I'm a big fan of baklava but building up all the layers of filling in between thin strips of filo pastry is time-consuming; not to mention way beyond my basic baking skills.
So I was thrilled to have discovered these air fryer filo pastry baklava bites while carrying out tests of the best air fryers.
Instead of creating one large tray of baklava, this recipe takes all the classic flavors of honey, walnuts, and pistachios and condenses them into cute little baklava bites.
Below, I show you how to make these delicious pastry parcels – whether you're looking for a tasty air fryer dessert, or want to impress friends and family at a party.
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Air fryer filo pastry baklava bites recipe
The air fryer filo pastry baklava bites recipe I followed is from YouTuber Beth Le Manach. Beth posts recipes via her @EntertainingWithBeth channel, and this particular recipe has been watched more than 865k times as of writing. There are six air fryer recipes in this video, and the baklava bites one starts at 5 minutes and 10 seconds.
Air fryer filo pastry baklava bites ingredients
The original recipe uses cinnamon but I don't like it, so I didn't include it. You can also swap it for nutmeg.
- Filo pastry
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 tsp honey
- Cinnamon (or nutmeg!) to taste
- Orange zest to taste
- 2 tbsp melted butter (or vegetable oil)
- 1 tbsp chopped pistachios
Air fryer filo pastry baklava bites method
To make air fryer filo pastry baklava bites you will need the following:
- Air fryer – I used the Tower Vortx 9 Litre Duo Capacity Basket Air Fryer with Smart Finish 5.2L and 3.3L
- Pastry brush – you can also use the back of a spoon
Step 1: Place a stack of eight sheets of filo pastry on a sheet of baking paper, or lightly floured surface.
Step 2: Divide each sheet into four 4in x 4 in/10 x 10cm squares.
Step 3: Brush every second sheet of pastry in each square with melted butter, or vegetable oil.
Step 4: Roughly chop the walnuts and place a small pile in the center of each filo square.
Step 5: Drizzle over a small amount of honey and sprinkle with the orange zest and cinnamon.
Step 6: Bring the corners of the pastry together and push them into the filling. The honey should act as "glue" to hold them in place. Twist the corners together gently to form a parcel or purse shape.
Step 7: Repeat this process for each filo pastry square and place the parcels into your air fryer basket.
Step 8: Set the air fryer to 375°F (175°C) for 8 minutes.
Step 9: After six minutes, check on your baklava bites. If they look golden brown, remove them from the basket and put them on a plate.
If they still need more color, leave them in for the remaining two minutes.
Step 10: Roughly chop the pistachios and sprinkle them over each baklava bite, and serve.
Air fryer filo pastry baklava bites verdict
Granted, these baklava bites don't pack as much flavor as a baklava tray bake – the filo pastry outweighs the filling somewhat – but they're the next best thing.
They contain all the flavors of the classic Greek recipe with very little effort, and my friends all loved them when I served them at a party recently.
They taste best when they're still warm from the air fryer, but the filling gets very hot so I recommend you leave them a minute or two before taking a bite.
The corners of the filo pastry can also be a bit sharp. I get around this by drizzling over a small amount of honey when the bites are warm out of the air fryer. This helps to soften it slightly, and enhances the sweet honey flavor.
One final point to note, you can make larger baklava bites by increasing the size of the filo squares.
If you're still sitting on the fence and wondering whether to buy an air fryer, you may want to read our article to decide whether air fryers are worth it?
