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Home » Recipes » Baklava

Baklava

By: Rebecca  |  Published: April 20, 2019  |  Updated: January 8, 2021  |   View Our Affiliate Disclosure Policy

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This easy and Classic Baklava recipe is loaded with layers of cinnamon, nuts, and butter and saturated in a simple honey syrup! Everyone will love this sweet and sticky dessert! via @sugarandsoulco

This easy and classic Baklava recipe is loaded with layers of cinnamon, nuts, and butter and saturated in a simple honey syrup! Everyone will love this sweet and sticky dessert!

This flaky dessert makes a lovely addition to holiday gatherings and can be added to a treat tin with Snowball Cookies and Gingerbread Pecans for giving!

Two pieces of Baklava stacked on top of each other.

I am SOOOOO excited about today’s post! Because Baklava, people, BAK-LA-VA!!! Right, glad we’re all on the same page!

I can still remember the first time I had Baklava.

It was probably close to 20 years ago and I was maybe 10 or so. My mum and I were picking up dinner at this new pizza place one Friday night.

I remember looking at the counter and seeing this cake stand stacked with a strange treat that looked like a really sticky pastry, you know, the best kind.

When I asked my mom what it was, she said it was baklava, and then she bought me a piece!

This was a HUGE deal, guys! Growing up, there wasn’t a lot of extra money, so when my mom bought me this $3 treat I was ecstatic!

Three pieces of baklava on a white plate.

I was reading a book that took me on a tour of the streets of Istanbul where it mentions Baklava.

That’s when it occurred to me that I hadn’t had it in years. Years, people! And I love baklava, so I had to fix that issue, pronto! So into the kitchen, I went.

It’s funny how a book that takes place on the other side of the world can stir up such a dear memory from my childhood in central Maine. And at the same time give me the urge to jump on the next plane to Turkey.

That’s what I love about reading, you can go anywhere in the world without leaving your house.

Close up photo of sliced baklava still in baking dish.

What Is It?

My recipe for Baklava is a rich, sweet dessert pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with syrup.

Where Did It Originate?

No one can say for sure, but it is believed to have been derived from a second century dated recipe in the Ottoman Empire. The Greeks and Turks still argue over who made it first.

Ingredients:

  • Phyllo Dough
  • Honey
  • Pecans
  • Cinnamon
  • Butter
  • Water
  • Sugar
  • Vanilla
Large baking dish filled with homemade baklava.

How To Make Baklava At Home:

For a dessert the looks super complicated with all those flaky layers, it’s actually really easy to make right at home!

Step 1: You’ll begin with a 9×13-inch baking dish and melted butter. Butter pan using a pastry brush, then add two layers of phyllo dough and brush them all over with butter.

Repeat three more times for a total of eight layers of dough.

Pastry brush brushing butter onto phyllo dough.

Step 2: Next, combine the chopped nuts and cinnamon and sprinkle a few tablespoons of the nut mixture over the top of the buttered dough.

Repeat your dough layers and nut filling layer several more times.

Nut and spice mixture has been sprinkled over buttered phyllo dough.

Step 3: Once you have completed the layers, use a very large and sharp knife to cut the baklava. Cut it lengthwise and then angled across to create diamond shapes before you bake the baklava. Bake until the top layers are golden brown.

Baklava being cut with a large knife before going in the oven.

Step 4: While baking, prepare your honey syrup. Add the water and sugar to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Then add the honey and vanilla.

Pour the syrup over the hot baklava in the baking pan and allow it to cool completely.

Baked baklava in a white baking dish.

Once cooled, the baklava is ready to enjoy!

Spatula scooping pieces of baklava out of a baking dish.

More Recipes Made With Honey

  • Honey Cakes
  • Honey Ginger Chicken Sheet Pan Chicken
  • Sopapilla Cheesecake
  • Honey Whiskey Pulled Pork

Classic Baklava

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👋 Let’s Connect!

If you’ve tried this recipe please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review, I love hearing from you! And don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos! You can also Subscribe to my Newsletter so you never miss a delicious recipe again!

Two pieces of Baklava stacked on top of each other.

Traditional Baklava

Rebecca Hubbell
This easy and Classic Baklava recipe is loaded with layers of cinnamon, nuts, and butter and saturated in a simple honey syrup! Everyone will love this sweet and sticky dessert!
4.93 from 13 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 50 mins
Cooling Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine Greek
Servings 36 people
Calories 169

Ingredients
  

  • 1 (16 ounce) package Phyllo Dough thawed
  • 1 lb finely chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup honey

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Add the nuts and cinnamon to a medium bowl and mix together, set aside.
  • Unroll both tubes of phyllo dough on a clean surface, cover loosely with saran wrap and a damp dishcloth so the dough doesn’t try out. 
  • Melt the butter in the microwave on 30-second intervals. Use a pastry brush to brush butter onto the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan. Line the dough up with the length of the pan and feel free to cut off any excess at the end, usually, there’s an extra inch or so that can be removed.
  • Add two sheets of phyllo dough to the buttered pan, and use the pastry brush to brush melted butter over the entire surface area of the dough, repeat until you have 8 layered sheets total.
  • Evenly sprinkle the top of the buttered 8th sheet with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture.
  • Lay another two sheets on top and brush with butter and then add nuts again. Repeat the dough, butter, nuts layers until you have just 8 sheets left, adding those two at a time and only brushing with butter.
  • Using a really sharp knife, cut 4 rows down the length of the pan and then cut diagonally all the way down and across the pan for a traditional baklava prep. You may also cut into squares.
  • Bake for 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp on top.
  • With 30 minutes left to bake, begin making the syrup by adding the water and sugar to a small pot and bringing to a boil over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved.
  • Add the vanilla and honey and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately pour the sauce over the entire pan, let set and cool.

Video

Notes

Adapted from All My Recipes.
Baklava does freeze well.
Chopped Pistachios can also be used.

Nutrition

Calories: 169kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 1mgPotassium: 55mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 170IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 0.3mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me now!Mention @sugarandsoulco or tag #sugarandsoulco!
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About Rebecca Hubbell

I love sharing mouthwatering and fun recipes with all of you! My recipes are inspired by classic comfort food, the places I travel, and pop culture! I have a serious sweet tooth and love a good cocktail and pancakes and bacon are definitely my weakness! So stick around a discover something delicious!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Angie says

    January 8, 2021 at 6:17 pm

    5 stars
    I added 2 Tbsp of lemon juice to the syrup. Was delicious and way easier to make than I ever imagined.

    Reply
    • Claus says

      January 15, 2021 at 12:48 pm

      Sorry didn’t know how to leave a comment. I had a lot, and I mean a lot of the nut mixture left over did you?

      Reply
  2. Shanna says

    December 7, 2020 at 12:24 pm

    Do you have any tips for freezing it? I know you said it freezes well, just wondering details about packaging it, how long it could freeze and be good still, any special thawing instructions, etc. Thank you! I’m excited to make this!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      December 7, 2020 at 3:55 pm

      Wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap then a double layer of aluminum foil and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or a few hours at room temperature.

      Reply
  3. Shani says

    August 1, 2020 at 5:37 am

    4 stars
    Baklava came out so yummy!!
    Served it on Eid, everyone loved it.
    Nearly as good as my favourite artisans.
    Next time I’m gna tweak it a bit and build up more layers of pastry and then the nuts layers.

    Reply
  4. Karen says

    February 29, 2020 at 9:47 pm

    5 stars
    I absolutely love this recipe. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      March 1, 2020 at 7:37 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Karen!

      Reply
  5. Judi says

    February 29, 2020 at 4:11 pm

    5 stars
    So far so good!!! I added a little lemon to the syrup.

    Reply
  6. Jelena says

    January 22, 2020 at 8:26 am

    Dear Rebecca
    Hello.
    You are a wonderful lady with a lot of great recipes but I do need to react to this post. Please don’t hold it against me. Im just trying to save the tradition.
    I come from the country where Baklava is on the table every Christmas or Easter or any other bigger occasion, and Greeks are the next door neighbors.
    This is not the traditional Baklava that you posted.
    Traditional Baklava has no cinnamon, peacons( they are added instead of walnuts, probably because of les heart burn), vanilla or honey.
    That is probably what people changed to fit their taste. It sounds great but it is not the traditional way of making it.
    I have a very old recipe that traditionaly got to me, and im making it for years. I am a professional cook my self.
    I love American traditional cooking but I will try to preserve the beauty of the Mediterranean or any other traditional cooking. That is the beauty of enjoying the history trough food.
    Thank you for doing a wonderful job, many admire your work, and please, once again, I hope you wont mind me reacting to your post. Im just one of those people who found treasure on the most unusual places and very much enjoj its shine.
    Stay well,
    God bless!
    Jelena

    Reply
    • Anna says

      July 27, 2020 at 6:32 pm

      Hi Jelena! I agree with you. In Greece we make baklava wth walnuts or/and almonds. We also add cinamon and cloves. Others add olive oil instead of butter, or even vegetalbe oil. Turkish baklava on the other hand is made of pistachios and butter. And no spices! Anyway cooking is all about varietion, fantasy and expermenting. But we also have to respect the tradition and get inspired of it! Stay safe! Anna

      Reply
  7. Ashley Shields says

    November 14, 2019 at 2:11 pm

    Just made this recipe, now waitin for it to cool & set!!

    Reply
  8. Gehane says

    August 23, 2019 at 5:06 pm

    5 stars
    I made 2 trays, one with pistachio, the other with walnuts. I followed the recipe omitting the honey (which I ran out of ), the taste was out of this world, my only problem is that the phyllo over the nuts was loose. Do you think that it’s because of the honey? Or maybe I needed to add butter to the nuts so that the baklava sticks together?

    Reply
    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      August 25, 2019 at 10:01 am

      Hi there, yes, this is because you omitted the honey which is a vital part to the recipe as it’s what makes everything hold together.

      Reply
  9. Laura says

    May 24, 2019 at 6:38 pm

    Is it really only 1 teaspoon cinnamon? I use a tablespoon and it is wonderful? I have also switched up the type of nut, pistachios or pecans work well. I have made this recipe many times, all of them successful!. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      May 24, 2019 at 10:30 pm

      Hi Laura, you can definitely use more cinnamon if you’d like. And yes, baklava can be made with many kinds of nuts. I also love swapping the honey for 100% pure maple syrup – YUM!

      Reply
  10. Theresa @DearCreatives says

    September 10, 2015 at 4:35 pm

    Used to make baklava when I worked in a bakery after HS. I need to make some soon. Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight Party. Pinned & shared.

    Reply
  11. Taylor S. says

    September 8, 2015 at 2:56 pm

    I love when a book just totally pulls you in! This recipe looks delicious too, thanks!

    Reply
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