You may have had baklava before, but never like this. My mom's family recipe, perfected over years of work, is out of this world incredible! And this vegan baklava has a never before seen oil-free option!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of NOW Foods. The opinions and text are all mine.
Are you ready? I'd sit down if I were you. This Greek baklava is a vegan, incredible, mind blowing at first bite kind of dessert. You have never had anything like it. Sure, there are others, but the flavors and proportion of ingredients in here have been tested and trialed throughout my childhood to result in the best damn baklava on the planet. Screw it, I'm going there. Best damn baklava in the galaxy!
But why oil-free? Butter is amazing!
So, I am going to start with this: using a good vegan butter (like the Miyokos Creamery Vegan Cultured Butter) is going to result in a better end product. More flaky, a better light textured crisp, not as wet and of course that signature buttery flavor. That being said, I know there are many of you out there that do not use butters or oils, so this my friends is for you.
Me personally, I am not anti oil or butter. I don't use it in my every day cooking, because you really can get amazing flavors without it (Have you even seen my Grain-Free Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies? No oil or butter needed!), but in treats like this or in small amounts for flavor (I am Greek after all and love that true deep olive oil taste), I'm all in.
But I knew that if I was going to post this vegan baklava recipe, I needed to nail down a decent oil-free option. And the winner here was a combination of Aquafaba (the juice from a can of chickpeas) coupled with drippy creamy almond butter and a touch of maple syrup. I needed the fat, and I needed something that would make it crisp.
How does this crazy oil free option work?
The fat in the almond butter is needed to help the filo bake without it becoming overly dry. The Aquafaba helps give that crisp, much like egg whites are used to coat the top of bread or other baked goods. I use a smidge of maple syrup to absolutely make sure you do not get that bean taste from the chickpea liquid.
Because the nuts in the baklava have plenty of natural whole food fat, the basting liquid is only needed in small amounts. DO NOT over baste. A good quality nut (like my faves from NOW Foods) will give you plenty of delicious flavor.
There are a few roadblocks you may come across when using the oil-free version however. I have a few tips to help avoid those, but when it comes to baklava a lot is trial and error even when following a recipe. Your oven temperature and how it cooks will affect it. Your baking dish or pan may also change the result a bit. So you need to experiment with this using your personal supplies!
- Help, my baklava is stuck to the bottom!- I highly suggest using an oil spray, like coconut, to prepare your pan bottom. You can also try the parchment paper method, or any other method you use when baking an oil free dessert in a pan.
- Oh man, it's soggy!- When you brush the oil free basting liquid on, do not do too much. A light coat is sufficient because you will be pouring the syrup over after baking. It also needs to be totally baked, if it is underbaked it will be soft!
- The top is coming apart when I cut it!- As you cut, lightly hold the top down with your fingers. Also use an in and out cutting motion versus trying to cut it smoothly like you would a cake.
Can I sub with...
No. Just no. I worked to get you an oil-free option, but other than that there are no subs. Baklava is about nuts. And sugar. So, if you can't have either, this probably is not the dessert for you. There are only a few things you could alter if you were dying to have this but didn't have the exact ingredients:
- Nuts: traditionally this is made with walnuts, my mom has perfected the flavor using a combo of almonds and walnuts. It gives a little depth versus just the walnuts. If you are missing one or the other, pecans may be a good sub.
- Basting liquid: As I said, the traditional way is using butter. I have provided this oil-free option as well, but you could also use a coconut oil (or even this butter infused coconut oil by NOW Foods). Whatever you use, follow the directions precisely and do not over baste!
- Sugar: I made this with coconut sugar, but any sugar really will work. If you don't eat sugar, you can try omitting it from the nut mixture, and using all maple syrup in the syrup mixture, but I caution that it may not work out. Please do not blame me if it doesn't work!
If you want complete and utter Greek vegan baklava perfection, make this the traditional way. If you absolutely don't do oils, ever, then give the oil-free option a try, because some baklava is better than no baklava. Always.
Greek Vegan Baklava with Oil-Free Option
Ingredients
- 1 pound phyllo pastry sheets
- 2 cups walnuts (I use NOW Foods Brand) , chopped
- 2 cups almonds (I use NOW Foods Brand) , chopped
- ½ cup vegan butter , melted (or for oil-free option see basting recipe below)
- ¼ cup coconut sugar (I use NOW Foods Brand)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 36 whole cloves
Oil- Free Basting Option:
- ½ cup Aquafaba (see note)
- 1 tablespoon almond butter , room temperature and runny
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup (I use NOW Foods Brand) , room temperature
Syrup:
- 1 ¼ cup maple syrup or agave (I use NOW Foods Brand) (or honey if you use honey, see note)
- 1 ¼ cup coconut sugar (I use NOW Foods Brand)
- 1 ¼ cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 small piece of lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F (165 C).
- In a bowl, mix walnuts and almonds with sugar, cinnamon and allspice.
- Prepare the bottom of a 9x13x2-inch pan by brushing it with Aquafaba mix or butter so it doesn’t stick. If you are not using butter, you may want to spray a thin layer of coconut oil to make sure it won’t stick to the bottom, or use your preferred oil free method to avoid sticking.
- Next, lay one phyllo sheet at the bottom, brush it with Aquafaba mix or butter, and repeat the process until you have used about five sheets. Make sure you are brushing lightly and not using too much or the end result will be soggy.
- Then, spread one thin layer of nuts and cover that with one phyllo sheet.
- Brush the sheet with Aquafaba mix or butter, cover with another phyllo sheet, brush with aqufaba mix or butter and spread another thin layer of nuts. Repeat this process until all the nuts are used, or until you have five phyllo sheets left.
- Cover the last layer of nuts with the remaining five phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet with Aquafaba mix or butter.
- With a sharp knife, cut into triangles, diamond like (cutting diagonally across the pan). The phyllo will be wet and soft so the best way to do this without messing it all up is to lightly hold your fingers on each side of the knife as you cut. Use small slices, taking the knife out each time.
- Insert a clove in the center of each triangle to hold the phyllo sheets together. Bake for 1 hour, or until you see the top beginning to brown.
- Increase the temperature to 350 F (175 C) and bake for another five to ten minutes or until the top is very golden brown.
- As the baklava is baking, make the syrup. In a small pot combine all of the ingredients for the syrup and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes. You simply want the flavors to infuse. Remove the cinnamon stick and the piece of lemon and allow to cool.
- Remove the baklava from the oven when it is done and pour the cooled syrup over it. Be careful to watch it, pour slowly and stop if the baklava is not retaining the liquid and you see syrup pooling. If you overpour the syrup, your end result will be soft. Since different pans vary, you may not need the entire amount of syrup.
- Allow to cool several hours before serving.
Notes
- Make sure to read the post above for detailed instructions.
- Traditionally, Greek baklava uses all walnuts, but the recipe was perfected to use a mix of walnuts and almonds for improved flavor.
- This baklava is best when using butter, but if you are looking for an oil-free option then use the mixture given above. Aquafaba is the liquid from a can of chickpeas. Make sure to whisk the mixture well in order to incorporate the ingredients, you can even run it in the blender. Make sure your almond butter and maple syrup are at room temperature. Keep in mind that the phyllo dough still has some oil.
- Baklava traditionally uses honey, but if you are vegan and prefer not to use honey, then use maple syrup or agave in it’s place.
- The key to crispiness is to bake this well. Almost overbake it. You want the filo crisp and baked enough so that the filo doesn’t go soft when you pour the syrup on. Make sure the top is nice and brown.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
A
While I don’t care about being oil free, your oil free solution isn’t oil free at all. Oil is essentially extracted or refined fat. You admit you need fat when you make the choice to use almond butter. You are relying on the natural almond oil in the almond butter to crisp and brown the phyllo. Additionally, many-to-most almond butters on the shelves contain added oils (typically palm oil) to help keep it creamy and easily stirrable. The claims you are making about your recipe are deceptive and inaccurate. You should rename it as “low-oil” or “low-fat” because it’s 100% NOT oil free.
veggiesdontbite
Hi A, thanks so much for sharing your opinion. I do however disagree. When a recipe says oil free, it refers to pure added oil (like olive, vegetable, coconut, etc). It does not refer to added fat. This is not a fat free recipe, nor a low fat recipe. This recipe contains oil and has an oil-free option meaning using whole food sources of fat versus the oil to make it. While I do not live an oil free life, and I don't think this recipe is as good with the oil free option, I do have people that choose to omit oil so I try to often give them an option in my recipes even if it is not as good as the original version. To say that you can't have anything that oil can be extracted from in a recipe to call it oil free is not accurate and quite silly as you can extract oil from so may things (even flowers!). You are welcome to start your own website and create recipes such as those you describe (which would actually be more accurate labeled as low fat or fat free), but I will stick to what I know for my site! Thanks again for coming and hope you try the actual recipe one day!
Nikki
Doesn't the phyllo pastry have eggs and butter? That doesn't fit with a vegan diet as far as I now...
veggiesdontbite
Hi Nikki! Nope. The phyllo I use is fully vegan and says so on the package. Most phyllo I have seen is vegan.
Nisha / RainbowPlantLife
I have always adored baklava but stopped eating it after going vegan. Thank you SO much for providing a vegan alternative! I love that you use aquafaba to baste the phyllo sheets - such a genius oil-free option!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much Nisha!! I appreciate your kind words. This is on of my favorite childhood recipes!
Sue
Sophia, the baklava is fantastic!!! Prevegan I never ate this because of my dislike for the taste of honey. This recipe is both beautiful and delicious. I'm going to cover this with foil, and hope it has crunch left tomorrow.
Thank you soooo much!!! And Happy 2018.
veggiesdontbite
Woohoo!!! I'm so happy you loved it!! I too actually prefer the taste of maple to honey. Thank you so much for the great review! I will be sure to pass it along to my mom!
The Vegan 8
Would you believe I've never had baklava! In fact, I had no clue this was a dessert, lol. I thought it was a savory "meaty' filling at first, haha. Shows how clueless I am. Regardless though, having read the recipe and seeing the ingredients, my mouth is watering like crazy and I'm suddenly VERY hungry! That flaky crust looks so damn good. I would easily eat all of this myself! I love that cloves are used, I love that stuff. Amazing recipe!
veggiesdontbite
Ha! Meat pie! LOL. It's way better than that! Thanks so much! You'd love it. Super flavorful and very holiday tasting. Wishing you all the best in 2018 friend!
Cassie Autumn Tran
I've been DYING to get my hands on a vegan baklava recipe! This is just too perfect with the crunchy nuts and gooey sugary filling inside each piece!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Cassie! It really is amazing. One of my favorite treats!
Misrii - Homemade Food
This is I call real cooking. Your images looks good.
http://www.misrii.com/
Nicole
You are a kitchen wizard! Looks AMAZING!
veggiesdontbite
Haha!! Thank you! This credit goes to my mom, she has spent a lifetime perfecting it! The only thing I can take credit for is coming up with the oil free basting liquid idea!
JD
This may be more work than a cookie but this baklava is incredible. I have had it multiple times and it never disappoints! To clarify, I have the version with butter but great to have options for those that need.