Baklava
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Walnut and honey baklava

A walnut-and-honey baklava recipe adapted from Athens Foods, with phyllo layering and syrup instructions.

Squares of walnut baklava with visible layers of pastry and chopped nuts
Walnut baklava · Samizambak / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized; display crops under the same license.Illustrative walnut baklava; not a photograph of this recipe’s preparation.

This walnut-and-honey baklava is adapted from Athens Foods. This version has not been kitchen-tested.

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Before you start

Check the size and number of phyllo sheets in your package. This method uses 36 sheets measuring 9 × 14 inches and a 9 × 13-inch pan. Thaw the pastry according to the package instructions before opening it.

Walnut baklava

9 × 13-inch pan · Bake 45–60 minutes, plus thawing and cooling.

Pastry & filling

  • 36 thawed phyllo sheets, 9 × 14 inches (approximately one 16-ounce Athens twin pack; check the sheet count)
  • 1½ pounds chopped walnuts
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup melted butter; cooking spray for the pan

Syrup

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup honey
  • Peel of 1 lemon

Method

  1. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease the pan. Mix walnuts, sugar, spices and zest.
  2. Cover unused phyllo with plastic and a slightly damp towel. Butter each sheet as you layer.
  3. Stack 18 sheets, half the filling, 5 sheets, remaining filling, then 13 sheets.
  4. Score into 1½-inch squares or diamonds; butter the surface. Bake 45–60 minutes, until golden.
  5. Boil syrup ingredients together, simmer 15 minutes, then strain and cool slightly.
  6. Cool pastry slightly; pour warm syrup evenly over it. Cool completely before cutting and serving.

Adapted from Athens Foods’ baklava and syrup recipes. Check the phyllo package for sheet size and thawing directions.

Layering and cooling

Set out the filling and melted butter before opening the phyllo. Keep unused sheets covered while you work, and butter each sheet, including the layers between the walnut fillings.

The 45–60 minutes covers baking only. The pastry and syrup both cool slightly before you combine them, and the finished tray must cool completely before serving.

Cashew baklava

Sohla El-Waylly’s recipe at King Arthur Baking uses rolled pastry, cardamom-seasoned cashews and orange syrup, with an optional second bake. It has its own method and baking instructions. Read Sohla’s cashew baklava recipe.

For more on regional recipes, read our short history of baklava.