These creamy baklava cheesecake bars have a crunchy baklava crust made with walnuts, pistachios, and layers of phyllo pastry and get topped with swirls of vanilla and green pistachio cheesecake batter.
Perfect for the holiday season, this dreamy cheesecake gets doused in honey syrup and is made in half the time of a traditional cheesecake!
Baklava is one of those ultimate desserts that you never tire of...but it is quite labor-intensive to make. These baklava cheesecake bars include the classic layering (with far fewer layers) and a delicious cheesecake batter that mixes in some pistachio paste for extra flavor and color!
We followed the same method as in this baklava cake to create the baklava base of these cheesecake bars, and used a similar filling as in these chewy stuffed baklava cookies! For a more simple but delicious pistachio dessert, try these pistachio shortbread cookies.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
No water bath - we bake these cheesecake bars at a low temperature so they don't seize up and crack, meaning they don't need a water bath!
Quick cheesecake - these baklava cheesecake bars are made in ⅓ of the time of a traditional cheesecake without skimping on texture and flavor. It has the creamy filling you love with a crispy, crunchy crust made with phyllo sheets and a nut mixture instead of a graham cracker crust.
Cheesecake bars are showstopping desserts perfect for any dessert table or to celebrate a special occasion and much quicker than a regular cheesecake.
Flavors & textures - these cheesecake bars are full of nutty flavors and textures that pair so nicely with the creamy, tangy cheesecake. The cinnamon, honey, and brown sugar come through at the end, and the flavor can be enhanced by some rose water or orange blossom water, just like in a traditional baklava!
Ingredients
- Phyllo dough. Store-bought sheets of phyllo dough are used to create the baklava base. These can be found in the frozen section next to the puff pastry and pie crusts.
- Pistachios. I used raw slivered pistachios in this recipe. These have the brown husks removed and are a vibrant green color, which makes for the best color pistachio paste (if making your own). But, you can use any raw pistachio.
- Pistachio paste. I made my pistachio paste for this recipe, but you can also buy pistachio paste. Making your own with raw, slivered pistachios leads to a nice green color for the end result. Some store-bought pastes can be quite brown.
- Green food coloring. A very small drop of green food coloring helps bring the vibrancy back to the pistachio paste and leads to a beautiful final bake.
- Walnuts. These get mixed with chopped pistachios and layered in between the phyllo dough.
- Butter. Unsalted butter gets brushed onto each piece of phyllo dough to create crispy, golden brown layers.
- Cream cheese. Full-fat, brick-style cream cheese at a very soft room temperature should be used. We love Philadelphia brand for both texture and flavor.
- Cornstarch. This ingredient helps to provide extra structure and prevent the cheesecake from cracking during baking.
- Sour cream. A small amount of sour cream adds an extra tanginess to the cheesecake which helps to balance out the sweetness.
- Honey. A honey simple syrup gets poured down around the sides of the cheesecake and brushed on top to mimic the process of traditional baklava.
- Orange blossom water or rose extract. These ingredients are optional but are traditional flavors added to baklava in many middle eastern countries.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add ¼ teaspoon orange blossom water to the cheesecake batter for extra flavor.
- Use all pistachios or all walnuts in the baklava base.
- Swap full-fat Greek yogurt for sour cream.
- Make the baklava bars in a 9x9 pan and cut the phyllo sheets accordingly. The bars will be slightly thinner and should be baked about 5-10 minutes less.
- Omit the pistachio paste completely and just make the vanilla cheesecake batter.
How to Make This Recipe
Start by making the pistachio paste (if you're not using store-bought pistachio paste) before any other part of the recipe.
Baklava Base
One: Mix together the chopped nuts and sugar.
Two: Cut 15 pieces of phyllo pastry to fit the bottom of an 8x8" pan.
Three: Layer down a piece of phyllo dough.
Four: Brush the entire sheet with melted butter. Repeat until 5 sheets are layered.
Five: Sprinkle half of the nut mixture on top of the fifth piece.
Six: Repeat with 5 more layers, add the second half of the nuts, then use up the final 5 pieces of phyllo dough (again, brushing each piece with butter).
Par-bake the baklava base, then move it to a wire cooling rack while you make the cheesecake layer.
Cheesecake Layer
Seven: On low speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, then add the eggs until smooth.
Eight: Scrape down the sides and mix in the sour cream and vanilla until combined.
Nine: Transfer ⅓ of the vanilla cheesecake batter into another bowl and mix it together with the pistachio paste until combined.
Ten: Alternate adding the batters to the baklava base until they're both completely used up.
Hot tip! To brighten up the pistachio batter, add a small drop of green food coloring to make it more vibrant. The color will become darker as it bakes.
Eleven: Use a butter knife to swirl together the cheesecake batters, then bake.
Twelve: Make the honey simple syrup while the cheesecake bakes, then drizzle the syrup down the sides of the cheesecake and brush a small amount on the very top.
Cool at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate for 4 hours until completely set.
Hot tip! Run a butter knife in between the cheesecake and parchment paper to loosen up any stuck pieces before drizzling the honey syrup down the sides.
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Expert Tips
- Add a piece of damp paper towel on top of the sheets of phyllo you're not using so they don't dry out and crack.
- Cool the par-baked baklava layer slightly before adding the cheesecake filling on top.
- Use room-temperature dairy ingredients (cream cheese, eggs, sour cream) to create an ultra-smooth batter.
- Mix the cheesecake batter on low speed. Using a high speed can incorporate too much air and lead to cracking.
- Don't over-swirl the vanilla and pistachio cheesecake batters. Less is more!
- Run a knife or offset spatula around the outsides of the cheesecake to loosen any stuck pieces before pouring the syrup down the sides.
- Brush the honey syrup on top very gently so you don't break into the cheesecake. If you're concerned, wait to brush the honey syrup onto the top until the cheesecake is cool.
- Wipe the knife completely clean in between each slice. Press down firmly, slide the knife out the side, then clean it off and repeat for each cut.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but the phyllo layers will lose some of their crispiness. To freeze the bars, warp the block or pieces tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and add to a zip-top bag for up to three months. Thaw uncovered in the fridge before enjoying.
That's ok! Add a piece of damp paper towel on top of the sheets of phyllo dough that you're not actively working with to prevent them from drying out and cracking. If they crack, just add the pieces into the pan and brush it with butter anyway. It's no problem!
This is typically a cause of over-swirling. Less is more when swirling together two batters, so fight the urge to mix them too much.
This could be for a few reasons: the batter was overbeaten, the cheesecake was overbaked, or the temperature change from oven to counter was too abrupt.
Storage
Store the cheesecake bars covered or uncovered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy the bars straight from the fridge or at room temperature.
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What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
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📖Recipe
Baklava Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
Ingredients
Pistachio Paste
- 1 cup raw unsalted pistachios for the pistachio paste (or pre-made pistachio paste)
Baklava Base
- 15 sheets phyllo dough cut to fit into 8x8” pan
- ½ cup raw pistachios
- ½ cup raw walnuts
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake Layer
- 16 oz cream cheese very soft room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 large eggs room temperature & whisked
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature
- ½ cup pistachio paste
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon orange blossom water or rose extract optional
Instructions
- Make the pistachio paste (if not using store-bought paste).1 cup raw unsalted pistachios
Baklava Base
- Cut the sheets of phyllo dough in a square to fit the 8x8" pan. Cover with a towel and set aside.15 sheets phyllo dough
- Finely chop the nuts, then mix them together with the cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar. Set side.½ cup raw pistachios, ½ cup raw walnuts, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ cup light brown sugar
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line an 8x8” pan with parchment paper slings.
- Butter the parchment paper, then add a sheet of phyllo. Brush butter on top of the phyllo, then add another piece, and butter again. Repeat until you have 5 pieces layered.½ cup unsalted butter
- Sprinkle half of the nut mixture into an even layer, then repeat the phyllo and butter with 5 more sheets.
- Add the remaining nut mixture, and repeat again with the final 5 sheets of phyllo, brushing the very top layer with butter.
- Bake the baklava layer for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack while you make the cheesecake layer. Gently press down the phyllo if it has puffed up.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 315℉.
Cheesecake Batter
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), slowly beat the cream cheese until smooth, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.16 oz cream cheese
- Add the sugar and cornstarch and mix until smooth.½ cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- With the mixer running on low speed, drizzle in the whisked eggs until fully combined. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix again until incorporated.2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup sour cream
- Remove ⅓ of the batter to a different bowl, and fold in the pistachio paste until a smooth light green batter forms.½ cup pistachio paste
- Alternate adding scoops of vanilla and pistachio batter all over the top of the phyllo dough, then use a butter knife to swirl the batters together to create a marbled effect. Don't over swirl!
- Bake the cheesecake for 30-40 minutes until the edges are set and matte but there’s still a very slight jiggle in the center.
- While the cheesecake bars bake, heat the water, honey, sugar, and extract (if using) over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.¼ cup honey, ¼ cup water, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon orange blossom water or rose extract
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and slowly pour the honey syrup down all of the corners and sides of the baklava. Very gently brush the last bit of syrup onto the top of the cheesecake to give it a nice sheen. Don't press hard or else it can create a mark in the batter.
- Cool on the counter for one hour, then transfer to the fridge to cool (uncovered) for at least 4 hours.
- Slice and serve.
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