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Here’s an easy baklava recipe to get that signature flavor without too much effort: baklava bites! They’re easy to whip up using purchased phyllo dough.

Easy baklava recipe | phyllo cups

Here’s an easy baklava recipe inspired by our trip to Greece, a fresh take on that crunchy, honey-and-pistachio filled pastry the country is known for. We were looking for something a little different so instead of making baklava outright, we turned the phyllo dough into cups and placed the honey nut filling inside. They were just what we hoped: sweet and crispy, a bit of Greece in a bite or two.

Using phyllo dough

Packaged phyllo dough (or, filo dough) makes the mini phyllo cups for this easy baklava recipe. You can also buy phyllo cups them prepackaged, but phyllo dough is usually easier to find. If you’ve never worked with it, phyllo dough (or filo dough) are paper-thin sheets of pastry dough that are assembled with a thin layer of butter. The dough is available at most grocery stores.

Tips for making baklava bites

It’s simple to make baklava bites, and much more economical to make your own cups than buying them pre-made cups! If you give it a try, just remember that phyllo dough is pretty delicate, so handle with care.

The basic idea is to laminate together the layers of the phyllo dough with butter, cut them into small rectangles, and then push them into mini muffin cups. Then just bake for 10 minutes until golden.

Making the phyllo cups is the most labor intensive part of baklava bites. After that it’s smooth sailing: simply chop walnuts and pistachios, mix them with honey and cinnamon, and place them into the phyllo cups. Then bake for about 10 minutes until toasted. If you’d like, drizzle with just a bit of extra honey to make sure it’s extra gooey!

Easy baklava recipe | phyllo cups

More Greek-inspired recipes

Outside of this easy baklava recipe, here are some of our favorite easy Greek recipes:

Dietary notes

This easy baklava recipe is vegetarian.

Frequently asked questions

What are the advantages of mini baklava cups over traditional baklava?

Easier to make: Mini cups eliminate the need for layering phyllo dough sheets, making them less time-consuming and more approachable for beginner bakers.

Easier to eat: Mini portions are perfect for portion control and finger food buffets.

Less messy: No need to worry about sticky fingers or struggling to cut even slices.

Can I use store-bought phyllo dough for this recipe?

Absolutely! Using pre-made phyllo dough sheets is the key to making this recipe quick and easy. Look for them in the frozen food section of your grocery store.

Do I need to thaw the phyllo dough before using it?

Yes, thaw the phyllo dough according to package instructions before using it. This will prevent it from cracking or tearing.

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Baklava Bites

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Here’s an easy baklava recipe to get that signature flavor without too much effort: baklava bites! They’re easy to whip up using purchased phyllo dough.

  • Author: a Couple Cooks
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 12 cups 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Turkish

Ingredients

Scale

For the phyllo cups

  • 5 sheets phyllo dough*
  • 1 tablespoon butter

For the baklava bites

  • ½ cup walnuts
  • ½ cup pistachios
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3 tablespoons honey, plus more for serving
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 12 phyllo cups (above, or purchased)

Instructions

  1. Make the phyllo cups: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Melt the tablespoon butter. On a clean workspace, place 1 phyllo sheet, taking care to handle it delicately. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the top with butter. Carefully place the next sheet on top of the first sheet (as exact as possible), smooth it out, and brush the top with butter. Repeat for all 5 sheets, brushing the top sheet with butter as well.
  2. With a pizza cutter, cut the large piece of layered phyllo dough into 12 rectangles by cutting the long side into 4 even strips and the short side into 3 even strips (trim off rough edges if necessary).
  3. Take each rectangle and mold it into the cup of a mini muffin tin. Bake for 10 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
  4. Make the baklava bites: Chop the walnuts and the pistachios. Melt the butter. In a medium bowl, stir together the chopped nuts, melted butter, honey, cinnamon and a pinch of kosher salt until evenly combined. Place the nut filling evenly into each cup.
  5. Bake the cups for 10 minutes, or until the nuts are fragrant and lightly toasted. Remove and drizzle with extra honey before serving. Serve immediately.

Notes

*If your phyllo dough is frozen, make sure to defrost it the night before (place it in the refrigerator, according to the package instructions). You can then remove the phyllo sheets that you need and re-freeze. To help with the phyllo dough consistency, you can also place the dough under wax paper and then a damp towel to keep it moist while working. We found either way works, but chose to simply work quickly without this added step.

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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10 Comments

  1. Mamata says:

    Awesome recipe. Yummy.

  2. jenna @ just j.faye says:

    i LOVE baklava. absolutely love it. i coincidentally have all of these ingredients on hand… must make.

  3. Kathryn says:

    Baklava always seems like such a lot of effort but these little cups of goodness are the ideal solution.

  4. Elyse says:

    They look delicious! Baklava is such a rich dessert, fab idea to make them bite size.

  5. Nathalie C. @ Devoted Foodie says:

    Beautiful. Love making small individualized portions for parties and get-togethers!

  6. Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says:

    making phyllo cups sounds economical and pretty easy. absolutely loving these cups.

  7. molly yeh says:

    wait can we talk about how much i love raw filo dough? is that gross?

    but also these baklava cups are genius! i have always been too intimidated to make traditional baklava… this feels way more approachable.

  8. Bonnie says:

    You guys are the best !!! My girlfriends and I share blogs we enjoy with each other. I’m glad I found your blog. I’m a big follower of “Smitten Kitchen” and “Cooking With Mr. C.” I will now send all of my friends your link. I’m a mother of 5 and have to keep things interesting. Bonnie L.

  9. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says:

    I can’t get enough of the Greece recipes! These look so yummy!