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A traditional pastry dessert with a rich and vivid history, apfelstrudel (apple strudel) is one of Austria's most popular delicacies. This sweet treat consists of thin layers of dough filled with a flavorful apple filling. Its story starts with the invention of baklava, a filo pastry popular in the Balkans and the Middle East.
Since baklava requires very thin dough, similar to strudel, the technique was likely perfected by either the Ottomans or the Greeks. It is believed that strudel arrived in Hungary first, then Austria, due to the fact that the Ottomans had constant interactions with the Habsburgs.
MOST ICONIC Apfelstrudel
View moreKrapfen was probably the first European-style doughnut to appear, followed by similar varieties in other countries. These pastries are traditionally prepared with leavened dough that is deep-fried until golden and crispy on the outside, while they remain soft, light, and airy on the inside.
Though krapfen can be prepared plain, they are most often filled or topped with jams, and vanilla or chocolate custards, while the top is usually dusted with powdered sugar or drizzled with chocolate. The origin of the word krapfen dates back to 9th century, and the recipes in German can be found as early as the 14th century.
MOST ICONIC Krapfen
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Austrian cuisine prides in their old traditional pastry desserts, and the delicate strudels are surely the most popular variety. Even though it is not as famous as the apple filled version, topfenstrudel is regarded as one of Austria’s favorites.
Made with soft, mildly sweetened quark cheese which is folded with the elastic and almost see-through dough or puff pastry, the strudel is baked until a crispy golden crust is formed on top. Raisins, apricots, and peaches are occasionally added to the quark cheese mixture, which is gently spiced with vanilla or lemon.
MOST ICONIC Topfenstrudel
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Mohnzelten is the name of a sweet Austrian pastry that's a specialty of the Waldviertel region. It consists of potato dough that's filled with poppy seeds. The dough is made from a combination of boiled potatoes, flour, butter, eggs, cream, salt, and baking powder, while the filling consists of butter, poppy seeds, honey, sugar, cinnamon, rum, and grated lemon zest.
Once filled, mohnzelten are shaped into flat balls that are baked until golden brown. They're often taken on picnics and road trips as nutritious and filling snacks. Although the poppy seed version is the original, there are also versions with strawberries or nuts.
MOST ICONIC Mohnzelten
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Millirahmstrudel, a classic Viennese dessert, is a milk-cream strudel made from phyllo dough with sweet bread, raisins, and cream filling. The strudel is baked in an oven and served warm with hot vanilla sauce. Although the first written recipe for a milk-cream strudel dates back to 1696, many ascribe the invention of this dessert to a 19th-century restaurant located just outside Vienna.
MOST ICONIC Millirahmstrudel
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Strauben is a traditional funnel cake originating from Austria. It's made with a combination of flour, egg yolks, salt, and white wine. Once the smooth dough has been formed, it's chilled, rolled, and cut into strips that are then loosely intertwined and fried in hot oil until golden brown.
The dough in its more liquid form can also be slowly poured into the hot oil and fried. Once done, the funnel cake is sprinkled with icing sugar and then served. It's recommended to serve strauben with applesauce or fruit compotes. This dessert is a staple at festivals and fairs in South Tyrol, and it's traditionally made in iron pans.
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Bauernkrapfen is a traditional pastry that is especially popular in the regions of Styria and Carinthia. They are similar to doughnuts and are often enjoyed as a treat during carnivals, festivals, and other celebratory events. These pastries are made by first forming a yeasted dough into a ring shape, then frying it in oil until golden brown.
After frying, the bauernkrapfen are usually dusted with powdered sugar, though some versions may be filled with jam, similar to a jelly doughnut. Like many traditional dishes, there can be variations in the recipe for bauernkrapfen depending on the region or the personal preferences of the cook.
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Burgenländischer krautstrudel is a variety of savory strudel from Burgenland, consisting of a thin strudel dough filled with a cabbage filling. The filling is typically prepared with a combination of finely chopped white cabbage, sugar, fat, salt, and spices such as pepper, caraway, and nutmeg.
Once stuffed, the cabbage strudel is rolled up, brushed with eggwash, and baked until nicely colored. This specialty is usually enjoyed warm, often topped with coarse pepper and chopped parsley. Strudels stuffed with a cabbage filling - be it savory or sweet - are part of traditional Central European cuisine, and therefore, numerous variations of this specialty can be found in other parts of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, and Germany.
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A savory delicacy from Burgenland, grammelpogatscherl is a small, bite-sized pastry containing finely chopped cubes of fried pork fat (grammeln) in the dough. Although the ingredients for its preparation vary from place to place, the pastry is typically made with a combination of flour, eggs, yeast, milk, salt, and fried pork fat.
Other common ingredients contained in the dough include lard, sugar, sour cream, white wine, and spices such as pepper, caraway, or cumin. These small pastries are usually made into round shapes and their top is traditionally scored with a knife, giving them a characteristic pattern that varies from family to family.
Zillertaler krapfen is a traditional dish originating from Zillertal in Tyrol. These traditional fritters are made with a combination of rye flour, eggs, water, and salt. The filling is made with curd cheese (quark), Tiroler gray cheese, potatoes, salt, and chives.
Once the dough has been formed, the fritters are filled with the cheesy filling, shaped into half-moons, and fried in oil or clarified butter. They are usually prepared for festivals and similar special occasions.
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 14 Austrian Pastries” list until February 14, 2025, 1,369 ratings were recorded, of which 1,128 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.