Air fryer garlic parmesan twists start with a puff pastry sheet that’s slathered with cheesy garlic butter and topped with a sprinkle of chopped parsley followed by your choice of dipping sauce!
Why this recipe works
These parmesan twists are super simple to make. To make your life even easier, aside from using the air fryer, we’re making these breadsticks with a puff pastry sheet you can find in your local grocery store so you don’t have to worry about making your own dough (unless you want to!).
Parmesan twists are a quick and easy 4 ingredient appetizer or dinner side for all occasions. They’re full of flavor with a hint of spice from the chili flakes. SO good!
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
DOUGH – You’ll need a puff pastry sheet that you can find in the frozen section of your grocery store. Allow it to thaw before beginning. If you prefer, you can use a homemade dough like the one we use in our garlic parmesan rolls recipe. Though I haven’t tried it myself, I would imagine refrigerated biscuits would do the trick as well.
BUTTER AND HERBS – The butter sauce is made with parmesan, minced garlic, and parsley then seasoned with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. You may substitute out the parsley for your favorite herb, and omit the chili flakes if you don’t want the twists to have a slight kick of heat.
How to Make Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Twists
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup of the melted butter, parmesan, garlic, chili flakes, and parsley. Season with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- Unfold the puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface and cut in half with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
- Spread the cheesy garlic butter on to one half of the pastry. Cover with the other half pastry sheet.
- Roll out the pastry sheet to about 1/8 of an inch thickness. This will press the cheesy garlic butter into the pastry.
- Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the pastry into 1-inch wide strips.
- Gently twist the strips to make the curls.
- Place on the baking sheet and pop into the fridge for 30 minutes. This will help them puff up when cooking.
- Spray the Air Fryer basket with cooking spray and preheat Air Fryer to 375°F.
- Brush pastry twists with reserved 2 tbsp of melted butter.
- Carefully transfer pastry twists into the air fryer basket and cook for 8-10 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown. Depending on the size of the air fryer, you may have to do this in batches.
- When done you can brush with some more butter, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with sauce of choice.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
You can store leftovers in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, pop in a preheated air fryer at 375 °F for 2-3 mins.
Serving Suggestions
Serve parmesan twists hot and fresh from the air fryer alongside other appetizers or dinner. They’re great with a side of dipping sauce like garlic butter, marinara, or ranch and pair really well with soup like our Italian sausage tomato orzo soup or with homemade pizza.
Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry sheet thawed
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Topping
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted, for brushing on top of twists
- grated parmesan to taste
- fresh parsley chopped, to taste
Things You’ll Need
- Air fryer
- Baking sheets
Before You Begin
- To reheat, place twists back into a preheated air fryer at 375 for 2-3 minutes.
Instructions
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup of the melted butter, parmesan, chili flakes, garlic, and parsley. Season with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- Unfold the puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface and cut in half with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
- Spread the cheesy garlic butter on to one half of the pastry. Cover with the other half pastry sheet.
- Roll out the pastry sheet to about 1/8 of an inch thickness. This will press the cheesy garlic butter into the pastry.
- Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the pastry into 1-inch wide strips.
- Gently twist the strips to make the curls.
- Place on the baking sheet and pop into the fridge for 30 minutes. This will make them puff up better when cooking.
- Spray the Air Fryer basket with cooking spray and preheat Air Fryer to 375°F.
- Brush pastry twists with reserved 2 tbsp of melted butter.
- Carefully transfer pastry twists into the Air fryer basket and cook for 8-10 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown. Depending on the size of the Air Fryer, you may have to do this in batches.
- When done you can brush with some more butter, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with sauce of choice.
