Nut-free baklava-style pastries
Crisp filo parcels filled with toasted sunflower seeds, oats and coconut, finished with a fragrant honey-lemon syrup. Nut-free, indulgent and impressive.
All the pleasure of baklava—crisp, syrupy and spiced—without a single nut in sight. These baklava-style pastries swap nuts for toasted sunflower seeds plus oats and coconut, giving the same satisfying crunch and chew.
Make them when you want a show-off pud for guests, a tray to slice and stash in the biscuit tin, or when someone’s allergic to nuts but still deserves indulgence. They’re fiddly with filo, but follow the steps and you’ll be rewarded with golden, syrupy parcels.
Ingredients
- 12 filo pastry sheets
- 150 g unsalted butter — melted, reserve for brushing
- 200 g sunflower seeds — toast and roughly chop before using
- 80 g rolled oats — blitz to coarse crumbs
- 50 g desiccated coconut
- 50 g light brown sugar
- 5 ml ground cinnamon
- 5 ml ground cardamom
- 5 ml fine sea salt
- 5 ml lemon zest — zest of about 1 lemon
- 150 g granulated sugar — for the syrup
- 150 ml water — for the syrup
- 30 g runny honey — adds shine and flavour; optional (see substitutions)
- 15 ml lemon juice — about 1 tbsp
- 5 ml orange blossom water — optional, about 1 tsp
Equipment
- baking tin 20 x 30 cm
- pastry brush
- food processor
- sharp knife
- small saucepan
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional. Lightly butter a 20 x 30 cm baking tin.
Toast the sunflower seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat, shaking occasionally, until golden and fragrant (about 6–8 minutes). Tip onto a plate to cool, then roughly chop.
Put the rolled oats in a food processor and blitz to coarse crumbs (do not make a powder). Add the cooled chopped sunflower seeds, desiccated coconut, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, fine sea salt and lemon zest. Pulse once or twice to combine into an even, slightly coarse mixture.
Melt the unsalted butter gently in a small saucepan or microwave until just liquid. Keep warm for brushing.
Lay one sheet of filo in the prepared tin, letting excess overhang if needed. Brush it with melted butter, then layer another sheet and brush again. Keep remaining filo covered with a damp piece of kitchen paper while you work so it doesn't dry out. Repeat until you have 6 buttered sheets layered.
Scatter the filling evenly over the layered sheets and press lightly so it sits flat. Brush another sheet of filo with butter, place it on top, and continue layering and brushing until you have 6 sheets on top (total 12 sheets used).
Trim any uneven edges, then use a sharp knife to cut the assembled pastry into 12 diamond or square pieces — cut all the way through to the base.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes until deeply golden and crisp.
While the pastry bakes, make the syrup. Put the granulated sugar, water and runny honey in a small saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook gently for 8 minutes to thicken slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and orange blossom water. Leave the syrup to cool for 20 minutes.
As soon as the pastry comes out of the oven (hot) pour the cooled syrup evenly over the warm pastry. You should hear a sizzle as syrup hits the pastry — this helps it sink in. Leave the tray to rest at room temperature for 3 hours to allow the syrup to soak through.
Once the syrup has soaked in, serve the pastries at room temperature. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Tips
- Keep unused filo covered with a damp piece of kitchen paper — dried filo shatters and makes assembly miserable.
- Cut the pastry all the way through before baking so syrup reaches every piece; cut neatly with a very sharp knife in one steady motion.
- Toast and cool the seeds fully before chopping so they stay crunchy; if they steam while hot they’ll go soft.
- Make the syrup while the pastry bakes and ensure it cools for about 20 minutes — the temperature contrast is important for texture.
- To make ahead: bake and cool the pastries, keep them airtight, then pour the warm syrup 1–2 hours before serving.
Substitutions
unsalted butter → vegan block margarine of similar quantity (150 g)
Stays closesunflower seeds → pumpkin seeds (pepitas) same quantity (200 g)
Stays closerunny honey → extra 30 g granulated sugar dissolved into the syrup for a vegan version
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 407
- Calories
- 7 g
- Protein
- 39 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 23 g
- Sugar
- 150 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make these vegan?
Yes — swap the unsalted butter for a firm vegan margarine and replace the runny honey with extra sugar in the syrup (see substitutions). The texture is slightly different but still very good.
How do I stop the filo drying out while I work?
Cover sheets you are not using with a lightly damp piece of kitchen paper and a clean tea towel so they retain moisture and remain pliable.
Can I use shop-bought mixed seeds instead of sunflower seeds?
Yes, but check the packet for added nuts or sesame if you need strictly nut-free; mixed seeds will alter the flavour slightly but work well.
How long will they keep?
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature they keep for up to 3 days. The pastry will soften over time as the syrup continues to soak in.
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