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cooked baklava
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5 from 13 votes

Vegan Baklava

This delicious vegan baklava is made with phyllo dough, olive oil, and syrup, and is a sweet twist on the classic Greek and Turkish dessert.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Resting Time2 hours
Total Time3 hours 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 25 people
Calories: 190kcal

Ingredients

Baklava:

Syrup:

  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¾ cup water
  • ½ cup agave syrup See recipe notes to substitute HONEY
  • orange peel from ½ orange
  • 1" cinnamon stick (or ½ tsp ground cinnamon)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  • Prep the dough: Use scissors to trim the dough to match the size of a 10" square baking dish.  Do not discard the smaller strips that you've cut off-- you'll be using them.
    Unroll the phyllo dough, and lay plastic wrap over the dough. Set a barely damp kitchen towel over the dough.  Your goal is to keep the dough from drying out, and becoming even more fragile, but you do not want to get the dough wet.
    Humid Conditions Note: When the air is very humid, it may be better to leave the dough uncovered.
    how to cut phyllo dough
  • Prep the Nuts:  Use a food processor or nut chopper to chop the nuts into small pieces.  Pour the nuts into a bowl, and stir in the cinnamon and brown sugar.
  • Brush oil on the bottom and sides of a square 10" baking dish.
  • Begin Layering: Lay a square of the cut phyllo dough inside the dish, and brush with oil.  Repeat by layering more dough and more oil until you have 8 layers of phyllo.
    Sticky Dough Tip: If any sheets of phyllo seem to be stuck together, it's okay to lay 2 sheets down together, without adding oil to the middle.
    Small Reserved Dough Tip: The smaller, reserved sheets of phyllo can be laid together to create a single sheet (like lasagna). Make sure to oil the seams well. Avoid using the small pieces on the top layers-- use them in the middle instead.
    how to layer baklava
  • Add ⅓ of the nut mixture on top of the phyllo layers.  Spread them out evenly using your hand.
    Continue layering 5 more layers of phyllo and oil, then another ⅓ of the nuts, another 5 layers of phyllo and oil, then the remaining nuts.
    Finish the layers with 8 more layers of phyllo and oil.  Finish with a layer of oil, taking extra care that the edges of the dough are oiled.
    how to layer baklava
  • Cut dough into squares: Use a paring knife to cut 4 equally spaced parallel lines in the dough.  Rotate the dish, and cut 4 more lines perpendicular to the first set of lines.  Alternatively, cut perpendicular diagonal lines to cut the baklava into diamonds.
    Cutting Tip: Make sure to cut the baklava before baking, because the dough will become quite brittle when cooked, and you won't be able to cut it cleanly.
    uncooked baklava
  • Bake the baklava 30 minutes.  Remove it from the oven, and tent it with foil.  Bake it 20 more minutes.  (50 minutes total.)
  • Make the syrup: While the baklava bakes, add all the syrup ingredients to a small pan, and bring the mixture to a boil.  Once it begins to boil, lower the heat to medium-low, and lower the boil to a light simmer for 10 minutes.  Strain out the orange peel and cinnamon stick.
  • When the baklava finishes baking, remove it from the oven, and then slowly pour the syrup evenly over the baklava.
  • Let the baklava rest for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the syrup time to soak into the dough and nuts.
    cooked baklava
  • Serving: Use a narrow metal spatula to remove the baklava from the pan.  Olive oil baklava is more delicate than traditional butter baklava, so handle the pieces carefully.
    Storing Short Term: Lightly cover with foil, and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Note that covering the baklava tightly with a lid or with plastic wrap will cause it to become soggy.
    Freezing: Store the baklava in an air-tight container and freeze for up to 3 months.  Thaw in the refrigerator 4-5 hours or overnight.
    cooked baklava in a serving dish and plates

Video

Notes

Make more baklava: Recipe is easily doubled.  If doubling, use a standard-size lasagna pan.
Timing considerations: Note that recipe should rest for 2 hours before serving.  If using frozen phyllo dough, it should be moved to the refrigerator to thaw about 24 hours before handled.
Recipe variations (Note that variations using honey or butter are not considered vegan):
  • Use COCONUT OIL or VEGAN BUTTER instead of Olive Oil:  These oils will help the baklava hold its shape more than the olive oil does.
  • Use HONEY instead of Agave: For the syrup, use ⅔ cup of brown sugar and ½ cup honey.  (Agave is sweeter than honey, so you'll add more sugar.  Remaining ingredients are the same.)
  • Use BUTTER instead of olive oil: Use 8oz (½ lb) of melted butter instead of the olive oil.

Nutrition

Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 46mg | Potassium: 124mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 0.9mg