This Baklava is flaky, crisp, and tender, and easier to make than you think. I share my authentic Greek Baklava Recipe below with step-by-step directions that are easy to follow. Make this dessert and be prepared for oo’s and ahh’s, because this is the BEST baklava recipe I have ever tried.
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Helpful Reader Review
“Love this recipe. I am Greek, but my baklava never turned out this good. I made your recipe for my husband’s family reunion. They were so impressed by how delicious it was. They said the syrup wasn’t too sweet like other baklava recipes and it’s the best they ever tasted.” – Tina ★★★★★
Baklava Video
Baklava can be a little tedious to make, but it’s truly simpler than you think. Watch my video, and you’ll be confidently buttering layers in no time! If you want a sneaky shortcut version, try my Baklava Cups.
Best Baklava Recipe
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 with so many 5-star reviews, it is definitely a reader and family favorite! It’s also make-ahead and freezer-friendly, which is perfect for holiday baking.
My baklava recipe comes out beautifully flaky, buttery, and crisp. The flavor is incredible, since this one is not too sweet. You will love the hint of mellow lemony flavor, which offsets the sweetness and complements the cinnamon. It also keeps well for over a week on the counter, making it a great option to make ahead.
Baklava Ingredients
While this recipe is a Classic Greek Baklava, other varieties, such as Lebanese and Turkish recipes, swap the walnuts for pistachios and include rose water. My Baklava recipe calls for simple ingredients, most of which you can find in your pantry.
- Phyllo (fillo) dough – one 16oz package should have about 40 total paper-thin sheets. Do not use the thick sheets of fillo dough for this recipe. They are sold in the freezer section of the grocery store. Thaw according to the package instructions.
- Unsalted Butter – don’t skimp here! This keeps the fillo dough from peeling away.
- Walnuts – finely chop. You can swap them for almonds, pistachios, or a mix of nuts.
- Cinnamon – adds a great hint of flavor that’s traditional for Baklava
- Syrup ingredients – sugar, lemon juice, water, and honey
- Garnish – drizzle with melted chocolate or Chocolate Ganache, and chopped walnuts
How To Make Baklava
While it takes time to brush each layer, the result is worth every moment! Don’t skim on the butter, and you will be rewarded.
- Thaw phyllo dough in the refrigerator per the package instructions, then place it covered on the counter for 1 hour to bring to room temperature.
- Trim the phyllo dough to fit your 9×13 pan, covering it with a damp (not wet) towel to keep from drying out.
- Grease – use butter to coat the sides and bottom of a 13×9 non-stick baking pan. You can line it with parchment paper so you don’t damage it with your knife when slicing later.
- Make the honey syrup – heat the syrup ingredients in a medium saucepan while stirring until it boils, and then reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to cook for 4 more minutes without stirring. Set aside to cool.
- Chop Walnuts – pulse walnuts in a food processor until finely chopped, and then mix with cinnamon.
How to Assemble the Baklava
- 10 Layers – Preheat oven to 325°F. Start layering the phyllo dough, brushing each sheet with butter as you place it in the pan. Repeat this until you’ve added 10 layers. Then sprinkle 3/4 cup of walnuts over the top.
- 5 Layers – add 5 more sheets, buttering between each one, and then another layer of walnuts. Repeat this 3 more times. Finally, add 10 more layers of buttered dough on top.
- Cut the dessert into strips using a sharp knife, and then cut across to make diamonds. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Add syrup – spoon cooled syrup over the Baklava right after removing it from the oven. It should sizzle. Leave it uncovered on the counter to cool completely (4 hours or overnight). Then store covered with a tea towel for up to a week.
Tips for Making the Best Baklava
Follow these simple tips to make homemade baklava easy.
- Use a 13×9 pan with straight corners that fits the pastry to the edges. Avoid pans with angled corners that fan out, as they can cause the syrup to pool at the edges and make the top of the baklava dry. If you choose a larger pan, increase the syrup amount by 25% so you don’t run out. You can also cut the recipe in half using an 8×8 pan.
- Don’t skimp on the butter, especially on the top layers, since that can cause them to flake off. You can melt a few more tablespoons if you run out.
- Sizzle – the sound you’ll hear when you spoon the syrup over the hot pastry. This keeps it from getting soggy.
My Baklava recipe has so many layers of irresistible textures and flavors! The crispy layers of dough are perfectly complemented by the honey syrup and crunchy nuts. I hope it becomes your new favorite dessert.
Baklava Recipe
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 1/4 cups unprocessed
- 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
Instructions
Preparation
- Thaw phyllo dough by package instructions (this is best done overnight in the fridge, then place it on the counter for 1 hr before starting your recipe to bring it to room temperature).
- Trim phyllo dough to fit your baking dish. My phyllo package had 2 rolls with a total of 40 sheets that measured 9×14, so I had to trim them slightly. You can trim one stack at a time, then cover with a damp towel to keep from drying out.
- Grease – Butter the bottom and sides of a 13×9 non-stick baking pan. Line the bottom with parchment if desired to protect the pan when cutting later.
- Make the honey syrup – 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 medium/high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then reduce the heat to medium/low and boil an additional 4 min without stirring. Remove from heat and let the syrup cool while preparing baklava.
- Chop walnuts – Pulse walnuts 10 times in a food processor until coarsely ground/ finely chopped. In a medium bowl, stir together: 4 cups finely chopped walnuts and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Assemble the Baklava
- 10 layers – Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place 10 phyllo sheets into a baking pan one at a time, brushing each sheet with butter once it's in the pan before adding the next (i.e., place phyllo sheet into pan, brush the top with butter, place next phyllo sheet in pan, butter the top, etc.). Keep the remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel at all times. Spread about 1/5 of the nut mixture (about 3/4 cup) over the phyllo dough.
- 5 layers – Add 5 buttered sheets of phyllo, then another layer of nuts. Repeat four times with the remaining layers of fillo, butter and nuts. Finish off with 10 layers of buttered phyllo sheets. Brush the very top with butter.
- Cut pastry into 1 1/2" wide strips, then cut diagonally to form diamond shapes. Bake at 325˚F for 1 hour and 15 min or until tops are golden brown.
- Add syrup – 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 and rest uncovered at room temperature 4-6 hours or overnight for the syrup to penetrate and soften the layers. Garnish with chocolate and nuts if desired.
Notes
- 10 buttered sheets, 3/4 cup nuts,
- 5 buttered sheets, 3/4 cup nuts,
- 5 buttered sheets, 3/4 cup nuts,
- 5 buttered sheets, 3/4 cup nuts,
- 5 buttered sheets, 3/4 cup nuts,
- 10 buttered sheets and butter the top.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Pastry Recipes
Homemade pastries always turn heads, so once you try this Baklava, don’t miss these other classic dessert recipes:
- Eclairs
- Croissants
- Cream Puffs
- Apple Turnovers
- Churros
- Fruit Tart
- Rugelach
- Palmiers
- Cheese Danish
- Apple Danish
- Apple Roses
I made this for thanksgiving and it was awsome, cost around 26 dollars to make in Canada but its worth it. I changed the walnuts for sliced almonds thats the expense part but it turned out really good.
To add to the comment I had to use double the butter awhole pound.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Wow that is an expensive Baklava!! But I’m so so happy you loved it 🙂
Everyone I have made a batch of this for loves it. As with everyone here they have said that it is the best they have ever had. I modified your recipe a bit. I use orange instead of lemon. I use a desert honey and roasted Saigon cinnamon. I also use a full cup of nuts for a little more substance. You did a wonderful job making this. Thank you.
Jeremy, thank you for such a great review and great job on improvising :).
I made this yesterday, and your recipe is much better (and simpler) than others I have used. I’m not fond of walnuts, so I substituted almonds and pistachios, and omitted the chocolate drizzle. Otherwise, I followed exactly. It turned out amazing, and some neighbors I shared with said it’s the best they’ve ever had. Next time, I think I will add slightly more cinnamon. As for the phyllo dough, I guess I learned the technique and worked quickly; the only time I covered the dough while working was when I added the nut mixture, and had no problems with it drying out.
I’m so happy you (and your neighbors) loved it! 🙂 Thanks John!!
Hello Natasha, I just made this baklava last night, and it turned out bomb !! Just amazing! Exactly like on pictures 🙂 the only thing I added was half of walnuts and half of pistachios !! Me and my husband just love it . Thank you!! 🙂
Olya, thank you for such a great review. I’m very happy that you guys love the recipe :D.
Hey its me again 🙂 I just made this recipe again for my family . This time it turned out more dry and the layers are separating. The only difference I did was add a little less butter on each sheet of phylo, I used up all of the 2 sticks of butter just like on recipe. Last time it turned out PERFECT just like on pix and was more moist. the only difference is that I used about 3 1/2 sticks of butter 🙈 I completely buttered the tops of phylo, that there was no dry spot on it. I noticed on reviews some ppl say their layers were separating, well I think more butter is the trick.
Woohoo now that is a glorious amount of butter! That makes sense that butter would help. Did you have issues with it being dry/separating even after giving it time to rest?
This looks absolutely beautiful! I am so excited to bring this to my family celebration tonight:). It took me 1.5 hours to assemble but this was my first time and I was meticulous. I also needed 3 sticks of butter instead of 2. How long do you think it will take to cool after the syrup is on? Our party is in an hour and i have only just finished!
It should be room temperature within an hour. I secretly wish I was at your party to see and taste your baklava! 🙂
Hi Natasha,
we are having guests on the weekend and they would love to have baklava as a dessert.I am now looking for recipes and i am really keen on trying yours, as i dont like it tooooo sweet. im just not sure about the weight indications, as your “cups” seem to have different sizes.
do you just use 180 ml of water? and how much honey (130gram?) and sugar (250gram?) do you use in gram? would be great if you could let me know..ive never done baklava before and just dont want to mess them up cos i get the measurement wrong.. :-S
In US measurements, 240 mL = 1 cup so 3/4 cup would be 180 mL. Without weighing the honey, I couldn’t tell you in grams, but it would be 120 mL = 1/2 cup honey. 1 cup granulated sugar = 200 grams.
thank you for your quick response😊.
i hope it turns out ok, we will see tomorrow …
I made this on Saturday for a large group of people on Sunday. It’s absolutely amazing!! Is it okay to store it in a pyrex glass container? I do not have any tea towels.
Yes that is fine to keep it in pyrex after it is at room temperature. Just keep it at room temperature and don’t refrigerate it. 🙂
Hi, just made this and waiting for it to cool. Looks amazing – hope it tastes as good as we have Company for this evening and I am going to serve this up with some greek yoghurt and more honey! corinne
Corinne, I would love to hear how it worked out. I would love to be part of your company tonight :D.
I have never worked with phyllo dough and I’m making this right now. The dough is all thawed the syrup is done… I’m nervous /excited…. My mom used to make baklava when I was little and I loved it she said to put some cardamom in the syrup so I did.,….. Well see!! ……. exciting!
Jamela, let me know how the cardamom works, it sounds like a great addition :).
Oh yes!.. This turned out great.. First time too! Tastes so good..
The cardamon worked great with the cinnamon as well… I did run into a little problem and that is the dough layer on top separates from the nut layer.. I did three dough, nut layers not 4..but still? What did I do wrong Natasha?
Jamela, thanks for sharing that :). Did you brush each sheet with butter before adding the next one?
I buttered most of them..but I made sure to butter the ones that I laid down after the nut layer….I probably only missed about 4 for the whole thing though
Hmmm… the syrup should have held them together pretty well, particularly after cooling to room temp.
Ahh.. I was thinking it probably had to do with the syrup… I think my proportions of phyllo dough and nuts were “bigger” hence not quite enuff syrup!!… Okay thanx… I too, like another reviewer, thought the syrup was extremely good cuz it “wasn’t overly sweet”.. That is what I liked about this recipe.. I saw another one that called for 2CUPS of honey AND a cup of sugar! I think the sweetness is what makes store bought baklava not quite as good as homemade! Thanx for sharing……. 🙂
It looks like a good recipe and I will be following it later today – the only thing I will add and that I think is a key ingredient is a teaspoon (maybe even less) of rose water into the syrup mix ….. Makes it all the more authentic 🙂
Thank you for the tip Polly :).
We LOVED these! I’ve already made them twice and received compliments like “this is probably the best baklava I’ve ever tasted!” Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
One question: both times I’ve made it my main problem was with the phyllo dough sheets starting to stick together, even while covering it with a damp paper towel while layering. Then, when I try and separate them they tear and crumble. Any advice? Thanks!
I’m so glad you all enjoy the recipe :). The only thing I can suggest besides keeping a damp paper towel on them (and recovering them right away between using sheets) is to maybe try a different brand? I noticed some brands are slightly more difficult to work with. What brand are you using?
Thanks for the recipe, Natasha!
I never worked with Phyllo Dough before. When I saw how thin the sheets were I was a little nervous at first. But it turned out just like you got on the pic. No joke!!!! Tastes great toO! 🙂
That’s great news!! Thank you for sharing your awesome review with me 🙂
Sounds great really looking forward to trying this recipe thank you Regards Sandy
I hope you love it! 🙂
This was absolutely divine. Totally recommend this recipe to any baklava lover. Thanks for sharing.
Awww thanks Bridgette! I shared your review on my facebook page
Awesome recipe! My family has a recipe that is passed down from my Lebanese great grandmother and it’s very similar. We use honey, water,lemon and orange for the syrup, and mix the granulated sugar with the ground walnuts.
HI Mel! I love the idea of adding orange to the baklava. Is it orange juice, or zest or both?
Whole slices of lemon and orange. As a kid I would eat the slices after they’ve soaked in that syrup. So good!
Thanks for the recipe – came out great. Didn’t like the lemon in it. It was way too overpowering.
That’s seems odd. Did you use the same amount of lemon? I could hardly sense the lemon when I made it. I’m so glad you liked the recipe! 🙂
My daughter loves baklava. So I decided to try and make and found your recipe. I never worked with phyllo before and your step by step instructions were really appreciated. It turned out perfectly! Amazing! My daughter and husband both said it was better than the Greek Church’s version. Couldn’t get a better compliment. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
That is an awesome compliment! Thank you so much Kelly 🙂
will it turn out the same if i use a glass 9×13 baking dish? looks delicious
I didn’t use a 9×13 dish because mine isn’t perfectly square like my metal dish and I wanted the pieces to be even. It should still work fine in a glass dish.
This recipe is absolutely amazing! It was my first time making this and it turned out perfectly! I wish there was a way to post a picture in the comments hehe. I will be making this again for sure.
That would be a nice feature to be able to post a picture in comments. Thanks so much Natasha 🙂 I’m so happy you loved it!
I just made this baklava today. It is delicious!! I wish there was some trick to managing the phyllo sheets. They were almost impossible to separate. Maybe a different brand would be better.
I wanted to use pistachios, but the store did not have any. I am going to try to find some for my next batch of baklava.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the baklava. A different brand may help with the issue of separating the sheets. Also, make sure you thaw according to the instructions, or they are more likely to stick.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! I have never made Baklava before! It’s my favorite dessert and your instructions are easy to follow! Thank You wish me luck 🙂
You are welcome Jackie, let me know how it goes :).
I just wanted to share my idea while your amazing smelling baklava is in the oven: we are having a Mother’s Day bake sale at our church, and I am doing the chocolate drizzle (by warming a little Nutella and cutting a corner of a sandwich bag) putting each piece in a “muffin paper” placing 10 pieces on 2 colorful plates, and wrapping each with clear wrap with ribbon like a gift. I know it will be a hit, since who does not LOVE baklava! Thanks for helping me finally figure out the cutting issue, I was always confused by that, and you made it very clear. Blessings to you and your beautiful family.
Hi Shelly,
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! Baklava would be perfect for a bake sale. It is hard to resist!