Easy Vegan Apple Burek (Posna Pita Sa Jabukama)

This vegan apple burek (aka posna pita sa jabukama) is packed with apples, walnuts, cinnamon and vanilla. If you enjoy phyllo pastry desserts, you’ll fall in love with this one. 

It’s a well-known pastry style in all former Yugoslav countries and can be made with a variety of fillings. Apple would have to be one of my favourites. They can also be done with pumpkin, ‘cheese’, ‘ricotta’ and spinach, potato, cherries and mixed veggies. 

I’m planning on creating all the different flavours for you in slightly different techniques of using phyllo dough. However, today, I’ll be sharing a vegan phyllo dough apple recipe.

What is burek?

Burek, as it’s known in former Yugoslav countries, traditionally came from Turkey, Armenia and Greece. Many European countries have their own version of how they use phyllo pastry (homemade or store-bought).

Burek is what I grew up eating. I’ve had all variations, including ground mince and cheese before I became vegan back in 2014.

Those two are the most popular and traditional varieties. They’re baked pastries made using a thin flaky dough which is filled with your choice of sweet or savoury ingredients. 

Kitchen tools needed to make this vegan apple burek

This recipe doesn’t require many kitchen tools. Here’s the list of things you’ll need:

• Round or square (preferably ceramic or tin) medium-sized baking dish
• Food processor with grater function or hand-grater
• Knife or plastic bag and rolling pin (for smashing walnuts)
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Pastry brush
• Medium bowl
• Mixing spoon

Tips for making this delicious vegan apple dessert

It’s a simple recipe to create but requires you to pay close attention to how it’s made to achieve the same results. This is why we’ve created a video to demonstrate the technique. If you’d like to see the full-length video, you can do so on YouTube. 

Here are a few tips to get you the best results:

• If you’re using frozen phyllo pastry, follow the instructions on the packet before use. You may need to thaw it out first.  
• Phyllo is also known as filo or fillo pastry in some regions. 
• I used Royal Gala apples in this recipe. They’re my favourite variety of apples here in Australia. You can use pretty much any variety of apple you like in this burek. Just keep in mind that some are sweeter than others. So you may need to adjust the sugar levels accordingly. If you use a tart apple like a Granny Smith add 1-2 tbsp more sugar. If you’d prefer to reduce or omit sugar altogether, you can do so. 
• Pretty much any variety of apple is suitable for this recipe. However, the more floury variety are best left for things like apple sauce. 
• I like to leave the skin on the apples as it’s a waste to peel them. You get some extra fibre in your burek and have less work to do! It’s a win, win. 
• Sultanas are often added to a pastry like this one. I opted out as I wanted to keep it simple, you can, however, add a small handful if you wish. 
• This recipe traditionally doesn’t use walnuts, but I wanted to add them in for a nice crunch. If you don’t have them on hand, you can leave them out.

Other vegan apple desserts you’ll love:

1. 6-Ingredient Apple Pie Overnight Oats
2. Vegan Apple Crumble (Gluten-Free)
3. Apple, Blueberry and Vanilla Vegan Oat Bran Porridge
4. Baked Apples with Dates and Nuts (Tufahije)
5. Easy Vegan Apple Almond Cake

I wanted to create something a little different, as it’s not quite a phyllo dough apple strudel or an apple pie, but something that resembles the consistency of a typical burek, but with apples. 

Layering is critical in this dish. If you don’t do it as I have demonstrated, it will come out differently. Same flavours, but it won’t have the beautiful airiness and soft texture from the pastry with every bite.

Other European recipes you’ll love:

1. Vegan Stuffed Peppers (Posne Punjene Paprike)
2. Vegan Gibanica Recipe (Serbian Cheese Pie)
3. Vegan Spinach Pie with ‘Ricotta’
4. Vegan Kremšnita (Vanilla & Custard Cream Cake)
5. 3-Ingredient Chestnut Puree With Whipped Coconut Cream (Kesten Pire)
6. Vegan Plum Dumplings (Posne Knedle sa Šljivama)
7. Vegan Cherry Strudel with Cream Cheese

If you try this recipe, let me know! We’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest. 

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