Making baklava might sound complicated, but with this easy recipe you can serve a tray of delicious homemade baklava right from your own kitchen.
Baklava isn’t just incredibly delicious, it’s also one of those desserts that always impresses friends and family. The best part? It’s surprisingly easy and fun to make yourself.
Baklava is a crispy, sweet pastry made from many layers of buttery phyllo dough with a nut filling in between. Once baked, it’s drenched in a sweet syrup.
The dessert has its roots in Greece, Turkey, and other Middle Eastern countries, with each region offering its own variation.
For example, Turkish baklava is often made with pistachios and a sugar syrup without honey. Some versions are flavored with orange blossom water or rose water.
With this recipe, you’ll make the most delicious homemade baklava: crispy layers of phyllo dough, a rich walnut filling, and a fragrant honey-lemon syrup that brings everything together.
This recipe is inspired by Greek baklava, which traditionally features walnuts, cinnamon, and honey. Keep reading for more variation ideas!
Making baklava is all about layering. A good baklava can easily contain 20 to 30 layers of phyllo dough, sometimes even more.
Each sheet of phyllo is brushed with melted butter before adding the next layer. The butter is what creates those wonderfully crisp, flaky layers.
Every few layers you’ll add a generous layer of finely chopped nuts. Just remember: phyllo dough dries out very quickly, so always keep the unused sheets covered with a damp kitchen towel while you work.
Baking Tip: Since every sheet of phyllo gets brushed with melted butter, a good pastry brush is essential for making baklava.
Melt the butter and let it cool down. Crush the nuts with some cinnamon
Brush the baking dish with butter and make sure all phyllo dough is the right size for your tin
Place one phyllo dough sheet and brush with butter. Repeat until you have 7 sheets lined up
Divide 1/3 of the walnuts equally over the phyllo. Add another 5 sheets of phyllo on top
Baklava is best stored outside the refrigerator in a cool, dark place.
Stored in an airtight container, baklava will keep for up to one week at room temperature.
Baklava freezes well, although I haven’t tested it myself. Stored airtight, it should keep for up to 3 months. Keep in mind that it may lose some of its crispness after thawing.
Phyllo dough is incredibly versatile and can be used for both sweet and savory recipes. You can find more pastry recipes here or check a few of my favorites below.
Absolutely! Replace the walnuts with pistachios using the same amount. If you do, I’d recommend leaving out the cinnamon.
Definitely. Walnuts and pistachios are a wonderful combination, and walnuts pair beautifully with pecans as well.
Stir it into the syrup after removing it from the heat.
Keep in mind that rose water is usually more potent than orange blossom water, so use it sparingly.
As a guideline:
I used a 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch) baking dish, but in hindsight I would choose a ceramic or glass baking dish instead of a non-stick baking pan.
Since you score the baklava before baking, you’ll be cutting directly against the surface of the dish. A ceramic or glass baking dish is therefore the better option.
I wouldn’t recommend it. Once baked, the pastry becomes very crisp and fragile, making it difficult to cut into clean pieces.
There are several possible reasons:
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