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
This is such an easy to follow recipe. And, I made it twice already. I just added more chocolate to the top (why not 🙁 ) and it tasted wonderful too. Thanks so much.
Mmmm chocolatey baklava – now you have me craving some! 🙂
I’ve made this a few times now, and it’s wonderful. I always end up needing way more butter than the recipe calls for. I don’t feel like I’m brushing it on too thick, but I’m not sure why I end up using a pound of butter! The end results are always amazing, (as they should be with all that butter!) so I’m sticking with this recipe anyway! Thanks!
Sarah, thank you for sharing your great review and you are welcome 🙂
I think we all have the butter problem. Those darn sheets are so thin but I swear they suck in the butter. Don’t worry about using so much, that’s what makes these the best homemade baklava ever. Yeah, now I’m craving some too.
I have a similar recipe to this. Mine calls for slightly more of everything. For my syrup though I don’t cook the honey with the sugar and water, I also add 2 or 3 cinnamon sticks, 5 whole clovers and 2 slices of lemon. Bring to boil and cook for 5 minutes then turn of heat and add the honey. It makes an excellent flavored syrup. I don’t care for the rose water version as much. This is such a delicacy.
Thanks for sharing your version. I love the idea of adding cinnamon!
Making this now for Passover, Thanks!
That’s a great recipe for Passover 😀. Let me know how it turns out.
I’ve been making BAKLAVA for years. I add a cinnamon stick to the syrup while it is cooking and then add and a few drops of rose water to the syrup while it is cooling. The rose water seems to give it a more European flavor that my Greek friends love. reminds them of home.
Mmmm those modifications sound wonderful! thanks for sharing that with us 🙂
Why do you add lemon juice to the syrup?
To offset the sweetness, otherwise it just tastes sweet. Lemon juice adds another layer of flavor.
Hi Natasha ,
Please, please add a video for Baklawa. Would really appreciate your time.:))))
Hi Mariam, it actually is on my (very long) to-do list :). I’ve had several requests for that one. Thank you so much for the reminder! 🙂
This baklava wowed everyone that tasted it! I used agave nectar instead if honey because I just wanted to see what happened. It worked out wonderfully.
That’s so great to know that agave works as a substitute. Thanks for sharing that with us! 🙂
This is an amazing recipe!!! I’m turning 14 and i’ve made this recipe over 20 times! It tastes just….DELICIOUS!! Anytime i make it, its usually gone the next day! Thank u so much for sharing this!! =)
Over 20 times? That’s impressive, thank you for the wonderful review Veronica 😁.
I made this late Saturday night after my family had gone to bed (because otherwise the baklava would not have had any time to cool and soak in the syrup).
Sunday morning when I woke up it was half gone! it was eaten for breakfast, lunch and dessert by all four of us!!!
This was the first time I have made this particular recipe, I tried it because the recipe I was previously using was waaaayyyy too lemony. I am not going back to my previous recipe.
I added almonds to the walnut mix, I also put more cinnamon in the nut mix as I LOVE cinnamon and wanted to be able to taste it and it was Fantastic!
Thanks for the recipe, this is my new go-to recipe!!!
Awesome!! You know it’s good if it’s half eaten by morning! I’m so happy you and your family loved it 🙂 Thank you for the great review!
Making this for Easter Dinner…Definitely excited to have this as my 1st dessert after Lent…After giving up Sweets for Lent I’m truly drooling thinking about this…Thank you for this Easy recipe…
I hope you love it!! I’m excited for you to try it 🙂
Are there other nuts that would work for this recipe? I have a slight allergy to walnuts (and only walnuts).
Does your allergy extend to pecans (I know they are closely related). You can replace them with different nuts or even use a combination like pistachios, cashews, almonds.
Pecans are good! Thank you!!
I just made this for the first time. Brought it in to my office and shared it with my Egyptian friend. She said it was the best baklava she ever had — bar none. She asked me for my recipe because she said it was better than her mother’s. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
That is quite a compliment! Thank you for the amazing review!
I have made this several times 😉 great recipe turns out perfect each time. Thank you!
Luba, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review! 🙂
Delicious. I used layers of pistachio and walnut. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, but am a middle aged man who only started baking two months ago, so may be a bit slow. Fiddly but well worth the effort. Will certainly do it again.
Thank you for the nice review Sean, your had work has paid off 👏🏼.
I tried it yesterday and it was very very tasty and i will be making it next week as well
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks! 🙂
I have never made Baklava, but will now try I. Easy to follow.
I am 82 and wanting to try something
new.
Bergie
That’s wonderful to hear! I hope you LOVE it! 🙂
This just the same as my recipe, given to me by the wife of our favourite greek cafe owner. I do not use the cinnamon, find it overpowers even though it is only a little. My family requests this every time we get together.
That’s just awesome!! Thanks for sharing that with me 🙂
First time making baklava and did not want one that was too sweet. This was the best baklava ever! So professional looking and not all drippy sweet either. Thanks so much for this recipe!
I’m so happy you loved it! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review.
This was delicious! I gave a piece to a coworker who just got back from Greece and he said it was better than what he got there! Great recipe. Thanks much.
I just love your awesome review. What a compliment :). Thank you!!