Air Fryer Recipe
Cheesy Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Puffs
These cheesy spinach and mushroom stuffed puffs make a lovely, simple snack, and they crisp up beautifully in the air fryer.
Ingredients
- 1 packet (500g) of puff pastry sheets, thawed
- 200g fresh spinach, chopped
- 200g mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 150g grated cheddar cheese
- 100g cream cheese
- 1 egg, beaten (for sealing)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
Method
- Warm the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture and brown slightly.
- Mix in the spinach and cook until wilted. Take off the heat and leave to cool slightly.
- Stir in the grated cheddar and cream cheese, then season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the air fryer to 180°C (356°F). Roll out the puff pastry sheets and cut into 10cm x 10cm squares.
- Place a spoonful of filling in the centre of each square. Brush the edges with beaten egg.
- Fold the pastry to make a triangle or rectangle, press the edges to seal, then crimp with a fork.
- Lightly grease the air fryer basket. Arrange the puffs in the basket and brush the tops with beaten egg.
- Air fry in batches for 10-12 minutes, or until golden and puffed.
Why this works in an air fryer
Puff pastry needs dry, fast heat: the air fryer’s fan drives off surface moisture so the butter layers steam apart before the filling can soak the base. Pre-cooking mushrooms and spinach removes their water, while the egg wash seals edges and adds proteins/sugars for even browning.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 5–6 litre basket holding 4–6 puffs with space between them; in a single-drawer air fryer cook in batches and keep later batches chilled, while dual-zone models need matched 180°C settings and a check at 8 minutes because smaller drawers can brown edges faster.
Common pitfalls
- Soggy or compressed bases after 10 minutes mean the filling went in too wet; cook the mushroom-spinach mix until the pan looks dry and cool it before adding cheese.
- Cheese leaking from the corners is a sealing failure; use less filling, brush only a thin line of egg on the edges, then press and fork-crimp firmly without trapping filling in the seam.
- Pale tops with dark bottoms suggest the puffs are sitting too low or the basket is crowded; leave airflow gaps and turn the temperature down to 170°C for 2–3 extra minutes if the bases are racing ahead.
- Pastry splitting along the top usually means the filling was hot or overfilled; chill the assembled puffs for 10 minutes before air frying so the fat firms and the layers lift cleanly.
Variations & substitutions
- Use frozen spinach instead of fresh, but defrost and squeeze it very dry; it needs less pan time, yet any retained water will soften the pastry base.
- Swap cheddar for feta for a sharper filling; reduce added salt and expect less melted stretch, so judge doneness by pastry colour rather than bubbling cheese.
- Use chestnut mushrooms for a deeper flavour; they often release more liquid, so cook them until browned and the skillet is dry before adding spinach.
- Make smaller party puffs with 7cm squares; use about half the filling per piece and start checking at 7–8 minutes as they brown faster.
Storage & reheating
Keep cooled puffs in the fridge for up to 2 days, then reheat in the air fryer at 160°C for 5–7 minutes until crisp and hot in the centre.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
