Crispy Vegan Baklava with Maple Glaze (Layered Nut & Phyllo Dessert)

Make a decadent, crispy vegan baklava! This recipe layers buttery phyllo and nuts, then drenches it in a maple syrup glaze. Includes tips for freezing and storage.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 45 min
• Cook Time: 45 min
• Total Time: 2 hr
• Yield: 20 diamond shaped pieces of baklava

Ingredients

• 1 lb vegan phyllo dough (16 oz)
• 1 lb of walnuts, pistachios, almonds, or dried fruit, chopped finely (You can use a mix of these as well to cut down on costs, just make sure it is near ~1 lb so you’ll be able to create a distinct layer of this in the middle of the baklava)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup vegan butter, softened and spreadable
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup maple syrup or agave nectar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Baklava

• Confirm phyllo dough is fully thawed before starting, following suggested instructions on the packaging.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• In a bowl, combine the chopped nut or dried fruit mixture with cinnamon and then set it aside.
• Brush a 9×13-inch baking pan with vegan butter (I always use this nonstick sheet (not sponsored I just love it), and nothing ever sticks on that pan, not even vegan marshmallows!).
• Layer two sheets of phyllo in the baking pan and brush the sheets up to the edges with the slightly melted vegan butter.
• Repeat three more times so you have 8 sheets total before the chopped nut or fruit layer.
• Sprinkle the chopped nut (and maybe dried fruit) mixture all over the phyllo sheet.
• Now, repeat what we did earlier where we add two sheets of dough, then brush the sheet with butter and repeat the process until the remaining 6 sheets are left.
• Using a sharp knife, score the top into diamond shapes so that the tasty sugar syrup topping can soak into the edges later!
• Bake the baklava for ~45 minutes, until golden brown on top. While baking, you can move onto the next section where we will make the sugar syrup topping to top the baklava once it’s done cooking!

Sugar Syrup Topping

• While the baklava bakes, prepare the sugar syrup.
• In a small saucepan, combine 1 C of sugar and 1 C of water and bring it to a boil on medium heat.
• Once the syrup is boiling, remove it from the heat and then add in the maple syrup.
• Place the sugar syrup back on the heat on low and let it simmer for 20 minutes to thicken a bit more.

Assemble

• Once the baklava is baked, pour the sugar syrup all over the baklava to cover it completely.
• Note: Baklava is crispiest the first 1–2 days. Over time it naturally softens, but reheating in an oven or air fryer brings the flaky texture back. Once the baklava has cooled completely, you can store it as follows, depending on how fast you expect to eat it:
  • for a few days, you can leave out of fridge and top with foil to maintain it’s crispiness
  • for a week, you should put it in an airtight container in the fridge (though it’ll get slightly softer)
  • for a few weeks, you can put it in an airtight container in the freezer and then when you’d like to eat it, you can remove a piece or two and air fry it to bring its crispiness back and it will taste almost the same as when it first was made!

Tips

• Feel free to half the recipe if you are short on time or don’t feel like having as much in such a short time if you’re making it just for yourself! The baklava will only take up half a baking sheet, and will only take half the time to make since assembling the sheets is the longest step of the process in my opinion!