Carrageenan Free Baklava with Walnuts and Honey Syrup
Few desserts hit the way a well-made baklava does — shatteringly crisp layers of phyllo, a fragrant walnut filling spiced with cinnamon and cardamom, and a honey syrup that soaks into every golden crevice. The syrup here is made from scratch with whole spices, honey, and a squeeze of fresh lemon, which means you know exactly what's going into it — no store-bought shortcuts that might sneak in unwanted additives or thickeners. Carrageenan, a common stabilizer found in some processed foods and pre-made syrups, has no place in this recipe because everything is built from simple, whole ingredients from the ground up. The technique matters as much as the ingredients: buttering every single phyllo sheet, cutting the diamond pattern before baking, and pouring cool syrup over hot pastry are the three non-negotiables that give baklava its iconic texture. That sizzle when the syrup hits the pan is genuinely one of the most satisfying sounds in the kitchen. The hardest part is waiting the full four hours for the syrup to absorb before you dig in, but the payoff — sticky, crisp, deeply aromatic squares — is absolutely worth it.
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Learn more →Ingredients
24 servings
For the baklava
- 1 lb (about 40 sheets) phyllo dough, thawed
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
For the walnut filling
- 4 cups walnut halves
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ⅛ tsp fine salt
For the honey syrup
- 1 cup honey
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- 1
Make the syrup first so it has time to cool completely before use. Combine the honey, water, sugar, cinnamon stick, and whole cloves in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and let the syrup cool to room temperature. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and cloves.
- 2
Pulse the walnut halves in a food processor 8–10 times until coarsely chopped — pieces should be roughly the size of a pea, not a fine powder. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the sugar, ground cinnamon, cardamom, and salt until evenly combined.
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