• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Go Eat Green
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    How to make baklava

    Published: Feb 24, 2021 by Marinela

    Jump to Recipe

    Today, I will show you how to make baklava at home, step-by-step. Certainly, this is a perfect dessert for the whole family. Also, it's best if you make baklava ahead of time because it tastes even better the next day!

    In fact, making baklava at home may seem a tough task at first, but believe me, it's easier than you think. After all, just follow every step I describe here in order to make the perfect baklava every single time you make it.

    A piece of homemade baklava with peanut butter and nuts.
    What is baklava?

    Baklava is a delicious sweet dessert made of layers of phyllo pastry filled with ground or chopped nuts coated with a simple syrup made of sugar, water, and lemon. Definitely, it's the most delicious make-ahead dessert!

    How to store baklava?

    You should store homemade baklava in an airtight container either at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If you want to preserve its crispiness keep it at room temperature. On the other hand, by storing it in the refrigerator you'll get baklava with a more chewy texture.

    Can vegans eat baklava?

    Of course, this baklava recipe is totally vegan. Truly, it doesn't contain any honey and is dairy-free and egg-free. Also, be sure to use filo pastry that is vegan-friendly.

    Sweet treats in a plate with a cup of coffee and pink flower. Easy make-ahead dessert.

    Time needed: 1 hour and 15 minutes.

    How to Make Baklava (Easy Step-by-Step Guide)

    1. Prepare the nut and peanut butter filling

      First, make the filling. In a food processor put all nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts). Pulse a few times until the nuts are well chopped. Next, transfer it to a big bowl and add dry cranberries and peanut butter. Then, mix well all the ingredients.

      Filling with walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, peanut butter and dried cranberries.

    2. Make the dressing for filo dough

      Next, in a large coffee mug mix mineral water, oil, and baking soda. With a spoon, mix frequently before you sprinkle the filo with it.

      Baklava dressing in a red mug: sunflower oil, mineral water and baking soda.

    3. Sprinkle with dressing every sheet separately

      After that, take one sheet from the filo pastry and lightly sprinkle it with the water-oil dressing. Since you don't need to soak the entire sheet, just sprinkle with a spoon, to cover most of it. Be careful not to tear it down.

      filo dough sheet on wooden table sprinkled with dressing.

    4. Fold the sheet

      Now, fold evenly, from both sides, toward the center. Sprinkle with dressing again. It's best if you move relatively quickly, therefore, preventing the phyllo from drying out.

      A sheet of folded filo pastry.

    5. Fold again

      At this instant, fold the sheet again, overlapping both sides. Then, sprinkle once more, and at one end put approximately ⅛ cup of the filling.

      Filo dough sheet with filling

    6. Fold it in triangle

      Next, fold the bottom corner up and over the filling to the opposite edge, thus creating a triangle.

      Filo pastry sheet formed in triangle

    7. Create a triangle

      Continue to fold the triangle up and over to the opposite side each time, until you reach the end of the sheet.​ Without delay, repeat the same with the remaining sheets and filling.

      Baklava dessert in triangle form

    8. Grease baking pan

      Next, place all triangles on the greased baking pan. Pour the remaining dressing over the triangles.

      Baklava in baking pan.

    9. Bake the baklava

      Bake baklava triangles for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Then, allow triangles to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before pouring the syrup.

      Golden pieces of baked baklava

    10. Make the syrup

      In the meantime, combine water, sugar, and slices of 1 lemon in a saucepan. Bring to boil, then let it simmer for 5 minutes. Leave it on the stove for 10-15 minutes. The syrup should be lukewarm (slightly warm, not very hot), for you to pour it over the baklava.

      Baklava syrup: sugar, water and lemon.

    11. Pour over the syrup

      Pour the warm syrup over the cooled baklava and let it soak for at least 6-8 hours (it's best for it to rest overnight). The baklava should be stored uncovered at room temperature for the purpose of preventing sogginess. Just give it enough time for the syrup to be properly absorbed, soften the layers, and for all flavors to blend together.

      Pouring baklava syrup

    12. Serve and enjoy

      Finally, garnish baklava with finely chopped nuts. Serve it with your favorite coffee and enjoy! This baklava dessert is best after it seats for a while, at least 6-8 hours is fine, to let the sheets be softened and absorb the syrup. Baklava is even better the next day.

      A piece of fresh baklava garnished with chopped nuts

    Baklava ingredients

    Ingredients for this recipe: walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, filo dough, dried cranberries, sugar, and oil
    • Filo dough - you'll need 500gr phyllo (filo) dough thawed according to package instructions. Filo dough should be paper-thin, even thinner. My package has 17 sheets.
    • Nut mixture - mix finely chopped hazelnuts, almonds, and walnuts (½ cup of each nut), ½ cup dry cranberries, and ½ cup peanut butter for the filling
    • Baklava dressing - ⅔ cup mineral water, ¼ cup sunflower oil, ¼ tablespoon baking soda
    • Homemade syrup - in a saucepan combine 2 cups sugar, 1 ½ cups water, and 1 lemon (thinly sliced)

    📖 Recipe

    This blog post is about how to make baklava at home. Close up of piece of baklava garnished with chopped pumpkin seeds and nuts.
    Print Pin
    No ratings yet

    How to Make Baklava

    How to make baklava at home? This baklava recipe is easy to make at home. It's a perfect sweet treat for the whole family. This is the best make-ahead dessert.
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine Balkanian, Middle Eastern, Turkish
    Keyword almond milk pulp recipes, baklava, baklava recipe, dessert, easy, filo dough, homemade, how to make baklava
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 55 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings 17 pieces
    Calories 276kcal
    Author Marinela

    Equipment

    • Food processor
    • Saucepan
    • Baking pan

    Ingredients

    For the nut and peanut butter filling

    • ½ cup hazelnuts finely chopped
    • ½ cup almonds finely chopped
    • ½ cup walnuts finely chopped
    • ½ cup dried cranberries
    • ½ cup peanut butter

    For the dressing

    • ¼ cup sunflower oil plus more for greasing the baking pan
    • ⅔ cup mineral water
    • ¼ tablespoon baking soda

    For the baklava syrup

    • 2 cup sugar
    • 1 ½ cup fresh water
    • 1 lemon thinly sliced

    For baklava

    • 500 grams filo dough

    Instructions

    • First, prepare the filling. In a food processor put all nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts). Next, pulse a few times until the nuts are well chopped. Then, transfer it to a big bowl and add dry cranberries and peanut butter. Mix well all the ingredients.
    • Next, in a large coffee mug mix mineral water, oil, and baking soda. With a spoon, mix frequently before you sprinkle the filo with it.
    • Then, take one sheet from the filo pastry and lightly sprinkle it with the water-oil dressing. You don't need to soak the entire sheet, just sprinkle with a spoon, to cover most of it. Be careful not to tear it down.
    • Fold evenly, from both sides, toward the center. Sprinkle with dressing again. It's best if you move relatively quickly to prevent the phyllo from drying out.
    • After that, fold the sheet one more time, overlapping both sides. Sprinkle once more, and at one end put approximately ⅛ cup of the filling.
    • Fold the bottom corner up and over the filling to the opposite edge, thus creating a triangle
    • Continue to fold the triangle up and over to the opposite side each time, until you reach the end of the sheet.​Without delay, repeat the same with the remaining sheets and filling.
    • In the end, place all triangles on the greased baking pan. Pour the remaining dressing over the triangles.
    • Bake baklava triangles in a preheated oven at 200°C for 25-30minutes or until golden. Allow triangles to cool at room temperature for 30minutes before pouring the syrup.
    • In the meantime, combine water, sugar, and slices of 1 lemon in a saucepan. Bring to boil, then let it simmer for 5 minutes. Leave it on the stove for 10-15 minutes. The syrup should be lukewarm (slightly warm, not very hot), for you to pour over the baklava.
    • Pour the warm syrup over the cooled baklava and let it soak for at least 10 hours (it's best for it to rest overnight). The baklava should be uncovered ( to prevent sogginess) at room temperature, give it enough time for the syrup to be properly absorbed, soften the layers, and for all flavors to blend together.
    • Finally, garnish baklava with finely chopped nuts or the remains of the nut filling. Serve it with your favorite coffee and enjoy! This baklava dessert is best after it seats for a while, at least 6-8 hours is fine, to let the sheets be softened and absorb the syrup. Baklava is even better the next day.

    Notes

    • Make sure first to defrost the filo dough in the fridge. 
    • It's very important that the syrup is lukewarm, and baklava is cooled when you pour it over it.
    • Handle the filo sheets gently.
    • Finally, this baklava dessert is best after it seats for a while, so it's perfectly fine if you could make it the day before you plan to serve it.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 276kcal

    Now, when you know how to make baklava at home, why not surprise your loved ones with this sweet make-ahead dessert?

    I would love to hear about your experience and your comments just make my day! And don't forget to rate it, leave a comment below, and share your photo on Instagram with the tag @go_eatgreen and hashtag it #go_eatgreen.

    Love, Marinela💚

    More Dessert

    • Peanut butter stuffed dates topped with dark chocolate and pomegranate seeds as an easy no-bake dessert or snack
      Easy Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates Recipe (Vegan + GF)
    • Woman's hands holding creamy chocolate coffee smoothie in a cup on table with woolen scarf
      Recipe For Coffee Smoothie (Easy Protein Breakfast Drink)
    • Moist vegan cranberry orange muffins on a wooden board for a healthy breakfast or snack
      Best Recipe - Cranberry Orange Muffins Without Eggs (Vegan)
    • Healthy date balls with walnuts coated in cacao powder on a plate for delicious vegan snack or dessert
      Vegan Recipe for Date Balls Without Coconut (5 Ingredients)

    Filed Under: Dessert Tagged With: baklava, easy, filo dough, homemade, how to make baklava, make-ahead dessert, recipe

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    A vegan food blogger, photographer, and recipe developer who is passionate about cooking simple, tasty, and budget-friendly recipes with wholesome God-given ingredients. Welcome to my vegan world! My goal is to share these delicious plant-based recipes with you so you can lead more healthy and happy lives!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Weight loss overnight oats in a jar with raspberries, banana, blueberries, and mint
      Weight Loss Overnight Oats (Easy Make-Ahead Breakfast)
    • Easy vegan scrambled eggs with chickpea flour (no tofu)
      Easy Vegan Scrambled Eggs With Chickpea Flour (No Tofu)
    • Cucumber vinegar salad recipe with red onion and sesame seeds. Easy vegan side dish.
      Cucumber Vinegar Salad Recipe (Weight-Loss Side Dish)
    • Recipe for unleavened bread for Passover Festival. Bible flatbread, homemad and easy to make with red wine and open Bible. No yeast, yeast-free bread.
      3 Ingredient Recipe for Unleavened Bread (Bread Without Yeast)
    • Recipe for peach smoothie without yogurt. Creamy vegan beverage.
      Recipe for Peach Smoothie Without Yogurt or Banana (Vegan)
    • Best recipe for potato latkes without eggs or matzo meal. Easy, gluten-free , vegan pancakes.
      Best Recipe for Potato Latkes (Crispy No Eggs Vegan Pancakes)

    Footer

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Meet Marinela

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2023 Go Eat Green