Are you intimidated by making baklava (baklawa) using phyllo dough? If so, you're going to love this easy puff pastry baklava dessert recipe! It's so easy, anyone can do it! And yes, it's still absolutely divine and tastes like the real deal! Enjoy with a cup of Middle Eastern karak tea!
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I just love baklawa (how we say it in Assyrian), which is why I have so many variations on my blog. Besides my Middle Eastern baklawa recipe, I also have Sari Burma Baklava, Osh El Bulbul, or bird nest baklava, and Kadayif, which is prepared with kataifi (often referred to as shredded phyllo dough). Of them all, this is definitely the easiest to prepare!
Puff pastry baklava has just the right touch of sweetness and a wonderful nutty flavor. The texture is a little denser and not as airy and light as traditional baklava made with phyllo dough, but it's still absolutely delicious!
So if you love baklava as much as I do and are all about simple recipes, this puff pastry baklava recipe is dedicated to you! You may also want to try my new puff pastry baklava cheesecake recipe!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Making baklava with puff pastry is much easier than making traditional baklava!
- Using puff pastry to make baklava takes a lot less time.
- No finicky phyllo dough to work with, so even novice cooks can make this baklava!
- Even though we're cheating by using puff pastry, it still tastes every bit as delicious and will definitely impress your guests!
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Puff Pastry Dough: You will need two sheets (1-lb package) of puff pastry. You'll even have some puff pastry left over, which you can use to make cream cheese danishes, spanakopita, goat cheese appetizers, and more!
- Nuts: I'm using a mixture of walnuts and pistachios. However, you can substitute almonds, pecans, cashews, etc.
- Syrup: The syrup is made with a mixture of sugar, honey, lemon juice, and rose water.
- Spices: Cinnamon powder, cardamom powder, and cloves to flavor the simple syrup.
🍯 How to Make Puff Pastry Baklava
Prepare Simple Syrup & Nut Mixture
Remove frozen puff pastry sheets from the freezer and defrost in the fridge overnight.
Step 1: Add sugar, honey, water, whole cloves, rose water, and lemon juice to a small saucepan. Gently whisk over low-medium flame until sugar dissolves. Bring the syrup to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove syrup from heat and set aside to cool.
Step 2: While the syrup is simmering, grind walnuts and pistachios in a small food processor until coarsely ground. Mix in sugar, cardamom powder, and cinnamon powder. Set the nut mixture aside until needed.
Clarify Butter
Step 3: Clarify butter by placing it in an 8-ounce mason jar and covering it with plastic wrap. Microwave for 20 seconds or until completely melted. The milk solids will settle to the bottom.
Baklava Assembly (Preheat oven to 350°F)
Step 4: Carefully unroll one sheet of puff pastry and slice off ⅓ of it along the crease. Set aside the smaller piece for another use. Place the larger puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface, then roll gently with a rolling pin to extend the length by a few inches to fit the pan.
Step 5: Brush the bottom of a 7 x 11 x 1.5 ceramic baking dish with the clarified butter. Fit puff pastry sheet into the pan. Drizzle with clarified butter, then sprinkle with nut mixture and more butter. Slice and roll out the second sheet of pastry, then place over nuts. Score into diamonds or squares using a sharp knife and brush with melted butter.
Baking Instructions
Step 6: Bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove baklava from oven and remove cloves from syrup. Pour cooled syrup slowly over the hot baklava, distributing the syrup evenly. The baklava will sizzle as the syrup is absorbed by the puff pastry.
Allow the Baklava to rest for a few hours, uncovered, until set. Slice all the way through and serve.
What readers are saying...
I have made the baklava from Hilda's Blog in the past, and it was really good, and I got a lot of compliments. I tasted this recipe the other day, and it was really good as well, with a lot less work! If you're short on time or afraid to try the original, this is a great option!
-Lori
🤷🏻♀️ FAQs
It depends on the recipe! In some cases, you can use puff pastry as a shortcut. You can even make baklava with puff pastry. However, your puff pastry desserts won't be as light and airy as when prepared with phyllo dough.
Greek baklava is usually more syrupy and sticky because it's sweetened with honey, while Lebanese baklava is sweetened with simple syrup. The other difference is in the spices and aromatics used. Lebanese baklava is flavored with cardamom and rosewater, while Greek baklava is flavored with cinnamon and lemon juice.
Looking for other puff pastry recipes? Try this easy chocolate pastries recipe.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Oven temperatures vary greatly, so keep an eye on the baklava in case it's ready sooner!
- Baklava is best when served fresh; the texture will get softer after a couple of days.
- Store puff pastry baklava on the counter in an airtight container or at least covered by a tea towel. Do not store in the refrigerator. Refrigerated baklava gets soggy.
- For longer storage, wrap baklava in plastic wrap, then in foil, and place in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
🍮 Mote Middle Eastern Desserts
If you love this puff pastry baklava dessert recipe, make sure to try these other delicious desserts!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add sugar, honey, water, whole cloves, rose water, and lemon juice to a small saucepan. Gently whisk over low-medium flame until sugar dissolves. Bring the syrup to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove syrup from heat and set aside to cool.
- While the syrup is simmering, grind walnuts and pistachios in a small food processor until coarsely ground. Mix in sugar, cardamom powder, and cinnamon powder. Set the nut mixture aside until needed.
- Clarify butter by placing it in an 8-ounce mason jar and covering it with plastic wrap. Microwave for 20 seconds or until completely melted. The milk solids will settle to the bottom.
- Carefully unroll one sheet of puff pastry and slice off ⅓ of it along the crease. Set aside the smaller piece for another use. Place larger puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface, then roll gently with a rolling pin to extend the length by a few inches to fit the pan.
- Brush the bottom of a 7 x 11 x 1.5 ceramic baking dish with the clarified butter. Fit puff pastry sheet into the pan. Drizzle with clarified butter, then sprinkle with nut mixture and more butter. Slice and roll out the second sheet of pastry, then place over nuts. Score into diamonds or squares using a sharp knife and brush with melted butter.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove baklava from oven and remove cloves from syrup. Pour cooled syrup slowly over the hot baklava, distributing the syrup evenly. The baklava will sizzle as the syrup is absorbed by the puff pastry.
- Allow the Baklava to rest for a few hours, uncovered, until set. Slice all the way through and serve.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Defrost puff pastry in the fridge overnight, if frozen.
- You can also defrost puff pastry on the counter for an hour or so, prior to using it but the preferred method is defrosting it in the fridge.
- Oven temperatures vary greatly so keep an eye on the baklava in case it's ready sooner!
- Baklava is best when served fresh, the texture will get softer after a couple of days.
- Store baklava on the counter in an airtight container or at least covered by a tea towel. Do not store in the refrigerator. Refrigerated baklava gets soggy.
- For longer storage, wrap baklava in plastic wrap, then in foil and place in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Sue says
Looks great. I've just made some and had a taste before it had even cooled down properly. It's very nice and a good alternative to the real thing - soooo much easier.
I'm assuming you freeze it in the freezer bag, not merely store it (using the bag as an airtight container)? Any tips on defrosting? Does it need a re bake to freshen up?
I'm not sure there'll be any left over anyway 😉
Thanks
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you! I’m so glad you gave it a taste while it was still warm; I probably would have done the same thing! 😂
Yes, if you’re freezing it, place the baklava in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container and freeze it. When you’re ready to enjoy it, thaw it at room temperature while still covered. There’s no need to rebake it, although you can warm individual pieces briefly in the oven if you prefer them warm. And if there’s any leftover to freeze, you’ve got more self-control than I do! 😉