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Pasta, noodles & bread · Pastry & wrappers

Filo pastry

Paper-thin sheets of unleavened wheat dough, brushed with fat and layered to bake shatteringly crisp.

Also called: phyllo, filo, yufka (thin), fillo

12 recipes with it

What it is

Filo (phyllo) is a dough of flour, water and a little oil or vinegar stretched or rolled into near-transparent sheets. It contains almost no fat itself; crispness comes from brushing each layer with butter or oil. It differs from puff pastry, which is laminated with butter and rises into flaky layers. Turkish yufka is thicker and sturdier.

How it’s used

  • Baklava
  • Spanakopita and börek
  • Bastilla
  • Filo-topped pies and parcels
  • Strudel-style rolls

Characteristics

Texture
Shatteringly crisp and flaky when baked.
When cooked
Dries and cracks in minutes; keep unused sheets under a damp cloth over cling film and brush each layer with fat.
Sold as
frozen, fresh
Cooking uses
Suitable for baking, Suitable for frying

Storage

Frozen. Keep frozen; thaw overnight in the fridge still sealed. Once opened, wrap tightly and use within a few days.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Wheat, Gluten.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Contains wheat and gluten; unsuitable for people with coeliac disease or a wheat allergy.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
299 kcal
Protein
7.1 g
Carbohydrate
52.6 g
Fat
6 g
Fibre
1.9 g
Sugars
0.18 g

USDA FoodData Central: Phyllo dough.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

Related ingredients

Recipes with filo pastry

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