Air Fryer Baklava Recipe

Just like the traditional version, air fryer baklava is crisp and buttery, spiced with warm cinnamon, and sweetened with a sticky syrup. But in the air fryer, it whips up in a fraction of the time!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Greek, Turkish

Keyword Air Fryer Baklava, Air Fryer Baklava Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 6

Servings servings

Calories 181kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Equipment

Air fryer

Ingredients

Cinnamon Syrup:

1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cinnamon stick or 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Filling:

6 tablespoons finely chopped nuts such as walnuts, pistachios, or almonds (optional)
4 1/2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Other:

12 sheets phyllo dough (if frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge and then thaw 1 hour at room temperature before using)
7 tablespoons salted butter melted

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Cinnamon Syrup:

Add all ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring up to a boil, and then cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

To Assemble the Baklava:

Stir together all ingredients for the filling in a medium bowl.
Lay 1 piece of phyllo dough out on a flat surface. Brush it with 1/2 tablespoon melted butter and sprinkle on 1/2 tablespoon filling (if you added nuts to your filling, sprinkle on about 1 tablespoon of the filling).
If you’ve ever made a paper football, you’ll have a good idea for how to fold baklava into triangles! It’s just like origami.
Starting with a long side, fold 1/3 of the dough over onto the middle, and then fold 1/3 of dough from the other side over onto the middle. You’ll end up with a long strip of dough.
Fold the lower right corner of the dough strip up to form a triangle. Fold the triangle up, then continue folding the triangle up for the entire strip of dough.
Continue assembling the baklava this way (you’ll have enough for 12 baklava triangles).
Lightly brush both sides of each baklava triangle with the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter.

To Air Fry the Baklava:

Preheat the air fryer to 350F. Once hot, add the baklava in a single layer. Air fry until golden on both sides, flipping once halfway through (it takes about 2 to 3 minutes per side for a total of about 6 minutes).

To Finish:

Drizzle the room temperature cinnamon syrup onto the hot baklava. You can eat it now, but it'll be even better in a couple hours (or the next day)!

Notes

Nutrition Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated using walnuts as the nuts.
Storage: Once cooled, store baklava in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, in the fridge for up to 10 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you want to re-crisp your baklava, you can pop it into a preheated 325F oven (for approximately 5 minutes) or 300F air fryer (it takes about 2 to 3 minutes).
Nuts: You can use any type of nuts you like. Keep it classic with walnuts or pistachios, or switch it up with something like macadamia nuts or hazelnuts. Or skip them if you prefer!
Syrup Temperature: A trick I learned while living in the Middle East is that the syrup should be cooled to room temperature and the baklava should be hot (right out of the oven) when you pour on the syrup. This allows for maximum absorption and minimum sogginess!
Help Prevent the Phyllo From Drying Out: Phyllo dough dries out quickly, so keep the sheets covered with a piece of plastic wrap topped with a damp towel while you work.

Nutrition