These mini baklava cups taste like authentic baklava but are so much simpler! The mini fillo Shells come pre-baked and make the process way easy. I hope this delicious treat becomes a new holiday tradition for you.
Bring these to your Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s party and they will fly off the plate! They are easy to serve and your fingers stay clean.
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Baklava cups are completely cute and the flavor is fantastic! They are loaded with a blend of walnuts and pistachios. Feel free to create your own blend with different nuts like pecans, almonds, cashews, peanuts – any nut really! The syrup is made with honey and lemon which cut the sweetness and make these baklava cups perfectly moist and completely irresistible.
You can make these ahead up to 2 weeks and store refrigerated or at room temperature. See the awesome freezing tip at the bottom – it’s GENIUS!!
P.S. Want to know which tools we used to make this recipe? See the Amazon affiliate links in the instructions below.
Ingredients for Baklava Cups:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice (from 1/2 small lemon)
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup honey
2 packages (15 count, each) Athens® Mini Fillo Shells, frozen
2 cups nuts (I used 1 1/2 cups walnuts and 1/2 cup salted pistachios)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Melted chocolate chips to drizzle for garnish, optional
How to Make Baklava Cups:
Preheat Oven to 350˚F.
1. In a small saucepan, combine syrup ingredients: 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/3 cup water and 1/4 cup honey. Bring to a boil over med/high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved then reduce heat to low and keep at a light boil for 4 minutes without stirring. Remove syrup from heat and let cool at room temperature while preparing baklava cups.
2. In a food processor, pulse together 2 cups of nuts until coarsely chopped then transfer to a medium mixing bowl and stir in 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Add 3 Tbsp melted butter and stir to combine.
3. Arrange 30 mini frozen phyllo cups on a rimmed baking sheet and divide nut mixture evenly between the cups (about 2 teaspoons per cup), patting down the tops with your finger tips. Bake for 10 minutes at 350˚F.
Pro Tip: This mini cookie scoop made the portioning process easy!
4. Once mini baklava cups are baked, immediately spoon cooled syrup over the nuts, adding 1 tsp to each one to let the syrup soak in then repeating with another 1/2 teaspoon of syrup until all of the syrup is used up. Let rest at room temperature for 6 hours or overnight for the flavors to meld and the cups to soften.
Drizzle with chocolate to serve if desired. We like to drizzle on the melted chocolate then refrigerate so it firms up for easier serving.
Make-Ahead Instructions:
Cover and store baklava at room temperature up to 2 weeks. The Athens® packaging makes for excellent storage container of the baklava cups. To freeze: place baklava cups back into plastic tray and slide the tray into the packaging. Seal the ends of the package with tape and wrap the box with plastic wrap then freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving and will be just as good!
If you are looking for another freezer friendly dessert, we have frozen this entire cake. After thawing, it was just as amazing as fresh!
⬇Print-Friendly Baklava Cups Recipe:
Baklava Cups Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice, from 1/2 small lemon
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup honey
- 30 shells (2 boxes, 15 count each) Athens® Mini Fillo Shells
- 2 cups nuts, we used 1 1/2 cups walnuts + 1/2 cup salted pistachios
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips, melted to drizzle for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350˚F. In a small saucepan, combine syrup ingredients: 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/3 cup water and 1/4 cup honey. Bring to a boil over med/high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves then reduce heat and keep at a light boil for 4 min without stirring. Remove syrup from heat and let cool at room temperature while prepping baklava cups.
- In a food processor, pulse together 2 cups nuts to coarsely chop. Transfer to medium mixing bowl and stir in 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Add 3 Tbsp melted butter and stir to combine.
- Arrange 30 mini phyllo cups on rimmed baking sheet and divide nut mixture between the cups (about 2 tsp per cup), patting down the tops with your fingers. Bake 10 min at 350˚F.
- Once out of the oven, immediately spoon cooled syrup over nuts, adding 1 tsp to each one to let the syrup soak in then repeat with another 1/2 teaspoon of syrup until all syrup is used up. Let rest at room temperature for 6 hrs or overnight for flavors to meld and cups to soften. Serve as is or drizzled with chocolate.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Q: Have you tried the Mini Fillo Shells in any other recipes? We love the taste and texture of these shells and are always looking for new ideas.
P.S. If these mini baklava cups grace your holiday party platters, let me know!!
LOVE this dessert! What can I substitute for butter to make it dairy free? Thank you
Hi Ailuy, I haven’t experimented with dairy-free options but it can be done. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hello, because I am celiac, would you have something to replace the phyllo dough. Thank you
Hi Lise, phyllo is the main ingredient in this recipe. I believe there is a gluten-free option out there however I have not tested that to advise.
i found gluten free shells at whole food stores.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me Lise!
Hi Natasha,
Thank you for sharing all your recipes. My friends and family consider me a great cook, all thanks to you. I am from Australia and struggling to find phyllo shells. All I can find are sheets and not cups. Could you suggest an alternative.
Hi Charul, you might double-check with your local store website or call to see if they are sold in your country or not. You might check to see if you have sheets of phyllo instead to make a traditional baklava.
Hi Natasha, Thank you so much for posting this amazing recipe. My family and friends absolutely love it. It’s delicious, very easy to make. It’s a complete discovery for a Yammi dessert. Cannot wait to try other recipes from your page
I’m so glad your family has enjoyed this recipe, Irina! That’s so great!
Yum! I made these for company. We loved them.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
So, these were amazing. Anyone who asks how long they will keep has not made them. You will eat them all, one after the other. They are so delicious.
That’s exactly what happens in our home! Gone in a flash! Thank you for that awesome review, Darlene!
I have used your recipe for the last 4 years and it has never failed me yet – by far the best recipe I have used!!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Anne!
I need help with Baklava the top sheet always comes of after it is finished.what is it I do wrong. Please help. Thank you
Hi Brigitte, are you possibly using a larger dish or one that is wider at the top (which would cause the syrup to sink and not fully cover the baklava), in which case you would want to make just a little more syrup. Also, be sure to let the baklava rest for the specified time (or preferably overnight) before serving.
Easy and delicious!
Where can I purchase “Athens mini filo shells in Ontario. ?
Hi Nettie! We found it at our local grocery store. I recommend asking the associate or calling in to see if you local store carries that.
Hi Nettie, I live in Ontario and found mini shells at Highland Farm store. I was very happy, the quality and the brand is the same Natasha uses. Good luck!
Hi, Can I use lime or fresh orange juice instead of lemon juice?
HI Vanitha, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I can’t wait to make these for Christmas this year. I have one question, it says in the blog to store for 2 weeks at room temperature but then after the recipe in refrigerator. Also do you cover it with a tea towel as well as your regular baklava recipe or just in the boxes the cups came in? Thank you!
Yes, You can make these ahead up to 2 weeks and store refrigerated or at room temperature. A container will work to store these. You are more than welcome to freeze these if you choose to.
Hi Natasha:
Can you recommend any alternatives for granulated sugar that will work for this & your baklava recipe?
Hi Mattie, you could try all honey, but you would need a little less honey than sugar since honey is sweeter by volume 🙂
You could probably use splenda
I eat a low carb diet, so will substitute sugar with Swerve brand granulated erythritol. My grocery store Carrie’s it, as does WalMart, and of course. Amazon. It substitutes equal amounts os sugar for Swrrve . You could also substitute with Lakanto brand monk fruit sweetener.
Hi Natasha, I’m planning on making these for a Christmas party, do you think they’d be okay with some chopped dried cranberries? The ones without sugar added.
That sounds like a fun addition! I would love to know how you like that with the cranberries!
Oh I’m sorry! Please ignore my original comment – I’ve just seen the slider to change measurements 🙂
Another quick question though: can I use salted butter instead? Would it make sense to then use unsalted pistachios if I use salted butter? Thank you! 🙂
I haven’t tried it with salted butter, but the pistachios we used were salted!
Natasha, this recipe looks great, can’t wait to try it! Can I just simply halve all the quantities if I’m making just one box of the shells, so a 15 count only? Thanks!
You can definitely halve it if you’d like, Karishma!
I finally made these last night – love them! But we found the tang of the lemon to be coming through quite strong. It may have to do with me halving quantities exactly though.
My syrup did not thicken, why could this be ?
Hi Juliana, the word “syrup” is deceiving here because it is supposed to be fairly thin when adding it to the cups so the cups and nuts can absorb it. It is best to apply the syrup right away while the cups are hot out of the oven.
hello i ordered pre-baked mini cups can I just follow the recipe with stuffing? or it has to go in the oven for shorter amount of time? thx
Hi, these typically are pre-baked and not raw so yes proceed with the recipe as usual 🙂 I hope you love it!
omg i made it this morning n i had IT WITH TEA, TO DIE FOR thx for such a wonderful recipe
My pleasure! I’m glad you love it! 🙂
These are out of this world delicious! Also very easy to make, which is a huge plus. Is there a way to make them dairy free?
Thank you for the great review on these 😀. I haven’t experimented with dairy free options but it can be done.
How would you recommend to do it? coconut oil, or ..? I do not use margarine. Thanks again
Hi Ailuy, my first guess would be melted coconut oil substituting equal amounts. If you test this, let me know how you liked it 🙂
I found the cups in my local grocery store but they were not in the freezer, do I need to freeze them before filling? Should I adjust the cooking time if they’re not frozen?
Hi Beth, they do not need to be frozen before baking and there is no need to adjust baking time. I have only seen them in the freezer and as far as I know they should be kept frozen to store. Was it a different brand?
The Athens mini phyllo cups say they can be stored frozen or at room temperature. My local store had them in a display case in front of the frozen desserts. They were quite easy to work with!
That’s great to know! Thanks Karen!
I’ve also found these shells both ways: one store keeps them in the freezer while another has them displayed at room temperature.
I really liked your recipe, thank you!
You’re welcome Eugen! I’m happy to hear that!