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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Can these bars be frozen?
I am looking forward to making these baklava bars very soon. as I read through the list of ingredients for the honey syrup you list “keto caramel syrup” as “optional – see tips”. Couldn’t find any tips for this recipe. is the keto caramel syrup you can buy or is it something you can make? does it enhance the honey syrup or replace it?Thank you!!
Ditto to her comment for me.
Please read the section entitled “The Syrup”, as I discuss in full.
The link to the allulose honey in your blog is not accessible (content not found) and ChocZero no longer makes the thick version of caramel syrup. We LOVE these bars and make them regularly, but I am now out of ChocZero’s syrup. Can you specify the name brand for the allulose syrup? Or would your maple syrup recipe work by subbing in caramel extract? Thank you!
If I buy the Allulose honey, does that replace all the ingredients in the “honey syrup”?
No, because Baklava syrup always has water. You would only use it to replace the caramel syrup.
These are a family favorite! I make them often and use the “all u lose” honey syrup. Amazing, and so very satisfying. Carolyn, can these be made vegan? I would love to make these for a friend who can’t have butter.
Baklava is all about BUTTER, and I just noticed, where is the filo dough,and Honey, I thought this was a keto site, Vegans sometimes you cant have it all. Why are people trying to always mess with peoples ethinicity, by messing with their Food, their food is made the way it is for a reason. I mean can you imagine Tortillias with out bacon Fat ? I have nothing against Vegans, I am just saying! And so you know I LOVE Animals, their delicious ! AS the Good Lord put them here for MANS USE, as it was ment to be !
I genuinely have no idea what you are trying to say. First, this is KETO and not vegan. Keto = very low carb, which means that phyllo and honey are unacceptable ingredients. And this recipe already has plenty of butter! If you don’t like the recipe, I really don’t care. But I am not sure why you are complaining about it being vegan.
Oh my goodness! Carolyn, you’ve done it again. These baklava bars are so delicious! I just made a batch that will be my Easter dessert. (Not the whole batch!) I followed the recipe as written and I used Choc Zero honey for the syrup. My family, who doesn’t care if dessert’s sugar and grain free, will try these and be sooooo impressed. I will defend my share with my dinner fork! Thanks for making a sugar and grain free lifestyle so enjoyable.
Oh! I was just scrolling down to see if I could use choc zero honey! Thanks.
Made the baklava bars!!!
Love the nut topping especially, picking it off to eat.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I absolutely love your recipes and have made many of them over the past years. I’m in the process of making these Baklava bars now. I searched your notes above and did not see the answer to this question. I have Allulose honey… Do I still need to heat it for 3 minutes before pouring it over the nuts? Thank you for all your hard work creating these recipes and then sharing them with us.
Yes, it will thicken better that way.
I learned somewhere that putting the almond flour in a skillet and toasting over med-low heat makes the best crust. Toast 1.5- 2 cups almond flour, towards the end add sweetener, salt, stir it in then add melted butter. Turn off heat and mix, press into pan or pie plate or… and it is amazing. Tastes like a Graham cracker crust.
I love the new ChocZero “Honey”. Would I substitute that for the entire amount of the liquid sweeteners in the syrup? Or only a part? Thank you for the help!
I would just use it and not make my syrup.
ok! thank you for the help ☺️
Have you tried the choc zero honey in this recepie?
Not yet, I created this long before they made their honey.
Haven’t made Baklava in years (for obvious reasons) and avert my eyes at restaurants! Cannot wait to make these… My family will absolutely flip 🙂
Thank you, thank you!!
Amazing! Thank you again for another great pastry. As someone who makes baklava from my yia yia’s recipe I am aware there will never be a low carb replica. This is a terrific substitute for me when I am making baklava for everyone else. One quick tip for those without a food processor – the easiest way to “cut in” butter in a pastry is to use a cheese grater – mix all the dry ingredients, grate cold butter directly in the dry ingredients and toss. (This is how I make the flakiest biscuits and pie crusts.)
Thank you again!
Dear Carolyn!
I’m excited to try this recipe. I discovered ORGANIC WHOLE WHEAT FILO dough at Whole Foods. I am 99.95% gluten free in Keto, but I allow organic wheat in major moderation every once in a while! I used it for Spanikopeta, greatly reduced the bottom layer and halved the top. Even making the tarts it was still very low in carbs. I tried baklava, it was so so….missed the honey! So, maybe I’ll play around with this! You always inspire me! Thank you, and Happy Season to you and your family! Love, Cecily
When you make the syrup, do you know the end quantity after reducing? Thinking of trying the new choc zero honey in this recipe… Just trying to gauge amount.
I’d use about 2 tablespoons.
How much allulose honey should be used instead of the homemade honey syrup? Thanks.
I’d say 1/4 to 1/3 cup. Start smaller, add more as you need.
Instead of the honey sauce listed, could I use All-U-Lose honey? I bought it for the keto honey Buffalo shrimp recipe you posted not too long ago and it’s amazing! The shrimp was delicious and so was the honey!
Yes, definitely!