A Levantine and Turkish luxury pastry — thin layers of filo dough brushed with ghee, filled with crushed nuts, baked until golden, then drenched in sugar syrup. A celebration sweet with a medium glycaemic load. Contains gluten, tree nuts, and dairy.
Baklava is one of the finest sweets of the Levantine and Turkish kitchen, with its roots in the Ottoman cuisine that perfected the art of thin filo layers. It spread from Istanbul to Damascus, Aleppo, and Beirut and became the sweet of festivals, celebrations, and hospitality.
It is made from dozens of thin layers of filo brushed with ghee, filled with nuts, and drenched in syrup. Every city has its own version: Aleppo uses pistachios, Damascus uses walnuts. Making it is a craft that demands patience and precision in handling the sheets.
Bring the sugar and water to a boil, add the lemon juice (which prevents crystallisation), and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes until slightly thickened, then add the orange blossom water and remove from the heat. Leave to cool completely. Cold syrup poured over hot baklava is the secret to crispness.
Crush the nuts to a medium grind — not too fine. Mix with the sugar and cinnamon. Walnuts, pistachios, or a combination all work well. A coarser crush gives better texture than a fine grind.
Brush a baking dish with ghee. Place half the filo sheets one by one, brushing each sheet with ghee before placing the next. Keep unused filo sheets covered with a damp towel — they dry out and crumble in minutes when exposed to air.
Spread the nut mixture evenly over the bottom layer, then cover with the second half of the filo sheets, brushing each sheet with ghee. Brush the top generously with ghee, as this gives the golden colour and crunch.
Before baking, cut the baklava into diamonds or squares with a sharp knife. Cutting before baking prevents the fragile baked layers from crumbling afterwards. Bake at 180 degrees C for approximately 40 to 45 minutes until golden and crispy on top and bottom.
As soon as the hot baklava comes out of the oven, pour the cold syrup evenly over it until it soaks between the layers. You will hear a sizzle — a sign of good crispness. Scatter the crushed pistachios and leave to cool and absorb the syrup for one hour before serving. Serve at room temperature with coffee.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Baklava, and how to fix them:
Hot syrup was poured over hot baklava, or too much syrup was used, or the ghee between layers was insufficient. The rule: cold syrup on hot baklava, a moderate quantity, and generous ghee between every two sheets. Pouring hot syrup will steam away the crispness.
They dried out in the air. Always keep unused filo sheets covered with a damp towel, work quickly, and brush each sheet with ghee immediately after placing it. Filo dries out in minutes.
It was not cut before baking. Cut into diamonds or squares with a sharp knife before putting it in the oven — the baked layers are brittle and will crumble if cut afterwards.
Insufficient ghee on the top surface, or the oven temperature was too low. Brush the top generously with ghee and bake until golden. The heat can be raised in the last few minutes or the overhead grill switched on briefly to achieve the golden colour.
The baklava was cold or the syrup was too cold and thick. Pour the cold syrup immediately after the baklava comes hot from the oven — the temperature difference draws the syrup between the layers with a satisfying sizzle.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for one week. Do not refrigerate — cold solidifies the ghee and the baklava loses its crispness. It stays crisp as long as it is not exposed to moisture.
Freeze baked for up to three months, with layers of parchment paper between pieces, before or after adding syrup. Thaw at room temperature. Pieces without syrup can be drenched after thawing and reheating.
Assemble, cut, and freeze raw, then bake from frozen when needed and drench with syrup. Or bake completely several days before the occasion — it keeps for a week.
Do not cover hot baklava tightly while warm — trapped steam will soften it. Leave it to cool uncovered then store in an airtight container.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walnuts | Pistachios, cashews, or a mix | Same quantity | Pistachios are more luxurious (Aleppo-style baklava), walnuts are more economical (Damascus-style), all are tree nuts |
| Ghee | Melted butter | Same quantity | Ghee is closer to the traditional flavour and has a higher smoke point, butter has a lighter flavour |
| Full quantity of syrup | Reduced or lightly drizzled syrup | To taste | Lowers the sugar content — baklava is still delicious with less syrup |
| Number of pieces | Phyllo | Nuts | Sugar (syrup) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (half recipe) | 0.5 pack | 1 cup | 1 cup |
| 12 (base) | 1 pack | 2 cups | 2 cups |
| 24 (large tray) | 2 packs | 4 cups | 4 cups |
Baklava is a celebration sweet high in sugar, fat, and calories — it is not everyday food. However the nuts inside add healthy fats, protein, and fibre, making it slightly better nutritionally than sweets that contain none. Moderation is everything: one small piece with coffee is enough. To lighten it: reduce the syrup (pour it more sparingly) and increase the nuts. For people with diabetes: a very small piece on a special occasion, with care.
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