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This amazing Walnut Baklava recipe comes together with layers and layers of flaky phyllo dough that’s filled with 3 layers of ground walnuts and showered with love with the most delicious aromatic simple syrup. How can one resist such goodness?
As they says, you get back what you put into something. I believe when making certain desserts and you expect them to taste AMAZING, there is no room for shortcuts. I am confident that this homemade baklava recipe is the best you will find out there. The feedback I always get from people when I make baklava is ” It’s seriously better than store bought”. So this is your no fail baklava recipe.
If you’re making simple syrup from scratch for this baklava, then you’re likely to have some left over. So if you’d like to try more Lebanese dessert recipes that use simple syrup, here are a few that my family loves to make: Lebanese Shaabiyat Dessert, Lebanese Nights Dessert, Pistachio Baklava Recipe, and my Atayef recipe.
Table of Contents
- What is Baklava?
- What country is Baklava from?
- Why You’ll Love This Easy Baklava Recipe
- Walnut Baklava Ingredients
- How to Make Homemade Baklava
- How to Layer Baklava
- How to Cut Baklava
- Tips to Make the Best Baklava Recipe
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Lebanese Recipes To Try
- Homemade Baklava With Walnuts Recipe
What is Baklava?
Baklava is a layered pastry dessert that is traditionally made from phyllo pastry sheets that are filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. However, due to the long history of baklava, “traditional” may slightly differ with regional differences.
What country is Baklava from?
The origin of baklava was not very well documented as it pre-dates the Ottoman-era! There are roots to (and not limited to) Turkey, Greece, Iran, Lebanon, Armenia with baklava and is thought to have gone back as far as the 2nd century BC, where baklava resembles an Ancient Roman placenta cake.
Every region has added their own unique twist to it over time so it’s really hard to say where it has come from. For this Lebanese version, the twist is the use of Lebanese Simple Syrup (Ater). It is a sweet sugar syrup that is infused with rose and orange blossom water, lending the baklava a fragrant floral note.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Baklava Recipe
- It’s show stopping. There’s no denying how beautiful this walnut baklava recipe is. You will absolutely impress your friends and family if you pull this out of the oven!
- It’s “easy.” Hear me out, baklava looks super complicated and there are a lot of steps to it but the steps are super easy to follow and a lot of the work is layering the baklava!
- It’s so tasty. It’s better than store-bought! There’s rarely any leftovers when I bring this out!
Walnut Baklava Ingredients
- Phyllo sheet — you can find this in the frozen pastry section at your local grocery store
- Ghee I like buying grass fed ghee from the store but you can also make a homemade one. Click on the word Ghee to get my homemade ghee.
- Simple Syrup — you can make your own simple sugar syrup by following this post.
- Ground pistachios
- Whole walnuts — just the normal ones at the store
- Powdered sugar
How to Make Homemade Baklava
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Make the syrup: Prepare the simple syrup first and let it cool. Make sure your ghee is melted as well.
- Make the walnut filling: Process the walnuts and powdered sugar in a processors. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Prepare the phyllo sheets: Unfold the phyllo sheets onto a large cutting board. Smooth out the phyllo sheets to flatten and align the sheets evenly. Note: If you have a smaller size of phyllo sheet, you do not need to do this step. You will have to trip the edges of those sheets on the pan. Place the baking pan on top of the phyllo stack as a guide to cut the stack of phyllo to fit the pan. Repeat for the second pack of phyllo sheets.
How to Layer Baklava
Here’s a summary of how to layer your baklava. For detailed instructions, this is also included in the recipe card.
- Brush the pan with ghee
- Place one sheet of phyllo and brush again. Repeat 9 more times to get a total of 10 sheets, brushing in between
- Press down well, making sure there aren’t any air bubbles
- Add 1½ cup ground walnut
- Top with 5 brushed phyllo sheets
- Press down well, making sure it’s even and there are no air bubbles
- Add another 1½ cup ground walnut
- Top with another 5 brushed phyllo sheets
- Press down well
- Add the final 1½ cup ground walnut
- Place the final 10 brushed phyllo sheets on top
- Press down well and brush the top with ghee
How to Cut Baklava
- How to Cut the baklava: Cut the baklava into 4 equal triangles. Then each triangle in half to form 8 triangles total. From one wedge at a time, make two straight cuts, 1 inch apart, parallel to other side of triangle. Make two more cuts, parallel to opposite side of same triangle, creating a diamond pattern. Repeat process in remaining 7 wedges.
- Bake the baklava: Place the tray on the middle rack of your oven and bake for 45 minutes. At this point the edges and baklava should be lightly brown in color and you can turn on the top broiler for just 1-2 minutes watching it “very closely” until you get the golden color you prefer. “Do not” take your eyes off of it or else they will burn super fast.
- Top with syrup: Remove from the oven right away and drizzle 1¼ cup of simple syrup evenly all over the baklava. Use more or less to preference but this amount was perfect for us. I like using a squeezable bottle to spread the syrup evenly on the baklava.
Tips to Make the Best Baklava Recipe
- Be sure to thaw your phyllo sheets ahead of time. As they’re sold in the freezer section, you’ll have to thaw them overnight in the fridge or quickly on the counter at room temperature. If there’s still kind of frozen and damp, the moisture will make the phyllo hard to work with.
- If you are using a smaller phyllo sheet as mentioned and cant get the round cut, you can layer and brush the phyllo layers as mentioned and cut the edges before adding in the walnuts layer each time and the last layer on top. Another thing you can do is just use a smaller tray if you like to fit that sheet, but you will end up using less of the amounts of walnuts, ghee and simple syrup. If this is too challenging to cut, you can always just do it in a rectangular or square tray and cut them into squares.
- If your phyllo pastry rips, it’s ok, don’t fret. After it’s been baked, no one will notice!
- Cover the phyllo sheets with a damp towel as you work your way through them to prevent them from drying out.
- Be sure to start your syrup early so it has time to cool. If the syrup is hot, you’ll find that it’s difficult for the baklava to absorb it.
- Be sure not to forget to cut the baklava before you bake it! It’ll be much harder to slice clean pieces after it’s been baked as the phyllo sheets are so flaky and won’t cut evenly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Despite puff pastry dough being flakey in texture, the two cannot be swapped for this baklava. Puff pastry puffs up while it bakes so it isn’t ideal in a baklava.
Unfortunately, baklava has a lot of sugar leading to it being high in calories. The walnuts are processed with powdered sugar and we also coat it with simple syrup at the end. We also use ghee which is high in calories. However, as long as you enjoy baklava in moderation, it’s ok to indulge!
You can use honey instead of simple syrup. Some people like their baklava with honey but i prefer using simple syrup that’s been infused with orange blossoms water. It make a huge difference in flavor.
You can! Feel free to change things up and use your favorite type of nut or combination of nuts.
Yes and no. Let me explain, you can make ghee with butter by simmering butter for 20-30 minutes and then straining it through a cheesecloth. Butter doesn’t provide the same finish to baklava that ghee does so I prefer to use ghee. Ghee also tastes much richer and flavorful compared to butter.
Definitely make this ahead of time! You can make it a couple days before you need it and allow it to cool before storing in an airtight container. If you leave it at room temperature, it stays crispy. You can keep the baklava in the fridge as well. This will keep for at least a week before it starts drying up but they might be eaten before then!
You can freeze baklava! Wrap it up tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Depending on how much baklava you have to freeze, I suggest freezing it in small portions so you can pull out however much you’d like to eat. You don’t want to thaw it then refreeze it multiple times. When ready to eat, just allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight.
More Lebanese Recipes To Try
- Lebanese Spinach Pies
- Lebanese Chicken Lentil Soup
- Easy Kafta and Potato Stew
- Baba Ghanouj
- Manakeesh Zaatar
- Lebanese Meat Pies (Fatayer Blahmeh)
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Walnut Baklava recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!
If you try this recipe and like it, please leave a star rating and comment below. Use my hashtag to share it with me on Instagram so I can see your delicious recreations! Also, follow me at Cookin’ With Mima on FACEBOOK |INSTAGRAM |PINTEREST for all of my latest social posts and recipes.
Homemade Baklava With Walnuts
Equipment
- 1-13 x 2 inch round aluminum pan.
- cooking brush
Ingredients
- 2 16 oz. 14 x 18 phyllo sheet packs, or 2-9 x14 16 oz. sheet packs
- 1 cup ghee, melted, preferably grass fed
- 1¼ cup Simple Syrup, More or less to preference
- 2-3 tbsps. ground pistachios, for garnishing
The Filling
- 4 cups whole walnuts, just the normal ones at the store
- ½ cup powdered sugar, or less to preference
Instructions
- Prepare the simple syrup first and let it cool.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Process the walnuts and powdered sugar in a processors. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Unfold the phyllo sheets onto a large cutting board. Smooth out the phyllo sheets to flatten and align the sheets evenly. Note: If you have a smaller size of phyllo sheet, you do not need to do this step. You will have to trip the edges of those sheets on the pan. See Notes section on how to do that.
- Place the baking pan on top of the phyllo stack as a guide to cut the stack of phyllo to fit the pan. Repeat for the second pack of phyllo sheets.
- Once your sheets are ready, brush the base of the pan with some ghee. Place one sheet of phyllo and brush again. Repeat 9 more times to get a total of 10 sheets, brushing in between. Add in 1.5 cup of the ground walnuts and spread evenly.
- Add in one sheet again over the nuts and brush by dabbing only because it will move if you brush it. Add 4 more sheets, brushing in between each sheet. Before brushing the top of the 5th sheet, press down the surface very well with your palm to compress the nuts. Then brush with ghee.
- Add another 1.5 cup of crushed walnuts and top with 5 more sheets the same way you did the first. One more layer of 1.5 cup ground walnuts and this time for the final layer, top with 10 sheets of phyllo instead of 5, just like we did in the bottom layer. Before brushing with ghee for the last time, press down the surface really well again with your palm to compress the layers.
- Using a sharp knife with a pointed tip, cut the baklava into 4 equal triangles. Then each triangle in half to form 8 triangles total. From one wedge at a time, make two straight cuts, 1 inch apart, parallel to other side of triangle. Make two more cuts, parallel to opposite side of same triangle, creating a diamond pattern. Repeat process in remaining 7 wedges. Refer to my blog photos for step-by-step photo reference.
- Place the tray on the middle rack of your oven and bake for 45 minutes. At this point the edges and baklava should be lightly brown in color and you can turn on the top broiler for just 1-2 minutes watching it "very closely" until you get the golden color you prefer. "Do not" take your eyes off of it or else they will burn super fast.
- Remove from the oven right away and drizzle 1¼ cup of simple syrup evenly all over the baklava. Use more or less to preference but this amount was perfect for us. I like using a squeezable bottle to spread the syrup evenly on the baklava.
Notes
- Be sure to thaw your phyllo sheets ahead of time. As they’re sold in the freezer section, you’ll have to thaw them overnight in the fridge or quickly on the counter at room temperature. If there’s still kind of frozen and damp, the moisture will make the phyllo hard to work with.
- If you are using a smaller phyllo sheet as mentioned and cant get the round cut, you can layer and brush the phyllo layers as mentioned and cut the edges before adding in the walnuts layer each time and the last layer on top. Another thing you can do is just use a smaller tray if you like to fit that sheet, but you will end up using less of the amounts of walnuts, ghee and simple syrup. If this is too challenging to cut, you can always just do it in a rectangular or square tray and cut them into squares.
- If your phyllo pastry rips, it’s ok, don’t fret. After it’s been baked, no one will notice!
- Cover the phyllo sheets with a damp towel as you work your way through them to prevent them from drying out.
- Be sure to start your syrup early so it has time to cool. If the syrup is hot, you’ll find that it’s difficult for the baklava to absorb it.
- Be sure not to forget to cut the baklava before you bake it! It’ll be much harder to slice clean pieces after it’s been baked as the phyllo sheets are so flaky and won’t cut evenly.
Baklava lover and first time baker here. Chose this recipe as my first attempt and gotta say I loved it. I did find though that my inner layers of pastry were not cooked as much as I feel they should have been. So, can I do anything about cooking it further or is it not advisable now that it has the syrup added?
Hi, I loved your Shaabiyat recipe and was wondering if I can do the same here (mix equal parts of butter and crisco vegetable shortening). Will the end result be the same? I have ghee but I’m hesitant to use it.
Hi Salam,
I haven’t tried that on baklava but it will be just fine. If i didn’t have ghee on hand, it would be the first thing i would do myself.
Thank you for suggesting Amazon for the orange blossom water. I made the baklava and it is Delicious I’ve always been intimated to try but this recipe explained how to easily and it is AMAZING !!!
Hi Jan!
So glad you found the orange blossoms water. It makes a huge difference. Thanks so much for the review and happy you enjoyed the recipe.
I want to make this recipe but have not been able to find orange blossom water. Can you make a suggestion please and thank you. Love your recipes.
Hi Msjan!
Do you live in the states? it’s available on amazon, or you can google middle eastern stores near me and find it there. It makes a huge difference with the flavor. I highly recommend it.