Air fryer Pret ham & cheese croissant copycat recipe so good it's 'dangerous'

has become the king of morning coffees and breakfasts on-the-go, but one creator has shared a foolproof for recreating one of its most popular pastries at home. Saskia revealed that one particular pastry from the coffee chain is her “absolute kryptonite”.

Pret’s ham and cheese croissant is packed full of rich smoky bacon, cured ham, Emmental cheese, and a hearty tomato sauce. Instead of forking out for one of these every morning, Saskia has perfected her own homemade version which can be whipped up in no time at all.

Saskia explained: “The ham and cheese pret pastries are my absolute kryptonite. I cannot walk past a Pret without grabbing one, so I made sure to stock my freezer full of these copycats for easy postpartum brekkies.

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“I scoured the ingredients on the website to make sure I was getting it right - they have a bacon lardon tomato sauce and then ham on top (silly me thought they just had a slab of bacon) and these are absolute heaven. Freeze them raw then chuck in the oven or air fryer for 12-15 mins (beware they get MOLTEN hot, so you’ll have to let them calm down a bit before you can tuck in).

In the video, Saskia said: “I’m dangerously obsessed with the Pret Ham and Cheese pastry, and I have nailed this recipe for you guys. They’re the first thing I decided to stock my postpartum freezer with because they’re quick and easy as a breakfast or lunch option to eat one-handed.”

Saskia uses smoky bacon in the tomato sauce, using Emmental cheese and gooey mozzarella “just like they do in store”. She continued: “These are perfect to cook from frozen.”

What’s even better is that you can whip these up in the air fryer in just 15 minutes. Pret fans shared their praise for her recipe.

Pierce wrote: “Omg amazing, thank you for this! I've nearly gone bankrupt buying them so much.”

Charlotte agreed: “Oh my god you’re doing the lords work by posting this.”

Lydia simply said, “This is genius,” while Char commented, “I built this fyp brick by brick. I think about these so often. I love them. And now I love you for doing this for me.”

So if you’re keen to recreate one of Pret’s most popular pastries at home, this is what you’ll need.

Ham & Cheese Croissants

Ingredients

• 200g smoked bacon lardons
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon herbes de provence
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 2 x 400g tins of mutti finely chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 2 x sheets of ready to roll puff pastry
• 2 x packets of thick sliced ham
• 2 x packets of sliced cheese (Emmental/mozzarella or both)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten

Method

Fry the bacon lardons until golden and crisp. Add the onion and carrot and sweat for five to ten minutes until soft.

Add garlic and herbs and cook for a minute, before adding the tomato puree and cooking out for two minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, sugar and vinegar and leave to bubble away for 15 to 20 minutes. Season to taste.

Cut the puff pastry into six rectangles per sheet, and score an internal rectangle around the edge of each.

Spread a few tablespoons of the tomato sauce, top with a slice of ham and cheese, then tuck two opposite corners together to enclose the centre of the filling. Egg wash and season generously with fresh black pepper.

Either freeze on a flat tray and cook from frozen (15 minutes in an air fryer at 180*C or 12 minutes if cooking fresh).