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featured homemade baklava.

Homemade Baklava Recipe

Course: Dessert, pastry
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 796kcal
This easy Homemade Baklava recipe serves up flaky, moist, and perfectly sweet morsels of joy. It's a classic dessert that you have to try, and it's easier to make at home than you'd think!
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Kitchen Scale (optional)
  • 9x13 Baking Pan
  • Pastry Brush

Ingredients

For the Baklava

  • 16 ounces phyllo dough 454 grams (1 package)
  • 1 pound finely chopped walnuts 452 grams
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 6 grams
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2⅓ cups unsalted butter 527 grams, melted and slightly cooled (4⅔ sticks)

For the Syrup

  • 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
  • 1 cup water 227 grams
  • 10 tablespoons honey 219 grams
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 grams
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Unwrap the phyllo dough and wrap it with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out. Set aside.
    16 ounces phyllo dough
    overhead view of ingredients for homemade baklava.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, combine the walnuts, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
    1 pound finely chopped walnuts, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    walnuts cinnamon and salt in a white bowl.
  • Using a pastry brush, coat the bottom and sides of a deep 9x13-inch baking dish with butter.
    2⅓ cups unsalted butter
    a lined and greased baking pan.
  • Place 2 sheets of phyllo dough into the bottom of the pan. Brush with butter. Place 2 sheets of phyllo dough on top and brush with butter. Repeat these steps until you have 8 sheets of phyllo dough in a stack. Brush with butter before sprinkling about 2-3 tablespoons of the walnut mixture over the surface of the dough. The entire surface of the phyllo dough will not be covered with the mixture. That is fine, as with the amount of layers that there will be, there will be plenty of walnut mixture in every bite.
    layers of baklava filling in a baking pan.
  • Place 2 sheets of phyllo dough on top of the walnut mixture. Brush with butter. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of the walnut mixture over the surface. Continue this same process until you have about 6 sheets of phyllo dough remaining and no walnut mixture. A few of my sheets got sticky from the damp cloth (I only had 5 sheets remaining). Place 2 sheets of dough on top and brush with butter. Repeat until you have used all of the phyllo dough. Brush the top with butter. At this point, you may have extra butter, which is fine. If at any point you run out of butter, simply melt another tablespoon and continue.
    unbaked baklava in a baking pan.
  • Score the top 6 layers of dough in the final shape that you want to cut them (see notes), but do not cut completely through to the bottom of the dough. The dough at the bottom of the pan should remain uncut so as to prevent the syrup from soaking through and making it soggy.
    sliced unbaked baklava in a baking pan.
  • Place the baklava into the preheated oven to bake for 45 minutes.
  • While the baklava is baking, make the syrup. Place all of the syrup ingredients into a large saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk constantly for the first minute while everything is melting together. Once the mixture has melted together, leave to reach a boil. Once it begins to boil, reduce to medium-low heat to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until it has thickened significantly. The mixture should coat the back of a wooden spoon. Be sure to whisk intermittently while it simmers as it could scorch or boil over. Once thickened, remove from the heat for a moment or two while the baklava finishes baking.
    1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup water, 10 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon allspice
    homemade baklava syrup in a saucepan.
  • Once the baklava has finished baking, remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack. Pour the hot syrup over the entire surface of the baklava immediately. Let set for about 30 minutes to fully soak in and cool down.
    syrup poured over baked homemade baklava in a baking pan.
  • Once cooled sufficiently, use a sharp knife to finish cutting all the way down through the baklava. Serve immediately, or allow the syrup to continue to soak for 8-24 hours.

Video

Notes

  • You can use pecans or even pistachios in place of the walnuts.
  • If you do not have allspice for the syrup, simply add in ⅛ teaspoon cloves and ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg.
  • If you'd prefer not to use honey, replace the sugar, water, and honey with 3 cups of sugar and 1½ cups of water. 
  • Be sure to defrost the phyllo dough in the original packaging in the refrigerator for 12 hours before use.
  • The easiest way to finely chop the walnuts is to grind them in a food processor. Add them in batches and not all at once, as placing too many walnuts in at one time will cause the ones at the bottom to become like paste and the ones at the top to not get chopped.
  • Be sure to cover the phyllo dough back up after each time you remove some to keep it from drying out.
  • To cut the phyllo into diamond shapes, cut lines about 2 inches apart, parallel to the long sides of the baking dish. Next, cut lines about 2 inches apart, diagonally this time.
  • Remember to not cut all the way down through all of the dough layers until the baklava is soaked in the syrup.
Storage: Store homemade baklava in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1square | Calories: 796kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 20g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 287mg | Potassium: 218mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 1112IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg