Blow Your Mind Vegan Baklava Recipe

This Vegan Baklava recipe is a sweet treat that isn’t necessarily everyday fare, but if you want to knock the socks off of your guests, this dessert will do the trick.

Plus, it’s an absolute blast to make this with your kiddos! They’ll never forget that time you made baklava together, and how delicious it was.

Vegan Baklava “Crust:”

• ½ lb. phyllo dough thawed according to the directions on the package
• ½ cup vegan margarine

Sauce:

• ½ cup EACH: water and agave nectar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 whole cinnamon sticks
• 3 whole cardamom pods
• 3 whole cloves
• ½ teaspoon EACH: vanilla, minced (or grated) orange zest, and lemon juice
• Dash of sea salt

Filling:

• 1/2 cup (2.25 oz.) walnuts
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1. Place the sauce ingredients in a small pan, stir well, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside. Once cooled, remove the cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and cloves.

2. Make the filling: Chop the walnuts in a food processor until coarsely ground—or, you can place them in a sealed plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Mix the crushed walnuts with the cinnamon, sugar, and salt and set aside.

3. Preheat your oven to 350° F. Melt the margarine any which way you please.

4. Divide the phyllo into two portions (approximately ¼ pound each). Set one aside, covered with a lightly damp towel. Using a pastry brush, coat the bottom and sides of a 9 x 9-inch pan with some of the melted margarine. Place one sheet of phyllo (from the uncovered stack) on the bottom of the pan and brush with margarine. If your phyllo doesn’t fit the size of the pan, simply cut it or overlap it a bit—you can even things out as you go. Continue layering one piece of phyllo at a time, brushing each piece lightly with margarine, until you’ve used up the first portion of the phyllo. Top evenly with the nut mixture.

5. Uncover the second portion of the phyllo and use it in the same manner as before. Keep placing single layers of phyllo on top of each other, brushing each with margarine.

6. When you’ve used up the last of the phyllo, it’s time to cut the phyllo into individual pieces very carefully. Begin by cutting diagonal lines (with a 1½-inch space in between each cut) across the whole pan. If it helps, you can hold onto the top layer of phyllo with your other hand as you make cuts all the way through to the bottom of the pan. Next, make cuts (again with a 1½-inch space in between) that are horizontal across the pan. Essentially what you want here is diamond-shaped baklava.

7. Pour half of the sauce evenly over the top of the phyllo. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until very nicely golden-browned. NOTE: Once the phyllo just starts to brown (after about 15 minutes), you’ll want to check it often, as it can burn easily.

8. Remove from the oven. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the top of the baklava. This may seem like a lot of sauce, but the longer the baklava sits, the less saucy and sweet it becomes. Enjoy!

Makes one 9 x 9-inch pan of baklava (about 15 pieces)