Layers of crispy phyllo dough, a delightful, cinnamon-y filling, all coated in a honey syrup. This Pistachio Baklava is a great twist on a classic, with a blend of walnuts and pistachios for the filling.
Recipe Origins
As we learned in our history of Greece, modern day Greece was, at one point, closely intertwined with Turkey. Because of their histories, it’s no surprise that the two countries can’t agree on which was the creator of baklava.
It seems that baklava has been a joint effort around the world, with each country that experienced it adding their own unique flair.
The Greeks made the recipe with phyllo dough, the very thin dough that we use in this recipe.
It is thought that Armenians added the use of cinnamon and cloves, and that the Arabian peninsula added rose water or orange blossom water to the recipe.
This recipe for pistachio baklava includes the typical walnuts, but it also has the addition of pistachios! I love pistachio desserts (these Pistachio Cookies are one of my favorite recipes on my site) and this Pistachio Baklava is no different!
Why Make this Recipe
- “Travel” to Greece: Greece is one of the most amazing destinations to visit, and one of the reasons is because Greek food is just amazing. If you want to try Greek food at home, you can! Just follow the recipe below.
- Mixed Nuts: This recipe features a blend of walnuts and pistachios for the perfect baklava filling!
- Not Too Sweet: My problem with store bought baklava is that it’s often too sweet and too thick, coating your hands and overpowering the phyllo crunch and nut taste. The syrup in this baklava recipe is not too thick, which means it’s the perfect blend for your homemade Pistachio Baklava!
Watch the Recipe Video
What Do I Need to Make this Recipe
Ingredients
- Pistachios: Unroasted, unsalted pistachios. Do not get salted pistachios.
- Walnuts: Unroasted, unsalted walnuts. Do not get salted walnuts.
- Phyllo Dough: You can normally find this in the freezer section of your grocery store. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before making your Pistachio Baklava.
- Lemon Juice: Use fresh squeezed juice if you can, but pre-bottled lemon juice will also work.
Instructions
Step 1: Make the Nut Filling
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the pistachios into a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Remove the pistachios from the food processor, then add the walnuts and pulse again until the walnuts are roughly chopped.
Put the pistachios and walnuts in a bowl, then add the cinnamon, cloves, and granulated sugar and mix to combine. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the Syrup
In a medium pot, combine water and sugar. Mix until the sugar dissolves into the water.
Then add the honey. Whisk again and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the pot to a simmer and allow it to cook for another 25 minutes.
Once the 25 minutes is up, remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature. Add the lemon juice and mix to combine. Set aide.
Step 3: Assemble
Melt the butter. Then use a pastry brush to brush the bottom and sides of a 9×13 glass dish with the melted butter.
Lay a sheet of phyllo dough in the glass pan, then brush the phyllo dough with melted butter. Place another sheet of phyllo dough, then brush that with butter. Continue this process until you have laid down 7 sheets of phyllo dough.
Add the nut mixture on top of the phyllo dough, and use a spoon to make sure it lays flat.
Repeat the phyllo dough and butter layers again for another 7 layers on top of the nut mixture.
Brush the top layer of phyllo dough with butter. Then use a knife to cut 3 equally spaced slices lengthwise. Cut diagonal lines width-wise to form triangles of baklava (see video/photos for more detail).
Step 4: Bake
Place the tray in the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the phyllo dough is crispy.
When the pistachio baklava is done cooking, remove it from the oven. As soon as you do, pour the syrup over the entire tray.
Allow the baklava to sit until completely cooled (at least one hour) before serving. You can sprinkle extra chopped nuts on top. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- You can chop/grind the nuts in this recipe to your liking, but make sure not to grind them into a powder.
- You can sprinkle walnuts and pistachios in the center of each individual piece of baklava for garnishment or just dust them across the entire top. You can choose whichever way you like best for decoration!
- While assembling the pie, put a slightly damp (almost dry, but just a little wet) dish towel or paper towel over the phyllo dough. This will keep the dough from drying out and cracking while assembling.
- Phyllo dough rips very easily, so be careful when working with it. But also, don’t worry if you rip one or two pieces. Simply discard the bad pieces and use a fresh sheet instead.
- Make your pistachio baklava in advance. The dessert is best when it soaks in the honey overnight, so make it the night before you want to serve it!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, certainly! Though walnuts and pistachios are the most common nuts in baklava, you can also use hazelnuts. I think it would also be fun to experiment with pecans or even macadamia nuts (like in these Cocadas).
Pistachio Baklava is a dessert with a longer shelf-life than most. It will stay good either on the counter or in the fridge for up to two weeks as long as you store it in an airtight container! You’ll know that your pistachio baklava is going bad when it starts to dry up.
If you want to freeze your dessert, you can! Wrap it up in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze it for up to four months.
Did you enjoy this Pistachio Baklava recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
- Pistachio Pesto
- Italian Walnut Cookies
- Fried Feta Cheese with Phyllo Dough and Honey
- Loukoumades (Honey Donuts)
If you make this recipe at home, leave a review/comment on this post letting us know what you thought!
And don’t forget to share a photo of your finished product on Facebook and Instagram and tag @TheForeignFork and hashtag #TheForeignFork.
Pistachio Baklava
Equipment
- Food Processor/Nut Chopper
- Medium Pot
- 9×13 Pan
- Pastry Brush
- Knife
Ingredients
Assembly Ingredients
- 9 oz pistachios
- 9 oz walnuts
- ½ tbsp ground Cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground Cloves
- 2 tbsp granulated Sugar
- 14 sheets Phyllo dough
- 1/2 cup Butter, melted
Honey Syrup Ingredients
- ¾ cup Honey
- 3/4 cup granulated Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
Instructions
Make the Filling
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the 9 oz of pistachios into a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Remove the pistachios from the food processor, then add the 9 oz of walnuts and pulse again until the walnuts are roughly chopped.
- Put the pistachios and walnuts in a bowl, then add the 1/2 tbsp of ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, and 2 tbsp of granulated sugar and mix to combine. Set aside.
Make the Syrup
- In a medium pot, combine 1 cup water and 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Mix until the sugar dissolves into the water.
- Then add the 3/4 cup honey. Whisk again and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the pot to a simmer and allow it to cook for another 25 minutes.
- Once the 25 minutes is up, remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature. Add 2 tbsp lemon juice and mix to combine. Set aide.
Assemble the Baklava
- Melt 1/2 cup butter. Then use a pastry brush to brush the bottom and sides of a 9×13 glass dish with the melted butter.
- Lay a sheet of phyllo dough in the glass pan, then brush the phyllo dough with melted butter. Place another sheet of phyllo dough, then brush that with butter. Continue this process until you have laid down 7 sheets of phyllo dough.
- Add the nut mixture on top of the phyllo dough, and use a spoon to make sure it lays flat.
- Repeat the phyllo dough and butter layers again for another 7 layers on top of the nut mixture.
- Brush the top layer of phyllo dough with butter. Then use a knife to cut 3 equally spaced slices lengthwise. Cut diagonal lines width-wise to form triangles of baklava (see video/photos for more detail).
- Place the tray in the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the phyllo dough is crispy.
- When the baklava is done cooking, remove it from the oven. As soon as you do, pour the syrup over the entire tray. Allow the baklava to sit until completely cooled (at least one hour) before serving. You can sprinkle extra chopped nuts on top.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Pistachios: Unroasted, unsalted pistachios. Do not get salted pistachios.
- Walnuts: Unroasted, unsalted walnuts. Do not get salted walnuts.
- Phyllo Dough: You can normally find this in the freezer section of your grocery store. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before making your Pistachio Baklava.
- Lemon Juice: Use fresh squeezed juice if you can, but pre-bottled lemon juice will also work.
- You can chop/grind the nuts in this recipe to your liking, but make sure not to grind them into a powder.
- You can sprinkle walnuts and pistachios in the center of each individual piece of baklava for garnishment or just dust them across the entire top. You can choose whichever way you like best for decoration!
- While assembling the pie, put a slightly damp (almost dry, but just a little wet) dish towel or paper towel over the phyllo dough. This will keep the dough from drying out and cracking while assembling.
- Phyllo dough rips very easily, so be careful when working with it. But also, don’t worry if you rip one or two pieces. Simply discard the bad pieces and use a fresh sheet instead.
- Make your pistachio baklava in advance. The dessert is best when it soaks in the honey overnight, so make it the night before you want to serve it!
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