Baklava is truly an irresistible dessert! With its flaky, buttery phyllo layers, honey-drenched crushed almonds, and fragrant scent, baklava has become a staple in Greek households and restaurants.  And it’s easy to see why! If you’ve made homemade baklava, received it as a gift, or purchased it from a store, you may wonder how best to store, freeze, and cut it! This mouthwatering dessert is popular for a reason, and with the right steps and proper storage, baklava can stay fresh for months!

How To Cut Baklava?

Cool: Allow the baklava to cool in the baking dish before cutting it.  This helps the layers set and prevents excessive crumbling.

Score: Use a sharp knife to score or mark the top of the baklava with cutting lines.

Cut: Use a large sharp knife, hold the knife at a slight angle, and apply gentle downward pressure along the score lines to cut through the layers of the baklava. Wipe the knife clean after each cut to prevent the sticky residue from building up when cutting the baklava.  Baklava is traditionally cut into diamond or square shapes, but you can choose whichever shape you like most.

How To Store Baklava?

Storing baklava properly is essential to maintain its freshness, flavour, and irresistible texture.  But, surprisingly, it doesn’t have to be refrigerated to stay fresh.  Place your baklava in an airtight container or cover it tightly with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. You can store baklava at room temperature in a cool, dry space like your kitchen counter or pantry, away from heat sources or direct light.  It’s best to avoid temperature fluctuations and humidity, which can affect the quality of the baklava.

Baklava can last at room temperature for up to two weeks, but when baklava starts to dry out, you know it’s coming to near the end of its shelf life.

How To Freeze Baklava?

Baklava is often made in large quantities, and the good news is that it can be frozen!  For best results when freezing baklava, you can follow these easy steps:

Cool: After baking the baklava, allow it to cool, and then cut the baklava into individual servings or your desired portions. Portioning out the baklava into 4-5 pieces before freezing will make it easier to enjoy later because then you can thaw out the pieces you want to enjoy instead of the whole pan.

Wrap: To freeze baklava, first individually wrap each piece of baklava in plastic wrap.  From there, store the wrapped baklava in an airtight container or place the wrapped baklava in a freezer bag.  If you’re storing the baklava in multiple layers in a single container, it could be a good idea to layer parchment paper in between to prevent multiple pieces from sticking together.

Date: Seal the container or bag and label the container with the freezing date so that you know when it was placed in the freezer and for how long.

Freeze: Place the baklava in the freezer.  It should last for 3-4 months in the freezer, but the sooner it’s enjoyed, the better it will taste.

Thaw: When you’re ready to enjoy the baklava, thaw out how many pieces you’d like.  Allow the baklava to thaw out in the refrigerator for a few hours or at room temperature before serving.

Baklava has a long shelf life, so you don’t need to freeze it immediately.  It’s best to freeze baklava if you’re planning to enjoy it at a much later date.

How Long Does Baklava Last In The Fridge?

If you plan to enjoy baklava within a couple of weeks of making it, you can easily store it at room temperature or in the fridge for a week or two.  Anything longer, and it may make more sense to freeze baklava. But it will taste better if consumed within a few days of making it.

Storing baklava in the fridge will produce a more chewy texture, and the baklava will lose some of that crispiness.

Can Baklava Be Made Dairy-Free?

The main ingredients that makeup baklava include phyllo pastry sheets, nuts, honey, sugar and warm spices like cinnamon.  When making baklava, the phyllo sheets are brushed with butter to create that flaky, crispy texture we all know and love in baklava. But, nowadays, there are such great dairy-free versions of butter that If you’d like to make baklava dairy-free, then you could substitute butter with a plant-based alternative.

Is Baklava Gluten Free?

Traditional baklava isn’t gluten-free because phyllo dough is made from wheat flour.  But you should be able to find gluten-free phyllo dough in some grocery stores and specialty stores.  The texture may change slightly when using gluten-free filo pastry sheets, but for the most part, you could substitute it with gluten-free phyllo.  Gluten-free phyllo is often made with a blend of rice flour, tapioca starch and other gluten-free flour.

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