Baklava in the air fryer gives you crisp, golden layers without turning on the big oven. Here is the Turkish version as it is known in Gaziantep: many layers of filo pastry, each one brushed with clarified butter, a thick layer of chopped pistachios in the middle and a plain sugar syrup with lemon. There is no honey in it, because that belongs in the Greek version.
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The secret lies in the meeting of hot and cold. The baklava is cut into squares before baking, and as soon as it comes out of the basket, you pour the cold syrup over it. It sizzles, the top stays crackling crisp, and the base soaks up the syrup while the baklava rests.
Table of Contents
Why I love baklava in the air fryer
I have always associated baklava with big baking trays and an oven that stays on for a long time. In the air fryer I bake a small pan with 16 pieces instead, and that suits an ordinary household far better. Baklava is rich, so two pieces with your coffee are plenty, and that gives you enough for eight. At the same time, the hot air does what filo pastry needs most, namely drying the butter-brushed layers out into crisp flakes so that they do not steam together.
The difference between Turkish and Greek baklava
Turkish baklava from Gaziantep is built on three things: pistachios, clarified butter and a plain sugar syrup. The Greek version is sweetened with honey and usually has walnuts and cinnamon in the filling. When you clarify butter, you remove the water and the milk solids, so that only the pure butterfat is left. The result is layers that bake crisp and golden. With ordinary melted butter the pastry turns softer and takes on colour faster. If you would rather skip the step, you can use ready-made clarified butter (ghee).
My baklava test in the kitchen
I tested the baklava in my Cosori Dual Blaze, in a square metal pan of 18 x 18 cm that fits in the basket with a little air around it. At 160 °C the top was deep golden and crisp after 30 minutes, and I turned the pan half a turn after 15 minutes so that it baked evenly. Having heating elements both at the top and at the bottom is an advantage here, because the bottom layers are baked through as well, and not just the top ones.
The preparation took about 35 minutes, including the syrup, the clarified butter and the assembly. Afterwards the baklava rested uncovered for 3 hours, and only then did I cut along the scored lines again and taste it. The waiting is the hardest part of the recipe.
Keep an eye on the colour in the last few minutes. If the top is still pale after 30 minutes, it gets 3-5 minutes more, and if it gets too dark along the way, I cover the pan with foil, pressed firmly around the edge.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is lukewarm syrup. If you pour it over before it is completely cold, the top turns soft instead of crisp. So make the syrup as the very first thing, and chill it in the fridge while you assemble and bake. The second mistake is waiting to cut. Baked filo pastry shatters under the knife, and without cuts the syrup cannot run down between the layers. Cut the 16 squares before baking, and cut all the way through to the base of the pan. The third mistake concerns the pastry itself, which quickly dries out and cracks. Keep it covered with a lightly damp kitchen towel while you layer. If the hot air blows the top pieces loose in the air fryer, you can place a rack over the pan for the first 10 minutes.
How to serve baklava
Baklava is served at room temperature, once it has rested and soaked up the syrup. Here are my favourite ways to serve it:
- With a cup of strong coffee or tea, where two pieces per person are plenty
- With a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a dessert
- Sprinkled with the chopped pistachios you set aside for decoration
- Alongside fresh fruit such as figs or oranges, which cut through the sweetness
Storage and reheating
Baklava keeps for 5-7 days at room temperature when it is loosely covered. Do not put it in the fridge, because there the layers lose their crispness. It should not be heated up either, but served at room temperature. If the top has gone soft, you can refresh the pieces in the air fryer at 150 °C for 2-3 minutes. You can also freeze the baklava for up to 3 months in an airtight container and thaw it at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
Baklava in the air fryer takes a little patience, but the actual work is manageable, and the resting time takes care of the rest. Remember the cold syrup and the clean cuts before baking, and you will get crisp, golden pieces with a juicy base every time.
FAQ
Yes, but then you are making the Greek version, which typically also has walnuts and cinnamon in the filling. Turkish baklava from Gaziantep is made with a plain sugar syrup with lemon, so the taste of pistachios and butter comes through clearly.
Because cold syrup on piping hot baklava keeps the top crisp while the base soaks up the syrup. If both are hot, the layers turn soft. So cook the syrup first and let it cool completely.
Use a square baking pan of about 18 x 18 cm that fits in the air fryer basket, preferably made of metal and without a non-stick coating, because you cut all the way down to the base. If you have a smaller air fryer, choose a pan that fits in the basket with a little air around it.
Recipe
Baklava in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Square pan - 18 x 18 cm
- 1 Small saucepan
- 2 Small bowls
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Brush
- 1 Kitchen towel
Shopping list
Ingredients
- 250 g filo pastry (About 10 sheets, thawed if frozen)
- 150 g butter (Clarify it, or use 120 g ready-made clarified butter (ghee))
- 150 g pistachios (Unsalted and shelled)
Sugar syrup
- 200 g sugar
- 2 dl water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (Freshly squeezed)
How to make it
Sugar syrup
- Put 200 g sugar and 2 dl water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.
- Turn down the heat and let the syrup simmer without a lid for 8-10 minutes, until it is slightly thickened. Stir in 1 tbsp lemon juice and let it simmer for 1 more minute.
- Pour the syrup into a small bowl and let it cool completely. Ideally put it in the fridge while you assemble and bake the baklava, because the syrup must be cold when it is poured over.
Preparation
- Rinse the saucepan and melt 150 g butter in it over a low heat. Skim off the white foam with a spoon and pour the clear, golden butter into a small bowl, leaving the milky white sediment behind in the saucepan.
- Finely chop 150 g pistachios with a sharp knife, so they resemble coarse breadcrumbs. Set aside 2 tbsp for decoration.
- Unroll 250 g filo pastry and lay the sheets in a stack. Trim the stack to fit the base of a square pan of about 18 x 18 cm that fits in the air fryer basket. Keep the offcuts, and cover all the pastry with a lightly damp kitchen towel so it does not dry out.
Assembly
- Brush the base and sides of the pan with clarified butter. Place a piece of filo pastry in the bottom and brush it thinly with butter. Continue layer by layer until half of the pastry has been used, brushing each layer. Lay the offcuts side by side so they cover the surface like a whole layer.
- Spread the chopped pistachios in an even layer over the pastry and press them down lightly with the palm of your hand.
- Layer the rest of the pastry on top, one layer at a time, and brush each layer with clarified butter. Finish with the neatest whole pieces on top and brush the top generously.
- Cut the baklava into 16 squares with a sharp knife: 3 cuts in each direction, all the way down to the base of the pan. Pour the rest of the clarified butter evenly over the top, so it runs down into the cuts.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 160 °C fan.
- Place the pan in the basket and bake the baklava at 160 °C for 30 minutes, until the top is deep golden and crisp. Turn the pan half a turn after 15 minutes, so it bakes evenly.
Syrup and serving
- Take the pan out and immediately pour the cold syrup over the hot baklava, first along the cuts and the edges and then over the rest. It should sizzle as the syrup hits.
- Leave the baklava to rest uncovered at room temperature for at least 3 hours, so the base soaks up the syrup while the top stays crisp.
- Cut along the scored lines again with the knife, sprinkle over the pistachios you set aside, and serve the baklava at room temperature.
Our notes for the recipe
The syrup must be cold and the baklava piping hot when the two meet. That way the top stays crisp while the base soaks up the syrup. If the top is still pale after 30 minutes, give it another 3-5 minutes. If it gets too dark along the way, you can cover the pan with foil, pressed firmly around the edge. If the hot air blows the top pieces of pastry loose, place a rack over the pan for the first 10 minutes. Preferably use a metal pan without a non-stick coating, as you will be cutting all the way down to the base. Clarified butter:
Clarified butter is pure butterfat without water and milk solids. It gives crisp, golden layers, whereas ordinary melted butter makes the filo pastry softer and causes it to darken faster. Ready-made clarified butter (ghee) can be used instead. Variation:
This is the Turkish baklava as it is made in Gaziantep, with pistachios and a plain sugar syrup. The Greek version has honey in the syrup and typically walnuts and cinnamon in the filling. You can also replace half of the pistachios with walnuts. Serving:
Serve the baklava at room temperature with strong coffee or tea, and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you like. Portion size:
The recipe makes 16 small pieces, which is 4 per serving. Baklava is rich, so 2 pieces per person is plenty with coffee, and then there is enough for 8. If you have a smaller air fryer, choose a pan that fits in the basket with a little air around it.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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