Air Fryer Recipe
Spinach and Feta Stuffed Croissants
Spinach and Feta Stuffed Croissants make a simple, tasty breakfast or brunch, and they come together with very little fuss in the air fryer.
Ingredients
- 1 tube of pre-made croissant dough
- 100g of fresh spinach, chopped
- 100g of feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 egg (optional, for egg wash)
Method
- Warm the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then sauté the minced garlic until it smells fragrant.
- Add the chopped spinach and cook until it has wilted, then take the pan off the heat and leave it to cool.
- Stir the crumbled feta cheese into the cooled spinach.
- Unroll the croissant dough and separate it into triangles.
- Spoon a little of the spinach and feta mixture onto the wider end of each triangle.
- Roll the dough up towards the tip to make a croissant shape, tucking in the sides if needed.
- Optional: Beat an egg and brush it over the croissants for a shiny glaze.
- Preheat the air fryer to 180°C (356°F).
- Set the croissants in the air fryer in a single layer.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Why this works in an air fryer
Air-fryer convection rapidly dries the laminated dough surface, so the butter/fat layers separate and brown before the spinach filling can leak steam into the pastry. Cooling and draining the spinach matters: excess water turns the inner layers gummy, while feta’s salt and acidity sharpen the filling without needing long cooking.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 4–5 litre basket holding 4 croissants with space between them; in a single-drawer model cook in batches rather than crowding, while in a dual-zone fryer use one zone per batch and start checking 1–2 minutes earlier as smaller drawers often brown faster at the edges.
Common pitfalls
- Pale tops but dark bases at 10 minutes? The heat is too concentrated underneath; lower to 170°C and cook 2–3 minutes longer, or use perforated parchment to soften base browning.
- Dough split open and filling visible? The spoonful was too large or too wet; use less filling, squeeze cooled spinach well, and pinch the side seams before rolling.
- Centres look doughy when cut despite a golden outside? The croissants were packed too close or very cold; leave wider gaps and add 2 minutes at 160–170°C to finish the middle without over-browning.
- Feta leaking and sizzling in the basket? The cheese pieces are too exposed near the edges; keep filling on the wide end, roll tightly, and tuck the tips underneath to seal.
Variations & substitutions
- Use frozen spinach if thawed and squeezed very dry; it is denser than fresh spinach, so use a slightly smaller spoonful to avoid a damp centre.
- Swap feta for goat’s cheese for a creamier filling; it melts more readily, so seal the croissants carefully and check for leakage after 8 minutes.
- Add chopped dill, parsley or spring onion; herbs add moisture only lightly, so timing stays the same if they are finely chopped.
- Use puff pastry triangles instead of croissant dough for a crisper, flakier result; expect slightly faster browning, so start checking at 8–9 minutes.
Storage & reheating
Keep cooled croissants in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days, then reheat in the air fryer at 160°C for 3–5 minutes until the pastry re-crisps and the filling is hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
