This Baklava recipe is a showstopper dessert and loved by all at gatherings. Layers of buttery phyllo dough stacked between a cinnamon walnut filling, then finished with a honey glaze. Baked, crispy, and amazing! It’s such a great make-ahead dessert for parties and the holidays, or enjoy a bite with a cup of tea or coffee.

What is Baklava?

Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry dessert made up of phyllo pastry (fillo) layers that have been basted with butter, stacked between cinnamon flavored chopped nuts, and held together by a honey syrup. Many ethnic groups such as the Greek, Turkish, and Middle Easterners claim baklava as their own, and prepare it in their own ways.

Baklava Ingredients

• Phyllo (fillo) dough. This recipe calls for 1 (16 ounce) package of phyllo dough, which contains 2 rolls for a total of 40 sheets. I have, however, seen 16 ounce packages that come with 18 large sheets in one roll, in which case you would just cut them in half down the middle, which would give you 36 sheets. Not ideal, but it will work. Baklava is pretty forgiving when it comes to the layers.
• Nuts. This recipe uses walnuts, but depending on the region, Baklava is made with a variety of nuts like walnuts, pistachios, or almonds. You can use any of those or a combination!
• Spices. Ground cinnamon and cardamom.
• Melted butter. My recipe calls for unsalted butter. You can use regular salted butter, it will just make the overall dessert saltier.
• Sweeteners. The dessert needs both granulated sugar and honey.
• Citrus. You’ll need fresh lemon juice and a strip of orange peel for the honey syrup. Lemon peel can replace the orange peel, use both, or simply omit it completely.

Helpful Tips

• Make the syrup first. The honey syrup should be made first, since it will need time to cool.
• Don’t skimp on the butter or the syrup mixture. It’s critical for this baklava recipe to moisten the sheets, otherwise you end up with dry, crumbly sheets that won’t adhere to each other.
• Keep the phyllo covered. As you’re assembling the Baklava, make certain the phyllo stays covered with a damp towel at all times, to prevent the sheets from drying out.
• Efficient phyllo cutting. When cutting the layers of dough, sometimes it helps to use small stabbing motions to cut through once, then run the knife through smoothly through the same cut. Baklava can be cut into diamonds, squares, or triangles.
• Let the baklava sit. After cooling at room temperature for at least 6 hours, it’s good to go, but for best results, let it sit overnight. The longer it sits, the longer the layers can soak up all that glorious syrup, which is what holds it all together.

How to Make Baklava Step By Step

• Gather your ingredients and thaw the dough.
• Thaw a 16 ounce package phyllo dough completely according to package directions (usually by placing it in the refrigerator overnight, then letting the package of phyllo sit, unopened, on the counter for 1 hour prior to making your baklava to bring it to room temperature.)

• Combine 1 cup granulated sugar, 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup honey, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 strip of orange peel in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to boil for 4 minutes more without stirring. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool completely. Discard orange peel.

• Finely chop 1 pound walnuts (about 4 cups) and place them in a bowl of a food processor, along with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom. Pulse 10-12 times until nuts are coarsely ground, but not into a powder.

• Unroll the phyllo dough and lay the sheets flat on your work surface. Trim the sheets to the size of a 9×13-inch baking dish. (Immediately cover them with a damp towel and keep them covered while assembling the Baklava. As you take a phyllo sheet from the stack, immediately cover the stack. This is critical to keep them from drying out.)

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
• Melt 1 & 1/4 cups of unsalted butter. Let cool a bit.
• Baste the bottom and sides of your baking dish with some of the melted butter. Lay one sheet of phyllo in your baking dish. Brush with butter. Repeat this process with 10 sheets, brushing every single sheet with butter.

• Sprinkle approximately 1/5 of the chopped walnuts (about 3/4 cup) evenly on top.
• Cover with 5 sheets of phyllo, brushing every sheet with butter. Top with 3/4 cup walnuts. Repeat 3 more times.
• Finish with the final 10 sheets of phyllo, brushed with butter between the layers. Brush the top sheet of phyllo dough with butter, as well.

Order of Assembly:

• 10 phyllo sheets, brushed with butter between each sheet, then 3/4 cup walnut mixture;
• 5 phyllo sheets, brushed with butter between each sheet, then 3/4 cup walnut mixture;
• 5 phyllo sheets, brushed with butter between each sheet, then 3/4 cup walnut mixture;
• 5 phyllo sheets, brushed with butter between each sheet, then 3/4 cup walnut mixture;
• 5 phyllo sheets, brushed with butter between each sheet, then 3/4 cup walnut mixture;
• 10 phyllo sheets, brushed with butter between each sheet and also butter the final sheet on top.

• Using a sharp knife, carefully slice the baklava into 4 long even strips lengthwise, then slice diagonally to create diamond-shaped baklava.

• Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the baklava is golden brown.

• Drizzle with the cooled syrup. Remove from oven and immediately drizzle all of the cooled honey syrup (orange peel discarded) over the baklava, making sure everything gets coated.

• Slice again. Using a sharp knife, gently run it through the cut baklava again, to ensure each piece can easily be removed later.
• Let stand. Let the baklava cool completely at room temperature for at least 6 hours (ideally overnight) without being covered (to prevent sogginess) so the baked pastry can soak up all of the syrup.
• Enjoy! Serve and enjoy.

More Desserts Great For A Crowd

• Mini Pecan Pies
• Crockpot Candy
• Pumpkin Dump Cake
• Easy Lemon Trifle
• Banana Cream Lush

I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!

My Baklava recipe was originally published 11/16/19. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 11/17/25.