Is Baklava Vegan? Here's What to Know Before Enjoying This Tasty Treat

A mainstay at vegan food festivals around the U.S., baklava is a popular and delectable plant-based treat that transcends cultures. But for many new vegans and the veg-curious, the question of whether baklava is inherently vegan or if it requires plant-based modifications remains.

The answer is black-and-white for some, and as thickly obscure as honey for others who hold differing definitions regarding the parameters of a vegan diet.

Keep reading to learn whether baklava is considered vegan and how to prepare it yourself to ensure your vegan friends and family can enjoy this wonderful dessert.

Per the Food Network, baklava is a flaky pastry traditionally served throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean. It's most commonly served with chopped nuts and soaked in syrup or honey.

Greek, Turkish, and Lebanese baklava variations differ mostly in the nuts and thickening sweetener used, per Food Network, as Lebanese baklava is distinct in its use of rose or orange blossom water to accentuate the syrup, and the shapes are more varied than their Middle Eastern and Mediterranean counterparts.

Because baklava contains honey, it is not inherently vegan without modifications. The honey industry is destructive to the environment and distressing to bees.

Additionally, it is common for bloggers and commercial bakeries to incorporate butter in their recipes. As Michelle Cehn at World of Vegan notes, clarified butter, or ghee, is another common animal-based culprit that can make a baklava dish not vegan.

While the use of butter isn't always traditional and authentic depending on the region from which the baklava originates, it is nevertheless important that those adhering to a vegan diet request the complete list of ingredients when ordering baklava from a baker.

It is also important to note that some bakers use plain, non-organic sugar in their baklava. Many vegans, aware that non-organic sugar is processed using charred animal bones, will opt against such products and deem them to be unsuitable for their diet.

That doesn't mean vegan baklava is hard to make or should be inaccessible to those who wish to try it.

In Cehn's World of Vegan recipe, coconut oil and vegan butter both make for suitable vegan swaps in any baklava recipe.

Additionally, a homemade syrup made with citrus zest is an excellent way to honor the traditions of baklava makers' past, while adding a humane and climate-friendly spin on your yia-yia's recipe.

According to Holy Cow Vegan, maple syrup and agave syrup approximate the syrupy sweetness of honey, although they recommend adding rose water and cardamom to the homemade sugar concoction.

This vegan baklava recipe from Champagne Tastes uses olive oil instead of dairy-based butter. As you experiment with your favorite honey-free and dairy-free vegan baklava recipe, it is a good idea to see which syrups and oils give your baklava the best structure and sweetness to your liking.

Finally, with the proliferation of vegan honey brands that have exploded onto the scene in recent years, bakers always have the option to use their favorite plant-based brand to incorporate into a vegan baklava dish that even your traditional Middle Eastern family would approve of.