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.
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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!
How to Make the Best Baklava (See Video Below):
Ingredients for Baklava Recipe:
You will need 1 (16 oz) package of phyllo (fillo) dough*; thawed according to package instructions *Fillo dough should be paper thin – even thinner than paper. Each package has 2 rolls with a total of 40 sheets. Do not use thick sheets of fillo dough for this recipe.
Also, don’t skimp on the butter or any part of the syrup (lemon juice, water and honey) since the recipe needs it to moisten and soften the sheets. Otherwise the baklava layers can end up dry and won’t stay together easily.
The chocolate is optional but a nice touch to fancy up a tray of baklava.
How To Make Baklava:
1. Thaw phyllo dough according to package instructions (this is best done overnight in the fridge, then place it on the counter for 1 hour before starting your recipe to bring it to room temp).
2. Trim phyllo dough to fit your baking sheet. My phyllo dough 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.
3. Butter the bottom and sides of a 13×9 non-stick baking pan.
Start with your honey sauce (which will need time to cool as your baklava bakes).
1. 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 an additional 4 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and let syrup cool while preparing baklava
How to Assemble Baklava:
Preheat Oven to 325˚F.
1. Pulse walnuts about 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
2. Place 10 phyllo sheets into 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. etc.).
Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel at all times. Spread about 1/5 of nut mixture (about 3/4 cup) over phyllo dough.
3. Add 5 buttered sheets of phyllo, then another layer of nuts. Repeat x 4. Finish off with 10 layers of buttered phyllo sheets. Brush the very top with butter.
Here’s the order:
10 buttered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup nut mixture,
5 buttered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup nut mixture,
5 buttered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup nut mixture,
5 buttered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup nut mixture,
5 buttered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup nut mixture
10 buttered phyllo sheets and butter the top.
4. 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
5. Remove from oven and immediately spoon the 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 temperature
Tip: 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.
So many juicy layers of flavor! This is hands down, our favorite baklava. Check out the glowing reviews below and add the ingredients to your grocery list. 🙂
Watch Baklava Video Tutorial:
Any baklava is a little tedious to make, but I’ve shared all of my best tips and advise to ensure you are successful in making yours. You will love that this recipe can be made several days in advance of your shindig and keeps beautifully at room temperature for at least a week.
Dessert Recipes to Explore:
- Blueberry Lemon Cake – this went viral for good reason
- Strawberry Layer Cake – loaded with fresh strawberries
- Banana Bread Recipe – moist and fully loaded
- Strawberry Sauce – you’ll want this over every dessert & pancakes!
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 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
Instructions
Prep:
- 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 temp).
- Trim phyllo dough to fit your baking dish. My phyllo package had 2 rolls with a total of 40 sheets that measured 9x14 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.
- Butter the bottom and sides of a 13x9 non-stick baking pan.
Start with your honey sauce (which needs time to cool as baklava bakes).
- 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.
How to make Baklava: Preheat Oven to 325˚F.
- Pulse walnuts 10 times in a food process or until coarsely ground/ finely chopped. In a medium bowl, stir together: 4 cups finely chopped walnuts and 1 tsp cinnamon.
- Place 10 phyllo sheets into 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. etc.). Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel at all times. Spread about 1/5 of nut mixture (about 3/4 cup) over phyllo dough.
- Add 5 buttered sheets of phyllo, then another layer of nuts. Repeat x 4. 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.
- 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.
Notes
10 buttered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup nut mixture,
5 buttered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup nut mixture,
5 buttered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup nut mixture,
5 buttered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup nut mixture,
5 buttered phyllo sheets, 3/4 cup nut mixture
10 buttered phyllo sheets and butter the top.
Nutrition Per Serving
♥ FAVORITE THINGS ♥
Shown in this post (Amazon affiliate links):
* Cuisinart 9×13 non-stick cake pan (also great for cakes!)
* Wusthof Cooks knife – an essential knife for any cook
* Zwilling sauce pan distributes heat evenly & handle stays cool
* This Cuisinart 11-cup food processor cuts prep time in half
What are YOU cooking up for Christmas?
If you’ve tried this already and are back for more, I’d love to hear from you in a comment below!
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
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!