baklava

Baklava recipe with crisp layers of phyllo, a spiced walnut filling, and golden honey syrup. Ready in just over an hour and holds its crunch for days.

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Total Time 1 31

Servings: 16 pieces

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Calories: 350

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

baklava

400 g phyllo dough (store-bought), thawed in the fridge overnight
200 g walnuts, roughly chopped
200 g pistachios, roughly chopped
60 g unsalted butter, melted
60 g neutral oil (like sunflower or canola)
1 colher de chá cinnamon
0.25 colher de chá ground cloves
2 colher de sopa sugar
1 pitada fine salt

syrup

250 ml water
200 g sugar
100 g honey
1 colher de chá lemon juice
2 pedaços lemon peel (large strips, no white pith)

Method

Prepare the nut filling

Combine walnuts, pistachios, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.

Assemble the baklava

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Brush a 22x30cm (9x13in) baking pan with a bit of the melted butter and oil mixture.
Unroll the phyllo dough and cover it with a barely damp towel to keep it from drying out. Place one sheet in the pan, brush lightly with butter-oil, and repeat until you’ve layered about 8 sheets.
Sprinkle about half the nut filling over the phyllo.
Layer another 5–6 sheets, brushing each, then top with the other half of the filling.
Finish with the rest of the phyllo sheets, brushing each layer. When done, brush the top generously with more butter-oil, making sure there are no dry patches.
Using a sharp knife, cut the baklava into diamonds or squares before baking. Start with strip cuts, then diagonal ones.

Bake

Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the baklava is deeply golden and crisp on top. If the top browns too fast, loosely tent with foil but don’t seal the edges.

Prepare the syrup

While the baklava bakes, combine water, sugar, lemon peel, and lemon juice in a small pot. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from heat, stir in the honey, and let it cool slightly. Fish out the lemon peel.

Finish

Right after you take the baklava out of the oven, pour the warm syrup evenly over the hot pastry. Let it soak for at least 2 hours — uncovered. This keeps it crisp.

Notes

Baklava always reminds me of late-night cups of tea at my grandmother’s kitchen table. The syrup would soak the pastry just enough — never soggy — and I’d sneak a corner piece before anyone else noticed.

Baklava tips that actually matter

Keep the phyllo covered with a barely damp towel as you work. Phyllo dries out in less than a minute, and once it does, it shreds. When layering, I brush roughly 2 spoonfuls of fat per 3 sheets — if you skimp, the layers bake tough, not crisp.

Don’t skip cutting the baklava before baking. Once baked, the layers are too shattery to slice cleanly.

If your honey is very thick, I warm it in the microwave (10 seconds) before mixing it into the syrup — it makes pouring easier and distributes better into every cut.

Substitutions and variations

You can swap pistachios for more walnuts or even hazelnuts if that’s all you have. Almonds work, but don’t use pre-roasted — raw or lightly toasted nuts taste better after baking. Don’t use only pecans; they’re too soft here and the layers get mushy.

I don’t recommend skipping the honey in the syrup. It adds texture and a flavor you won’t get from sugar alone.

Storing leftover baklava

Baklava keeps well, uncovered, for up to 3 days at room temperature. I never refrigerate it — that makes the syrup crystallize and the pastry goes gummy. If you need to make it ahead, assemble and freeze before baking; bake straight from frozen and make the syrup fresh.