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.
Sadly, that kind of flaky, multi-layered dough simply isn’t possible with keto ingredients. However, these Keto Baklava Bars are anything but disappointing! They are sweet and tender, and have that distinct nutty sweet baklava favor. With only a fraction of the carbs!
If you love cookie bars, you will also love Keto Tagalong Bars and the ever-popular Keto Magic Cookie Bars. Yum!
I haven’t had real baklava in about 10 years, as it’s not exactly a low carb dessert. This classic Middle Eastern dessert 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 applaud anyone who has made the real thing! But when I spotted some cookie bars made with the same flavors, I thought it was perfect for a low carb makeover.
What readers are saying
“Just made these, they are insanely good and will definitely be making again. Thank you so much for the recipe!!” — Danielle
Why You Will Love Them
- Nutty, sweet flavor: Just like traditional baklava, these bars have toasted nuts and a slightly sticky “honey” syrup.
- Easy to make: They take less than an hour to make!
- Tender shortbread: That tasty almond flour crust holds up to the toppings!
- Keto-friendly: Made with naturally low-carb, gluten-free ingredients, each bar has only 3.8 grams of carbs!
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: Almond flour works best for this crust, for both texture and flavor. Other nut and seed flours will work but may be a bit more crumbly. You cannot use coconut flour for this recipe.
- Sweetener: You will need several different sweeteners to get the right consistency for this recipe. Please see the Tips for Success for a more detailed discussion.
- Xanthan gum: This helps make the crust less crumbly so I recommend using it. You can also use glucomannan.
- Nuts: You can use just one variety or a mixture of walnuts, pecans, almonds and/or pistachios.
- Orange zest: This adds a touch of unique flavor to the bars.
- Allulose honey: A keto syrup like this adds a touch of stickiness as well as flavor. But I know that not everyone has access to this so I’ve given you options in the Tips section!
- Kitchen staples: Butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt.
How to Make Keto Baklava Bars
- Prepare the crust. Pulse the almond flour, sweetener, salt, and xanthan gum in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Bake the crust: Press into the bottom of a square baking pan. Bake until the edges are golden brown.
- Make the nut topping: Whisk together the nuts, sweetener, cinnamon, and orange zest. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.
- Bake again: Spread the nut topping over the cooled crust. Bake for another 20 minutes, then let the bars cool in the pan.
- Make the “honey” syrup: Heat the water, BochaSweet, and keto friendly syrup and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Finish the bars. Drizzle the syrup over the cooled bars. Lift the bars out and cut into squares or triangles using a sharp knife.
Tips for Success
Line the pan properly. If you want to cut the bars into nice squares or triangles, 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.
If you don’t have a food processor for the crust, you can cut them in with a pastry cutter or two sharp knives. Make sure to get it nice and fine, so it resembles coarse crumbs.
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.
One of the hallmarks of authentic baklava is the honey syrup that makes it both extra sweet and a bit sticky. I created my own sugar free drizzle with water and allulose. I also added a touch of allulose “honey” for more authentic flavor.
Sweetener Options
As you may be aware, I am a stickler for getting the right consistency with my keto desserts. So this recipe includes a number of different sweeteners to achieve that. However, I know not everyone has access to all of them so I will do my best to offer alternatives.
For the crust, it is imperative to use an erythritol based sweetener for it to crisp up properly. Any amount of allulose will make it soft. If you don’t have a powdered version, granular is fine.
I like to use my homemade brown sugar substitute for the filling, for a richer flavor. I recommend that the filling be mostly erythritol as well, as allulose will soak into the crust and soften it.
The syrup should be sticky and not harden as it cools, which means not using erythritol sweeteners. In this case, your best choices are allulose or xylitol. If you can’t find the allulose honey, you can simply add an additional tablespoon of the granular to your mixture.
More Delicious Walnut Recipes
Keto Baklava Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups (168 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (50 g) powdered erythritol sweetener
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp xanthan, optional
- 5 tbsp (71.01 g) butter, in small pieces (chilled)
Nut Topping
- 1 1/2 cup (175.5 g) finely chopped walnuts, (or pecans, almonds, pistachios, or a mix)
- 1/3 cup (66.67 g) brown sugar replacement
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp orange zest
- 3 tbsp (42.61 g) butter, melted
“Honey” Syrup
- 3 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp (40 g) allulose, (or xylitol)
- 1 tbsp allulose honey, or liquid allulose
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line an 8×8 inch metal baking 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 325ºF oven to bake another 20 minutes. Remove and let the bars cool in the pan.
"Honey" Syrup
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, sweetener, and keto friendly syrup. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook about 3 minutes, until slightly thickened. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional baklava uses either pistachios or walnuts. You can use one or the other, or a mix of both. You can also use other nuts like almonds or hazelnuts. It’s rare to see pecans in baklava but it would be tasty!
This keto baklava bar recipe has 3.8g of carbs and 1.9g of fiber per serving. That comes to 1.9g net carbs per bar.
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.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I rarely comment on a recipe but NEEDED to for this one. These are amazing!!! I used pecans for the topping and unfortunately did not have orange peel, but it wasn’t necessary given how awesome this recipe is. I was expecting good, but was blown away with how closely this mimicked the baklava flavors. Thank you, and well done!!!
Just made these today. I needed some dessert instead of Keto ice cream. I substituted Birch Benders Maple Syrup for the caramel. Tastes great! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
My friend sent me this recipe, she knows I love to bake. Pretty much followed recipe, different sugar substitute but that’s about it. They loved them and its super easy to make. Thanks for the recipe.
So glad to hear it!
Anything I could sub the BochaSweet with? I don’t have it on hand but have everything else so really itchin to make it!
Allulose or xylitol are your best options.
We loved, loved, loved these!
Hello thank you so much for all your amazing recipes! I have a question on Baklava Bars! I’m making these for our Super Bowl party and I have the Allulose honey! Do I need to add any ingredients to it or just drizzle directly out of the bottle over the cooled bars? Thank you in advance! Crystal
It still needs to be thinned out with water, unless it’s super thin already. The honey syrup for baklava is usually thinned out a bit, boiled with a little water. It should be drippy but still thicker than water and thinner that real honey, if that gives you a good indication of consistency.
My mouth was watering just reading the recipe. I have never heard of Bocasweet before! Thanks fir the recipe!
I have a bottle of the Wholesome liquid allulose sweetener and I was wondering if that could be used for the honey sub It is a pretty thick consistency but I would say the taste is closer to Karo’s corn syrup than honey (though I like the taste). Thanks.
Yep, that should be fine.
Carolyn, Steps 3 and 4 are somewhat repetitive, unless I’m
missing something????
Hi. This looks yummy! I am thinking that this maybe my next project. I still have orange blossom and rose blossom water from days gone by…I haven’t checked for sugar content but that would add some authenticity, I think. Or maybe just a drop of orange essence in the water? Thanks for all you do!
I think the orange blossom water would be gorgeous! Add it to the syrup… Not sure if it has carbs, I think it’s pretty low. You could add a bit of both…
This is my all time favorite dessert. I couldn’t believe I can make it Keto. I can’t wait to make this dessert.Thank you so much…
Could I replace the ChocZero caramel with something else, please and thank you as I am making this for my Mother-n-laws birthday in place of cake!
Hi… read the tips section as I address that! 🙂
I don’t see a replacement for the choczero syrup mentioned…? Unless you mean the allulose “honey”? It’s not thick at all. I may try it since I have it.
I’ve been thinking of using your mozzarella dough to make some sort of baklava type pastry. These bars sound fantastic!
The allulose honey is thick enough! I have the non-honey version.
Oh,good! So 3T Bochasweet and 1T Allulose honey is what I should use?
I learned to make baklava when I was in high school. Now, 50 years later, I’m thrilled with this ‘new trick’, lol.
Thank you!
Wow I can’t wait to make these bars! Thank you for another great recipe. Do you think that ghee would be a good substitute for the butter to make them dairy free? Or is there something else that you recommend?
Yes, ghee should be fine.
Thank you Carolyn for all of your amazing and wonderfully tasty recipes! I actually gasped out loud when I saw this post – I LOVE baklava and can’t wait to try this. There is a local greek restaurant near me that makes a baklava cheesecake, so guess what I am going to attempt? 😉
I’m eager to hear what you think!
Oh these look SO good! We received a Harry & David gift basket this past Christmas that contained Baklava. I had a miniscule sliver of a taste and my husband ate the rest. I’ve been pining ever since, until now! I also happen to have a bottle of the honey flavored Allulose which I’ve been drizzling on my peanut butter & keto toast or putting in hot tea. It’s pricey like most keto ingredients but I really like the mild, but distinctly honey flavor. Thank you for this lovely creation.
OMG…I’ll be there with the coffee before it’s ready! I love them both so I bet that will be a dessert to die for! Mmm…Mmm!
???? Darlene ????
THANK YOU for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it! My Lebanese Nana used to make homemade baklava and it was one of my favorite desserts. I never thought I would have anything like it again on keto.
I sincerely wish I could make the flaky dough… but these are a pretty tasty substitute!