Search locations or food
OR
Sign up

What to eat in Asia? Top 41 Asian Deep-fried Desserts

Last update: Wed Jan 29 2025
VIEW MORE
01
Pisang goreng
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Fried bananas or plantains are a common everyday snack eaten throughout Indonesia. They come in numerous versions in which the fruit is simply fried in shallow oil, but more often sliced banana pieces are coated in batter before they are fried until golden.


Besides numerous other varieties, fried bananas also appear under different names such as godoh biu on Bali or gedhang gorèng on Java. They are traditionally sold at street stalls and carts and belong to a group of gorengan dishes—Indonesian deep-fried snacks. 

MOST ICONIC Pisang goreng

1
02

Sweet Pastry

LEBANON and  one more region
4.3
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

This traditional Middle Eastern dessert is often enjoyed on Iftar (a fast-breaking meal) during the holy month of Ramadan. The dish is made with thin sheets of phyllo dough that are wrapped into small elongated rolls while the center is filled with ashta—Levantine version of clotted cream.


The rolls are then fried and doused in a thick sugar syrup that is often flavored with orange blossom and rose water. These crispy rolls are best served freshly prepared and are usually sprinkled with ground pistachios. Znoud el sit, with slightly different names, can be found in numerous countries, including Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, while its name translates as lady’s upper arms—supposedly because the round, elongated shape of the pastry resembles lady’s arms.

03

Snack

INDONESIA
4.3
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Odading is a traditional snack originating from Indonesia. It's usually made with a combination of flour, yeast, eggs, salt, and sugar. Once prepared, the dough is left to rise until it's doubled in size, and pieces of the dough are then fried in hot oil until golden brown.


If desired, odading can be sprinkled with sesame seeds on top. This snack sould be tender on the inside and crunchy on the outside if properly prepared. It can be found in school cafeterias or bought from street vendors.

04
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Falling in the group of popular lumpia snacks, turon is the famous Filipino treat made with saba plantains and jackfruit. The fruit is sliced lengthwise, dusted in brown sugar, enclosed in thin wheat wrappers, then fried until golden and crispy.


Like other lumpia varieties, turon was also developed from the Chinese spring rolls and represents one of the most common sweet versions of the dish. Before it is served, it is commonly drizzled with caramel or sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds.


It is usually sold by Filipino street vendors and enjoyed as a sweet snack or a satisfying dessert.

MOST ICONIC Turon

View more
1
2
3
4
5
05

Deep-fried Dessert

SAUDI ARABIA and  one more country
4.2
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Qatayef is an Arabian dessert and a staple of the Ramadan holiday feast. It is a sweet pancake that is usually filled with cheese or nuts such as walnuts, almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts. Qatayef can also be consumed plain, topped with clotted cream, or drizzled with sugar syrup.


It is believed that nothing is better after the Ramadan fasting than a few nights of socializing and feasting on qatayef, which is either prepared throughout the streets in food stalls or brought over to friends as a sweet gift. Although the dish has Fatimid origins, today it is very popular throughout Levant and Egypt as well, where it is baked in numerous households. 

MOST ICONIC Qatayef

06

Snack

PHILIPPINES
4.2
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Maruya are the famous Filipino banana fritters which consist of sliced or mashed bananas that are dusted with flour, battered, then fried until crispy. The fritters are usually made with Filipino saba bananas and can come in various forms which are often served lightly dusted with sugar.


They are most commonly eaten as a light snack, sweet breakfast, or a filling afternoon dessert. These fritters are a favorite among children and can often be found at street stalls throughout the country.

07

Sweet Pastry

TURKIYE and  7 more regions
4.1
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

This internationally known, decadent, and sugar-packed dessert is usually made with a mixture of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt, which is deep-fried and then bathed in syrup or honey. The origin of lokma fritters is ancient but often debated. It is presumed that they first appeared in Greece or Turkey, though some suggest Arabic origin.


The dish is considered to be one of the oldest recorded desserts in Greek history. It is said that the pastries were even given to winning Olympians as a treat and were called honey tokens. Loukoumades, or loukmades in Cyprus, can be found throughout the streets of Greece, in shops selling nothing else but this caloric dessert. 
VARIATIONS OF Lokma

MOST ICONIC Lokma

View more
1
2
3
4
5
08

Deep-fried Dessert

WEST BENGAL, India
4.1
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Originating in Bengal, pantua is a soft, spherical dessert that is entirely drenched in cardamom-and-saffron-flavored sugar syrup. A dough of khoa (dried evaporated milk solids), chhena (Indian cottage cheese), flour, and baking powder is shaped into small balls, which are then fried in hot ghee (clarified butter) or oil before they are submerged into the warm sugar syrup.


This East Indian dessert is considered to be a variation of another Indian sweet called gulab jamun, which uses only khoa in its dough. There are different versions of pantua itself, namely langcha and ledikenni, which are distinguished by different shapes and finishes. 
09

Deep-fried Dessert

INDIA and  one more region
4.0
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Gulab jamun is a dessert based on milk solids that are kneaded into a dough, shaped into balls, and deep-fried in ghee. The balls then get soaked in a sugary concoction flavored with saffron, green cardamom, and rose water. When served, gulab jamun is often garnished with dried nuts to further enhance its flavors.


The name of the dish is derived from two words: gulab, meaning rose, and jamun, referring to the purple-colored jamun berry fruit. It is believed that the dessert originated from an Arabic dessert called luqmat al-qadi, which became popular during the Mughal era, when Indian cooks at the palace kitchens adapted their cuisine by combining the newly arrived Persian ingredients with their own Hindu flavors. 

MOST ICONIC Gulab jamun

View more
1
2
3
4
5
10

Bread Roll

KAZAKHSTAN and  one more region
4.0
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Baursak is a unique fried bread with a puffy appearance consisting of flour, milk, salt, sugar, eggs, butter, and yeast. The bread is fried only for special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, or memorials. It is believed that the smell of oil and fried bread floats into the sky to the dearly departed so they can also enjoy the dish.


The bread is commonly consumed on its own or as a dessert accompanied with sugar, butter, jam, or honey, while some people like to dip it in tea. Interestingly, the biggest baursak was made in Ufa, Russia, in 2014, with a weight of 179 kg.

MOST ICONIC Baursak

1
11
12
Deep-fried Dessert
TURKIYE  and  one more region
3.9
13
14
Sweet Pastry
IRAN  and  one more region
3.9
15
Snack
RAJASTHAN, India
3.8
16
17
Deep-fried Dessert
IRAN  and  9 more regions
3.7
18
Sweet Pastry
BIHAR, India  and  2 more regions
3.7
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Snack
PHILIPPINES
3.6
26
Cookie
KERALA, India
3.5
27
28
29
30
31
32
Snack
CENTRAL VISAYAS, Philippines  and  one more region
n/a
33
34
Deep-fried Dessert
SOUTHERN INDIA, India
n/a
35
Deep-fried Dessert
JANAKPUR ZONE, Nepal  and  one more region
n/a
36
Snack
ODISHA, India
n/a
37
38
39
Deep-fried Dessert
QATAR  and  3 more regions
n/a
40
41
Deep-fried Dessert
MAHARASHTRA, India  and  one more region
n/a

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 41 Asian Deep-fried Desserts” list until January 29, 2025, 4,201 ratings were recorded, of which 1,345 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

Show Map
Asian Deep-fried Desserts