With tuiles in the air fryer, you get the thin, golden French cookies you often see tucked into a scoop of ice cream at a good restaurant. The name means roof tiles, and it is exactly the curved shape they get when you drape them over a rolling pin while they are still warm. The batter is simple: egg whites, sugar, flour and melted butter, and then I sprinkle flaked almonds over the top for extra crunch.
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In the air fryer I bake them a few at a time on a piece of baking paper cut to fit the bottom of the basket, which makes them surprisingly easy to control. If you have a couple of egg whites left over, this is an obvious way to use them up.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love tuiles in the air fryer
The tricky part of tuiles is the timing, not the batter, and this is exactly where the air fryer helps. Because the basket is small, you only bake a handful at a time and have time to shape every single tuile before it sets. On a full oven tray, the last ones have often gone stiff before I get to them.
The flavour is butter and vanilla with a lightly caramelised edge, and the flaked almonds turn toasted and nutty on top. A couple of tuiles in a bowl of vanilla ice cream turn it into a proper dessert.
The difference between an air fryer and an oven
The big difference is the rhythm. In the oven you bake a whole tray at once, but in the air fryer I bake in batches: while one batch is baking, I spread the next one onto the other piece of baking paper, and then I swap the papers. It becomes a calm little assembly line, with a new batch always ready and waiting.
My kitchen test of tuiles
I have baked the recipe in my Cosori Dual Blaze at 160 °C, and 4-6 minutes per batch is the right window. With heat from both above and below in the single basket, the tuiles get an even colour, and they are done when the edges are golden and the centre is still light golden. It goes fast in the last minute, so that is when I stay by the machine. In my Philips XXL there is room for four at a time, while I stick to two or three in a smaller basket.
The whole recipe takes 75 minutes: 15 minutes of preparation, 30 minutes of chilling and 30 minutes of baking spread across the batches. The chilling time is not just for show, because the cold batter is firmer and much easier to spread into thin, even circles. The batter makes 20-24 tuiles of 7-8 cm.
Draw the circles with a pencil on the underside of the baking paper before you spread out the batter. That way all the tuiles get the same size and thickness, and the whole batch is done at the same time.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is spreading the batter too thickly. Thick tuiles turn chewy instead of crisp, so use only 1 tsp of batter per circle, and spread it out with the back of a spoon until you can almost see the paper through it.
The second mistake is waiting too long to shape them. They set within a few seconds, so have the rolling pin ready before you take the basket out, and lift them off straight away with a palette knife. If they have already gone stiff, they can go back into the air fryer for 20-30 seconds so that they become pliable again.
The third mistake is putting the baking paper in the basket during preheating. Loose paper without batter on it can blow up into the heating element, so only lower it in once the batter is on and holding it down. Press the flaked almonds lightly into the batter as well, so the fan does not move them.
How to serve tuiles
Tuiles are good on their own, but they are at their very best as the crisp element next to something soft and creamy:
- With coffee or tea as a light, crisp cookie
- Tucked into a scoop of vanilla ice cream or sorbet
- As a garnish on chocolate mousse, panna cotta or a trifle
- With fresh berries and a dollop of lightly whipped cream
- Crumbled over ice cream or skyr if some of them have broken along the way
Storage and reheating
Tuiles quickly absorb moisture from the air and therefore need to go into an airtight container as soon as they are completely cold. There they stay crisp at room temperature for up to 5 days. If they have gone soft anyway, you can crisp them up in the air fryer at 150 °C for 1-2 minutes and let them cool down again. They are not suitable for freezing, but the batter can be made ahead, so a fresh batch is never far away.
Tuiles take a little feel for it at the start, but after a couple of batches the rhythm settles in. With the air fryer you bake just a few at a time and have time to give every single one that beautiful curve, and the result is crisp, golden cookies that lift both the coffee and the dessert.
FAQ
Yes, the flaked almonds can easily be left out, and then you get classic, smooth tuiles. You can also sprinkle chopped pistachios or sesame seeds on top instead, or stir a little grated orange zest into the batter.
The batter can be made 1-2 days ahead and kept covered in the fridge. That takes care of the chilling time, and you can go straight to spreading out the batter and baking.
Replace 1 tbsp of the flour with cocoa powder, and you get a chocolate version with the same crisp bite. Keep an extra close eye on them towards the end, because on a dark batter it is harder to see when the edges are done.
Recipe
Tuiles in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
Keep the screen on and follow the recipe step by step while you cook.
Step 1:
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Step 2:
Start the guide and follow the recipe one step at a time.
Cost of the dish
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Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Kitchen scissors
- 2 Parchment paper (for air fryer) - cut to fit the bottom of the basket
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Offset spatula
- 1 Rolling pin - for shaping
- 1 Airtight container
Shopping list
Ingredients
How to make it
Preparation
- Melt 45 g butter in a small saucepan over a low heat, and let it cool a little while you make the rest of the batter.
- Whisk 2 pcs egg whites, 80 g sugar, 1 tsp vanilla sugar and 1 pinch salt together in a mixing bowl until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is lightly frothy. It should not be whisked until stiff.
- Add 45 g plain flour and whisk until the batter is smooth and completely free of lumps.
- Stir in the melted butter a little at a time until the batter is glossy and even. The consistency should resemble a thick pancake batter.
- Cover the bowl and chill the batter in the fridge for 30 minutes. The cold batter firms up slightly and is easier to spread into thin, even circles.
- Cut 2 pieces of baking paper to fit the bottom of the air fryer basket exactly. If you like, draw 3-4 circles of 7-8 cm on the underside with a pencil to give yourself a template.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 160 °C fan. Leave the baking paper outside the basket while the air fryer heats up – loose paper without batter on it can blow up into the heating element.
- Spread 1 tsp of batter per tuile into a very thin circle of 7-8 cm with the back of a spoon. Make 3-4 circles at a time on one piece of baking paper, leaving plenty of space between them.
- Sprinkle a few of the flaked almonds over each circle and press them lightly into the batter so they stay put when the fan is running.
- Lift the paper into the basket and bake the tuiles at 160 °C for 4-6 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centre is light golden. Keep a close eye on them for the last minute, as they quickly take on too much colour.
- Take the basket out, immediately lift the tuiles off the paper with a palette knife and drape them over a rolling pin so they curve like roof tiles. They set within a few seconds, so work quickly.
Our notes for the recipe
Spread the batter so thinly that you can almost see the paper through it – thick tuiles turn chewy instead of crisp. Never put baking paper in the basket without batter on it, because it is the batter that holds the paper down when the fan is running. If the tuiles get too stiff before you have time to shape them, put them back in the air fryer for 20-30 seconds and they will become pliable again. Variation:
Swap the flaked almonds for chopped pistachios or sesame seeds, or stir a little grated orange zest into the batter. For a chocolate version, you can replace 1 tbsp of the flour with cocoa powder. Serving:
Serve the tuiles with coffee, with ice cream, mousse or panna cotta, or tuck them into a dessert as a garnish. Portion size:
The batter makes about 20-24 tuiles of 7-8 cm, which is 5-6 per portion. If your air fryer is small, bake 2-3 at a time. Storage:
Tuiles quickly absorb moisture from the air. Put them in an airtight container as soon as they are cold, and they will stay crisp for up to 5 days. If they have gone soft, they can be crisped up in the air fryer at 150 °C for 1-2 minutes. The batter can also be made 1-2 days ahead and kept covered in the fridge.
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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