Pistachio vs walnut baklava: what changes
Most baklava you will meet is filled with one of two nuts: pistachio or walnut. Same phyllo, same butter, same syrup, and yet they eat quite differently. Here is what changes, and why.
The short version
- Pistachio is sweeter and more delicate, bright green, and the more expensive of the two. It is the baklava Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey is known for.
- Walnut is earthier, a little bitter at the edges, and often paired with cinnamon. It is the everyday baklava of many home kitchens, from Turkey to Greece to the Balkans.
Taste
Pistachio has a mild, almost floral sweetness. Under syrup it tastes rich but clean, which is why pistachio baklava is often made with little or no spice: anything strong would cover it.
Walnut is fattier and more savory. Its thin papery skin carries tannins, the same slightly bitter edge you taste in strong tea, and that bitterness is useful in baklava: it cuts through the syrup and keeps a sweet tray from tasting flat. Cinnamon or clove is a common partner.
Texture
Walnuts are softer and oilier. Chopped, they press together under the syrup into a moist, tender layer. Pistachios are firmer and stay a little more separate, so a pistachio layer keeps more of its bite and crumble.
In both, the nuts are chopped rather than ground. Ground nuts turn into paste under syrup; chopped nuts keep a texture of their own between the crisp sheets.
Color
The green is the giveaway. Pistachio baklava shows a bright green stripe between golden layers, and pistachio makers in Gaziantep prize nuts picked early, when they are at their greenest. Walnut baklava shows a brown band that blends into the pastry.
Price
Pistachios cost considerably more than walnuts, and a good layer takes a lot of them. That is the main reason pistachio baklava is priced above walnut wherever both are sold.
Which should you choose?
- Pick pistachio for a gift or a special table, or if you like a cleaner, sweeter nut flavor.
- Pick walnut if you like something earthier and spiced, or want a tray that goes further for the money.
- If you are not sure, try pistachio first. It is the one people tend to remember.
Our baklava is pistachio: the 1 lb box with 16 pieces and the half box with 8 pieces. For how the whole thing is built, see baklava, layer by layer.
FAQ
Is pistachio or walnut baklava better?
Neither is better; they are different. Pistachio is sweeter and more delicate, walnut is earthier with a slight bitter edge that balances the syrup.
Why is pistachio baklava more expensive?
Pistachios cost much more than walnuts, and a full nut layer takes a lot of them.
Which nut is traditional in baklava?
Both. Pistachio is the signature of Gaziantep in Turkey; walnut is the most common filling in home baklava across Turkey, Greece and the Balkans.
Does pistachio baklava have cinnamon?
Usually not, or very little, so the pistachio flavor comes through. Cinnamon is more common with walnut.
Our baklava contains wheat (gluten), tree nuts (pistachios), milk, soy and honey, and may contain traces of peanuts and other tree nuts.