Traditional baklava is not typically vegan-friendly. Although the base ingredients like phyllo dough and nuts are vegan, the pastry is typically brushed with dairy butter or ghee and drizzled with a honey-based syrup. We swapped the honey syrup with date syrup, and it worked perfectly. Date syrup is also loaded with potassium and antioxidants and has a low glycemic index, so it won't spike your blood sugar.

I don't own a food processor. Can I chop the filling by hand?

Yes! If you don't have a food processor, finely chop the pitted Medjool dates, almonds, walnuts, and pistachios until a chopped consistency. Again, avoid chopping it too finely or else your vegan baklava recipe won't have much texture.

Easy Vegan Baklava (Naturally sweetened!)

Name: Vegan Baklava Recipe
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups (11.87oz) pitted medjool dates, finely chopped*; 1 cup (5.4 oz) almonds*; 1 cup (4 oz) walnuts*; 1 cup (4.12 oz) pistachios*; 1/2 tablespoon orange zest; 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 stick vegan butter, melted; 32 sheets phyllo (filo) dough, defrosted; 1/2 cup Just Date Syrup; 1/2 cup filtered water; 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice, adjust to taste; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons shelled unsalted pistachios, finely chopped or crushed

Description

This Vegan Baklava recipe is inspired by the traditional Middle Eastern dessert and just as good as the real thing! It’s made with layers of flaky phyllo pastry, a sticky nut filling, and a hot syrup naturally sweetened with dates. This sweet treat is guaranteed to become one of your favorite desserts.

Ingredients

Filling

1 1/2 cups (11.87oz) pitted medjool dates, finely chopped*
1 cup (5.4 oz) almonds*
1 cup (4 oz) walnuts*
1 cup (4.12 oz) pistachios*
1/2 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick vegan butter, melted
32 sheets phyllo (filo) dough, defrosted

Syrup

1/2 cup Just Date Syrup
1/2 cup filtered water
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice, adjust to taste
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

2 tablespoons shelled unsalted pistachios, finely chopped or crushed

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Instructions

In a food processor, add in the dates, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, orange zest, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse until the mixture is just roughly chopped. You do not want them to be fine as they will not have the right consistency for the baklava. Set aside.
Grab your phyllo dough and a medium baking dish (ours was 10×8″).
Placed it on a clean work surface and then put a baking dish on top. Be sure not to press down so hard so you don’t compact the phyllo. Using a sharp knife, trim the phyllo to the size of the pan. It is better to cut bigger than smaller here so if it is not perfect, don’t worry because once it bakes you won’t be able to tell. This step is optional, you can also just fold in the edges as you layer the baklava. This will just yield the best results.
Cover the phyllo with a slightly damp tea towel to keep it from drying out. Set aside.
Brush the bottom and sides of the baking dish with a thin layer of melted vegan butter. Lay on two sheets of the phyllo and then gently drizzle it with vegan butter. We did not brush on the vegan butter as it may rip the phyllo. Repeat the layering, buttering ever 2 sheets of phyllo, until you have a base of 8 sheets of phyllo.
Add 1/3 of the ground nut mixture to the pan and spread it out evenly to the edges of the pan. If possible, try to avoid having large date pieces on the outer edge as they tend to burn easily.
Lay on 8 more sheets of phyllo, buttering them every two layers, and then add on another 1/3 of ground nut mixture. Repeat one more time.
Add on the final 8 sheets of phyllo, drizzling them with butter every two layers. Evenly drizzle any remaining melted vegan butter over the top.
Place the baking dish into the refrigerator for 1 hour so that the butter can set.
Remove the pan from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a very sharp knife, cut the uncooked baklava four times lengthwise (into long rectangles). Then, cut across diagonally to create diamond shapes. You can do as many diagonal cuts as you would like, depending on how big or small you want your baklava pieces to be when cooked.
Bake the baklava for 50-60 minutes, or until golden brown and the edges of the phyllo is flaky.
While the baklava bakes, prepare the syrup. Combine all of the syrup ingredients except for the vanilla extract in a small pot over medium heat. Warm the syrup for around 8-10 minutes, or until it has thickened but is still the consistency of syrup. Set it aside to cool. Once cooled, mix the vanilla in.
Remove the baklava from the oven and set it on a heat-proof surface. Drizzle the cooled syrup evenly over the baked baklava while it is still hot (this is key!).
Top the baklava with crushed pistachios and allow it to sit at room temperature for several hours or overnight before serving.

Notes

The drier the dates, the better! They will be easier to cut and spread through the baklava.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days.
Just Date Syrup is available on Amazon and you can a discount until the end of the month using our code 10SWEETSIMPL 🙂
We used a mixture of almonds, walnuts, and pistachios as that is our favorite combination for baklava, but feel free to mix and match to your liking!

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Category: Dessert, Holiday
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Greek