Lebanese Baklava

Yumna Jawad
Updated

5 from 545 votes

Make homemade baklava in a fraction of the time with this deliciously easy method! Filled with walnuts and finished with an orange blossom simple syrup.

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Lebanese baklava is very special occasion dessert that we eat during the holidays, after breaking our fast for Ramadan or during big events with family. What makes this Lebanese baklava recipe unique from other types of baklava is the aromatic simple syrup flavored with orange blossom water.

Baklava in a tray after cooled and cut into with spatula in tray
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This version is very similar to how my mom used to make it growing up. However, through my researching and testing, I found an easy recipe for baklava with this simple pouring method I learned from Maureen Abood.

Instead of buttering each layer of phyllo, which is so time consuming, I pour the melted butter over the entire pan that’s been cut into. This is the secret tip for making the most efficient baklava recipe.

Baklava origin

From my research, it seems that the exact origin can’t really be pinpointed to one country. But in general it started in the Ottomon Empire by the Turks, then modified and popularized by Greeks and then spread throughout the Mediterranean region, with each country adding their unique twists.

What distinguishes Lebanese baklawa from others in different regions is the popular simple syrup we use in many desserts like Kanafa. We always get extra on the side whenever ordering Lebanese desserts!

Video tutorial for making baklava

Ingredients to make the recipe

  • Phyllo sheets: Use the 9×14 package with one pound of phyllo split into 2 packages of 20 sheets.
  • Clarified Butter or Ghee: While you might be tempted to just use butter, clarified butter is best in this case because it’s essentially the fat component of butter without the liquid part that can create a soggy baklava. You’ll get a more golden color and more crisp texture.
  • Walnuts: Walnuts are traditionally used to make the recipe, but you can use other types of nuts like pistachios, which are very popular ingredient in Middle Eastern sweets.
  • Sugar: I use cane sugar in most of my desserts, so that’s what I mix with the walnuts here. You can use regular white sugar or coconut sugar, but go for something granulated and not liquid for best texture.
  • Simple Syrup: This is basically sugar cooked down with water to form a liquid sauce to pour over the baklava. We add lemon juice and orange blossom water to give it that unique Lebanese flavor. This simple syrup is the prime distinction of Lebanese baklawa from other variations.
Ingredients to make the recipe on a white board

How to make baklava

  1. Place a layer of phyllo pastry sheets in the bottom of a prepared and greased pan.
  2. Add the mixture of crushed walnuts and sugar evenly on top, smoothening out with a spatula.
  3. Add the rest of the phyllo sheets carefully on top.
  4. Cut into diamonds and pour over the clarified butter. Bake.
4 image collage to show how to build the baklava layers
  • When it’s done cooking, you have to make sure to drizzle the cooled simple syrup immediately! The cool syrup on top of the hot baklava not only creates the best crackling sound, but also help the syrup stick to the phyllo for the best texture and taste.
Baked and cooled baklawa on a pan

Tips for making the recipe well

  1. Trim the phyllo with a pizza cutter to fit properly in the pan. Keep in mind though that the phyllo will shrink as it bakes, so it’s ok to leave it just a little wider than the pan.
  2. Lay more phyllo sheets on the bottom layer than the top layer. It’s totally fine to keep them even, but splitting unevenly creates a more compact baklawa without as many crunchy fluttering sheets on the top.
  3. Make sure the top layer of the stack of phyllo sheets is not ripped for best presentation. It it gets torn accidentally, you can take a sheet from the center of the sheets and use as the top layer.
  4. Be sure to cut all the way through to the bottom of the pan. This is essential for allowing the clarified butter to seep through all phyllo layers. It’s important to have a super sharp chef knife for this process.
  5. Hold the knife downward when cutting into the stacked phyllo. I’ve learned this is the most efficient and clean way to cut through all those sheets.
  6. Keep the top layers of phyllo sheets down by lighting holding on to them while cutting into the phyllo stacks. The top layers will tend to lift as you make your way through cutting the lines, so be patient in this step.
Side angle shot of sliced pieces of baklawa on a plate

Frequently asked questions

How long does it keep?

Once you have made your walnut baklava, let it cool to room temperature. You can then lightly cover the tin with foil or parchment to store, or place the individual pieces into a container. You can store it in the fridge or at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Can you freeze it?

Yes, this Lebanese baklava freezes really well, and it will keep for up to 3 months.Wrap the whole tin in plastic wrap and foil to freeze and thaw it at room temperature to serve.

Can I use regular butter instead of clarified butter?

Clarified butter is the best option when you make baklava as it helps to get the phyllo pastry perfectly crispy. It also has a much richer taste. You can buy clarified butter from the store, or make your own fairly easily. You can also use ghee. I’d definitely not recommend just using melted butter, it won’t have the same finish or flavor to it.

Hand holding a piece of lebanese baklawa to show the inside of the piece

This is one of my favorite sweets to enjoy, it’s so rich and sweet and is a real treat! This new method I found worked so well, meaning that you can easily make a batch in the fraction of the time. I can’t wait for you all to try this flakey, buttery, irresistible version at home!

More Middle Eastern inspired desserts:

If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Lebanese Baklava recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!

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Side angle shot of sliced pieces of baklawa on a plate
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Lebanese Baklava

Make homemade baklava in a fraction of the time with this deliciously easy method! Filled with walnuts and finished with an orange blossom simple syrup.
5 from 545 votes
Author Yumna Jawad
Servings 12 servings
Course Dessert
Calories 500
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound box of phyllo 9″x14″ sheets, room temperature
  • ¾ cup clarified butter or ghee

For the Simple Syrup

For the Sugared Nuts

  • 3 cups raw or roasted walnuts coarsely chopped in food processor
  • ½ cup granulated sugar

Instructions

  • To make the simple syrup, combine the water, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thickened but still clear colored, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat, add the orange blossom water, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
  • In a large bowl, combine the walnuts and granulated sugar until well mixed.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with clarified butter.
  • Open the two sleeves of phyllo sheet – each will have about 20 sheets. Unroll them and cut off an inch at the end to make them fit into the 9 x 13 pan.
  • Lay one stack of 20 phyllo sheets in the pan. Add about 5-10 more phyllo sheets on top of the first stack. Spread the nuts mixture over the phyllo in one even layer. Lay the remainder 10-15 phyllo sheets over the nuts.
  • Cut the baklava into diamonds by making 4 cuts lengthwise and 9 cuts crosswise on the diagonal, holding down the phyllo sheets with your other hand as you cut carefully.
  • Pour the melted clarified butter over the baklava evenly. Allow the butter to settle in, about 5 minutes.
  • Bake until golden brown all the way into the cut lines, about 50-60 minutes, rotating the baklava halfway through baking.
  • Remove the pan from the oven and immediately pour the cooled simple syrup evenly over the baklava. Allow to cool at room temperature for several hours before serving.

Equipment

Notes

Recipe: I learned how to make this recipe from Maureen Abood. Check out her blog for much more detail and expertise on this recipe.
Storage: Keep the baklava lightly covered in the pan or storage container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.
  • Instead of walnuts, you can use other types of nuts like pistachios or pecans.
  • Instead of cane sugar, you can use white granulated sugar. 
  • Instead of ghee, you can use butter, but I recommend clarifying the butter first.

Nutrition

Calories: 500kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 29mg, Sodium: 184mg, Potassium: 157mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 26g, Vitamin A: 6IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 33mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Diet: Vegetarian
Cuisine Lebanese, Middle Eastern
Course: Dessert

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Comments

  2. I tried this yesterday. It is really easy to construct. I swapped out the sugar for stevia and it worked well. I couldn’t find orange blossom water but I had valencia orange peel in my spice cupboard so I steeped a tablespoon with my simple syrup and strained it out after simmering and it did get that note of orange. I ran the recipe through my calorie calculator and while it still has butter and fat from nuts it did drop the calories of a square to about 178 each. I will absolutely make this again!

    Reply

    1. The full recipe with time and temperature specifics is located at the bottom of the blog post. To quickly navigate to the recipe card, click ‘jump to recipe’ at the top of this page.

      Reply

  5. Successful first-time effort today. This new method works as well as traditional butter-each-and-every-sheet method. First time using ghee so thank you for the suggestion. My results are beautiful, crunchy delicious, and worth repeating.

    Reply

  9. Over the last 3 years I have tried many iterations of Baklava recipe and sadly none have turned out good, until last Ramadan when I found your recipe.
    I have since made it 2 times and here is last night’s version that I am absolutely thrilled with.

    Reply

  10. It’s been 40 minutes since the baklava has been baking and it looks promising! I made some changes so I’m hoping they don’t effect the end result. For the syrup, I used 1 cup honey and 1/2 cup water and simmered the syrup just until the honey had been dissolved since I don’t like the taste or smell of cooked honey. Instead of using only walnuts, I used half walnuts and half cashews. Lastly, I used 1 cup butter instead of 3/4 cup butter.

    It’s been a few hours since it has come out of the oven and I tried a piece and it tastes better than majority of store-bought baklava’s my family has been having recently!!

    Reply

  11. I followed this recipe closely, converting the brilliantly practical American cups system into grams or millilitres. Beware that different substances have different densities – sugar will not be the same as butter etc. Doves Farm has a good conversion table.

    The recipe calls for lots of Filo sheets. I bought a pack of seven without thinking. I also don’t have a baking sheet so used a square, ceramic roasting dish. I used 4 sheets, still folded and untrimmed, on the bottom and 3 above the filling. I cooked at 200C. After half an hour, I opened the oven to turn it over and it looked done. I gave it another 5 minutes…finished.

    The result was great. I tasted the orange blossom syrup before putting it over the dish and was worried about how tart and strong it was. Don’t worry, in fact don’t taste it, on the dish it is subtle. If I do it again I’d probably use a little less ghee. Other than that, very impressed. I’m not much of a baker and I didn’t do it quite right, but it was delicious.

    Reply

  12. I am SO excited to find your recipe. Where I live it’s very hard and expensive to buy fresh baklava, and the imported stuff is stale and not very nice. I can get fresh filo but the amount of work involved buttering everything individually put me off. I want to make small pieces for a cocktail party. Do you think it’s possible to make all the layers thinner? For example 10 layers of filo on the bottom, 6 layers on top and one thinner layer of nuts? Do you know how that would affect the cooking time? Many thanks Catherine

    Reply

    1. Hi Catherine, great question, I’ve only ever made it as written on the recipe card. I am not sure how long it would take to cook or if it would hold together well. Maybe try a test batch first and see if they hold up. Can’t wait to hear what you think of the baklava!

      Reply

      1. hi Yumna, so I tried it with 10 sheets of filo on the bottom, a bit less than half as much nut mix and 5 sheets of filo on the top. Half as much ghee, and around 3/4 as much syrup. I ground the nuts fairly fine (mix of walnuts, almonds and cashews). I cooked it for around 35 minutes on 175 celsius. It came out really well, tastes nice and is very pretty. I cut it into 1 inch squares. I think I might go to 12 sheets bottom / 6 sheets top for the filo and only half the syrup, although I do like the syrupy base. (I was worried it would dry out a little and didn’t want to put too much ghee in case that made it taste claggy which is why I went a little heavier on the syrup first try). And it really is SO much easier just pouring the ghee on!!

        Reply

        1. So happy to hear that it worked out for you and thank you for sharing the modifications, it’s so helpful!

          Reply

    1. You can use a drop of orange extract, if you’d like or leave it out altogether. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply

    1. Hi Jitendra, you can find the ingredient lists as well as the full recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of the page, right before the comments. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  15. I made easy baklava following your recipe, I really want to thank you. I’m from Balkans and we make turkish baklava, it takes forever and since I just got married it was a big deal for me to make baklava the way our mothers do, so your recipe was a blessing 😁😁😁 It turned out amazing, and I will be making it for Eid insallah. Lots of love from Sarajevo ♥️♥️

    Reply

  17. How many sheets of filo on bottom and top? There are 2 pkgs in a box of filo. Do you just place 1 pkg on bottom and 1 on top?

    Reply

    1. Hi Patrice, in the recipe card, you can find the full instructions on how many sheets to use and when. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply

  18. My baklava is in the oven!!! So excited, I can’t wait! But I made a mistake I put a bit more than a cup of ghee, I misread the quality, I hope it turns out ok.

    Reply

  19. I made the baklava already two three times !!! Wow no words!!! As someone that used to make the harder way this really saves time and you get full credit as like u did the long way !!! Lol a must try!!!

    Reply

  20. Absolutely loved this recipe! I made it with my mom (who loves baklava) and it was *so* easy.
    I’ve never worked with ghee before and this was the perfect trial into using it!
    Super beginner friendly recipe & the taste is truly delicious! I had so much that I brought some in to the office for my pals to try out and they all loved them.

    Reply

    1. So glad you enjoyed the baklava! It really is delicious. I’ve got a pistachio version planned for April that I’d love for you to try when I get it on the site!

      Reply

  22. This is the best recipe for baklava I’ve ever tried. It’s so easy, quick and delicious every time I’ve made it. Thank you!

    Reply

  23. Absolutely the best. I’ve made baklava with traditional honey syrup and buttering every layer of phillo dough and it has always been too sticky and too sweet. I’m so glad I found this recipe. I usually avoid “easy” recipes because the I’m willing to put in the work for a great result. With this recipe the result is great and it really is easy!

    Reply

  24. I read all the Lebanese recipes as the best rating a five star! Exquisite recipes made simple to all who enjoy cooking!

    Reply

  25. Made this for a potluck party with the neighbors and they are absolutely obsessed !! It’s so simple to make and infinitely delicious, everyone is already asking for more trays ! Thank you so much for sharing !!

    Reply

  26. Two words – FREAKING PHENOMENAL!!

    We’ve come to a point where anytime I try a new recipe, my husband asks “is this your friend “Feelgoodfoodie’s” recipe? Yes it always is, and it’s always SO GOOD!!

    Reply

  27. I made this last evening for my grown son and his friend. It is sooo delicious. Easy to make. They ate almost half the pan, and raved about it!

    Reply

  28. What a great recipe! So easy to make and so delicious! All I had to do is follow Yumna’s steps and the result is yummy amazing baklava!

    Reply

  29. I was doubtful when I read the instructions because it sounded too sloppy. Too easy! I had tried making baklava a few times with varying degrees of success and buttering each layer was the unpleasant part. The way you suggested sounded too good to be true, but I decided to give it a go. I asked my wife to try it and make the final verdict because she is hard to please when it comes to sweets. She loved it! Your recipe passed the test. Thank you. This was a nice surprise for us in this year’s eid.

    Reply

  31. Soo easy recipe and came out absolutely delicious. I doubled the simple syrup recipe for a more sweeter treat. Great beginner recipe

    Reply

  32. I had saved the recipe since last Summer until today when I tried it for the first time and wow such a heavenly smell all around the house!
    I am fasting and I am counting the minutes to Iftar (:

    Thanks, Yumna!

    Reply

  33. This turned out amazing and was so easy to make. My husband was literally in shock that I had made this myself. I’m so excited to use this recipe for special occasions. Thank you!

    Reply

  34. Thank you so much for your easy Baklava recipe 😘
    Shared with my neighbours and work colleagues.
    It turned out just like yours, unbelievably easy to make and results were not to sweet, crunchy, utterly delicious 😋 😍
    Thanks again xx

    Reply

  36. This baklava recipe was easy to follow and it turned out wonderful. Now all I need is a good kibbeh nayeh recipe. Also, I used your recipe for make grape leaves and they turned out great. My sons nailed them over night. LOL. Thank you for these easy to follow recipes.

    Reply

  37. I’m interested in making this for an upcoming party! Could I make it on a Sunday and keep covered, in the pan in the fridge until the party on Saturday?

    Reply

    1. Yes, you can! The baklava will keep well lightly covered in the pan or storage container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

      Reply

  38. This turned out beautifully! Since there are some people with walnut allergies in my family, I used a combination of roasted salted pistachios & blanched almonds instead. I also couldn’t find orange blossom water anywhere, so I used a little bit of rosewater and put some orange peel in the syrup as it cooked. My family all said this is the best baklava they’ve ever had.

    Reply

  40. Made this recipe and at first I thought I overcooked it. The next day is was just like buying it from a restaurant. Delicious and super simple! Thank you!

    Reply

    1. I would recommend substituting it with rose water or you can try the orange zest if you can’t find that either.

      Reply

      1. You could put the orange peel in the simple syrup and it will infuse the syrup with flavor. Try to avoid the pith or white part of the skin

        Reply

  42. This is a fool proof recipe. Our whole family loves Baklava so much but because how time consuming it is we never made it at home 😣. That’s until I found this recipe. Honestly, I was shocked to see how easy it was to make it and only took 12 mins to prep. Follow the recipe and it will turn out amazing. I did like the simple syrup recipe by itself and now I am thinking of using it in cakes as well. I am sure that we will have Baklava on every family gathering now.

    Reply

  43. For Christmas, my sister makes and sends a pan of Balkava from Seattle to NY bc my Grandmother’s recipe is buttering each and every sheet!

    Omg, I am so excited…I got everything to make this pour-over recipe on Friday. Here’s my question. I have a gas stove, my family have only made in electric. Is there anything different I should do or watch out for? I am not sure about the different cook element.

    Thank you!

    Reply

    1. That’s so sweet of her! Can’t wait for you to make this recipe. It should still work in either of those stoves!

      Reply

  44. I made this baklva last night. The first pieces we had tasted amazing. However when I was putting the rest in containers afterwards, I realised the middle bit was a bit soggy. I am not sure if it was because of using baking sheet or using the wrong oven temperature. I had it in the oven for about 45 minutes with 170 Celsius on fan forced.

    Reply

  46. I’m so excited to make this! I was wondering if I can substitute rose water for the orange blossom water? I ran out of orange blossom water but have so much rose water left!

    Reply

  50. Omg! I can’t explain how shocked and happy I am!!! I just made ur easy way baklava,and I can’t stop eating them! 😅🤣 u should create one with diet version 😩 thank uuuu soo much

    Reply

  51. Oh. My. God. Have i died and gone to heaven!??

    These were FANTASTIC!! I have made Baklavas in the past, and the resultat WAS sucess, but buttering each layer of phyllo sheet was SUCH a chore it actually took me 10 years to try this again. And boy, am i glad i did!

    These taste like heaven, are SO SO SO easy to make. I was so proud of them i gave a bunch to my neighbours and family members!!

    I will DEFINITELY make again!! Thank you so much for the tip and recipe!!!

    Reply

  52. Everything went well but mine taste like burnt. I did bake it on 350 fo about 45 minutes as I sensed its starting over bake.

    Reply

      1. Mine was the same. I pulled it at 45 minutes and it was already definitely over cooked and I’m a professional pastry chef. Oops. Lmao
        Also needs more syrup. Making thos again now. Probably will bake for 35 minutes total in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven. And I’m doubling the syrup. Though probably not using all of it. Probably 1 1/2 times syrup. And I’ll save the rest for something else.
        Delicious recipe though!

        Reply

        1. If you’re a professional chef, wouldn’t you know to check the product that’s baking, especially if its a new recipe you’re trying?

          Reply

  53. Hi there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I truly enjoy reading your articles. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same subjects? Thanks a lot!

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much!! You could join my Facebook group called “Feel Good Foodies: A Community!”

      Reply

  54. I’d like to make this recipe for myself to celebrate mother’s day.
    The butter should be Unsalted?
    can Honey or maple syrup be used instead of sugar?

    Reply

  55. I made this today, I didn’t thaw out the dough completely so it was a bit messy, but it still came out delicious!!! My whole family raved about it.

    Reply

      1. Made lebanese bitlaywah for years. Tried Maureens. Followed to a t and didn’t work as well. Pastry didn’t stick well together. Became a mess. Maybe my pan was too big. Probably didn’t “mash” down enough to adhere together. Either way, I’ll stick with my original recipe from Lebanon. Mashallah.

        Reply

    2. The only Filo pastry I got my hands on is a 1 pound roll. I really want to make your baklava. But I am not sure how to work with the roll. It’s frozen at the moment. Any advice?

      Reply

  60. Just finished making this baklava recipe, I can’t believe how easy it is and turned out absolutely delicious!!! Thank you Yumma! 😌

    Reply

  61. I tried to make Baklava for the first time using this method and I have to say they came out amazing. Was so easy to make and delicious…I will continue to try out your recipes! 5⭐ !

    Reply

  64. This is a great recipe! Quick, efficient & tasty. What do you recommend if it turns out slightly dry? More syrup or more clarified butter?

    Reply

  65. Your baklava recipe is amazing and so easy to follow! We have made it serval times at home and everybody loves it. Thank you for sharing your recipes!!

    Reply

  66. Thank you so much!! Your page is my absolute favorite! I am Lebanese too and we are always making your recipes at home. Your baklava one is my favorite and so easy to follow!😊

    Reply

    1. You can use regular white sugar or coconut sugar, but go for something granulated and not liquid for best texture.

      Reply

  69. I used to roll the phyllo dough one by one, and OMG it used to take forever. These came out just perfect..God bless your heart Yumna ❤️

    Reply

  70. The recipe is perfect if you follow the directions. I m make it in no time . Thank you for your recipes very helpful and delicious 🤤

    Reply

  71. Loved this recipe so much that I made it twice within the last three days! The second batch was made up of the leftover filo dough that I had cut off to fit the large baking pan initially. This Pakistani girl definitely impressed her Palestinian in-laws!

    Reply

  74. This recipe is easy and fast and most important that the result is delicious!!! I made it with pistachio nuts And cashews nuts! Turned out super delicious 🤤!!
    Thanks for sharing this recipe. I LOVE IT 🥰

    Reply

  75. This recipe it’s so amazing. I like how easy and fast you can do tricks with layers instead of do each individual layer. That was first time I made baclava, turned out so delicious, my whole family loved it.

    Reply

  77. It was so amazing and easy to make. I am greek so this is a staple dish for my family and I. We all loved it!!

    Reply

  79. Hi. In the vey beginning, you stated this is flavored with rose water, but the recipe only calls for orange blossom water. I have both in my pantry. Do you recommend using both and, if so, how much rose water would I add?

    Reply

  80. I only tried making baklava once before and found it’s tedious. Today I followed your recipe it turned out super good and super fast!! It’s a brilliant way!

    Reply

  81. Dearest Yumna, this was the most perfect recipe. I always get the simple syrup wrong but following your recipe was simple.

    Reply

  84. You have the best recipes!!!! I just made the Baklava and my whole family LOVED it and they are foodies. Thanks so much 🥰

    Reply

  85. Omg your recipe was sooo easy! So quick! So accurate! I cant believe I got it right the first time. Thank you soo much 🙏🏻

    Reply

  87. I couldn’t believe I made this in just few minutes 😍😊😊🤗🤗🤗🤗 thank you so much
    You made our life easier

    Reply