4 Key Ingredients in Vegan Baklava and How to Serve It
As a top brand for cultural desserts, we witness first-hand our customers’ love for baklava.
One of our sweet vegan treats, the Baklava El Bey, is among our top sellers, coming in a Vegan Gift Box filled with 22 assorted Tunisian sweets created with a modern twist.
Unfortunately, traditional baklava is not vegan, using honey as a key ingredient.
But today, vegans can still enjoy this tasty dessert since the honey could be easily substituted with vegan-friendly ingredients.
While we have a few mystery ingredients and recipes for our vegan baklava treats that we’d like to keep a secret, we’ll still gladly share its other major ingredients and how you can serve it on any occasion.
1 - Filo Pastry
Filo pastry (or phyllo dough) is an entirely vegan-friendly ingredient that’s a staple in Greek cooking. In the Greek language, the term phyllous stands for “leaf-like.”
Phyllous perfectly represents the pastry’s thinner-than-paper sheets/leaves that create the ideal crunch and crisp for vegan baklava and other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern treats.
What Is Filo Pastry Made Of?
The phyllo dough is made using:
- Unleavened flour dough
- A pinch of salt
- Vegetable oil or spread
- Warm water
Also, since the oil or spread is only used for basting, filo dough poses a huge health advantage because it hardly contains fat.
That makes phyllo dough a perfect ingredient for vegans who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle while still indulging in tasty desserts.
Making your own filo pastry at home can be exhausting and time-consuming but luckily, you can purchase ready made filo dough from different stores countrywide.
Even better, you can purchase a fully prepared and ready to eat vegan baklava from Layla Delicacies made by experts.
Related: Is Baklava the Same as Baklawa?
Expert Tip: Oftentimes, bakers add vinegar to the filo mixture for an acidic touch and to make the dough stretch further.
2 - Pistachio
Secret Ingredients You Will Find in a Baklava Bakery
Making baklava the traditional Greek style requires walnuts, while Middle Eastern countries use pistachios.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t use other nuts instead. For instance, when making our Baklava El Bey, we combine only the finest pistachios with almond paste to produce the perfect blend of nuttiness and crunchiness.
Pistachio makes the perfect vegan baklava because it's rich in protein due to it containing amino acids at balanced levels; making it an excellent meat substitute.
Furthermore, pistachios are filled with fiber, unsaturated fats, and minerals that maintain proper blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels.
Almonds, meanwhile, are some of the healthiest superfoods packed with powerful nutrients for vegans who still need their daily protein intake but for non-animal sources.
Similar to pistachios, almonds will keep you full for longer periods so you consume fewer calories.
3 - Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is an excellent substitute for honey when making vegan baklava.
It is an excellent sweetener and the perfect green choice since no trees are harmed while extracting the maple sap.
This honey substitute also ensures that you’re using a healthier and gluten-free sweetener.,
Some other benefits of maple syrup over honey:
- Offers a range of flavors, from mild to strong, depending on its grade
- Browns slower than honey, thus giving enough time to get the perfect brown for baklava
- Is less acidic (34%) than honey
- Works perfectly for any less-sweetened treats like baklava
Expert Tip: Watch out for baklavas made with corn syrup disguised as maple syrup. Normally, the former’s sweetness dissipates while baking, leaving the baklava with a very mild sweetness.
4 - Rosewater
Secret Ingredients You Will Find in a Baklava Bakery
Rosewater is a crucial ingredient in many Middle Eastern and Indian dishes and desserts. Its soft taste and aroma highlights the sweetness of the nuts and maple syrup and balances out the more tart ingredients of the vegan baklava.
When used ideally, rosewater works to bring in a stunning, perfumed freshness to any dessert and pastry.
“Everything is great about Layla’s sweets. Very efficient; great taste, and very nice packaging. Thanks, I enjoyed every bite”
-Kalpana Bhagnari, Central, HK,
How to Serve Vegan Baklava on Any Occasion
Baklava is a sweet welcome treat you can serve on all occasions, from brunches and dinners, to Eid Al Fitr and Ramadan.
Related: Celebrate Your Momentous Events This Year with Baklava
Traditionally, vegan baklava is served at room temperature, accompanied with tea, coffee, or fresh lemonade.
Lemonade and coffee have a bitter taste, while tea has a sticky feeling, making them the perfect contrast for the baklava’s flakiness. But, if you’d like to do away with the drinks, garnish your vegan baklava with nuts and eat it just like that.
How to Store Your Vegan Baklava
One great reason to love baklava is its long shelf life. These vegan treats can last up to 2 weeks (and some extra days) when stored appropriately.
Ensure you store your vegan baklava in an air-tight container, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Keeping them at room temperature will ensure they maintain their crispness. But if you prefer your baklava chewier with a slighter harder texture, store it in the refrigerator. Just make sure you do not cover it, as this will make it soggy.
Surprise Your Loved Ones With Vegan Baklava Today
Today, baklava has spread worldwide and is recognized not only for its culture but also for its delicious taste.
Vegan baklava has become a great gift for close friends and loved ones. So if you’re searching for a thoughtful and memorably vegan gift for someone important, Layla’s Delicacies’ vegan baklava sweets will do the trick.
Our Vegan Gift Box boasts 22 bite-sized vegan treats, including the tasty and nutritious Baklava El Bey made with pure crunched pistachio and covered in an almond paste for the perfect crunch and nuttiness. The end result is a not-so-sweet treat filled with high fiber and protein content.
Other vegan treats from Layla’s Delicacies include:
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Enjoy with friends and family a taste of our delicious bite-size vegan treats handcrafted with the highest quality nuts |
Pair your vegan Samsa Pistachio with mint tea at any time of the day |
Almonds and hazelnuts rolled in filo sheets make the Almond Finger Regarded a “morning pastry”, it is best paired with coffee |
Our packaging is done by shipping specialists to ensure your vegan sweets get to you in perfect condition. So, make your order today and get your healthy vegan desserts in no time.
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