Easy Vegan Baklava

If you want to make easy vegan baklava then this is where you'll find it. I created a super simple way of making this delicious Turkish dessert, all with vegan ingredients. I cannot express how happy I am with the result: it's sweet, nutty, layered and perfect. And also, super easy to make.

I must tell you, it all started with a story mum told me about a new Turkish store in town. But of course, store-bought baklava is not vegan as it's made with honey. I craved baklava for so long. I was so afraid of attempting to make it because it looked so complicated. But I'm here to the rescue, because honestly... it's soooo easy! You know what takes the longest? Brushing the layered pastry with melted vegan butter. So trust me on this one, you are going to love it and nobody will tell the difference between your vegan baklava and the store-bought one.

What do you need for vegan baklava

To make vegan baklava you will need a baking pan. I used a rectangle one which measures 7 x 11 inch.

For the vegan baklava, you will need filo pastry (phyllo), walnuts, cinnamon, cardamon, vegan butter and a touch of salt.

For the baklava syrup, you will need water, sugar, Savage syrup, a cinnamon stick, some orange and lemon peel.

Can you replace the walnuts with other nuts? Yes, you can! You can use a mixture of your favourite nuts like walnuts with pecans, hazelnuts and almonds for example. Or you can just pick the nuts you like the most. I like walnuts so I created this recipe with the traditional ingredient to make authentic baklava. But you can absolutely mix and match.

Do you have troubles finding vegan butter? Use plant-based margarine instead. I tried this recipe with both and both work. However, you cannot replace butter with oil. It won't work with oil.

How to make vegan baklava

The secret to making a great vegan baklava is ensuring your layers are as neat as possible. I recommend measuring your baking pan and cutting the layers of filo as neat as possible to fit your pan to perfection. So here's how I did it.

Preheat the oven to 175C/350F.

Mixed the well-chopped walnuts with the ground cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Set aside in a bowl. You can use a food processor to chop your nuts if you bought them whole. Just pulse a few times until you have the right consistency.

Melt the vegan butter and place in a bowl next to you. Get a brush ready, you are going to brush a lot of layers.

Cut the filo pastry to fit into your baking tray perfectly. For my pan I got a total of 22 layers of filo pastry.

Place 5 layers of filo dough one-by-one on the bottom of your pan, brushing each lightly with the melted vegan butter. Spread 1/4 of the walnut mixture evenly on top.

Add another 4 layers of filo pastry one-by-one, brushing each with butter, then add another layer of nuts.

My vegan baklava sequence for the filo was as follows:

• 5 filo layers
• 1/4 cups of nuts
• 4 filo layers
• 1/4 cups of nuts
• 4 filo layers
• 1/4 cups of nuts
• 4 layers
• 1/4 cups of nut
• 5 filo layers

Using a sharp knife, cut the baklava into equal squares. You can also cut it as a diamond shape if you prefer.

Bake the baklava for 45 minutes, until golden. If the baklava top starts to darken too quickly, cover with aluminium foil and continue baking until the time is up. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes.

Make the vegan baklava syrup

While the vegan baklava is cooling down, it's time to make the vegan syrup. Place all syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove the cinnamon stick, the orange and lemon peel and stir a couple of times. Pour the vegan syrup over the baklava while it's still in the baking tray. Super important, do not use cold syrup on your baklava. I mean it...it will ruin it. Always use hot syrup.

Let the baklava cool at the room temperature, uncovered. Enjoy!

This recipe has been inspired, adapted and made fully vegan from Fifteen Spatula.

Vegan Baklava

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• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Total: 1 hour 15 mins
• Serves 12 people

Categories: Baked, Dessert, Holiday Cusine: Middle Eastern

Description

A super simple vegan baklava which everyone will love. It's very easy to put together despite the look of the recipe. It follows the authentic Turkish method of making baklava, but with vegan ingredients. Instant pleaser for all dessert lovers.

Ingredients

(USA / Metric)

Vegan Baklava

• 12 oz filo pastry
• 3 cups walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup vegan butter, melted
• 2 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 1/2 tsp cardamom, ground
• 1/4 tsp salt

Vegan Baklava Syrup

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cups caster sugar
• 1 cup agave syrup
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 1 strip of orange peel
• 1 strip of lemon peel

Instructions

• 1. Preheat the oven to 175C/350 degrees F.
  2. Mixed the well-chopped walnuts with the ground cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Set aside in a bowl.
  3. Melt the vegan butter and place in a bowl next to you.
  4. Cut the filo pastry to fit into your baking tray perfectly. Place 5 layers of filo dough one-by-one on the bottom of a rectangle baking pan*, brushing each lightly with the melted vegan butter.
  5. Spread 1/4 of the walnut mixture evenly on top.
  6. Add another 4 layers of filo pastry one-by-one, brushing each with butter, then add another layer of nuts.
     My sequence of filo layers was 5 filo layers, 1/4 cups of nuts, 4 filo layers, 1/4 cups of nuts, 4 filo layers, 1/4 cups of nuts, 4 layers, 1/4 cups of nuts,5 filo layers.
  7. Using a sharp knife, cut the baklava into equal squares.
  8. Bake the baklava for 45 minutes, until golden. If the baklava top starts to darken too quickly, cover with aluminium foil and continue baking until the time is up. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes.
  9. While the vegan baklava is cooling down, it's time to make the vegan syrup. Place all syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
  10. Remove the cinnamon stick, the orange and lemon peel and stir a couple of times. Pour the vegan syrup over the baklava while it's still in the baking tray.
  11. Let the baklava cool at room temperature, uncovered. Enjoy!

Notes

* I used a 7 x 11-inch baking pan.

Nutritional Information

Total Nutrition Facts

Serves 12 people

Amount Per Serving
Calories 554
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 41 g			52%
	Saturated Fat 15 g		75%
	Trans Fat 1 g		31%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 15 g
	Monounsaturated Fat 8 g
Cholesterol 58 mg			19%
Sodium 289 mg			13%
Total Carbs 45 g			16%
	Dietary Fiber 3 g		11%
	Sugar 31 g		61%
Protein 7 g			14%
Vitamin A 20% Vitamin C 5% Calcium 4% Iron 9% Vitamin D 0% Magnesium 14% Potassium 4% Zinc 11% Phosphorus 20% Thiamin (B1) 22% Riboflavin (B2) 7% Niacin (B3) 6% Vitamin B6 16% Folic Acid (B9) 4% Vitamin B12 4% Vitamin E 7% Vitamin K 6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice

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