made with beef ravioli, but choose your favorite flavor.
- Egg and Milk: Ravioli get dunked in this mixture first so the breadcrumbs can adhere. A little bit of milk thins out the beaten egg so it's easier to work with.
- Breadcrumbs: Choosing Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs makes quicker work of the recipe prep. Doctor it up as you like by adding more garlic powder, crushed red pepper, etc. A finer breadcrumb more evenly coats each ravioli as compared to panko.
- Parmesan: This is sprinkled on the ravioli after they've been baked or air fried for the boldest possible flavor. For the best experience use higher-quality Parmesan (basically, not the shelf-stable stuff) and grate it finely so it melts into the toasted ravioli quickly.
- Marinara: A perfect sauce accompaniment for dunking! Use your favorite store-bought or homemade variety, and I recommend warming it up.
Step-by-Step Instructions
As with all breaded recipes, first prepare your baking sheet (or air fryer tray) and metal cooling rack so you'll have a place on which to set the coated ravioli when they're ready. Give the rack a quick shot of cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- First Dip - Beat the egg and milk together in a shallow bowl and, working in batches, dip in each ravioli until fully moistened.
- Second Dip - Press the ravioli into the bowl of breadcrumbs until thoroughly coated.
- Olive Oil Spray - Place the breaded ravioli on a metal cooling rack set over a rimmed baking sheet (oven) or on your air fryer tray. Spritz olive oil over the tops of the breaded ravioli as evenly as you can.
- Bake or Air Fry - For either method, cook at the indicated temperature and time in the recipe card below, removing the tray, flipping the ravioli, and spraying again with olive oil and the midway point. These air fried or baked toasted ravioli are ready when they've crisped up and are golden-brown to your liking.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Spraying olive oil. Try and find a sprayer that shoots a fairly uniform stream of oil for the most even coverage. I've had more luck with a sprayer I poured olive oil into versus a store-bought kind.
- Ravioli size. The ravioli used in these pictures is the "mini" cheese variety - and I don't recommend it! While it's fine to use and certainly tasty, the smaller size meant more ravioli in the package and more work to dip and bread each one.
- Less mess dipping. If possible use the "two hands" approach to breading the ravioli. Use one hand to move the ravioli around in the egg wash, drop the ravioli into the breadcrumb bowl, then use your other hand when coating the ravioli. Keeping one "wet" hand and one "dry' hand will produce less mess.
Frequently Asked Questions
While it's possible to make tasty baked toasted ravioli without one, lifting the ravioli up off the sheet pan while cooking allows air to circulate all around them, leading to a crispier end result. Even with a halfway point flip, the underside can become softer if left to lay along the hot pan.
Frozen ravioli can work, but they must be thawed in the refrigerator before cooking in this manner.
No, the ravioli package size has wiggle room. I can often find this size, but know that different manufacturers produce a variety of sizes. Anything in the 20-24 ounce range should be just fine.
Place toasted ravioli back on a pan or the air fryer rack in a pretty low oven or air fryer (325°F or so) and "re-toast" again for several minutes or until warmed throughout. They'll heat quicker in the microwave, but will lose much of their crispness.
More "Baked" Pasta Recipes
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card and/or a comment review below!
Baked Toasted Ravioli (or Air Fried)
Ingredients
- 1 20-ounce package refrigerated ravioli or frozen and thawed
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 ¼ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- Olive oil spray or cooking spray
- ⅓ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano
- Warm marinara sauce or desired dipping sauce
Instructions
- If baking, heat oven to 400°F and place an oven-safe metal cooling rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Spray the rack with cooking spray and set aside. If air frying, no need to preheat. Simply spray air fryer rack/basket with cooking spray and set aside.
- Add egg and milk to a shallow bowl and whisk until evenly combined and the mixture is light. Add breadcrumbs to a separate shallow bowl.
- Thoroughly dip each ravioli into the egg mixture, then coat with the breadcrumbs, pressing the breadcrumbs onto the ravioli to help them adhere. Place the breaded ravioli onto the prepared rack. Repeat for all ravioli.
- Once the rack is full, spray breaded ravioli with olive oil as evenly as you can. You may have to cook in batches depending upon your cooking method.
- Bake: Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, stopping to flip each ravioli over at the midway point and spray the now-tops with olive oil. Cook until the toasted ravioli are golden brown and crisped.Air Fry: Set air fryer to 350°F and air fry for 5 minutes. Flip each ravioli over, spray the now-tops with olive oil, then air fryer for another 3-5 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisped.Once done, sprinkle shredded Parmesan over the hot ravioli, then let ravioli cool for a minute or two before serving with warm marinara sauce (or your desired sauce).
Video
Notes
- Ravioli package doesn't have to be exactly 20 ounces - a little more or less is fine.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition DisclaimerNote: The pictures in this post were updated in June 2024 from its initial publish date in 2016. The recipe was tweaked to account for a more commonly-found package size of ravioli, along with simplifying the seasoning by using pre-seasoned breadcrumbs. Now that we have air fryers, those instructions were added, too. If you're returning to this post from a pin or bookmarked link, you may recognize the photo below.
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Maureen says
Did this recipe change. I've made it before (it's really good). It didn't call for milk-- just water. It also had garlic powder. There was also the option of adding red pepper ( which I did).
Alyssa says
Hi Maureen, you are correct, I updated this recipe last month. I wanted to update it for more commonly-found size packages of ravioli now 8 years later and incorporate some smaller tweaks I've started doing through the years (such as using milk in place of water and Italian seasoned breadcrumbs to save some steps). I'm glad you like it! Here are the original ingredients - the steps are basically the same:
1 12-oz package refrigerated ravioli
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1⁄2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 1⁄2 tablespoon dried chopped onion
1 teaspoon dried basil
1⁄2 teaspoon dried parsley
1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Chris says
Can I make this ahead, store in refrigerator and then bake before guest arrive?
Alyssa says
Hi there, hmmm I haven't tried that before but I'm not really sure how it would be. I'd be afraid it would dry the ravioli out a little too much?
sandra f says
I par boiled some frozen ravioli and then followed the recipe.felt the texture was chewy,Should i par boil them longer,or just bread them frozen,then bake? making them soon for a special party
Alyssa says
Hi Sandra, I've only made these with refrigerated ravioli so I couldn't say for sure how parboiling affected the texture. Here is a comment left by a reader who made them right from frozen: "Yes you CAN do this with frozen ravioli! I just did. Comes out excellent. Just make as usual (working fast so nothing freezes on contact) and I baked on a rack for 20 min in a 425 oven They puffed up and came out great. Thank you for the recipe!" <--I haven't tried this way myself but that might be a better way to do it. I hope that helps!
sandra f says
so you did not par boil them ? just bread them frozen and bake ,yes?
Alyssa says
I believe that's what the reader who left that comment did - did not par boil, rather breaded them frozen and baked from there.
David says
I am so glad i found this recipe when I was looking for ravioli recipes, but I've never seen ravioli quite like this before! The pictures look amazing and the marinara sauce is a great addition. I love the fact the the recipe is quick and easy to follow as well. Thanks for sharing this gem.
Alyssa says
So glad you like it!
Cecelia says
Do you think that the toasted ravioli could be cooked in an air fryer?
Alyssa says
Hi Cecelia, I don't have much experience at all with an air fryer so I couldn't say for sure, but I bet that it would possible! Just not sure on what kind of modifications would be needed to the recipe. Please let me know if you give it a try!
Amanda Finks says
Love that these toasted raviolis are baked! So good and crunchy!
Lindsay Fekitoa says
I love the healthy, low-fat choice of crispy ravioli. Delicious sauce too!
Karen says
Do you think you can make ahead and warm up in the microwave before serving?
Alyssa says
Hi Karen, I haven't done it but I imagine the taste would be there, but they wouldn't be as crisp as they would right out of the oven. Hope that helps, let me know if you give it a try!
Tracy says
For those with wheat/gluten allergies, I bet puffed quinoa would work to replace bread crumbs too.
Evie says
Alyssa, Can you make ahead of time...will they get soggy for a party
Alyssa says
Hi Evie, I've never made these ahead of time so I couldn't say for sure how they'd turn out. I'd imagine they wouldn't be as crisp.