Turkish Desserts

Turkish ice cream is believed to originate from the city of Maraş—hence the name—and what really sets it apart from other varieties is its resistance to melting and a particularly dense, chewy texture. These qualities are brought by ad... READ MORE

The remarkable baklava is a luscious dessert created with layers of thin phyllo dough intertwined with chopped nuts, all doused in a sweet, viscous syrup. The popularity of baklava has long surpassed borders, regions, and ethnic groups to become a... READ MORE

Mehalabiya is a creamy Arabian dessert, in many ways similar to the French blancmange. It is made with a mixture of milk and sugar, cooked and thickened with rice flour or cornstarch, and usually flavored with orange blossom or rose water... READ MORE

Lokum are succulent, sugary cubes from Türkiye based on a gel of starch and sugar. Traditionally, lokum is flavored with rose water, lemon, bergamot orange, mastic, or mint, but the Turkish favorite remains a lokum of plain jelly combined wit... READ MORE

Aşure or Noah's pudding is often said to be one of the oldest desserts in the world. Though the exact combination of fruits, nuts, and beans can vary, aşure is most typically prepared with dried figs and apricots, golden raisins, currants... READ MORE

Turkish tulumba is a hot water dough fritter traditionally found in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, particularly throughout the Middle East and the Balkans. Even though tulumba (lit. pump) was named after a special tool used to make it&... READ MORE

Interestingly, this classic Turkish chicken breast pudding doesn't taste like chicken at all—instead, it is often flavored with cinnamon and vanilla, and is more reminiscent of a thick, creamy, and smooth milk or rice pudding, both in flavor... READ MORE

Dating back to the Ottoman times, kazandibi is a Turkish dish that can be translated to burnt bottom pudding, referring to the burnt bottom of the pan that it is cooked in. The dessert consists of butter, milk, rice flour, sugar, starch, ... READ MORE

This Turkish oven-baked rice pudding is made with water, milk, sugar, rice, and rice flour. It is a simple, light dessert that is said to have origins in the Ottoman cuisine. Although it has been traditionally flavored with rose water, the modern ... READ MORE

Kunāfah consists of two crunchy layers of shredded and buttered kataifi or knefe dough, filled with a luscious cheese cream that's often flavored with orange zest and cardamom, then drenched in a sugar syrup infused with lemon ju... READ MORE

Made with a special kind of dehydrated bread soaked in sugar syrup, the delicious ekmek kadayıfı is traditionally prepared during Turkish religious celebrations such as Şeker Bayramı (lit. festival of sweets), which marks the end of Ramadan, the I... READ MORE

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... READ MORE

One of Türkiye's most popular sweets after baklava, these semolina cookies are baked until golden-brown, then doused in a thick, lemon-infused syrup, which makes them particularly moist and tender. Şekerpare (lit. piece of sugar) is a classic... READ MORE

İrmik helvası is a granular Turkish dessert made with semolina, butter, sugar, milk, and pine nuts. Although the ingredients are simple, the preparation of irmik helvasi requires great skills. Sweetened hot milk is stirred into the semolina with t... READ MORE

The ancient Anatolian city of Antep, today known as Gaziantep, is Türkiye's gastronomic capital famous for being home to the world’s finest pistachios and the delicious Antep baklavası. Originally an Ottoman legacy, baklava is regarded ... READ MORE

Candied quince or ayva tatlısı (lit. quince dessert) is a classic Turkish treat that is traditionally prepared in winter time, because quince is a seasonal fruit, best enjoyed from October to early January when there's an abundance of it in Tü... READ MORE

Supangle is a popular Turkish dessert consisting of a base layer of cake pieces that are topped with rich chocolate pudding. The pudding is made with milk, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, butter, and dark chocolate. Supangle is traditionally garnished... READ MORE

Güllaç is a unique Turkish dessert that is the most popular during Ramadan. It consists of numerous layers of thin, cornstarch pastry which is soaked in rosewater-infused milk and stuffed with walnuts, hazelnuts and/or almonds. Gü... READ MORE

Kabak tatlısı is a classic Turkish dessert consisting of candied pumpkin. The pumpkin is peeled, cut, then baked in its own juices with sugar. When baked, it is traditionally topped with crushed walnuts and thick clotted cream called kaymak. If de... READ MORE

Kemalpaşa is a delicious, melt-in-the-mouth Turkish dessert named after the place of its origin in the city of Bursa. It is made with a special, unsalted cow’s milk cheese produced in the town, along with flour, semolina, eggs, and baking po... READ MORE

This is the only Turkish baklava with a cream-like filling, made by boiling a mixture semolina and a thick clotted cream called kaymak. To make şöbiyet, phyllo dough sheets are cut into squares, brushed with melted butter, and layere... READ MORE

This Turkish sweet is made with a smooth, green, paste-like filling known as fıstık ezmesi (lit. pistachio butter). It is like a pistachio version of marzipan, and its bright green color is all-natural—it comes from the early-harves... READ MORE

Pestil is a Turkish sweet made from pulverized fruits – most commonly apricots - that are spread in a thin layer, then left to dry. After the mass has dried, it is cut into smaller pieces. Pestil is also known as fruit leather due to its typ... READ MORE

Cezerye is a Turkish dessert originating from Mersin. It is made with caramelized grated carrots, sugar, and nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts, or pistachios, although hazelnuts are the most traditional option. The name cezerye is derived f... READ MORE

Almond-flavored milk pudding is a light Turkish dessert that is believed to have originated during the Ottoman era and was named after a traditional bowl that dervishes used to collect money or other goods. It is prepared with a combination of mil... READ MORE

This unusual Turkish dessert is usually prepared by street vendors on small stoves with individual compartments. Each compartment is filled with a thick, colorful toffee paste that the vendor then wraps around a wooden stick, creating a sort of mu... READ MORE

Hoşaf is a traditional compote of dried fruit – usually apricots, figs, prunes, and raisins. The fruits are simply boiled with sugar, and the concoction is then left to cool down. The longer the dish sits in the fridge, the tastier it will b... READ MORE

Un helvası is a traditional sweet, a type of helva (paste-like sweets) made from wheat flour. Other ingredients include butter, oil, sugar, water, and pine nuts. The combination is constantly stirred during cooking, and when it gets harder to stir... READ MORE

This type of baklava is made with shredded kadayıf dough rolled around ground or whole pistachio nuts. Just like most other baklava varieties, burma (lit. wringed; twisted) is baked, doused in a lemon-flavored syrup, sliced into bite-size... READ MORE

Churchkhela is a traditional Caucasian candy that is shaped into a sausage. This candy is made by dipping a long string of nuts (usually walnut halves) in concentrated grape juice, ... READ MORE

Bülbül yuvası is a unique Turkish dessert made with phyllo dough that is shaped into rings which are then traditionally filled with ground pistachios, although hazelnuts, almonds, and walnuts can also be added, if desired. After the dess... READ MORE

Hailing from Erzurum, kadayıf dolması is a Turkish dessert made with thin shreds of kadayıf dough that are wrapped around a nut filling. The dough is flattened and stuffed with roughly chopped or ground nuts before it is rolled into small... READ MORE

Höşmerim is a simple Turkish dessert made with roasted semolina, milk, water, sugar, and dil peyniri – an unsalted cheese similar to mozzarella, praised for its good melting properties, although any type of fresh unsalted chees... READ MORE

Kalburabastı is a typical Turkish dessert consisting of small pastries drenched in a sweet syrup made with water, sugar, and lemon juice. It is especially popular during the Şeker Bayramı holiday. The pastry is usually made with butter, flour, sem... READ MORE

Acıbadem kurabiyesi are traditional Turkish cookies. They're made with a combination of egg whites, sugar, and almond flour. Traditionally, a few bitter almonds would be used in the preparation, but as they're not readily available today, almond e... READ MORE

Revani is a classic Greek and Turkish dessert made from semolina, sugar, and flour, with the additions of flavorings such as vanilla, lemon zest, or rose water, depending on the recipe variations. The cake is characterized by its overpowering swee... READ MORE

A lighter variation on the classic baklava, sütlü nuriye is made with a hazelnut filling and doused in a milk-based syrup. The origins of this baklava are somewhat vague—while the word sütlü translates to mil... READ MORE

Zerde is a sweet rice pudding originating from Türkiye. The rice is boiled in water, then combined with sugar, a bit of turmeric, and saffron – giving the dessert its typical yellow color. It is usually garnished with pine nuts and pist... READ MORE

İzmir bombası, also known as praline stuffed cookies, is a distinct type of qurabiya (a type of Arab and Ottoman shortbread cookie) from Turkish cuisine that boasts a chocolate spread filling. Originating from İzmir, this dessert features a crispy... READ MORE

As the name suggests, this halva hails from the Bayramiç district. It is a dessert made with tahini (a paste consisting of toasted and ground sesame seeds), sugar, citric acid, and water. When cooked, it is chilled and placed into molds. Th... READ MORE

Şambali, also sometimes spelled as şambali tatlısı is a traditional dessert originating from İzmir. It is mainly made with semolina, sugar, and yogurt. Additionally, it may contain other ingredients like coconut, depending on the recipe or regiona... READ MORE

This unique Turkish dessert consists of dried apricots that are first cooked in a lemon-flavored syrup until soft, then stuffed with kaymak—a type of clotted cream made with water buffalo milk. In the end, the apricots are rolled in... READ MORE