Guys, I'm going to let you in on a shocking secret. I'm not a huge fan of mince pies. (No, not the ones made with meat, the traditional sweet mince pies served at Christmas here in the UK) .
I know right. SHOCKING! The thing is, the ratio of clunky pastry to filling is usually disappointing. I do quite like the spiced, fruity Christmassy filling, however, so I thought, why not create something I DO like with the filling instead?
So behold, I present to you the Vegan Mince Pie Baklava.
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This is my take on the traditional mince pie, but with a lovely, buttery flakey pastry that is doused in orange-scented syrup. These scrummy little mouthfuls are perfect to share around over Christmas.
Best of all? They're made with only 6 easy to find ingredients and don't take ages to make. In fact, it's barely baking, more of an assembly job with an oven involved. Hurrah!
So what's in these super simple but super scrummy Christmas baklava treats?
Filo Pastry - aka my favorite pastry to use! It's always vegan, easy to work with and comes in handy dandy 12-16 sheet packs that tuck away in the fridge or freezer.
Mince Pie Filling- You could make your own with fruit & brandy, but I buy mine in a jar. It's just as good and less of a faff. Available in pretty much all supermarkets in the UK around Christmas.
Mixed Nuts- I've used different combos at different times while testing this recipe. Use what you have around. Some walnuts are nice, but you can use macadamia, cashews, pecans, almonds.. whatever you have.
Vegan Butter - my absolute favourite brand is Naturali, but use any vegan spread/butter that melts well and tastes good.
Maple Syrup- You could also use agave syrup, or even brown sugar that has been melted with a little water, but I like the depth of flavour that Maple brings to the party.
One Orange- you use the zest in with the nuts & the juice to make the syrup to drizzle over afterward.
That's it.. all you need to now do is whizz up the nuts in a food processor, then layer them in a tin with the pastry.
Once you have layered in your pastry, using lots of lovely melted vegan butter between the layers, add the filling, and then put MORE layers on top, you need to cut the pastry before it goes into the oven.
For pretty diamond shapes, cut 3 cm strips lengthways. Then carefully cut 3cm stripes on the diagonal. It took me a few goes to get it right, so it's worth thinking about it before committing a knife to pastry. Be sure to cut all the way through to the bottom layer so it's easy to serve the pieces once out of the oven.
Once your Vegan Mince Pie baklava is out of the oven, you need quickly pour over the orange juice syrup mix in down the cut lines. This ensures you have a crispy top, and lovely flakey layers that are oozing with syrup. Delicious!
If you like this simple 6 ingredient, Vegan Mince Pie Baklava Recipe, you might like some of these other festive recipes we have created!
Granny's Famous Rum Balls made Vegan!
Chestnut, Mushroom & Squash Christmas Filo Wreath Pie
Greek-ish Greens Filo Pie (Spanakopita Veganised)
Vegan Christmas Tempeh & Sausage & Stuffing Balls
Equipment you'll need:
A good square baking tray: (affiliate link)
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A lovely twist on the Christmas Classic that everyone will love. Loads of spiced fruit mince layered with buttery, flaky filo pastry into a yummy Baklava!
- 250 g filo pastry (1 pack) most packs contain between 12-18 sheets pastry. You'll need approx 12 sheets.
- 150 g vegan butter or spread around ⅔ cup
- 200 g vegan fruit mince (about half a jar) 1 cup
- 200 g unsalted walnuts and/or other nuts
- 1 orange, zested and juiced
- ⅔ cup maple syrup ⅓ cup for the nuts, ⅓ for the syrup to pour over later.
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Set your oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4
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Roast the nuts in a pan until fragrant
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Roughly chop the nuts into a rubble with a food processor
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Mix ⅓ of the cup of maple syrup and the zest of the orange into the nuts
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Melt the vegan butter/spread
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Slick the bottom of a baking tin with melted vegan butter/spread (tin should be around 20 x 20cm square)
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Working quickly, lay out a layer of filo pastry in the tin, and brush butter over it.
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Lay another layer of filo on top, brush butter
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Do this with 4 layers of filo
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Now smooth out over the filo the nut mixture so it is evenly spread over the whole tin
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Now layer on the fruit mince, spreading it out thinly
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Cut the rest of the filo pastry to fit the tin (You can cut them all at once)
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Fold in the sides of the pastry over the nut & mince layer
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Now, using all the other sheets of filo, add a sheet, spread melted butter and repeat.
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Use up the rest of the sheets of filo, and slick one last bit of butter over the top.
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Cut the filo pastry into lengths and then into diagonals. Make sure you cut all the way through to the bottom of the tray so it's easier to take the pieces out later!
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Put the baklava into the oven & bake for about 25-30 minutes. This might take a little longer depending on your oven. It is ready when the top is golden brown and flakey looking!
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Juice the orange and add the ⅓ cup maple syrup. Mix well.
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As soon as you remove the baklava from the oven, pour the syrup into all the cuts you made in the baklava earlier. This creates a yummy crunchy top and a lush syrupy interior!
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