This easy Greek baklava recipe is the perfect decadent sweet dessert made with everyday ingredients like phyllo dough, walnuts, butter, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla extract - all baked to perfection and soaked in a sweet honey syrup.
This is one dessert everyone will love and devour any time of the day!
Contents
🌟 Why this recipe works
Baklava is an iconic Greek dessert that has been enjoyed for centuries. This particular recipe captures the flavors of traditional Greek baklava using simple ingredients like phyllo dough, walnuts, butter, cinnamon, water, lemon peel, white sugar, vanilla, and honey.
Although you might think homemade baklava is tricky to make, this recipe simplifies the process so that any home cook can assemble and bake it in just over an hour.
The key to achieving the perfect baked baklava is in the buttery and flaky layered sheets of phyllo dough, which are mixed with crunchy chopped walnuts for an added texture. The combination of cinnamon, lemon peel, and vanilla extract adds an irresistible flavor that will leave you wanting more!
The final step in making this baklava is to pour sweet honey syrup over the top. This helps lock in all the flavors and keeps the layers super moist. The result? A delicious and decadent dessert that will rival even your favorite bakery pastries!
And if you love the combination of cinnamon and nuts, don't forget to try out cinnamon rolls or Jack Daniels pumpkin pie for adults.
🍽 Key Ingredients
With just 1 package of phyllo pastry sheets and 7 baking ingredients, you can make this traditional Greek baklava recipe in no time.
Phyllo dough - These thin layers of phyllo sheets are the star of the recipe. They are soft and hold the dessert together through many layers in between the sweet filling.
Cinnamon and chopped nuts mixture - This recipe uses chopped walnuts mixed with ground cinnamon for the filling to add a delicious crunchy texture.
Butter - Unsalted butter is melted and brushed onto each sheet of phyllo dough to create a flaky pastry.
Baklava syrup - A blend of sugar, lemon peel, water, honey, and vanilla is brought to a boil and poured over the top of the pastry for a sweet and sticky glaze that soaks right through the phyllo sheets.
Substitutions
For those looking for alternative ingredients, you can substitute the nuts, honey, and vanilla.
Nuts
Other nuts like pistachios or almonds work just well in place of walnuts.
Honey
If you don't have honey, you can use light corn syrup or maple syrup in place of honey.
Vanilla
You can also use flavored extracts like almond or rum extract to give a unique flavor to the baklava.
🔪 How to make
Making authentic Greek baklava with walnuts doesn't have to be complicated. With this easy recipe, you can enjoy homemade baklava in no time! All you need is food processor and a baking dish to bake this sumptuous dessert!
Preparations
- If using frozen phyllo dough, allow it to come to room temperature before assembling.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) and grease a baking pan with melted butter.
Cooking instructions
Step 1
Pour the walnuts and cinnamon into a food processor and blitz until fine crumbs.
Step 2
Remove the filo dough from the package and cut them in half (if the sheets are large) to fit the pan. Cover the sheets with a dampened cloth so that they don't dry out.
Step 3
Place two layers of phyllo sheets into the baking pan and brush with melted butter. Repeat this step until you have 8 phyllo sheets.
Step 4
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture over the buttered sheets.
Step 5
Lay another 2 buttered sheets on top, followed by the nut mixture, and repeat until all the mixture has been used. The top layer should have 6 or 8 sheets of phyllo.
Step 6
Use a sharp knife to cut the baklava lengthways 4 or 5 times and then cut across it diagonally to create diamond shapes.
Step 7
Bake the prepared Greek baklava in the preheated oven for 50 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
Step 8
While the baklava bakes, make the sweet syrup by boiling the sugar, lemon peel, and water until the sugar has dissolved. Pour in the vanilla extract and honey and turn the heat to a simmer for about 20 minutes until reduced and thickened.
Tip: Remove the syrup from the heat and the lemon peel and allow to cool.
Step 9
Remove the hot baklava from the oven and pour the cooled syrup over the top. Let the hot baklava cool at room temperature to soak up the syrup before serving.
💭 Cooking tips
Cover the phyllo with a damp towel
Covering the sheets of phyllo with a damp towel with prevent them from drying out whilst you assemble the baklava.
If the sheets tear, don't worry!
You might find that some of the sheets will tear before layering them. If this does happen, don't worry, just overlap them as needed, and once baked, you won't be able to tell.
Cooling the syrup
Let the syrup cool down before pouring it over the baklava. It should be at a lukewarm temperature.
Sweet syrup
If the syrup is too sweet for your liking, you can reduce the amount of sugar you add or add a tablespoon of lemon juice as well as the peel to balance the sweetness.
📖 Recipe Variations
For those looking for more creative ways to enjoy this authentic Greek dessert, there are plenty of variations that you can try. Here are some tasty variations:
Chocolate baklava
Melt 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and mix it into the nut filling for a delicious chocolate-flavored baklava.
Fruit and nut baklava
Add ½ cup of chopped dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, or dates to the nut filling.
Coconut baklava
Blend 1 cup of roasted shredded coconut with the walnuts and remove the cinnamon for a tropical twist and swap the vanilla extract for coconut extract when making the syrup.
🥗 What to serve with
Greek Baklava pairs perfectly with a variety of sides and accompaniments. Here are some delicious sweet recipes that you can serve with baklava:
Fruit platters
Fresh fruits like pineapple, apricots, figs, and pomegranates make an excellent accompaniment to the sweet pastry. You could also make a delicious hummingbird cake or a sock it to me cake to pair with it.
Cookies
Serve them with a selection of homemade cookies, like oatmeal raisin cookies, ginger sandwich cookies, or oatmeal cream pie cookies.
Bars
You could also serve them with some delicious bars like chocolate cherry pie bars, pumpkin gingerbread bars, or triple good bars.
🙋 Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Greek and Turkish baklava?
While both contain layers of phyllo pastry, nuts, and syrup, the main difference between the two baklava recipes is that the Turkish version tends to be sweeter as it has more syrup, which makes it denser - and the Greek one uses more nuts and a lighter syrup.
Why is my baklava soggy?
If your baklava is too soggy, it could be because the syrup has been poured over it while it is still hot. Make sure to let the baklava cool down before pouring the syrup, or wait until the syrup has cooled as well.
🧊 Storing
You can store triangles of Greek baklava in the fridge or freezer so that you can grab a piece whenever you fancy something sweet.
Fridge - To store in the fridge, place the baklava in an airtight container and keep it refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Freezer - To freeze baklava, place each piece in a zip-lock bag, then freeze them for up to 3 months.
🍳 Related Greek recipes
More Greek recipes including my Greek pizza is perfect for any time of the day.
And if you're in the mood to bake but aren't sure what to make, check out these delicious American breakfast comfort food treats, there's something for everyone!
👪 Serving size
This Greek baklava recipe yields 14-16 triangle pieces using a 9x13-inch pan. Depending on the size of your pan and the size you have cut them, you may end up with more or less than that.
No matter where it originated, Greek baklava is undeniably delicious. With its crunchy layers of phyllo dough, sweet and nutty filling, and syrupy coating -this classic dessert is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Try out this best baklava recipe today and experience the magic of homemade Greek dessert cuisine!
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📋 Recipe
Super Easy Greek Baklava
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Phyllo dough
- 1 pound Walnuts - chopped
- 1 cup Butter
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 1 cup Water
- 1 chunk Lemon peel
- 1 cup White sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup Honey
Instructions
Preparations
- If using frozen phyllo dough, allow it to come to room temperature before assembling.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) and grease a baking pan with melted butter.
Cooking instructions
- Pour the walnuts and cinnamon into a food processor and blitz until fine crumbs.
- Remove the filo dough from the package and cut them in half (if the sheets are large) to fit the pan. Cover the sheets with a dampened cloth so that they don't dry out.
- Place two layers of phyllo sheets into the baking pan and brush with melted butter. Repeat this step until you have 8 phyllo sheets.
- Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture over the buttered sheets.
- Lay another 2 buttered sheets on top, followed by the nut mixture, and repeat until all the mixture has been used. The top layer should have 6 or 8 sheets of phyllo.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the baklava lengthways 4 or 5 times and then cut across it diagonally to create diamond shapes.
- Bake the prepared Greek baklava in the preheated oven for 50 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- While the baklava bakes, make the sweet syrup by boiling the sugar, lemon peel, and water until the sugar has dissolved. Pour in the vanilla extract and honey and turn the heat to a simmer for about 20 minutes until reduced and thickened.
- Remove the syrup from the heat and the lemon peel and allow to cool.
- Remove the hot baklava from the oven and pour the cooled syrup over the top. Let the hot baklava cool at room temperature to soak up the syrup before serving.
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