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The best Vegan Baklava with flaky filo pastry, walnuts, pistachios, plant based butter and the ultimate orange lemon syrup featuring coconut nectar or agave instead of honey. Finish with a luscious drizzle of dark chocolate and a pinch of Fleur de Sel flakes to make it next level!
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Vegan Baklava
A rich sweet dessert made with flaky filo pastry filled with chopped walnuts and pistachios, baked then traditionally drenched in honey syrup. In spite of this recipe being a little time consuming to make, I promise it is actually really easy to throw together and crazy delicious. Alternatively you can just bake these perfect Christmas cookies!
Baklava Ingredients
- Filo Pastry – Defrost it in advance according to the directions on the package. It’s very important to keep the filo sheets covered with a wet tea towel as you work with them so they don’t dry out and tear while you butter up and layer the others.
- The Nuts – I used a mix of chopped walnuts and pistachios spiced up with some cinnamon, you can go for whatever nuts you want here even hazelnuts, cashews, pecans or macadamias.
- The Butter – Any vegan butter or vegetable spread will do the job here, I prefer Miyoko’s cultured European butter but you can use any plant based butter you like.
- The Syrup – Traditionally honey is used when making the syrup for baklava and the great news is you can even buy bee-free plant based honey now. Personally I love using coconut nectar mixed with both fresh orange and lemon juice for the ultimate citrus flavor.
- Toppings – I love to drizzle my baklava with a luscious drizzle of dark chocolate and finish with a pinch of Fleur de Sel (sea salt flakes) and crushed pistachios. Optional but makes is so next level!
Baklava Tips + FAQ
- is baklava vegan ? Yes as long as you use plant based butter and a vegan honey, coconut nectar or agave for the syrup.
- can I make it without nuts ? Sure, replace the nut filling with a seed filling made of sunflower seeds, toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and sesame seeds for a delicious nut-free baklava.
- slice before baking – Make sure to cut the baklava into diamonds or squares before baking. This will prevent the filo from crumbling once cooked.
- How to keep baklava crispy? – Crispiness comes down to using the right amount of syrup and storing properly. Pour the syrup over the hot baklava as soon as it comes out of the oven and give it plenty of time to absorb every single drop of it before serving. Once completely cooled store in a cold oven or on the kitchen counter away from humidity. It keeps well at room temperature for up to one week. Do Not Refrigerate!
How to Make Baklava – Layering Order:
- 10 filo sheets + 1/4 of the nut mix
- 4 filo sheets + 1/4 of the nut mix
- 4 filo sheets + 1/4 of the nut mix
- 4 filo sheets + 1/4 of the nut mix
- 10 filo sheets
As always if you make this recipe remember to leave a comment rating below, snatch a photo and tag me with #VeggieSociety on Instagram, it always makes my day ~ Florentina Xo’s
5 from 1 vote
Vegan Baklava
The best vegan baklava with flaky filo pastry, walnuts, pistachios, vegan butter and the ultimate orange lemon syrup featuring coconut nectar or agave instead of honey. Finish with a luscious drizzle of dark chocolate and a pinch of Fleur de Sel flakes to make it next level!
Print Recipe
Prep Time:45 minutes mins
Cook Time:1 hour hr
Resting time:5 hours hrs
Total Time:6 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 16 oz package filo dough defrosted
- 3/4 lb walnuts chopped
- 3/4 lb pistachios chopped
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- zest from 1/2 orange
- 12 oz vegan butter (3 sticks) melted (I love Miyoko's for this)
- 3 oz dark chocolate (optional for drizzling)
- 2 tbsp crushed pistachios for garnish
- Fleur de Sel sea salt flakes for garnish
Orange Syrup
- 20 oz coconut nectar (agave or maple syrup)
- 1.25 cups orange juice freshly squeezed
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- zest from 1/2 orange
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350”F. In a bowl combine the nuts, cinnamon and the zest from half an orange and set aside.
Brush a 9x13 inch oven proof baking dish with some of the vegan butter.
Cut the fillo dough sheets in half and start layering 10 of them in the bottom of the pan, one by one, brushing each one with some of the melted better before topping with another. Sprinkle with a quarter of the nuts all over. (keep the remaining filo sheets covered with a damp tea towel so they don’t dry out and tear).
Layer 4 more filo sheets brushing them with melted butter in between. Sprinkle another quarter of the nuts and layer another 4 filo sheets on top. Sprinkle with another quarter of the nuts and layer 4 more filo dough sheets buttered in between.
Top with the rest of the nuts and the remaining 10 layers of filo sheets, making sure you brush each one of them with the butter in between.
Using a sharp knife cut the Baklava into 2 inch strips, then make slightly angled horizontal cuts to create a diamond pattern. Or you can just cut it into squares or whatever shape you like. It’s very IMPORTANT that you do the cutting before baking it.
Bake the Baklava in the preheated 350"F oven for 1 hour until golden brown on top.
Meanwhile make the the orange syrup by whisking together the orange juice, lemon juice, coconut nectar (agave or maple) and the remaining zest from half an orange. Pour it all over the Baklava once it comes out of the oven. Allow it to sit at room temperature for a few hours or overnight for the baklava to soak it all up. (I like to park it back in the cold oven overnight)
Optional: break the chocolate into small pieces and place it in the top pan of a double boiler over hot water. Stir until nicely melted and using a spoon drizzle some all over the Baklava. Garnish with some crushed pistachios and sea salt flakes and enjoy !
Notes
Baklava Tips:
- Make sure to cut the baklava into diamonds or square before baking. This will prevent the filo from crumbling once cooked.
- Keeping the baklava crispy comes down to using the right amount of syrup and storing it properly. Pour the syrup over the hot baklava as soon as it comes out of the oven then give it plenty of time to absorb every single drop of it before serving. Once completely cooled just store in a cold oven or kitchen counter away from humidity to keep crisp It keeps well at room temperature for up to one week. Do Not Refrigerate!
Layering Order
- 10 filo sheets + 1/4 of the nut mix
- 4 filo sheets + 1/4 of the nut mix
- 4 filo sheets + 1/4 of the nut mix
- 4 filo sheets + 1/4 of the nut mix
- 10 filo sheets
Nutrition
Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 58IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keyword: baklava, plant based, vegan,
Servings: 35 pieces
Calories: 194kcal
Author: Florentina
Vegan Desserts:
