Turkish Hazelnut Pistachio Baklava (Print Version)

Crisp phyllo layered with hazelnuts, pistachios, and drizzled honey create a rich Turkish dessert delight.

# What You Need:

→ Pastry

01 - 16 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
02 - 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

→ Nut Filling

03 - 3.5 ounces hazelnuts, finely chopped
04 - 3.5 ounces pistachios, finely chopped
05 - ½ cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

→ Honey Syrup

07 - ½ cup water
08 - 5.25 ounces honey
09 - ½ cup granulated sugar
10 - 1 teaspoon lemon juice

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush an 8x12 inch baking pan with melted butter to prevent sticking.
02 - Place 4 phyllo sheets in the pan, brushing each sheet generously with melted butter.
03 - In a mixing bowl, stir together hazelnuts, pistachios, sugar, and cinnamon until well blended.
04 - Evenly spread one-third of the nut filling over the layered phyllo sheets.
05 - Add 4 more buttered phyllo sheets, then sprinkle another third of the nut mixture evenly.
06 - Add 4 additional phyllo sheets brushed with butter, then cover with the remaining nut filling.
07 - Finish with the last 4 phyllo sheets, buttering each layer including the top to ensure crispness.
08 - Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the assembled pastry into diamond or square shapes for serving.
09 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the phyllo is golden brown and crisp.
10 - While baking, combine water, honey, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
11 - Immediately after baking, evenly pour the hot honey syrup over the warm pastry to soak in.
12 - Allow the baklava to cool completely at room temperature so the syrup fully infuses the layers.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crispy-then-soft contrast is impossibly addictive once you nail the syrup timing.
  • Hazelnuts and pistachios together create a complexity that makes store-bought versions taste flat by comparison.
  • You'll have the kitchen smelling like honey and toasted nuts for hours afterward.
02 -
  • If you pour cold syrup over cold baklava, it won't absorb properly and the pastry stays hard instead of becoming tender. Both must be hot.
  • Phyllo sheets dry out in seconds once exposed to air, so have your butter ready and work quickly. A barely damp towel over unused sheets saves them from becoming brittle.
  • Cutting while warm is tempting but causes the layers to shatter and separate; chilling for even 20 minutes in the fridge makes clean cuts possible.
03 -
  • Refrigerate the uncut baklava for 20–30 minutes before cutting; cold pastry cuts cleanly instead of shattering and pulling apart.
  • If you're making this ahead, bake and cool it completely, but wait to cut it until a few hours before serving. Freshly cut edges stay crispier.
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