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 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
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!
Haven’t had baklava in ages and forgot how it taste. This was my first attempt at making it and the recipe was alright, a bit sweet for my liking. I did see a review here that said it was quite sweet so I added 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup, and it was still sweet. An issue I had was the bottom and top layers (where you add 10 sheets of phyllo) didn’t stick between other layers (hope that make sense), so it was a bit sloppy to eat with the top and bottom coming apart. Not sure what went wrong. Anyway, still edible
Everyone has a different affinity for sugar I guess. I’ve also heard the opposite that this was not nearly as sweet as store-bought baklava. Cutting down the Sugar in the syrup may have contributed to the layers separating. Also, did you use the same amount of butter? I don’t advise cutting down on the butter in this recipe.
This was seriously the most delicious baklava. It was a bit time consuming but wow was it good. Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe.
Catherine, thank you for sharing such a nice review and you are very welcome 😋.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe Natasha! It turned out very delicious!
I’m so happy you liked it. 🙂
This is perfect. My family loves baklava, but though I cook and bake all the time, I had never attempted what I asked would be very difficult. It’s easy, no more time consuming than other desserts, and quite impressive! Do not change a thing when you make it!
Thank you thank you thank you for sharing this, I have no need to even try other recipes.
Awww that is the best review! thank you so much Goldrie 🙂
Made this today. AWESOME!! Had to use twice as much butter, and next time I will go for a tad less sugar. Otherwise, perfect recipe, and way better than in stores or restaurants… I think they do not butter each sheet, that’s why Natasha’s recipe is really, really fluffy and delicate. One more observation: damp towel did not work for me at all, just ruined the top sheet, making it too soggy to be useful.
I’m so happy you loved it! The towel should be just damp and not wet. It sounds like your towel was probably too wet. Hope that helps for next time. Thank you for sharing your awesome review! 🙂
Sasha, I had the same problem the first time I made it. My towel was too wet and I believe too heavy. The 2nd time I made it I just wet it a little and used a tea towel instead of a terry towel. Then it doesn’t sit so heavily on the sheets, which would soak up any moisture touching.
I was first introduced to Baklava by an old Greek gentleman that brought a batch in that his wife had made. I thought I died and went to Heaven. So for years I have been meaning to make it but really had no recipe, this is before the computer age mind you (1982). So I would buy it every Christmas where I could find it. Tonight I ran across your recipe and got inspired because it looked so good and your directions and pictures made me feel confident to try it. Well, I, like others, used a little more butter, but knew it would be ok and a mixture of walnuts and pecans. Also, my dough was in the freezer longer than really should have been so it was quite challenging to deal with. I had to piece a few together but the butter held it all beautifully. Just finished making it and by golly it turned out super delicious, even though I waited all of 30 minutes before digging in. This girl couldn’t stand to look at it and not eat it. I found it to be just right on every level. Has the right amount of crunch, color, just enough sweetness and the ever so delightful nut crunchiness. It definitely reminded me of that first Baklava I had tasted, not like the commercial store type that is overly sweet. Thank you so much for putting this recipe and your directions out there for us to try. Seems to me other recipes cheat and make less layers. I believe your layers were just right. I have to say you made my day! Don’t think I will ever buy it again. I may experiment with the recipe and make it a little different each time now for fun.
Hi Jean! I absolutely loved reading your wonderful review. Thank you so much for sharing that with us! 🙂
I had to make this recipe again a few days later for the Superbowl game. This time my daughter asked me to use less lemon and add vanilla. So I just cut the lemon to 1 Tbsp and added back in 1 Tbsp of vanilla. She just loved it. As for the guests at the Superbowl party, well they gobbled it down. My husband went to get a piece and it was GONE! This stuff is just soooo tasty. Seriously, this recipe is super easy, just a bit time-consuming but ohhhhh so worth it. I recommend anyone, even beginners to try this. It’s kind of hard to screw this up, so give it a try and you won’t be disappointed. Thank you again Natasha for the recipe and beautiful pictures, they really help.
Jean, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review! 😁
First time I’ve heard of such a dessert when scrolling thru your blog. So I decided to make it looking at all the great reviews. I loved it!! Even though it has to cool to room temp my fam and I were tempted to try it right away and it tasted wonderful… But oooo the next day even better!!
Ps. I want to share with you what a lot of my college break consisted of: I tried a bunch of your recipes that I’ve never done. I made many new salads, a new soup, some main course meals, and of course desserts!! I won’t go thru to review them individually (some I did already) but as a whole I felt very accomplished and mommy was proud of me 😉 hehe and our family loveeees them all.
Pss. I’ve yet to try your red borscht this week! 🙂
That’s awesome! I’m seriously so happy to hear that. Thank you for the great reviews! 🙂
can I make the syrup a day ahead and just keep it in the fridge or out on the counter?
Yes that should be fine. Let it cool to room temp then cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.
I had two small Christmas tins to send the baklava. Rather than transferring cut slices from the main dish to each tin, I placed parchment in each tin, prepared the baklava, then pulled them out of the tins (using the parchment) and baked them in a glass dish. Once baked, I transferred them to the tins and spooned the honey sauce. It was a perfect fit and they looked lovely. Most importantly, they tasted wonderful. Thank you for such a good recipe.
Rebecca, thank you for such a nice review and great job on improvising 😁.
The pictures of the baklava look wonderful and are making me drool until I make my own. If there is anything better than baklave, maybe it’s kolacky, but I would hate to choose. Thanks. I like your straightforward directions.
Thank you so much Joe! I had to do a little googling on kolacky to see what they were! They look delicious! Do you have a good recipe you could share?
Delicious!
Thank you so much Carol 🙂
Just fyi, you say “with with” in your article–it’s a grammatical error.
Cheers! Can’t wait to try your recipe.
Thank you for pointing that out, I got it fixed. I would love to hear your feedback after you make this recipe 😀.
I learned to make baklava many years ago from a Greek Cypriot boyfriend, and this is very close to the recipe we used. Maybe I’m too generous with the butter, I found that I used 4 sticks (1 lb) in preparing the phyllo dough. Also i prefer almonds to walnuts, either will work. Yum!
You probably can’t go wrong with a little extra butter! 🙂 That’s wonderful to know that this is very close to an authentic Greek version!! 🙂
It’s in the oven now. My dough seemed pretty dry out of the package is that normal? It’s looking great but I do see a couple of spots where the pastry is curling up. Should I remove those before putting the honey sauce on top??
It depends on what you mean by dry – was it brittle and flaking off and white looking? If so, that does sound like you may have a box that was either exposed to too much air, frostburned or possibly expired? It’s difficult to say without seeing it. It should be ok even if it is curling up in some spots. I’d still pour the honey sauce over the top. :).
I made this yesterday, and just want to tell you thanks. I have been afraid to make this due to all the steps, but, your recipe is awesome and explains directions so well.
I turned out perfect, little bit beginner looking, but, the taste is perfect!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for the awesome review!
Hi Natasha, Wonderful recipe. My family loves Baklava is little rolled up cigar \ Mini sausage rolls shapes.I have no idea how you would asspemble those and still get layers of flaky phyllo in between – any idea.
I haven’t tried it myself but I’ve seen it done. Here’s a youtube video I found: https://youtu.be/6FvM8cWzjKI
This baklava tastes pretty much like what I imagine ambrosia tastes like. Thanks a lot for this perfect recipe!
The only difficulty is that the common brands of phyllo have terrible thawing directions. You should unroll the stacks in stages, thawing out the revealed sections little by little, not unroll them all at once. Then again, the layers don’t have to be all in one piece.
Thanks again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Thanks David for sharing your tips for unrolling the phyllo.
Do you think using an aluminum cake pan verses a metal cake pan will make a difference in the how the baklava turns out?
I’m not sure since I haven’t tried it, but the aluminum ones that I’ve used don’t have a perfectly flat bottom so I’m not sure how that would affect the outcome and how it bakes. I’m thinking it should be ok to use aluminum.
HI Natasha
I just made this baklawa its my second time making baklawa. thank u very much for your receipe. it turned out great. hope my friends will like it too. i am made this today for a baby shower as dessert. hooooo waiting for results / wowws . nervous,,
You are welcome Sumayya and I’m sure they’re going to love it 😀 .
Natasha where can I buy phyllo dough? I never heard about that one. Is it the same thing as слоеное тесто?
Hi Tanya, it’s very different from puff pastry. It is available in most large grocery stores in the freezer section.