Xanthan Gum Free Baklava with Walnuts and Honey Syrup
Few desserts hit the way this one does — shatteringly crisp phyllo layers, toasted walnuts fragrant with cinnamon and cardamom, and a honey syrup that soaks into every golden fold. The ingredient list is refreshingly straightforward: butter, nuts, spices, honey, and dough, with nothing hidden or processed in a way that would introduce unwanted additives. For anyone avoiding xanthan gum, this is genuinely good news, because traditional baklava has never needed it — the technique does all the work. The syrup is made from scratch with honey, water, sugar, whole spices, and a squeeze of lemon, so you know exactly what's going in. Pouring that cooled syrup over the hot-from-the-oven pastry creates the iconic texture: crisp on the outside, tender and sticky within, with no gums or stabilizers required. The key moves here — buttering every single phyllo sheet, cutting before baking, and letting it rest for hours — are what separate a good baklava from a truly great one. Make it the night before and it will only get better as the syrup settles in.
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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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