Soğuk baklava, also called cold milk baklava, swaps the sugar syrup in regular baklava for cold milk, and it's served chilled instead of at room temperature. The crispy phyllo and walnuts stay the same, but the milk makes it softer and creamier, which is nice on a hot day.
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It started in Diyarbakır a few years ago, when a baklava maker used less syrup and added milk instead to make it lighter. He got the idea from other milk based Turkish desserts like Sütlü Nuriye and Güllaç, and the chilled version caught on fast, especially once the weather warms up.
If you'd rather watch than read, here's a quick video that walks through the whole process.
Ingredients You'll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
- Phyllo - You'll need paper-thin filo sheets, not the thick ones. I buy the Au Ble D'or brand here in the UK, which is perfect for making baklava. They are sold fresh, so there is no need to defrost them. You can also find thin phyllo dough in the freezer section of most large grocery stores. They are usually near the frozen pie crust and puff pastry.
- Unsalted butter - It is essential to clarify the butter before using it, as the milk solids will burn quickly and will give black spots on the baklava. Use good quality unsalted butter and don't skimp on it! You can use ghee instead if you prefer, it won't burn as easily so you can skip clarifying it.
- Walnuts - They are my favorite filling for Baklava! For the best results, toast them in the oven and carefully pulse them in a food processor, being careful not to turn them into a powder. Leave them with some texture. You can also use pistachio or a mixture.
- Milk - Whole milk mixed with cream is preferred for a richer milk syrup (also called milk sherbet). If you want to flavor the syrup, a pinch of ground cinnamon or cardamom works well.
- Cocoa Powder - For dusting the top and adding a hint of chocolate flavor.
How to make Soğuk Baklava - Cold Baklava with Milk
Prepare the Syrup
In a saucepan, mix the milk, double cream, and sugar. Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring continuously until the sugar dissolves completely.
Allow the mixture to come to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature. It's important to pour cold syrup over the hot baklava to achieve the desired texture.
Build the Baklava
If using frozen phyllo dough, ensure it's fully thawed. Trim the filo sheets to fit a tray size of 9"x9" (22 cm x 22 cm). Cover the sheets with a damp cloth to prevent drying. Mix the melted clarified butter and vegetable oil in a bowl.
Place the first sheet of phyllo dough in the dish and brush it with the melted butter mixture. You don’t need to brush each layer thoroughly. Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).
Repeat this process, layering and buttering each sheet, until you've used half of the phyllo sheets. Evenly distribute the chopped nuts over the layered phyllo sheets and then press them down lightly.
Place the remaining phyllo sheets over the nut layer, brushing each with melted butter. Once all sheets are layered, brush the top with butter and cut the baklava into desired shapes and sizes, such as squares or diamonds.
Bake, Soak, and Chill Cold Baklava
Place the prepared baklava in the oven and bake for approximately 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Once the baklava is out of the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes, and then pour the cooled milk syrup evenly over the hot baklava. Bring the baklava to room temperature and let it soak up the syrup in the fridge overnight.
Before serving, sprinkle some cocoa powder and icing sugar mixture on top to make it taste and look even better.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Frozen phyllo works, but fresh gives a crispier texture. If using frozen, let it fully thaw in the fridge and keep it covered with a damp cloth while you work so it doesn’t dry out.
- Each layer of phyllo needs a light brush of melted butter to keep things crispy and golden. Don't skimp on it, make sure it’s unsalted and clarified so it doesn’t throw off the flavor.
- Chop the nuts finely! You want a nice, even layer that sticks together without being too chunky. A food processor works great for this, but don’t grind them into dust, just keep some texture.
- Make the syrup in advance and make sure it is at room temperature before adding it to the freshly baked, hot baklava.
- Stick to a moderate oven temperature (around 350°F/175°C ) and give it time to turn golden without burning. Check the color of the top layer: golden brown is your signal to pull it out.
- Let the cold baklava rest in the fridge overnight for the flavors to settle, the syrup to soak in properly, and the whole thing to firm up into the perfect cold treat.
- Add your cocoa powder and powdered sugar right before serving. This keeps it looking fresh and prevents the top from getting wet or sticky in the fridge.
- Low-fat milk can make the syrup too thin. Whole milk gives a richer, silkier result that pairs better with the nuts and phyllo.
- Cut your Cold Baklava with Milk into portions before baking. Once the phyllo bakes, it turns super crispy and can be really hard to slice without cracking or crumbling it.
Storage and Shelf Life
Soğuk Baklava is meant to be eaten cold, hence the name, so storing it in the fridge is a must. Once it’s fully soaked and chilled, cover the baking dish with cling film or a tight lid. It’ll keep fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Don’t stack slices on top of each other unless you like them mashed together. Keep them in a single layer to maintain that pretty shape and crispy-soft texture.
Can you freeze it? Technically, yes, but it's not ideal. The milk syrup tends to separate after thawing, which can mess with the texture. If you really need to freeze it, wrap slices individually and store them in an airtight container. To thaw, place them in the fridge overnight.
Make Ahead
You can build the baklava layers up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge unbaked, then bake it fresh when you're ready to serve. You can also bake it and pour on the milk syrup up to 2 days before serving, since it needs to chill overnight anyway.
Variations
- Spiced milk syrup - add a pinch of ground cinnamon or cardamom to the milk while it heats for a warmer flavor.
- Rose or orange blossom water - stir a small splash into the cooled milk syrup for a floral note.
- Full chocolate version - mix a spoonful of cocoa powder into the milk syrup itself for a chocolate milk syrup that coats every layer, instead of just dusting cocoa on top.
- Nut options - pistachios work just as well as walnuts, or use a mix of both.
- Vegan and dairy free - for a vegan baklava, swap the milk and cream for a neutral plant based milk like soy or cashew, and use vegan butter instead of dairy butter.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Soğuk Baklava straight from the fridge, cut into small squares since it's rich. It pairs really well with a cup of Turkish coffee, a glass of Turkish tea, or a warm cup of salep, and leftover slices make a nice sweet bite alongside fresh fruit the next day.
Recipe FAQs
This usually happens if the syrup was too warm when poured or if the baklava wasn’t baked long enough. Make sure the syrup is completely cooled, and always pour it over hot, freshly baked baklava. Also, be sure to bake until the top is golden and crisp.
Definitely. You can reduce the sugar in the milk syrup or skip the powdered sugar dusting on top. Using darker chocolate for the topping instead of sweet milk chocolate can also balance out the sweetness nicely.
You can, but it’s a time-consuming process and takes a bit of skill to roll the dough that thin. You can check out my Homemade Turkish Baklava Recipe if you want to give it a go! If you do go homemade, make sure the layers are paper-thin for that classic flaky texture.
Regular baklava is soaked in a hot sugar syrup and served at room temperature, while Soğuk Baklava is soaked in a cold sweetened milk mixture and served chilled from the fridge. The milk gives it a softer, creamier texture instead of the sticky crunch you get from syrup.
Yes. Use a plant based milk like soy or cashew instead of dairy milk and cream, and swap in a vegan butter block. Nothing else in the recipe needs to change.
Yes, ghee works well here and it's less likely to burn than regular butter, so you can skip the clarifying step. Use the same amount called for in the recipe.
Related Recipes
For more delicious Baklava recipes, why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this indulgent dessert Soğuk Baklava - Cold Baklava with Milk as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
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Soğuk Baklava
Ingredients
- 1 lb phyllo sheets (470 grams)
- ½ cup unsalted clarified butter (100 grams)
- ¼ cup vegetable or sunflower oil (55 ml)
- 1 ¼ cups sugar (250 grams)
- 1 ⅔ cups full-fat milk (whole milk) (400 ml)
- ½ cup double cream or heavy cream (100 ml)
- 1 ⅓ cups chopped walnuts or pistachios (200 grams)
- ½ tablespoon cacao powder (for dusting)
- ½ tablespoon icing sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
Prepare the Syrup
- In a saucepan, mix the milk, double cream, and sugar. Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring continuously until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Allow the mixture to come to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature. It's important to pour cold syrup over the hot baklava to achieve the desired texture.
Build the Baklava
- If using frozen phyllo dough, ensure it's fully thawed. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Trim the filo sheets to fit a tray size of 9"x9" (22 cm x 22 cm). Cover the sheets with a damp cloth to prevent drying.
- Mix the melted clarified butter and vegetable oil in a bowl.
- Place the first sheet of phyllo dough in the dish and brush it with the melted butter mixture. You don’t need to brush each layer thoroughly.
- Repeat this process, layering and buttering each sheet, until you've used half of the phyllo sheets.
- Evenly distribute the chopped nuts over the layered phyllo sheets and then press them down lightly.
- Place the remaining phyllo sheets over the nut layer, brushing each with melted butter.
- Once all sheets are layered, brush the top with butter and cut the baklava into desired shapes and sizes, such as squares or diamonds.
Bake, Soak, and Chill
- Place the prepared baklava in the oven and bake for approximately 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
- Once the baklava is out of the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes, and then pour the cooled milk syrup evenly over the hot baklava.
- Bring the baklava to room temperature and let it soak up the syrup in the fridge overnight.
- Before serving, sprinkle some cocoa powder and icing sugar mixture on top to make it taste and look even better.
Video
Notes
- Storage: Keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days, covered. Freezing isn't ideal since the milk syrup can separate when it thaws.
- Make ahead: Build it unbaked up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, or bake it and pour on the syrup up to 2 days before serving since it needs to chill overnight anyway.
- Vegan or dairy free: Swap the milk and cream for a neutral plant based milk like soy or cashew, and use vegan butter instead of dairy butter.
- Butter swap: Ghee works instead of clarified butter and is less likely to burn, so you can skip the clarifying step.
- Nut options: Pistachios work just as well as walnuts, or use a mix of both.
- Chop the nuts finely so they hold together in an even layer, but don't grind them into dust, keep some texture.
- Always pour the cooled milk syrup over hot, freshly baked baklava, never the other way around, for the right crispy texture.
- Let it chill in the fridge overnight so the syrup fully absorbs and the baklava firms up.
- Add the cocoa powder and powdered sugar right before serving so the top stays fresh and doesn't get wet in the fridge.
- Cut it into portions before baking, since it's much harder to slice cleanly once the phyllo bakes crispy.
Hashim says
Hello,
looking to attempt this. it mentions to add water but unsure how much water is required as its not mentioned. please specify 🙂
Kind regards
Ayla Clulee says
Hi Hashim 😊
Thank you so much for pointing that out; that was my mistake. I had originally included water in an earlier version, but I’ve since removed it from the recipe and forgot to adjust that line properly. There’s no water needed for this one. I’ve corrected it now, so you can follow the updated recipe as written.
Really appreciate you checking before making it!
Helen says
Great recipe! Easy to follow, and so delicious!
Ayla Clulee says
Thank you so much, Helen!