Vegan Qottab Recipe (Walnut-filled Persian Pastry)

This is a vegan Qottab recipe, a popular Iranian dessert featuring walnuts, cardamom, and rosewater, traditionally enjoyed during Now-Ruz.

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Why You’ll Love this Qottab/Ghotab Recipe

• Qottab is one of Iran’s most popular desserts. Outwardly, they resemble powdered donut holes, but they are traditional Persian pastries filled with walnuts and infused with cardamom and rosewater.
• This dessert originates from the Yazd region in central Iran. Recreating Persian recipes without meat, dairy, and eggs and sharing the recipes on the blog has really allowed me to learn more about Iran. I have never felt more connected with my culture than when I became vegan.

Ingredients/Equipment Notes

To make this delicious vegan Qottab recipe, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements are in the recipe card below):

Dough

• vegetable oil
• sugar
• plain, unsweetened, plant-based yogurt (we recommend Kitehill)
• 1 Egg Replacer
  • Combine 1 Tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer and 2 Tbsp water
• All-Purpose flour
• baking powder

Filling

• 1/2 cup ground walnuts
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp rose water
• Powdered sugar for dusting

You will also need the following equipment:

• I recommend a stand mixer with a paddle, dough hook, and whisk attachments. I like the KitchenAid stand mixer.
• Food Processor to grind the walnut.
• Rolling pin
• Large round biscuit cutter like this one on Amazon.
• Parchment paper or silicone baking mat – You can get this from Amazon.

How to Make the Best Qottab

• Combine the 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl, and mix with a whisk.
  • I recommend combining in a stand mixer and using the whisk attachment. This will be helpful for step 4 if you have a dough hook attachment as well. 
• Add the plant-based yogurt and egg-replacer, and combine with a whisk. These are the “Wet Ingredients.”
• In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and baking powder. These are the “Dry Ingredients.”
• Slowly add the Dry Ingredients to the Wet Ingredients.
  •  If you have a stand mixer, combine with the dough hook attachment. Otherwise, slowly combine the Dry Ingredients to the Wet Ingredients with a wooden spoon.
• Cover the dough, and let it rest at room temperature for 45 minutes. 
• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• In a food processor, grind the walnuts until you have 1/2 cup ground walnuts.
• Move the ground walnuts to a small bowl. Add the cardamom, cinnamon, 1/2 cup sugar and rosewater. Combine. Set aside the walnut filling. 
• Once the dough is ready, roll out the dough on a well-floured surface until about 1/4 inch thick.
• Use a cookie cuter (about 3 inches in diameter) to cut circular shapes.
• Slightly stretch each circular dough, add 1/2 tsp walnut filling in the middle, and press together the dough at the top to seal it into a ball shape.
• Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 25-30 minutes.
• Let cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.

How to Serve Qottab

Did you make this recipe? Take a picture and tag us on Instagram @plant_basedpersian or share it on Pinterest!

“We are only as strong as we are united.” – J.K. Rowling

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