Knowledge base
Soguk baklava: what is cold baklava with milk?
Soguk baklava is koude baklava, gedrenkt in melk in plaats van siroop en met cacao en pistache. Wat het is, hoe het smaakt en waar je het koopt.
Anyone who's walked into a pastry shop in Istanbul in the last few years has seen it: dark, almost fudge-like slices of baklava sitting in the fridge, dusted with bright green pistachio. That's soğuk baklava, literally "cold baklava". It's the best-known modern twist on the classic dessert, and demand for it is now growing in the Netherlands and Belgium too.
What exactly is soğuk baklava?
Soğuk baklava uses the same paper-thin layers of dough as regular baklava, but with one decisive difference: instead of hot sugar syrup, it's soaked in milk, often with cocoa stirred in. It then goes into the fridge and is eaten cold. It's usually finished with finely ground pistachio on top.
That milk-instead-of-syrup swap explains everything you taste. Where classic baklava is crisp and sharply sweet, soğuk baklava is soft, creamy and far milder. Texture-wise, it sits closer to a chocolate cake than to the pastry it descends from.
What does it taste like, and who is it for?
People who find classic baklava too sweet often fall for this version instead. The milk takes the edge off, the cocoa adds depth, and because you eat it cold the sweetness lands less hard. Kids tend to love it. If you're after that crisp, buttery layered effect instead, the classic version stays your best bet: read here what baklava actually is.
How many calories are in soğuk baklava?
Reckon on roughly 100 to 180 kcal per piece, depending on size, how much cocoa is used and whether cream is worked in. These are guideline figures, not exact numbers: every baker does it differently. In practice it sits close to regular baklava; milk brings a bit less sugar than syrup, but the chocolate makes up part of the difference. More on that in is baklava healthy.
Where do you buy soğuk baklava?
More and more Turkish patisseries carry it, though it's still far from standard everywhere. In Antwerp, DelightfulNutsland on Brederodestraat is the clearest address; they sell the cold version with cocoa and Antep pistachio, also online. Check our city guides for more: Antwerp, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Ghent. If in doubt, call ahead: because it has to be kept chilled, not every shop makes it daily.
Making it yourself?
Soğuk baklava is a good deal more approachable than the classic version, precisely because the syrup drops out. Broadly: bake the buttered layers of dough with ground nuts, let them cool, then pour warm milk with cocoa and sugar dissolved into it over the top. At least a few hours in the fridge, finished with pistachio. For the classic method with syrup, see our baklava recipe.
What does it go with?
Like all baklava, this is a closer, not a snack. We deliver the part that comes before it: 60+ fresh, 100% halal Turkish dishes, chilled and never frozen, hot in 5 minutes. Discover the menu.
Frequently asked questions
What is soğuk baklava?
Cold baklava: the same thin layers of dough, but soaked in milk with cocoa instead of sugar syrup, and served cold with pistachio.
What's the difference from regular baklava?
Regular baklava is baked hot, crisp and made with syrup; soğuk baklava is soft and creamy, made with milk and chocolate, and eaten cold.
Is soğuk baklava less sweet?
Generally, yes. Milk makes it milder than sugar syrup, though the chocolate adds some sweetness back.
How do you store soğuk baklava?
In the fridge, covered. Unlike classic baklava, this one needs to be chilled and keeps for a shorter time.