Vegan Baklava with Date nut filling

This vegan baklava recipe is made with layers of phyllo dough filled with cinnamon-spiced ground nuts and covered with a sticky lemony syrup! No added refined sugar , No honey needed for this showstopping Middle Eastern dessert!

After all the Baklava inspired recipes I had to make the real deal. Baklava is a decadent and  sweet treat. Traditional baklava is not vegan as it uses butter and honey. I changed it up with some vegan butter and and a sticky lemon syrup made with maple syrup!

This vegan version of baklava is made with layers of sweet filo and chopped nuts, all covered in a sweet syrup! we also add dates to the nut filling since our syrup is not very sweet. We add less sweetener than in traditional baklava recipes. This is a simple yet showstopping dessert guaranteed to impress!

Baklava has many variations and flavors. I use  a blend of nuts and some lemon zest for that decadent and refreshing flavor! If you want, add some rose water to the syrup but be careful as a little goes a long way.

The texture is flaky, soft, buttery, with some added crunch from the crisp filo and nuts. It’s sweet and with a hint of lemon and cinnamon without any flavor being overpowering.

What is phyllo pastry?

Many people are unaware that phyllo dough and filo pastry is actually vegan. There are no eggs or dairy used.

The number of Phyllo sheets needed depends on the size of your pan. I used an 8×8 inch glass pan and needed 24 sheets of that size. The phyllo bundle that  I had had 18 sheets but they were larger sheets and I could cut out of them.

More vegan desserts with nuts:

• Vegan Pistachio Cookie Recipe
• Hazelnut Brownies
• Oatmeal Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Vegan Almond Halwa
• Vegan Snickers Peanut Butter Cups

Baklava inspired desserts

• Baklava cheesecake 
• Baklava cookies
• baklava Lassi
• Baklava cake 

Ingredients:

• Phyllo pastry – Also known as filo pastry. This can be found in the frozen and chilled section of the grocery store.
• nuts (I used a combination of almonds, walnuts, and pistachios but you can use just walnuts ( Greek Style) or pistachios (Persian)
• medjool dates for sweet, or use any soft dates. Or omit to make it without dates. Add 1-2 tbsp sugar to the syrup to add extra sweetness to balance the missing dates.
• Flavor: the nut filling is seasoned with zest of a lemon and some cinnamon. Use lime zest or orange zest. Use cardamom or just vanilla.
• For the syrup we use maple syrup as a vegan substitute for honey, which gives a glorious sticky texture.
• lemon juice and sliced lemon as well as orange juice lends the syrup a refreshing bright citrus note. Add rose water for flavor variation.
• we brush the phyllo sheets with some oil or melted vegan butter for that golden color. The butter/oil is necessary, as, on its own, the dough is very dry. You can use all vegan butter or all neutral oil

Tips:

• Use any nuts you like – I used a blend but you can make this with just walnuts or just pistachios
• Feel free to add a small amount of rose water or orange flower water to the soaking syrup but be very careful. That’s powerful stuff
• If you’d like to make this gluten free, use gluten free phyllo dough.

How to make Vegan Baklava

Prep your phyllo sheets and thaw them if you haven’t thawed already. Keep them out covered with a damp towel, on the counter for at least an hour so that they sepatate easily and you can cut according to the size of the pan. Keep them covered while you work.

For the nuts, add all of the nuts to a food processor and proces until they are close to a coarse meal.

Then add the dates and the rest of the ingredients and process again until the dates are well-combined with the nuts. Transfer this to a bowl and set aside near your work station.

Melt your vegan butter if you haven’t already . Mix in the oil if using and set aside.

Prep your work station: brush your baking dish liberally with the oil butter mixture. Cut the batches of sheets to size of your pan. I am using 9×9 inch

Then place your first phyllo sheet on it then lightly brush the oil-butter mixture on it and then place another sheet.

Repeat for at least 6 sheets and then sprinkle your nut filling all over and even it out. You want a thin layer of nuts.

Then start layering with the phyllo sheets again. Layer a phyllo sheet, brush with butter. Layer another phyllo sheet. Do at least 3-4 phyllo sheet layers and then keep continuing until all of the nuts are used. I got about 4 layers of the nuts.

Then for the top phyllo layer, use 6 phyllo sheets. Brush the top with the oil and butter mixture really well to cover it completely.

Use a sharp knife to cut out the baklava to the shapes that you like. I went for diamond shape.

Then bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-55 minutes until the top is nicely golden.

Meanwhile, make your syrup: Heat the maple syrup, lemon juice, and water in a saucepan until it is boiling.

Then add the lemon slices and continue to simmer over medium heat until the mixture has thickened slightly. Switch off heat and let it cool to a warm state.

You need to check the syrup at this time even it’s warm it should be slightly thick like maple syrup. If it’s not, reheat it to thicken.

Once the baklava is done baking, remove the dish from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes.

Drizzle your somewhat cool (it should be at a room temperature or just mildly warm) syrup over the baklava by drizzling it all over the top first and then drizzling in all the cracks.

Top it with some pistachios. Let these baklavas sit for at least 2 hours to soak the syrup. Then  serve.

Storage

• Fridge: this can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• To freeze: Place baklava is a freezer-friendly container and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.  You can thaw it in the refrigerator uncovered.