Air Fryer Recipe
Savoury Spinach and Ricotta Puff Pastry Twists
An easy savoury puff pastry twist with a creamy spinach and ricotta filling, just right for cooking in the air fryer.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
- 200g fresh spinach
- 150g ricotta cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 50g grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: nutmeg
Method
- Wash the spinach well, then wilt it in a pan over a medium heat. Squeeze or drain away the excess water.
- In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the cooled wilted spinach, Parmesan, minced garlic and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.
- Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Spread the spinach and ricotta mixture over one half of the pastry sheet.
- Fold the pastry over the filling. Cut the filled pastry into strips, then twist each strip and place on parchment paper.
- Preheat the air fryer to 180°C. Arrange the twists in a single layer in the air fryer basket, then brush with beaten egg.
- Cook for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
Why this works in an air fryer
Air-fryer convection rapidly dries the pastry surface while the butter layers steam apart, giving lift and crispness. Squeezing the wilted spinach matters because ricotta is already moist; excess water turns to steam inside the twist and softens the laminated pastry instead of letting it flake.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 4–5 litre basket holding 5–6 twists with space between them; cook in batches if needed. In a single-drawer air fryer, rotate or swap front-to-back at 8 minutes for even colour. In a dual-zone model, split between drawers and check 2 minutes early, as smaller loads brown faster.
Common pitfalls
- Pale, greasy pastry at 12 minutes means the twists are too close together or the basket is overloaded; leave at least 1–2cm gaps and cook the next batch fewer at a time.
- Soggy seam or leaking white filling means the spinach was not squeezed dry enough; press it hard in a sieve or clean tea towel before mixing, and keep the filling away from the cut edges.
- Twists untwinding during cooking usually means the pastry became warm and slack; chill the shaped twists for 10 minutes before air frying and twist each strip firmly but without stretching it thin.
- Very dark ridges but doughy centres indicate the temperature is too high for the thickness of the twists; reduce to 170°C and add 3–4 minutes so the inner pastry can cook through.
Variations & substitutions
- Use frozen spinach instead of fresh, but thaw and squeeze it thoroughly; it is wetter than fresh wilted spinach and will otherwise make the pastry heavy.
- Swap ricotta for cream cheese for a denser, tangier filling; use slightly less because it softens quickly and can ooze from the twists.
- Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes or roasted peppers, patted dry first; they add sweetness but also extra surface moisture, so avoid overfilling.
- Replace Parmesan with mature Cheddar for a stronger savoury flavour; it melts more readily, so expect a little more bubbling at the edges.
Storage & reheating
Keep cooled twists in the fridge for up to 3 days, then reheat in the air fryer at 160°C for 4–6 minutes until the pastry feels crisp again.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
