🍽️ Mains

Pita ili Burek

Pita ili Burek is a beloved rustic pastry from Serbian home cooking, famous for its beautiful spiral shape made by rolling thin layers of phyllo dough around a filling and coiling it into a round pan. Traditionally made with cheese or meat, this fully vegan version keeps all the flaky, golden crispness and comforting homestyle flavour without any animal products. The phyllo turns buttery and layered, while the savoury filling stays moist and well‑seasoned — perfect as a main meal, side dish, or snack, and especially popular during Orthodox fasting periods. It looks impressive but is made with simple, wholesome ingredients, and tastes even better when served warm with pickles or fresh salad.

Shared by james

—

Time

80 min

Serves

Difficulty

medium

🛒 Ingredients

#Phyllo Dough:
1 pack (approx. 10–12 sheets) thin vegan phyllo pastry
½ cup melted vegan butter or neutral oil (sunflower/olive)
#Classic Savoury Filling:
4 medium potatoes, peeled and grated finely
1 large onion, finely diced
2 tbsp neutral oil
½ cup firm tofu, crumbled (or cooked lentils for extra texture)
1 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp dried thyme or oregano
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Optional variations: swap potato for spinach & leek, mushrooms & rice, or pumpkin & onion
#For Brushing:
2 tbsp plant milk mixed with 1 tsp oil

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1
Prepare the filling: Sauté the onion in oil until soft and golden. Add grated potato, season with salt, pepper, paprika, and herbs, and cook for 5 minutes until slightly softened. Stir in crumbled tofu or lentils and parsley, then set aside to cool completely — warm filling will make the phyllo soggy.
2
Assemble the spiral: Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F. Grease a round baking pan well. Lay one sheet of phyllo flat, brush lightly with melted butter/oil, place a thin line of filling along one long edge, then roll gently into a long log. Coil the log starting from the centre of the pan, continuing with the remaining sheets until the whole pan is filled with one continuous spiral.
3
Finish and bake: Brush the top generously with the plant milk and oil mix. Bake for 45–50 minutes until deep golden brown and crisp all over.
4
Rest and serve: Let it rest for 10–15 minutes before slicing — this helps the layers set. Serve warm, either on its own or with yoghurt‑free dip, ajvar, or fresh salad.