Air fryer Baklava is one of the best-ever air fryer desserts you'll come across! Layers of crispy filo are filled with assorted nuts and topped with salty sweet syrup. With this easy recipe, you can make perfect homemade baklava.
Surprisingly, the baklava isn't overpoweringly sweet and makes a stunning dish to serve to and impress guests.
My one true weakness is a box of baklava fresh from the sweet shop! Baklava are so moreish that I can easily polish up half the packet. The only reason I stop is because I have to remind myself that a tray of baklava is for sharing ...
One of my fondest memories of baklava was when my friend brought me some baklava back from a holiday to Cyprus.
A few years back, I made eggless revani in the Instant Pot and the beauty of it was that I could make a large enough portion to enjoy! Usually there is only one semolina square in the baklava tray! Not good enough.
This recipe is easy because there is no need to make complicated baklava shapes. Simply lay out the filo sheets, butter, top with nuts and air fry! Pour over delicious salted caramel sugar syrup and serve.
The filo pastry is bought ready-made from the shop so only simple assembly of the baklava is required. Digital air fryer settings simplify the prep considerably!
I also butter every other sheet rather than every filo sheet which saves time and still yields the same incredible results.
Since I've discovered the air fryer, it is my go-to for pastry bakes. Whether it be chilli cheese pineapple parcels, Punjabi samosa puffs or Tandoori paneer tarte au soleil
The beauty of using the air fryer for baklava is that the phyllo pastry cooks evenly all over.
The trick to make perfect air fryer baklava is to cover the baking tray tightly with foil.
You do not need to poke holes into the foil as this will still push air into the tray. You can also add baking beans or lentils on top of the foil as an extra weight.
Baklava without honey ingredients
Full ingredients with measurements are available in the recipe card below at the end of this post
Phyllo/Filo pastry - this pastry is paper thin and used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking. Filo means leaf in Greek. It can be found in the frozen and fresh aisles of most supermarkets.
Nuts - I have used a mix of almonds, pistachios and walnuts but you can absolutely use one type of nut at a time
Butter - I have used unsalted butter. Ghee is an alternative
Oil - I have used sunflower but you can also use a mild olive oil or vegetable oil. Oil is optional, you can use butter or ghee alone.
Salted Caramel Syrup for Baklava
Sugar - I used demerara but you can also use soft light brown sugar
Maple syrup - use maple syrup for extra flavour
Salt - a pinch of salt brings out the sweetness
Water - regular tap water
Note - no sugar is added to the nut mixture or in the layers. The sweetness comes from the syrup only which I think is sufficient.
Vegan Baklava
You can make this baklava vegan by using dairy free butter or olive oil when layering the pastry sheets. Also make sure that syrup you prepare should be without honey.
How to cut Baklava
You will need a sharp knife and a kitchen ruler.
The best way to cut into all the layers of filo is to use short stabbing motions rather than pull the knife through. The short cuts into the filo keeps the pastry in its place. I have cut the baklava into squares but you can also cut diagonally.
Use the ruler if you want even pieces but otherwise just use your eye to cut approximately.
Tips on handling filo/phyllo pastry
With these few simple tricks, you can make baklava prep so much simpler.
Open the filo dough only when ready to use - keep the filo in its packaging until ready to handle to prevent it drying out
Once unrolled, keep covered with a damp cloth - filo dries fast so take one sheet at a time and cover fast with the cloth again
Handle it gently because it can easily break.
How to make easy Baklava in the Air fryer
Full printable recipe in recipe card below.
Ensure you are using a baking tray that will fit the air fryer tray.
Blend your nuts using a food processor - the nuts should be finely chopped but not powdered.
Whisk together the oil and melted butter or ghee.
Assembly
Prepare the filo pastry by measuring it out - cut into a size that will fit into the tray. Keep the pastry covered until you are ready to use.
Brush a thin layer of the butter mixture onto the tray and add the first layer of filo to the base. The oil prevents the pastry from slipping or shifting around.
Add an extra layer of filo and brush with more butter. Add around 10-12 sheets, brushing butter every second sheet.
Sprinkle over a layer of nuts and pour over a little butter. Continue to stack the filo and brushing butter. You can either do a single nut layer or two layers of nuts.
Do not worry if all the filo sheets are not all the same size, you can overlap them and seal together with butter.
Gently cut the baklava into squares or diamonds.
Pour over the remainder of the butter so that it sinks in between the cuts.
Cover the baking tray tightly with oven-safe foil. Do not poke holes into the foil. You can add some baking beans on top of the foil to secure it down further
Place in the air fryer basket. Set the air fryer onto bake at 190C for 25 minutes.
Whilst the baklava is in the air fryer, prepare the salted caramel sugar syrup.
Baklava Syrup
Add the sugar, water and maple syrup to a saucepan. Gently stir until the sugar has melted. Boil for around 2-3 minutes and turn off the heat. Add a pinch of sea salt.
Take the baking tray out of the air fryer when the timing is up. The filo should be golden. Do not leave the tray in the air fryer once the time is up as the air fryer remains hot and will continue cooking.
Pour the syrup over the baklava whilst both or (at least one) are still warm. You'll be able to hear that hissing bubbly sound.
Leave the baklava aside for a few hours or overnight before serving.
Serve!
How to serve Air fryer Baklava
Coffee- Baklava is best served alongside a strong coffee or tea as a snack but it can also be served as a dessert.
Ice cream - As a delightful dessert serve baklava with vanilla or pistachio ice-cream after a spicy meal.
Chocolate - You can't go wrong with a drizzle of chocolate, toffee sauce or heavy cream.
There is no rule on whether baklava should be served warm or room temperature so it really depends on your preference.
Usually once the sugar syrup is poured over the pastry, the baklava is left to sit for a few hours to soak and so will naturally be at room temperature.
Recipe tips for best baklava
If using frozen phyllo pastry, ensure it is fully defrosted before using it. Keep it in the fridge overnight.
Bring it to room temperature before handling it.
Carefully butter the phyllo sheets, don't rush and gently brush it up. Ensure to brush butter/oil from end to the end for full coverage, and extra on the very top. This is so it won’t dry out.
Either keep baklava hot or syrup hot before pouring syrup to achieve best results.
Recipes using baklava flavours
We are currently working on a brand new recipe that involves baklava, stay tuned! Baklava Barfi
Other delicious desserts recipes
Kataifi pastry nests (sutarfeni)
Rose, Lemon and Pistachio semolina cake
Rose and Pistachio Cream (shrikhand) horns
Egg free Mille Feuille with white chocolate and saffron yogurt
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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BEST AIR FRYER BAKLAVA (SALTED CARAMEL)
Equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 baking dish 8"x8" square
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 small pan
- 1 silicon brush
Ingredients
Pastry
- 20 sheets phyllo pastry also known as Filo pastry
- 100 grams butter unsalted
- 40 ml vegetable oil or sunflower oil
- 1 cup nuts walnuts, pistachio, almonds and cashews
- ½ teaspoon salt
Salted caramel syrup
- 50 grams light brown sugar or demerara sugar
- 150 ml maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 225 ml water
Instructions
- First make syrup by mixing all the salted caramel syrup ingredients in a pan.50 grams light brown sugar, 150 ml maple syrup, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 225 ml water
- Bring it to boil and simmer for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.
- Leave it aside for later use.
- Then make filling by placing nuts and pinch of salt in the food processor. Pulse them until they are coarse. Leave it aside.1 cup nuts, ½ teaspoon salt
- Now cut the phyllo pastry according to your baking tray/pan size. Simply by putting a tray over the pastry and cut it with the sharp knife.20 sheets phyllo pastry
- Don't throw away sides of the pastry, will use in the middle layer of the baklava.
- Heat butter in a bowl in microwave or in the pan over stove top.100 grams butter
- Add vegetable oil and mix well.40 ml vegetable oil
- Grease the tray base by brushing the butter oil mixture.
- Layer two sheets of phyllo and gently brush it up with butter oil mixture.
- Repeat this until you have laid and brushed up 10 pastry sheets in total.
- Then a layer of coarse nuts filling.
- Now layer the pastry with cut phyllo and brush up with butter mix.
- Again do a thin layer of nuts.
- Then final layer of 10 phyllo sheets.
- Slice the baklava pastry in whatever shape you like using a very sharp knife.
- Pour the remaining butter and oil mixture over the cut pastry.
- Preheat air fryer at 190C or 375F for 5 minutes.
- Cover the baking tray with kitchen foil but don't press it.
- Put some beans on top.
- Air fry/bake them for 20-25 minutes or until nice and golden.
- Once done pour the syrup all over the baked baklava.
- Let the syrup soak at room temperature for minimum 3 hours before serving.
- garnish it with chopped nuts and dry rose petals.
Video
Notes
- 10 buttered phyllo sheets
- ¼ cup nuts
- 10 buttered phyllo sheets
- ¼ cup nuts
- 10 buttered phyllo sheets
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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Allyssa says
quick and easy to make! Thanks a lot for sharing, it is really helpful and tasted really awesome!
Dennis says
OMG your baklava came out amazing in my air fryer! Everyone in my family loved it!
Debbie says
I love Baklava and making it in the air fryer is so super simple . I will never make it the traditional way again. Thanks for a great recipe.
Dani says
This recipe for Air Fryer Baklava is the proof that you really can make anything in your air fryer. Came out perfect!
Erin says
This baklava looks amazing! I've never had baklava so I really need to try this ASAP.
Michele says
OMG! I love, love, love Baklava. Its one of my favorite desserts and now it is even better that I can make them in an air fryer. They turned out perfectly. Heavenly! Thank you!
Kathryn says
This is the easiest way to make baklava! It tasted just like the original recipe but so much better! Love all the layers in between the dough, so yummy!
Marta says
My daughter absolutely LOVES baklava. She's going away to college in August, so I'm trying to teach her how to make her favorite recipes while she's away. This air fryer version is so helpful since she doesn't have access to an oven. We loved it!
Veronika says
I never thought to make baklava in the air fryer but now I can't wait to give it a try! Your photos are absolutely stunning!
Hayley says
@Veronika, you'll love them 🙂
Gloria says
This recipe is calling my name. I just want to reach into my computer screen and grab some. Perfection right there. Skip store-bought, this is where it's at!!
Hayley says
@Gloria, yayy! Hope you enjoy making these in your own kitchen 🙂