All the great flavor of keto baklava in an easy to make cookie bar. They have a tender shortbread crust with a delicious walnut filling and a sweet “honey” syrup.
Do I wish I was bringing you real keto baklava today, with a flaky phyllo dough crust that I somehow had magically been able to strip of carbs?
Of course I do. Because that would be downright miraculous.
But that kind of flaky, multi-layered dough simply isn’t possible with keto ingredients. Sorry to disappoint.
However, these Keto Baklava Bars are anything but disappointing, believe me. They are sweet and tender, and have that distinct nutty sweet baklava favor. With only a fraction of the carbs!
Love cookie bars like this? Be sure to also check out my Keto Tagalong Bars and my Keto S’Mores Bars. Yum!
Keto Baklava Recipe Inspiration
I haven’t had real baklava in about 10 years, as it’s not exactly a low carb dessert. Real baklava has multiple layers of flaky phyllo dough and sugary chopped nuts, with copious amounts of honey syrup drizzled over.
It’s also quite a time-consuming process, layering the phyllo sheets and brushing with butter, over and over again.
I didn’t have a baklava recipe on my radar at all, for both of those reasons. And then I spotted these delicious Baklava Cookie Bars on Tutti Dolci. A quick perusal of the ingredients made me realize that I could easily ketofy the recipe and enjoy all that nutty baklava flavor again.
How to make Keto Baklava Bars
These delicious keto cookie bars are a far sight easier than making real baklava. Here are my best tips for getting it right:
Line the pan properly
If you want to cut the bars into nice triangles, as I did, I recommend lining your pan with parchment. Allow an extra inch or two on the sides so you can remove the baklava bars in one large pieces.
The crust
This is a classic shortbread-style crust with no eggs. Pulsing the almond flour and sweetener with chilled butter in a food processor helps distribute the ingredients more evenly, but you can also cut them in with a pastry cutter or two sharp knives.
The xanthan gum helps make the crust less crumbly so I do recommend using it.
My best tip for a very even shortbread crust is to take a flat-bottomed glass and really press the mixture in as firmly as possible.
The nut filling
Baklava is often made with walnuts but you are by no means limited to that. I’ve seen it made with pistachios, almonds, and even pecans. You can also do a mix of nuts.
You do want to make sure the nuts are finely chopped but not ground, so that you get plenty of texture but the filling isn’t too crumbly. And really press that filling down onto the crust before baking.
The syrup
One of the hallmarks of authentic baklava is the honey syrup drizzle that makes it both extra sweet and a bit sticky. But honey is just not a great choice for a keto baklava recipe.
Instead I created my own sugar free drizzle with water and BochaSweet. I also added a touch of ChocZero’s keto caramel syrup for that “sticky” quality and a more honey-like flavor.
You do have to use the right sweeteners to get a drizzle that doesn’t recrystallize as it cools. You can use allulose in place of the BochaSweet but erythritol sweeteners won’t work.
There is actually an allulose based “honey” but I didn’t want to purchase a new product for this one recipe. Although, knowing me, I could find some pretty great uses for it!
How to store
Because these keto bars don’t have any eggs or cream, they will be fine on the counter in a covered container for up to 5 or 6 days.
Store in the fridge if you think they will be around longer than that.
More delicious keto walnut recipes
- Keto Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake
- Keto Maple Walnut Biscotti
- Keto Chocolate Walnut Torte
- No Churn Keto Maple Walnut Ice Cream
- Keto Walnut Pie Crust
- Keto Walnut Blondies
Keto Baklava Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup powdered Swerve
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp xanthan optional
- 5 tbsp butter in small pieces (chilled)
Nut Topping
- 1 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (or pecans, almonds, pistachios, or a mix)
- 1/3 cup Swerve Brown
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp orange zest
- 3 tbsp butter melted
“Honey” Syrup
- 3 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp BochaSweet or allulose
- 1 tbsp Keto Caramel Syrup See tips section for more details
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper, with overhanging sides for easy removal.
- In a food processor, combine the almond flour, sweetener, salt, and xanthan gum. Pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Transfer to the prepared baking pan and press firmly into the bottom with a flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Remove and let cool completely.
Nut Topping
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the nuts, brown sugar substitute, cinnamon, and orange zest. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.
- Spread the nut topping over the cooled crust, pressing to adhere. Return to the 325F oven to ake another 20 minutes. Remove and let the bars cool in the pan.
"Honey" Syrup
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, BochaSweet, and keto friendly syrup. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook about 3 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Drizzle over the cooled bars. Lift the bars out by the overhanging parchment and place on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut the bars into 16 squares or triangles.
Sara says
These look so good! Are they basically like pecan pie bars but with walnut instead of pecans, and a syrup?
Carolyn says
pecan pie bars are a bit more gooey.
Katharine says
These are absolutely DELICIOUS. Everything about them is spot on.
When to add in the vanilla? Before or after boiling/simmering?
Melissa says
Wow- great recipe. Easy to make and a hit in my household with all the keto lovers!
Lily says
These were so good to snack on, I loved the texture of them!
Beth says
This looks heavenly and so yummy! My husband is going to be all over this recipe! So excited to give this a try!
Nina B. says
As always, you’re a friggin’ genius! Made these last night- fantastic! I had about a handful of shelled pistachios that I chopped in with the walnuts! You would’ve thought that the whole baklava was a pistachio baklava! It was so good, Carolyn! You are my go-to for all keto deliciousness! Thanks again!
Carolyn says
So glad you like them!
Kathy Cooke says
Delicious! Very reminiscent of baklava. The orange blossom water really kicked it up a notch. I used butter, all walnuts, several drops of orange essential oil instead of orange zest, Lakanto maple syrup, and all the optional ingredients including a pinch of ground cloves. I probably ground the walnuts a bit too fine in my food processor; next time I’d chop them by hand for more texture.
Sevasti says
Just wanted to let you know these are absolutely delicious. I am Greek and missing my baklava. I substituted a pinch of ground cloves for the orange zest. I omitted the vanilla but added a small whole cinnamon stick and whole clove in the syrup. The taste was exactly like regular baklava. Thank you!
Carolyn says
I am so happy to hear that!
Mary says
Love your recipes, Carolyn. Thank you for the online access and your books. Can’t say which I use more!
I’m just now making the baklava and have a question about the vanilla extract for the syrup. I added it in with the rest of the syrup ingredients (water, allulose (granular) and my Choc Zero caramel). Is this correct? I didn’t see the extract mentioned in the instructions. Right now I’m patiently waiting for the bars to cool before drizzling. Can’t wait to dig in – smells so wonderful.