Citric Acid Free Baklava with Walnuts and Honey Syrup
Flaky, golden, and dripping with fragrant honey syrup, this classic pastry is the kind of showstopper that disappears fast at any gathering. The filling layers coarsely chopped walnuts with warm cinnamon and cardamom, and the syrup is built from honey, water, sugar, and whole spices — simple, clean ingredients with no hidden additives to worry about. For anyone avoiding citric acid, the only acidic element here is a single teaspoon of fresh lemon juice in the syrup, which is a far cry from the concentrated citric acid used as a preservative in many store-bought sweets and packaged pastry products. Each sheet of phyllo gets a generous brush of melted butter before the whole thing bakes into a deeply golden, crackling masterpiece. The real magic happens when you pour the cooled syrup over the hot pan straight from the oven — that sizzle is the sound of the layers absorbing everything they need to become crisp, sticky, and completely irresistible. Patience is the only hard part: the baklava needs at least four hours to rest so the syrup fully soaks in and the layers set before you cut along those pre-scored lines. Once it's ready, you'll have a tray of rich, spiced, honey-soaked pieces that taste like they came from a specialty bakery — made entirely in your own kitchen.
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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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