Apple baklava (Greek Baklava me milo) Μπακλαβάς με μήλο

A new twist on the classic Greek baklava dessert, full of lovely fall flavours. This apple baklava is delicious, filled with apples, walnuts, cinnamon and crispy phyllo layers.

So sorry if you’ve been planning on starting a diet, or are working hard at eliminating sweets and other reasons to live from your life.  If you’re committed to this, and have little to no will power, then I suggest you stop reading now, and head on over here. Quickly. 

If you’re pretty sure that you can keep reading and yet remain committed to your new ways, then I suggest you skim this post and try to avoid the photos.  If you feel yourself weakening, hurry on over here.  If however, you have decided that diets are for duds, and that life is too short to avoid deliciousness, have I got a treat for you!

Why I love this recipe

It’s pretty well accepted that any dessert which incorporates apples is going to please about 99.9% of the population (and I’m pretty sure that the remaining 0.1% love apple desserts too, they’re just trying to be different).  It only seemed appropriate then, for a good Greek girl like me, to take the apple, and find a new and exciting way to have it shine. This apple baklava is a star of a dessert!

Inspired by the nut-filled traditional baklava, this apple baklava replaces some of the nuts with diced up apples, and adds brown sugar and cinnamon.  Similar in some ways to the mini apple pies with phyllo, this apple baklava is extra special because it gets soaked in an apple-infused syrup.  Sweet, sticky, syrupy…you’ll be star-struck! A perfect dessert to be added to my collection of Easy fall dessert recipes!

Key ingredients

All you need to make the best apple baklava! Every bite is a wonderful reminder of Fall!

Phyllo This super thin dough is a frequent ingredient in both sweet and savoury Greek recipes. I love it because it bakes up crispy and light.

Apples Honestly, use any apples you like, and have on hand. Your dessert will be great!

Honey I use honey in my syrup because the flavour is just so much better than using sugar alone. I use locally sourced honey whenever possible, or honey straight from Greece!

Sugar I do add white granulated sugar to the syrup. It adds sweetness, but does not change the flavour too much. It is mild.

Walnuts The chopped nuts add great texture and flavour to this dessert.

Cinnamon Can you have an apple dessert without cinnamon?! You can, but why would you?

Breadcrumbs Yes! I use breadcrumbs in my apple baklava (my regular baklava too actually!) Don’t knock it until you try it!

Brown sugar Sweetness with a caramel flavour – so good.

Butter I use unsalted butter for creamy goodness.

Apple juice In order to really augment the apple flavour, I use apple juice when I make my syrup. I do use water too.

Lemon juice I add a bit of lemon juice so that the acidity keeps my apples from browning.

How to make it

Prepare the syrup

I combine all of the ingredients for the syrup in a saucepot and bring to a boil. Then, I reduce the heat to medium and allow the sugar and honey to dissolve. I then remove it from the heat, and allow it to cool. I leave the cinnamon stick and apple slices in the syrup while it cools.

Prepare the baklava

Step 1
In a large bowl combine the walnuts, apples, lemon juice, breadcrumbs, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, salt and 1/2 cup of the melted butter. Stir well to combine and set aside.

Step 2
Butter the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch rectangular glass baking pan. Layer with phyllo dough and add apple mixture. You will do this in layers as described in detail in the actual recipe.

Step 3
Once assembled use a sharp knife to carefully score the baklava making 3 cuts lengthwise, and then creating a type of herringbone pattern alongside these cuts.  Sprinkle the top with some water using your fingertips.

Step 4
Bake in the top rack of an oven set at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius).  Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

Step 5
Remove from oven, and while your apple baklava is still hot, pour on the cooled syrup.  Pour the syrup evenly over all parts of the apple baklava. Allow to sit until the syrup has been soaked into the baklava before slicing and serving.

Recipe substitutions

I used Lobo apples for this apple baklava because I happen to love them.  Feel free to use any apple you enjoy however; your apple baklava will be delicious with any of them!

You can make this recipe vegan by replacing the butter with non-dairy butter or margarine, or even olive oil. If you prefer not to use honey, you can use only sugar in the syrup, or replace the honey with maple syrup.

Baking tips

Don’t expect to see the layers of phyllo in your slice of apple baklava, the way you do with a traditional baklava.  The apples release a lot of liquid and so the inner layers of phyllo will disintegrate into the filling, similar to the way that they do in portokalopita.  This is not a flaw in the dessert, just one other aspect that makes it delicious.

You can use either fresh or frozen phyllo for this recipe.  I tend to only use fresh phyllo because I can find it quite easily.  If you can as well, then I suggest you use fresh; for some reason I always find it easier to work with.  However, if all you can find is frozen phyllo, follow the instructions on the packaging for defrosting it.  If you are interested in learning more about working with phyllo, read the helpful hints in either my galaktoboureko or baklava recipes.  Otherwise, I have provided detailed instructions in the recipe itself, and through the photos.

Recipe variations

If you are looking for other ways to enjoy phyllo desserts and apples, be sure to try our mini apple pies! You can also try these other easy fall dessert recipes.

How to store

Apple baklava can be kept at room temperature for several days.  Do not cover it tightly with plastic wrap, as this will cause your phyllo to get soggy. Instead, when it has cooled completely, I use a clean tea towel or piece of cheesecloth to cover it.  This will keep it fresh and crispy.

Related recipes

Looking for more apple desserts? Check these out!

Greek apple cake (Milopita) A classic Greek cake loaded with apples.

Mini apple pies with phyllo or milopitakia A fun twist on an apple turnover. Made with crispy phyllo – so good!

Easy apple crisp Everyone needs this recipe in their life. Nothing better than a simple apple crisp that works every time!

Pin this recipe if you like it!

Thanks for sharing!