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baklava — Mediterranean Diet Hub

baklava

Baklava with honey syrup: nutty, crisp, and ready in about 1 hour. You get flaky layers plus the syrup soaks in overnight for real flavor payoff.
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Total Time 1 hour 31 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Calories: 450
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Nut filling
  • 2 cups walnuts roughly chopped
  • 1 cup pistachios roughly chopped
  • 0.5 cup sugar
  • 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 0.25 teaspoon ground cloves
Baklava assembly
  • 500 grams phyllo dough defrosted and kept under a damp towel
  • 200 grams unsalted butter melted
Honey syrup
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 0.75 cup honey
  • 1 piece lemon peel large strip
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1.5 teaspoon orange blossom water optional

Method
 

Prepare the nut filling
  1. Combine walnuts, pistachios, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves in a bowl. Stir until mixed well. Set aside.
Assemble the baklava
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
  2. Brush a 9x13-inch pan with melted butter. Lay down one sheet of phyllo dough, brush lightly with butter, and repeat this process for 10 sheets, keeping the unused sheets under a damp towel so they don’t dry out.
  3. Spread a third of the nut filling evenly over the phyllo stack.
  4. Add 6–8 more phyllo sheets, buttering each before layering. Repeat with another third of the nut mixture, then more phyllo (6–8 sheets), remaining nuts, and finish with 10–12 top sheets, all buttered individually.
  5. Cut the assembled baklava into diamonds or squares before baking, using a sharp knife. Go all the way to the bottom.
  6. Bake for 45–50 minutes or until the top is golden and crisp. If the top browns quickly, cover loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Make the honey syrup
  1. While the baklava bakes, combine water, sugar, honey, lemon peel, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer 10–12 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange blossom water, if using. Let cool to room temperature.
Finish and serve
  1. Once the baklava comes out of the oven, immediately pour the cooled syrup evenly over the hot pastry.
  2. Cool completely, then cover and let sit at least 4 hours or overnight. This lets the syrup soak in so the texture is just right.
  3. Store loosely covered at room temperature for up to 5 days. The bottom will soften a bit from the syrup; that’s normal.

Notes

I make baklava when I need something truly crowd-pleasing but also meditative—layering phyllo is oddly satisfying, and the smell of syrup-soaked pastry in the kitchen makes it feel like a holiday.

Real-world tips from my kitchen

Phyllo dries out fast. I always unroll it just before starting assembly, and I lay a slightly damp (not wet!) towel over sheets I'm not using yet. If your first few sheets tear—honestly, that's normal. Just patch together; the syrup hides a lot.
You have more control over the sweetness by adjusting how much syrup you pour on at the end. I sometimes hold back 1/4 cup of syrup if I want a crisper base. Also, use a very sharp knife to cut before baking—do all the cutting upfront. Once baked, phyllo gets shatteringly crisp and impossible to slice cleanly.

Substitutions and variations

Mix and match the nuts. I’ve done all-walnut, walnut and almond, or half pecan (which, yes, tastes Southern but still works). Skip pistachios only if you absolutely have to—they really give that classic flavor.
Butter is key. Don’t swap it for oil or margarine; you lose the flavor and richness. If dairy’s an issue, ghee works but you need to use less (it’s more concentrated).

Storage and make-ahead

Baklava keeps at room temperature, loosely covered, for up to 5 days. The syrup will soften the bottom; that’s normal and some people actually like it best this way on day 2 or 3. For crispest results, don’t seal in an airtight container—it’ll steam and get soggy.