Baklava
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Make the best baklava with layers of buttery, flaky phyllo, spiced walnuts, and a fragrant honey syrup that soaks into every delicious bite.
Baklava is a layered phyllo pastry filled with chopped nuts and drenched in a fragrant honey syrup. There are regional variations of this dessert all throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean, each with different combinations of nuts, spices, and flavorings. This baklava recipe comes from The Essential Jewish Baking Cookbook by Beth A. Lee. Originally from the kitchen of Sally Benveniste of Salonika, Greece, it is everything you want baklava to be—buttery, crisp, flaky, and satisfyingly sweet. The best part? It’s surprisingly easy to make with just a handful of ingredients.
When it comes to working with phyllo dough, don’t be intimidated. Found in the freezer section of most supermarkets, the paper-thin sheets might seem tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a breeze. Plus, once you’ve mastered it, you can use phyllo for other desserts, like apple strudel, or savory dishes like spanakopita.
Table of Contents
“I’ve been eating baklava for all my married life as my husband is from Macedonia, where this dessert is very popular…we both think it is the best baklava we’ve ever had.”
What You’ll Need To Make Baklava
- Walnuts – The heart of the filling, adding crunch and richness. If you don’t have walnuts on hand, pistachios can be substituted—or use a combo.
- Sugar – Sweetens the filling and the syrup, balancing the spices.
- Ground cinnamon and nutmeg – Warm, aromatic spices that give the filling its signature flavor.
- Honey – Essential for the syrup, giving the baklava its sticky sweetness.
- Fresh lemon juice – Adds a bright, tangy note to the syrup to balance the sweetness.
- Cinnamon stick & orange rind – These extras infuse the syrup with a subtle spiced citrus flavor.
- Unsalted butter – Brushed between the phyllo layers, making them golden and crispy.
- Phyllo dough – The delicate, paper-thin layers that create that signature flaky texture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Toast the Walnuts
Arrange the walnuts in a single layer on a parchment-covered baking sheet and bake until fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool until just warm to the touch.
Step 2: Make the Filling
In a food processor, combine the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Process until the nut mixture looks like sand and small pebbles. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and set aside.
Step 3: Make the Syrup
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, honey, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon stick (if using), and orange rind (if using).
Bring to a boil over medium heat (watch carefully so it doesn’t boil over), reduce the temperature to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Let the syrup cool until you are ready to use it.
Step 4: Assemble
Gently lay the phyllo on the work surface and, using a sharp knife, trim the sheets into 8 x 12-inch rectangles to fit the baking dish. (You can discard the portions you cut off.) Cover the phyllo with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out.
Brush melted butter on the bottom of the pan. Add the phyllo, 2 sheets at a time, drizzling with 2 to 3 teaspoons of butter after every 2 sheets.
When you get to the 14th sheet, add 1/3 of the filling (about 1-1/4 cups), spreading it evenly over the surface.
Add 6 more phyllo sheets, drizzling butter after every 2 and adding another third of the filling on top of the 6th. Repeat the 6 layers of phyllo and butter, and add the remaining third of the filling over top. Finish the layering as you started with 14 more layers of phyllo, buttering after every 2. Do not butter the top layer.
Step 5: Cut the Baklava
Using a very sharp knife, cut the baklava all the way through the layers. You can keep it simple and make 24 squares, or cut each square into a diamond. If any butter remains, spoon it into the cut lines.
Step 6: Bake the Baklava & Add the Syrup
Bake the baklava for 40 to 45 minutes. The top should be golden brown, and you should hear it bubbling. Let the baklava cool for 5 minutes; then use a spoon to drizzle the syrup into all of the cuts. Allow the baklava to cool completely before enjoying, a few hours or overnight.
How To Store Baklava
The baklava can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer storage, the baklava can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Video Tutorial
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Baklava
Make the best baklava with layers of buttery, flaky phyllo, spiced walnuts, and a fragrant honey syrup that soaks into every delicious bite.
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 4 cups walnuts
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- Big pinch salt
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
- 2 strips orange rind (optional)
For the Dough
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 to 2 (16-oz) packages store-bought phyllo dough, thawed (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the filling: Arrange the walnuts in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake until fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. (Leave the oven on to bake the baklava.) Let the walnuts cool until just warm to the touch. In a food processor, combine the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and process until the mixture looks like sand and small pebbles. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and set aside.
- Make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, honey, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon stick (if using), and orange rind (if using). Bring to a boil over medium heat (watch carefully so it doesn't boil over), reduce the temperature to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Let the syrup cool until you are ready to use it.
- Prep: Near a flat, clean work surface, place a 9x13-inch baking dish, a pastry brush, and the melted butter. Gently lay the phyllo on the work surface and, using a sharp knife, trim the sheets into 8x12-inch rectangles to fit the baking dish. (You can discard the portions you cut off.) Cover the phyllo with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out.
- Assemble the baklava: Brush melted butter on the bottom of the pan. Add the phyllo, 2 sheets at a time, drizzling with 2 to 3 teaspoons of butter after every 2 sheets. When you get to the 14th sheet, add ⅓ of the filling (about 1¼ cups), spreading it evenly over the surface. Then add 6 more phyllo sheets, drizzling butter after every 2 and adding another third of the filling on top of the 6th. Repeat the 6 layers of phyllo and butter, and add the remaining third of the filling over top. Finish the layering as you started with 14 more layers of phyllo, buttering after every 2. Do not butter the top layer.
- Score: To cut the baklava, use a very sharp knife and cut all the way through the layers. You can keep it simple and make 24 squares, or cut each square into a diamond. If this is your first time making baklava, start with the squares to get used to cutting the phyllo. If any butter remains, spoon it into the cut lines.
- Bake: Bake the baklava for 40 to 45 minutes. The top should be golden brown, and you should hear it bubbling.
- Add the syrup: Let the baklava cool for 5 minutes; then use a spoon to drizzle the syrup into all of the cuts. Allow the baklava to cool completely before enjoying, a few hours or overnight.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The baklava can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer storage, the baklava can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Note: The number of sheets of phyllo dough in each package varies by brand (and even by box). You will need a total of 40 sheets of phyllo dough for this recipe. Frozen phyllo dough should be thawed in the refrigerator 12 to 24 hours before using.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (24 servings)
- Serving size: 1 piece baklava
- Calories: 199
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Sugar: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 99 mg
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This was the best Baklava that I have ever had and my guest said the same thing. My question is does it need to have all the butter added and all the syrup? I did add all the butter putting the extra in the cuts like instructed but didn’t use all the syrup and felt like I could have cut back even more. Your thoughts?
Hi Susan, so glad you liked it! You can cut back on the butter if you’d like and kind of add it by feel. And if you didn’t mind the reduced syrup and feel like you could reduce it even more, that should be fine – just don’t cut it back too much.
Is there anyway to make this without sugar? Just honey or what alternative could we use to replace the sugar?
I’m not sure there’s a great way to go about this without using sugar. If you used all honey, it would have a very strong flavor and be way too sweet. Sorry!