Do you remember the first time you ever tasted a recipe that was made with phyllo dough? If you’re like most of us, it was an unforgettable experience.
What is phyllo dough? Phyllo dough is a thin dough that’s unleavened. A lot of Balkan and Middle Eastern cuisines make use of phyllo dough. It’s not clear where phyllo dough originated because lots of different cultures claim the credit. All we know is that anything made with phyllo is delicious.
Phyllo dough recipes are melt-in-your-mouth delicious and it has to do with the delicate flaky texture of phyllo dough (sometimes called filo dough or filo pastry).
Phyllo dough, also known as filo dough, is a delicate, paper-thin pastry that can be used to create a variety of sweet and savory dishes. This versatile dough is a favorite ingredient in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, where it forms the base for popular treats like baklava and spanakopita. In this article, we’ll explore the world of phyllo dough recipes, providing ideas and inspiration for both classics and inventive new creations.
If you’ve never worked with phyllo dough before, don’t be intimidated. Although it may seem delicate, it’s actually quite forgiving once you get the hang of it. The key to success is to keep the dough moist and pliable by covering it with a damp towel as you work. Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals of phyllo, you’ll be well on your way to creating a variety of delicious dishes to impress your friends and family.
Key Takeaways
Phyllo dough is a versatile ingredient for sweet and savory recipes
Mastering the fundamentals of working with phyllo opens up a world of possibilities for delicious dishes
This article provides ideas and inspiration for classic and unique phyllo dough recipes
Whether you’re looking for phyllo dough dessert recipes, appetizers, or entrees, there is something on this list of our favorite phyllo dough recipes.
From baklava rolls to Greek spanakopita, and from breakfast ideas to dinner desserts, we’ve got you covered. Let’s dive in and explore the world of phyllo dough!
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to get tons of nutritious greens into your family’s diet, you’ve got to give this spinach, feta, and dill appetizer a try. This dish also makes a great brunch dish.
Besides the four pounds of fresh leafy spinach in these squares, you will love the flavor of the fresh dill and scallions.
A galette is a pie that tends to have a rustic look because the crust is turned over to keep all of the goodness inside the pie.
When you use phyllo pastry to make a pie, you know it’s going to be so deliciously flaky. Why not use frozen phyllo dough to make apple pie? It tastes even better than apple strudel.
To make this pie, use Granny Smith apples for their tartness, which will be beautifully balanced out by the brown sugar.
Cinnamon and nutmeg add wonderful flavors, and the lemon juice keeps the apples from browning (and adds the perfect zing).
These little chocolate-filled phyllo triangles will remind you of the classic French dessert, pain au chocolat.
This phyllo triangle recipe calls for dark chocolate, chopped semisweet chocolate, or cooled ganache. However, imagine what these would taste like if you filled them with Nutella.
Basically, any type of creamy chocolate filling would make these little triangles absolutely perfect.
When they are finished cooking, dust them with cinnamon sugar for tons of flavor.
Once you have this recipe down, you can experiment and use different types of filling.
This is a great recipe to have on hand for after you’ve made spanakopita and want to use up your remaining phyllo dough.
This decadent dessert is made with phyllo that has been shredded and formed into what turns out to be a deliciously moist cake.
Basically, you can stuff kunafa with nearly anything and make it either savory or sweet. This particular recipe is a sweet kunafa that’s drizzled with a delightfully fragrant simple syrup made from orange blossom water or rose water, honey, and lime juice.
The cream filling is made from sweet cheese and milk.
When you’re preparing snacks and appetizers with phyllo dough, you don’t just have a phyllo sheet or homemade phyllo to work with. You can also buy these little phyllo cups that are pre-made. They’re the perfect size for making bite-sized tarts.
This recipe makes use of cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla to create a creamy filling. You can even use lower-fat cream cheese if you’re trying to cut calories.
Simply pipe the filling into the cups and top it with whatever fruit you like. We love how these individual berries look.
There’s nothing better than fresh tomatoes, especially when they are heirloom tomatoes.
If you’re lucky enough to have access to these beautiful tomatoes, you can use some to make a fancy tomato phyllo tart.
To make this tart, phyllo dough sheets are spread with lemon-flavored ricotta cheese. The phyllo dough is brushed with garlic-flavored olive oil, and you can even use melted butter if you prefer that.
Fresh parsley, fresh basil, and chopped chives perfectly season this light tart. Be sure to reserve some of the parsley and basil for a gorgeous garnish.
There are times in life when nothing but a tart will do, and that’s where these cute little phyllo cup appetizers come in.
You can think of these little bacon, apple, and cheese tarts as something similar to crackers and a cheeseball, but they’re bite-sized and oh so delicious.
To make these cheese and bacon tarts, you need a gala apple, baked and chopped crispy bacon, and chopped fresh chives for garnish.
This appetizer gets a nice kick from a dash of hot sauce. Goat cheese and gouda cheese bring all of the cheesy goodness.
Asparagus is the king of vegetables, so it’s only natural to pair this delicious seasonal green vegetable with phyllo dough.
These tartlets are perfect when asparagus is in season. You’re going to do a quick saute with the asparagus, adding a splash of fresh lemon juice as you saute the spears.
Be sure to cut off the woody stems from the asparagus so that you’re getting just the tender parts.
These tarts are seasoned with fresh dill and garlic, and the feta cheese and half and half make them creamy as can be.
Greek zucchini phyllo pie is also called Kolokithopita and this dish is the perfect summer comfort food.
Combining zucchini with onions, herbs, feta cheese, olive oil, and eggs (or egg whites), this dish can stand alone as a main course meal or serve as the perfect side dish.
This recipe for Kolokithopita gets tons of flavor from the feta cheese, but the fresh dill and fresh mint send the flavors over the top.
With the eggs and olive oil, this dish with flaky pastry is super filling but light enough to not make you feel you’ve stuffed yourself.
A list of phyllo dough desserts wouldn’t be complete without Lebanese shaabiyat. This traditional dish from Lebanon is known as Warbat, and it’s a popular Middle-Eastern dessert.
The filling of shaabiyat is made with a sweet cheese called ashta. Ashta is made with whole milk, heavy cream, cornstarch, and sugar that is all whisked together over medium heat until it gets thick.
This phyllo dessert gets tons of flavor from the delicate rosewater and orange blossom water.
Crushed green pistachios are used to garnish this gorgeous dessert.
What’s better than baked brie? How about brie baked in phyllo dough? Count us in!
To make this delicious appetizer, use a French brie wheel to start. You’re going to remove the brie from its casing and wrap the brie in the phyllo dough to bake it.
When you’re ready to serve this decadent dish, serve it with crackers and preserves.
To make this even more delicious, you can wrap some cranberries up with the brie before baking it and add a dash of fresh rosemary for seasoning.
To add some interest to this simple but elegant dish, feel free to add in some other winter vegetables such as potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and more. Toss in a handful of walnuts for some extra protein and texture.
You can also brush the veggies with olive oil to make them crispier.
When this dish is finished cooking, drizzle it with some warm honey and serve with a fresh green salad.
If you love the idea of hand pies (also known as hot pockets), you will fall in love with these delicious little Greek phyllo triangles that are loaded with cheese and eggs.
These popular little phyllo triangles are great for snacks, but they also make the ideal light meal for breakfast or brunch.
One thing we really love about tiropi8tas is that they freeze beautifully. You can make them in advance and have them on hand for yourself or your guests to enjoy.
This recipe calls for cottage cheese and feta cheese.
Anytime you can bring figs and goat cheese together, it’s time for a party.
One thing we love about pre-made phyllo cups is that they’re so easy to use to make quick appetizers and desserts.
These cute and delicate little cups are used to spoon the goat cheese into. Then, you bake the cups on a baking sheet until the goat cheese is nice and soft.
The fig flavor comes from spicy fig jam. It just doesn’t get any easier than this.
You can also use other flavors of jam to create an array of different tastes.
How do warm pockets of super crispy phyllo and explosions of blueberry flavor sound to you?
These rolls are made with a blueberry compote. You can use fresh blueberries, but the beauty of this recipe is that it works equally well with frozen blueberries.
The balsamic vinegar adds a wonderful and interesting flavor, and the lemon provides some nice zing.
While they are still warm, sprinkle your rolls with powdered sugar.
You can serve these gorgeous little rolls as a dessert or for brunch. Either way, they will disappear quickly.
If you’re looking for an appetizer or dessert that is like candy, give these delicious walnut and date phyllo rolls a try.
Flaky phyllo dough is stuffed with orange peel, walnuts, dates, and cardamom for an absolutely luxurious dessert.
Whole-milk Greek yogurt makes these perfect and the orange peel brings out so much of the flavor of the dates. The honey gives them a delicate sweetness.
Uniquely seasoned with cardamom seeds, these treats will give you something different to offer at a holiday party.
Very similar in flavor to baklava, this traditional Greek dessert has fewer layers.
For this pie, the nut and honey filling is evenly and thickly spread between two sheets of phyllo dough. The result is a luxurious pie.
This pie boasts three different types of nuts: black walnuts, chopped pistachios, and chopped pecans.
The seasoning comes from the butter, but also from cinnamon and sea salt.
To make this pie extra special, serve it with the honey syrup that’s in the recipe. Use wildflower honey, sugar, and vanilla extract for an unforgettable experience.
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
