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
Wanted to make baklava for the first time ever for the New Years party and because your recipes never disappoint I chose to follow yours. Just came out of the oven and itooks amazing! Will be hard to wait to try it 😅
I used maple syrup instead of honey because there is plenty on that here in Vermont and because I believe honey is better unheated. Reduced the baking time by 8 minutes since I used a glass baking dish. Wasn’t sure how the time should be adjusted and I think it should’ve been in for 1 hour. Top seems a bit too crunchy but smells really good and can’t wait to try it!!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Loredana!
I made this for the first time last week at the request of my Husband. It was amazing! The sizzle of the sauce on top was so fun! This was really good! We enjoyed it so much and gave to friends who have raved for days about how good this was! Will be making again!
I’m so glad it was a hit!
It’s better than any Baklava I’ve ever eaten, absolutely delicious. I used 2/3 Walnuts & 1/3 Pecans as that is what I had and it has worked beautifully. I did find I needed more butter though and I added extra Cinnamon as its a favourite spice of ours. Biggest surprise is that my husband asked to try it (has never wanted to try Baklava before), and he loved it! Can’t wait to try making it again with other Nuts and flavours.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Alison!
This is a great recipe. It’s prevalent beyond Turkey because my grandmother of Balkan/Greek heritage also made baklava (the whole region influenced by Turkish culture). I used size 4 fillo. My mom taught me a shortcut to assemble and cut everything without brushing butter. When fully assembled and cut, then gently spoon the butter over it until saturated. You have to be careful not to let the fillo dry out. I’ve tried both ways and haven’t found a difference.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Me, the non baker queen took a chance on this recipe. It was absolutely perfect. So glad I chose this one to try. Thank you so much for sharing it. Everyone loved it. Happiest of holidays to you
That’s wonderful, Roxanne! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! I’m so glad it has a hit.
This will be the 3rd? or 4th Christmas I have made your baklava recipe. It is the best I have ever had! I did make 1 tiny altwration last year, and OMGoodness!!! I added 2 whole cloves to the syrup while it simmered and cooled. Yum!
That sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing.
Hi loved the flavor and crispy consistency. Mine really stuck to the bottom of the pan. Has anyone tried parchment paper. I don’t have a nonstick pan
Hi Adele! I’m glad you loved the recipe. The pan can make a difference. The best thing to do is to use a non-stick baking spray to help.
When you cut the pastry, do you cut through to the bottom, or are you just making the diamond design on the top?
Hi Gail! You’ll want to cut all the way through.
THIS was delicious, AND the hit of the Thanksgiving desserts- of which there were many!
I will definitely make this again! Just one quick question— the top layer came loose/ slid off on several of the pieces and to avoid this in the future, what do i need to do?
Hi Maggie! I’m so glad you loved it. One of the most important parts is to use enough butter on the sheets and enough syrup to moisten the sheets so they hold together well.
Thank you! 🙂 more butter on anything always makes things better! Seriously, even my brother asked me when I learned to cook like this- this was such an impressive dessert. And OMG delicious. You were right about the lemon juice taking it over the top. Thank you!
Can you substitute something else for honey? And if so what is the amount ?
I haven’t tried a substitution to advise but one of readers shared they use maple syrup and it works good too.
Hi Natasha,
Would it be okay to substitute pistachios for walnuts? Would anything have to change in the recipe with that change?
Thank you,
G
Hi G! I think so. I haven’t done it myself that way, but some of my readers have reported using pistachios instead.
This recipe is fabulous.
I didn’t have walnuts so I worked with what I had which happened to be almonds and cashew nuts so used half and half.
It did not disappoint.
Huge hit with the whole family.
They loved this recipe more than the baklava we had in Turkey!!
Thank you kindly from England.😃💚
Love your shared knowledge Natasha.
Hello Kim, happy to know that you enjoyed the Baklava. Thanks so much for sharing!
Love your version of Baklava. After I made your recipe I never looked back, I used to buy the Costco Baklava. I have been to Turkey and Greece and your recipe is still tops. I made a few changes instead of 10 layers of phyIo pastry I use 8 and 4 instead of 5 as it is a mouthfull. Also I love cinnamon so I add 3 heaped teaspoons and half the sugar and double the honey. The nice thing about Baklava is it lasts for ages the longer the better. I leave it in the baking tray covered with a flat tray and a tea towel in the oven and take a piece every other day. Thanks again for a great recipe that’s easy and tastes Devine.
You’re very welcome, Cheryl! We love this one too. Thank you for the wonderful feedback.
I was wondrering if a glass baking dish could be used instead of metal?
Hi Jill, a glass pan may work here, to avoid thermal shock you may need to adjust the bake temperature, also ensure your glass pan is safe in the oven to the temperature this recipe requires. I hope this helps, if you test this in a glass pan, please let me know how you like it.
Hi Natasha, I love love this baklava recipe!
Is it possible to bake two pans of baklava at once? Would any adjustments needs to be made?
Thank you so much.
Hi Jennifer! That would be fine if, no adjustments needed if they are the same size.
I am really looking forward to making this for Christmas. I have to find a use for the 20 pounds of walnuts that someone gave me. I was wondering if there’s a way to make it less sweet I know my family doesn’t like it really super sweet? Btw I’ve tried lots of your other recipes and loved them all!
Hello ALine, I have not experimented on that to advise. If you do an experiment, we’d love to know how it goes!
Hi! Your recipes never fail me so I am going to try this one. I have a question though. Was alternative to walnuts and tree nuts in general do you recommend if any? My daughter is allergic to tree nuts so I would love to make an allergy friendly one.
Hi Mire! I’m sorry, I don’t have a substitute to suggest.
Maybe chopped up unsalted shelled sunflower seeds or pepitas (shelled green pumpkin seeds) would work as a substitute? Lightly toasted, they’d probably even have a very similar flavor.
I realize this is late to the party but. use toasted old fashioned oats in place of pecans in pie and other things so I may try that.
Perfect recipe for baklava! I made this a few times already and was a total success every time! I wish I could upload a picture to show how lovely it looked 😊
I’m so glad to hear that! You can tag me in a picture on Instagram/Facebook. #natashaskitchen
I’ve followed this recipe a few times. Always turns out great. I have it in the oven now. I just realized I forgot to cut it. Oops! Hopefully it’s not too big a deal.
Hi Heidi! I hope you still love it! Cutting before cooking does seem to help it to cook more evenly and helps the syrup to drain into the baklava. You can cut the baklava up immediately after cooking it, but it is very crisp at this point and the top tends to shatter.
I’ve made this many times with fabulous results. I use an adjustable baking frame inside of a larger pan so I can make it 9×14.
I increase the nuts to 1.25 lbs, cinnamon to 2 t., sugar to 1.33 cups, lemon juice to 3 T., and add 3T to the 1/2 cup honey. I also always heat the butter and pour it into a spray bottle. Makes this recipe go very fast! It’s delicious.
Thank you for sharing, Audrey!
I have been making baklava for roughly 25 years and have never thought of using a spray bottle for the butter. GAME. CHANGER. Thank you so much for this life hack!