Nutmeg Free Baklava with Walnuts and Honey Syrup
Few desserts hit the way a tray of freshly made baklava does — shatteringly crisp layers of buttered phyllo, a fragrant walnut filling, and a honey syrup that soaks into every golden crevice. The filling here is spiced with ground cinnamon and cardamom, keeping things warmly aromatic without any nutmeg in sight, which makes this a genuinely safe pick for anyone who needs to avoid that particular spice. Store-bought baklava and bakery versions often contain mystery spice blends, so making it from scratch gives you full control over every ingredient that goes into the pan. The technique is more approachable than it looks — the key moves are keeping your phyllo covered while you work, cutting the diamond pattern before baking, and pouring the cooled syrup over the hot pastry the moment it comes out of the oven. That temperature contrast is what produces the iconic texture: crisp on top, syrup-soaked and tender underneath. The honey syrup is infused with a cinnamon stick and whole cloves, then strained out, so you get a beautifully complex sweetness without any guesswork. Give it a full rest before serving and the layers will set into something truly spectacular.
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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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