Sigara börek is one of those nibbles that disappear from the platter long before everyone has sat down. Turkish filo rolls with salty feta and fresh herbs, rolled up tightly like a cigar and cooked until they crunch between your teeth. In our house they’ve simply become feta filo rolls, and they work just as well on a Friday night, as part of a meze spread or cold in your lunchbox the next day.
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Traditionally the rolls are deep-fried in plenty of oil, but the air fryer gives you the same crisp shell with a fraction of the fat — and without a pan of boiling oil on the hob. From folding the first roll to the whole batch sitting golden on the platter takes 35 minutes.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents:
Why I love feta filo rolls in the air fryer
Filo pastry and the air fryer are a surprisingly good combination. The hot air circulates all the way round the roll, so the bottom turns as crisp as the top — something that otherwise takes turning and constant watching over a deep fryer. At the same time you avoid being left with half a litre of used oil afterwards, and the kitchen doesn’t smell of frying oil for the rest of the evening.
The filling also lends itself to experimenting. Feta, parsley and a little grated lemon zest is the basic recipe, but spinach, dill or a pinch of chilli flakes lift it without changing the technique. The rolls can be folded well in advance and wait in the fridge until the guests ring the doorbell — then there are only ten minutes of work left.
The difference between the air fryer and deep-frying
In the deep fryer the filo pastry turns crisp in seconds, because the oil hits the whole surface at once. The air fryer works more slowly and more drily, and that is actually an advantage here: the pastry has time to dry out and turn glassy instead of soaking up fat. In return the rolls need a thin layer of oil on the outside, otherwise they come out pale and papery instead of golden.
My test in the kitchen with feta filo rolls
I’ve rolled my way through quite a few batches in my Cosori Dual Blaze, and 180 °C for 10 minutes is the point where the filo pastry is crisp all the way through to the feta without the edges going dark. The preparation — unrolling the pastry, filling, folding and brushing — takes the 25 minutes the recipe gives, and that is where the work lies. The cooking itself more or less looks after itself. Place the rolls seam side down and leave a couple of centimetres between them so the air can get all the way round.
Brush the rolls with oil on the outside instead of pouring oil into the basket. Filo pastry soaks up anything it can get near, and a soggy base never turns crisp.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is too much filling. It feels stingy to settle for a thin strip per roll, but feta melts and expands, and if it gets pushed out to the sides it burns onto the bottom of the basket. Stick to a tablespoon spread out lengthways. The next mistake happens during the folding: filo pastry dries out in a few minutes, and a brittle sheet can’t be rolled without tearing. Lay a slightly damp tea towel over the sheets you haven’t got to yet. The third is an open seam. Brush the last centimetre of the sheet with water or beaten egg and press firmly, otherwise they unroll in the basket and lose the filling along the way.
How to serve feta filo rolls
Feta filo rolls are rarely the main course, but they can easily carry a whole table if the company around them is right:
- Cacık or tzatziki — the cold, tangy yoghurt is the classic partner
- A simple salad of tomato, cucumber and red onion with lemon and olive oil
- As part of a meze table with hummus, olives, dolma and warm bread
- Sweet chilli sauce or pomegranate molasses for those who want sweetness with the salt
- Cold in your lunchbox with a couple of chunky vegetable sticks
Storage and reheating
The rolls keep for two days in an airtight container in the fridge, but they go soft along the way. Give them 3-4 minutes at 160 °C in the air fryer and they turn crisp again — the microwave makes them rubbery and is best skipped. If you want to get ahead, freeze them raw: lay them on a tray without letting them touch each other, freeze them solid, and then tip them into a bag. They go straight from the freezer into the basket with a couple of extra minutes.
Feta filo rolls are the kind of dish you make once and can then do in your sleep. Once the rhythm of the filo pastry is in your fingers, the folding takes no time at all, and you end up with a warm, crisp snack that beats anything the freezer aisle can deliver.
FAQ
Yes. Defrost the packet slowly in the fridge overnight and leave it at room temperature for half an hour before you start folding. If it defrosts too quickly, the sheets stick together and tear when you roll them.
Yes, a thin layer on the outside is what decides whether the rolls come out golden or pale. Use a brush or an oil spray, and never pour oil straight into the basket.
Yes. Raw, frozen rolls go straight into the basket at 180 °C and just need a couple of minutes more than the 10 minutes the recipe gives. You don’t need to defrost them first.
Recipe
Feta filo rolls in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Ingredients
Filling
- 250 g feta (Crumbled)
- 15 g parsley (Freshly chopped)
- 15 g dill (Freshly chopped)
- 0.5 tsp black pepper (Freshly ground)
Rolls
- 8 pcs filo pastry sheets (Defrosted)
- 1 pcs egg (Beaten, for sealing)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (For brushing)
To serve
- 1 dl Turkish yoghurt
- 1 pcs lemon (In wedges)
How to make it
Preparation
- Crumble 250 g feta into a mixing bowl with a fork. Leave both fine crumbs and slightly larger pieces in the mixture — that gives more bite than a completely smooth paste.
- Mix 15 g parsley, 15 g dill and 0.5 tsp black pepper into the feta. Don’t add salt — the feta is quite salty enough on its own.
- Lay 8 pcs filo pastry sheets in a stack and cut them into long triangles, two to three per sheet depending on the size. Cover the stack with a damp tea towel so the pastry doesn’t dry out while you work.
Rolling
- Place a tablespoon of filling on the wide end of a triangle, leaving about 1 cm free on each side.
- Roll the pastry tightly around the filling, fold the sides in after the first turn, and roll it up into a thin cigar shape. Brush the tip with 1 pcs egg and press lightly so the roll seals itself and doesn’t come open during baking.
- Brush the rolls lightly with 2 tbsp olive oil. A thin layer is enough — too much oil makes the filo pastry soft instead of crisp.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 180 °C fan for 3 minutes.
- Place the rolls in the basket seam side down in a single layer so they don’t touch each other. Bake them at 180 °C for 8-10 minutes, and turn them carefully after 5 minutes so they go golden all the way round.
Serving
- Let the rolls rest for 2 minutes so the hot feta sets. Serve them warm with 1 dl Turkish yoghurt and 1 pcs lemon cut into wedges.
Our notes for the recipe
Roll them tightly and seal the tip thoroughly with egg — leaky rolls let melted feta run out into the basket. Always place them seam side down so they keep their shape. About the recipe:
The dish is originally called sigara börek in Turkish, because the thin, rolled-up filo sticks look like cigars. Traditionally yufka pastry is used, but ordinary frozen filo pastry works perfectly well in the air fryer. Variation:
Mix 100 g grated mozzarella into the filling for a stringier texture, or add a finely sliced spring onion and a pinch of chilli flakes for a little extra bite. To serve:
Serve with Turkish yoghurt stirred with a grated garlic clove, lemon wedges and a simple tomato salad. Servings:
If your air fryer is on the smaller side, you can cook them in two batches.
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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