This pakistani baklava Saffron Recipe is a compact sweet made with toasted vermicelli, condensed milk, nuts, rosewater and saffron. It is cooked on the hob, pressed into small moulds and cooled until each piece holds together.
Despite the familiar name, this Pakistani baklava does not use phyllo pastry or baked layers. Its texture comes from broken seviyan—very fine South Asian vermicelli—bound with sweetened condensed milk.
This version is often found through the phrase “saffron baklava,” but the saffron flavours the condensed-milk binder rather than a syrup poured over pastry sheets.
Ingredients
- 200 g fine Pakistani vermicelli or seviyan
- 50 g neutral oil
- 30 g butter
- 200 g sweetened condensed milk
- 200 g mixed pistachios, walnuts and pecans
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 50 ml rosewater
- 2 tablespoons concentrated saffron infusion
The older ingredient list calls condensed milk “honey milk.” Use thick sweetened condensed milk, not plain milk mixed with honey; ordinary milk will not bind the toasted strands into moulded pieces.
Prepare the vermicelli and nuts
Break the vermicelli into short pieces while it is still in its packet, then tip it into a bowl. Aim for strands around 2 to 3 cm long rather than a fine powder.
Chop the nuts into small pieces. Keep some texture, but avoid large walnut or pecan chunks that would make the finished sweet split when it leaves the mould.
Toast the seviyan
Warm the oil and butter in a wide, heavy frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the broken vermicelli and stir continuously for 5 to 8 minutes.
The strands should become evenly golden and smell toasted. They are fine and can burn quickly, so lift the pan from the heat for a few seconds if the colour changes faster than you can stir.
Add nuts, rosewater and saffron
Lower the heat. Stir in the chopped nuts, cardamom and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute, just until fragrant.
Mix the rosewater with the saffron infusion, then drizzle it around the pan while stirring. If you need to prepare the infusion, our guide to brewing saffron explains a concentrated method.
Let the steam settle before adding condensed milk. Pouring everything in at once can leave wet patches beside dry clumps of vermicelli.
Bind the Pakistani baklava
Add the sweetened condensed milk and fold continuously over low heat. At first it will coat the strands loosely. After 4 to 6 minutes, the mixture should gather into a sticky mass and leave much of the pan base clean.
Stop while the vermicelli still bends. Overcooking evaporates too much moisture and makes the pieces hard instead of pleasantly chewy.
Shape in small moulds
Lightly grease a mini-muffin tin or small silicone moulds. Let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes, until it is safe to handle but still warm and flexible.
Spoon it into the moulds and press firmly with the back of an oiled teaspoon. Compacting the edges matters: loose strands around the rim are the first part to break.
Leave the filled moulds at room temperature for 1 hour. If the room is warm or the pieces still feel soft, refrigerate them for another 20 to 30 minutes.
Unmould and decorate
Run the tip of a thin flexible knife around each edge, then turn the mould over and press gently from the base. Silicone cups can simply be peeled away.
Decorate with a pinch of chopped pistachio. Avoid pouring extra condensed milk over the finished pieces, which softens their surface and hides the toasted vermicelli texture.
Cutting the mixture into squares
If you do not have moulds, press the warm mixture into a lined 20 cm square tin. Smooth it into an even layer, cool for at least 1 hour and lift it out by the paper.
Use a lightly oiled knife to cut small squares or diamonds. Wipe the blade between cuts for clean edges.
Common problems
- Pieces fall apart: cook until the mixture gathers, then press it more firmly while warm.
- Vermicelli tastes burnt: toast over medium-low heat and keep it moving.
- Sweet becomes hard: shorten the condensed-milk cooking stage.
- Pieces stick to the mould: grease lightly and cool fully before turning them out.
Storage
Store the sweets in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Separate layers with baking paper and bring them to room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
This recipe contains wheat, milk and tree nuts.
