Baklava Recipe

This honey baklava is flaky, crisp and tender and I love that it isn’t overly sweet. It’s basically a party in your mouth. I am a huge fan of baklava and this is the BEST baklava recipe I have ever tried. Hands down.

You will love the hint of mellow lemony flavor which offsets the sweetness and compliments the cinnamon. It’s truly delicious.

Store-bought baklava has nothing on this and trust me, I’ve been around the block when shopping for baklava. This baklava recipe is well loved wherever it goes and it is definitely a reader and family favorite!

Baklava Recipe

This baklava is flaky, crisp, tender and perfectly balanced with the honey-lemon syrup. This homemade baklava is so much better than any store-bought version.

Prep: 60min

Total: 135min

Yield: 30

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 255 kcal, Carbohydrate 21 g, Protein 3 g, Fat 18 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 20 mg, Sodium 74 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 11 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 16 oz phyllo dough (thawed by package instructions)
• 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter (10 oz or 2 1/2 sticks, melted)
• 1 lb walnuts, finely chopped ((about 4 cups))
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice (juice of 1/2 lemon)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup honey
• Melted chocolate chips & chopped walnuts for garnish (optional)

Instruction:

1. Butter the bottom and sides of a 13×9 non-stick baking pan.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over med/high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat to med/low and boil additional 4 min without stirring. Remove from heat and let syrup cool while preparing baklava.
3. Remove from oven and immediately spoon cooled syrup evenly over the hot baklava (you’ll hear it sizzle). This will ensure that it stays crisp rather than soggy. Let baklava cool completely, uncovered and at room temp. For best results, let baklava sit 4-6 hours or overnight at room temperature for the syrup to penetrate and soften the layers. Garnish baklava with finely chopped nuts or drizzle with melted chocolate. Store at room temp, covered with a tea towel for 1 to 2 weeks.

Baklava Recipe- How to Make Baklava

My family’s secret baklava recipe combines layers of honey-soaked crisp phyllo pastry and a cinnamon-scented nut mixture with pistachios, walnuts, and hazelnut. Baklava is the perfect make-ahead dessert because it’s even better the next day! Be sure to read through for tips and watch the video to make it.

Prep: 30min

Total: 1h10min

Yield: 24

Nutrition Facts: servingSize None, calories 229 calories, Sugar 14.2 g, Sodium 93.6 mg, Fat 14.5 g, Saturated Fat 4.5 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Carbohydrate 23.7 g, Fiber 1.9 g, Protein 3.4 g, Cholesterol 15.3 mg

Ingredients:

• 6 oz shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 6 oz walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 6 oz hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 to 2 tbsp ground cinnamon (start with less if you’re not sure)
• large pinch of ground cloves
• 16-oz package phyllo dough, thawed
• 1 1/2 to 2 sticks of unsalted butter (up to 16 tbsp), melted
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 cup honey
• 1 tbsp orange extract (optional)
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 lemon, juice of

Instruction:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat stove-top, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Add the honey, orange extract if using, and whole cloves; stir to mix. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and let simmer for about 25 minutes. Remove syrup from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Add lemon juice. Remove the whole cloves.
3. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, add the pistachios, walnut, and hazelnuts. Pulse a few times to chop. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add sugar, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Mix well to combine.
4. Unroll the thawed phyllo pastry and place the sheets in between two clean kitchen towels. This will help keep the phyllo from breaking while you work.
5. Prepare a 9”x 13”x 2” baking pan. Brush the interior of the baking pan with some of the melted butter. To assemble the baklava, take one sheet of phyllo and place it in the pan (for this size pan, I typically fold my phyllo sheet in half, and it fits perfectly. You can also do a bit of trimming using a pair of kitchen shears). Brush the top of the phyllo sheet with the melted butter.
6. Repeat this process a few more times until you have used up about 1/3 of the phyllo pastry, each layer being brushed with the melted butter.
7. Now, distribute about ½ of the nut mixture evenly over the top layer of phyllo.
8. Continue assembling the baklava, one sheet of phyllo pastry at a time using another 1/3 of the phyllo. Again, brush each layer with a bit of the melted butter.
9. Distribute the remaining ½ of the nut mixture evenly over the top layer of phyllo.
10. Finish the remaining 1/3 of the phyllo pastry following the same process, laying one folded sheet at a time and brushing each layer with melted butter. Brush the very top sheet of phyllo with butter.
11. Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into 24 diamond shaped pieces (you can get up to 36 smaller pieces). (Review the tutorial above to see how I cut baklava).
12. Place the baking dish on the middle rack of your heated oven. Bake anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes or until the top of the baklava turns golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. (IMPORTANT…Because ovens vary, be sure to check your baklava half-way through baking).
13. As soon as you remove the baklava from the oven, pour the cooled syrup all over the hot baklava.
14. Allow baklava to sit for a few hours before serving or for at least 1 hour. Cut through the earlier marked pieces. Serve with a garnish of chopped pistachios, if you like.

Baklava

This heavenly baklava combines honey-soaked layers of flaky phyllo pastry with spiced walnuts. It’s a great make-ahead dessert!

Prep: 30min

Total: 80min

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 215 kcal, Carbohydrate 21 g, Protein 2 g, Fat 14 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 13 mg, Sodium 123 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 13 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 16 oz walnuts
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom ((or ground cloves))
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 16 oz phyllo dough* (thawed)
• 1 cup butter (melted)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup good quality honey**
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 strip orange peel
• 1 strip lemon peel

Instruction:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pulse the walnuts in a food processor with the cinnamon, cardamom, and salt until well chopped.
3. To assemble the baklava, place 8 layers of phyllo dough one-by-one on the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan, brushing each lightly with butter.
4. Spread 1/5 of the walnut mixture evenly on top (about 2/3 cup).
5. Add another 5 layers of phyllo one-by-one, brushing each with butter, then add another layer of nuts. The total sequence should be phyllo layers of 8,5,5,5,5,8, with nuts in between those layers.
6. Using a sharp knife, cut the baklava into whatever shape you desire (diamonds, squares, triangles, etc). See blog post for picture.
7. Bake the baklava for 50 minutes, until golden on the edges and tops. Then let cool for at least 15 minutes.
8. In the meantime, bring all the syrup ingredients to a boil in a saucepan, then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.
9. Remove the citrus peels and cinnamon stick, and pour the hot syrup evenly over the baklava.
10. Let the baklava cool completely at room temperature for 8 hours (uncovered, to prevent sogginess). Then it’s ready to enjoy!

Baklava

Baklava is yummy, but it’s yummiest when it’s homemade. Learn how to make baklava right here using Ree Drummond’s easy, delicious recipe.

Prep: 20min

Total: 1h5min

Yield: 16 serving(s)

Ingredients:

• 1 package phyllo dough
• 4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 2 c. honey
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 3 tsp. vanilla extract

Instruction:

1. Remove phyllo dough package from freezer and place in the fridge for 24 hours to thaw. Remove from fridge 1 hour before using.
2. When working with the phyllo dough, only remove the sheets you immediately need, keeping the other sheets covered in plastic wrap, then a damp cloth.
3. Toss together the chopped walnuts and cinnamon. Set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 1/2 stick of the butter in a small saucepan and butter a rectangular baking pan. Make sure the sheets of phyllo will generally fit the pan (if they’re a little bigger, that’s okay.) If they’re much bigger, just trim them with a sharp knife.
5. Butter the top sheet of phyllo with melted butter, then grab it and the unbuttered sheet below it. Set the 2 sheets in the pan, buttered sheet face down. Press lightly into the pan. Repeat this twice more, so that you have 6 sheets of phyllo in the pan, three of the sheets buttered.
6. Sprinkle on enough walnuts to make a single layer. Butter 2 sheets of phyllo and place them on top of the walnuts. Add more walnuts, then 2 more buttered phyllo sheets. Repeat this a couple more times, or until you’re out of walnuts. Top with 4 more buttered phyllo sheets, ending with a buttered top. Cut a diagonal diamond pattern in the baklava using a very sharp knife.
7. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the baklava is very golden brown.
8. While the baklava is baking, combine the remaining 1 stick of butter, honey, water, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
9. When you remove the baklava from the oven, drizzle half the saucepan evenly all over the top. Allow it to sit and absorb for a minute, then drizzle on a little more until you think it’s thoroughly moistened. You’ll likely have some of the honey mixture leftover, which you can drink with a straw. Just kidding.
10. Allow the baklava to cool, uncovered, for several hours. Once cool and sticky and divine, carefully remove them from the pan and serve with coffee (or give as gifts!)

Easy Authentic Baklava At Home (2 Ways)

FAQ

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