Known not only for their healthy, extra fresh, and super delicious Mediterranean dishes, sweets are a different chapter in Greece. Oftentimes made of scrumptious ingredients, such as honey, nuts, and abundant syrup, through its cakes, cookies, and sweet pies, Greece promises an abundance of variety and a feast of flavors to sample.
In Greece, you will find pastries, biscuits, and pies that are incredibly sweet and often find their roots in Turkey, something to be expected since Greece was under the domination of the Ottoman Empire for hundreds of years.
Let’s discover some of the most delicious desserts from Greece.
1. Baklava
Baklava is a delectable, rich, and very sweet pastry made of layers of filo dough filled with chopped nuts or pistachios and sweetened with an abundant syrup made of honey.
Baklava is a popular dessert in Greece and a favorite among visitors and locals alike.
Baklava Greek dessert pasties
2. Amygdalota
Cookies are a staple in Greek gastronomy, made with different ingredients and on special occasions throughout the year.
And amygdalota cookies are among the most beloved ones.
These almond cookies are very popular throughout the Cycladic Islands, and are made with ground almonds, sugar, and almond extract.
These tiny treats can be circular or have a crescent shape and can be coated with powdered sugar.
3. Galaktoboureko
A traditional dessert that both kids and adults enjoy.
This is a sweet pie that is made by wrapping soft, thick, and creamy custard in layers of crispy filo pastry that, before baking, is typically brushed with butter to achieve a crispy and golden exterior.
While the cake bakes, the cook will make a sweet syrup from syrup sugar, water, and lemon juice that’s later poured over the hot galaktoboureko, adding moisture and even more sweetness to the dessert.
The word galaktoboureko comes from the words galaktos (meaning milk) and burek (a Turkish word that means pastry).
Galaktoboureko Greek dessert
4. Samali
One of the most delicious cakes you will try in Greece is the semolina-based cake known as Samali.
Particularly moist and fragrant, this delicious cake can be flavored with rosewater or orange blossom water as well as abundant syrup.
On the Greek island of Chios, for instance, they make a delicious Samali flavored with masticha.
The cake can be topped with walnuts, almonds, or pistachios.
5. Loukoumades
Another staple dish in Greek cuisine, Loukoumades, is quite simple to make and lovely to enjoy as a dessert, but also any time of the day!
Loukoumades, often described as Greek donuts, are deep-fried dough balls or dumplings that are later soaked in honey syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon or crushed nuts.
They are enjoyed as a delightful dessert or snack. Many people serve them warm with some ice cream and honey on top.
Greek dessert loukoumades
6. Pasteli
There’s no kid in Greece who doesn’t love Pasteli.
This is another traditional Greek sweet made with honey and sesame seeds.
It’s a simple yet delicious treat and is commonly found throughout the Cyclades and in northern Greece.
One could easily describe them as traditional cereal bars; the pasteli is made with sesame seeds mixed with honey and then set into a solid block or shaped into bite-sized bars.
This is a nutritious and popular sweet (that Greek kids love to take to school as a snack) with a satisfyingly chewy texture and a delicious, nutty flavor.
7. Ravani
Ravani, or also revani, is a moist semolina cake that uses Greek yogurt among its ingredients and that’s also soaked in a sweet syrup.
Ravani can often be flavored with orange or lemon zest.
Although this is a dish with clear Turkish roots and is also served in that country, Ravani is a light, fresh, and summery dish, perfect to enjoy at a beach bar with a cup of Greek coffee.
It has an incredibly delicate texture and is often served with a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top.
Ravani Greek dessert
8. Ryzogalo
Ryzogalo is a creamy rice pudding that is similar to rice pudding found in other cuisines.
However, the Greek ryzogalo is made exclusively from arborio rice. It is made with milk and sugar, and then it’s flavored with cinnamon and vanilla.
Ryzogalo can be served warm, which makes it a comforting dessert during the winter, although it’s also great in the summer when it is served chilled after a meal by the sea.
9. Kataifi
Kataifi is a sweet pastry made of finely shredded filo dough, also known as kataifi, that is wrapped around a filling of nuts (typically, pistachios, walnuts, or almonds) and then soaked in spiced syrup with abundant cinnamon and some clove.
It has a unique texture and is incredibly delicious but also extremely sweet.
Locals love to serve it with a cup of strong Greek coffee without any sugar in it.
Kids, however, enjoy kataifi a lot more when it’s served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
10. Xerotigana
Usually served at weddings, Xerotigana is a traditional Cretan dessert made by frying thin dough strips until golden and crispy.
Then, the fried dough is dipped in a honey syrup infused with cinnamon and cloves.
And finally, the final pastry is often sprinkled with sesame seeds or crushed nuts for added texture.
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Greek dessert Xerotigana
11. Diples
Similar to Xerotigana, diples are long pieces of dough that are rolled, fried in hot oil, and then covered in syrup.
This traditional sweet is very popular in the whole country, but the Peloponnese region rightfully claims its origins.
This is a winter dessert that families enjoy from Christmas until Carnival, celebrated in February, and it’s commonly served during religious holidays and village festivals.
12. Bougatsa
Although in some areas in Northern Greece it’s possible to find a savory version of bougatsa, for instance in Thessaloniki, the most common and particularly popular one is the sweet Bougatsa, filled with custard cream or cheese that has been sweetened with a hint of honey.
The pie came to Greece from the area of Smirni during the population exchange that followed the Treaty of Laussane.
Bougatsa Greek dessert
13. Kalitsounia
Kalitsounia, also coming from Crete, is a small pastry that can be either sweet or savory.
Sweet kalitsounia are typically filled with a creamy cheese mixture made from local cheeses like mizithra or anthotyro, sweetened with honey or sugar, and flavored with cinnamon or orange zest.
They are baked (or fried) until golden and can be enjoyed as a snack or dessert with drizzled thyme honey on top.
14. Melopita
This is a traditional sweet cheese pie, particularly common on the island of Sifnos.
It is made with a mixture of local soft cheese, such as mizithra or anthotyro, combined with honey, semolina, and eggs, and sometimes flavored with lemon zest.
The mixture is baked until golden and has a creamy, sweet, and tangy flavor.
15. Lazarakia
Lazarakia are sweet buns shaped like little men that are traditionally made in the Cyclades for Lazarus Saturday, which is part of the Greek Orthodox Easter celebrations.
These buns are often flavored with spices like cinnamon and cloves and decorated with white icing that often resembles faces.
16. Sfakianopita
Sfakianopita, or Sfakian Pie, is a traditional Cretan pancake-like dessert.
The dough, made with flour, water, olive oil, and sometimes raki (a traditional Cretan spirit), is filled with a mixture of local cheese, normally mizithra, and cooked on a griddle until golden brown.
The sweet is served hot and drizzled with honey, and it’s one of the most common desserts in the Lefka Ori region of West Crete.
17. Spoon Sweets
Locally known as Glyka tou koutaliou (or sweet for the spoon), spoon sweets are something you might find in every household in the country.
These are one of the most traditional Greek desserts strongly related to life in the rural areas of the country, where different seasonal fruit grows abundantly.
This is a typically homemade sweet made by boiling fruit and fragrant herbs with sugar, sometimes also adding different spices to enhance the taste.
The dessert can be made with lemons or oranges, apricots, grapes, walnuts, quince, figs, and even carrots.
And it is a delicious topping to add to any bowl of thick Greek yogurt if you want a twist of taste to replace the more common honey.
18. Portokalopita
Another delicious cake made in every household that brings the family together is portokalopita, a dessert that combines the delicious smell of oranges with the distinctive fragrance of cinnamon.
Once it has been baked, the cake is drenched in syrup, and it can be served with ice cream or Greek yogurt.
Greek dessert portokalopita
19. Karydopita
Karydopita is a walnut cake made with ground walnuts, breadcrumbs, sugar, and spices including clove and cinnamon.
Once it has been baked and while it is still warm, the cake is typically soaked in sweet syrup to enhance the walnut fragrance.
Karydopita is served cold and often with a generous portion of whipped cream or even ice cream during the summer.
20. Semolina Halva
Semolina Halva is another favorite dessert enjoyed in Greece, made with cinnamon and cloves to enhance its flavor.
This coarse-textured sweet incorporates a good quantity of honey, and it’s commonly enjoyed during religious feasts.
21. Tahini Halva
Halva can also be made with tahini or sesame paste and can also include butter coming from other nuts, including walnut, almond, and even peanut.
It can be flavored with chocolate, vanilla, lemon, orange, and even berries, and it’s the most typical dessert during Lent and Easter.
22. Fanouropita
Baked in many regions of Greece to honor Saint Fanourios, Fanouropita is a traditional cake made with flour, sugar, olive oil, and various sweet spices.
It can also include ingredients like raisins, nuts, and orange zest.
Fanouropita is one of those sweets believed to bring good luck and is often made on the eve of Saint Fanourios’ feast day, on August 27th.
23. Sokolatopita
Sokolatopita is a rich chocolate cake that is incredibly moist and decadent.
It often contains chocolate, cocoa powder, and sometimes almonds or other nuts that add richness and texture to the final result.
This cake can be served with a dusting of powdered sugar or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
And for Christmas time desserts…
Greeks enjoy traditional sweets all year round, but two of their favorites are the ones prepared during Christmas.
These are the quintessentially Greek melomakarona and the delicious shortbread-styled cookies known as kourabiedes.
24. Melomakarona
Featuring flavors that are typically Mediterranean, such as honey, nuts, oranges, and olive oil, melomakarona can be described as the most typical Greek dessert.
These cookies, which have been made since antiquity, are some of the most delicious, moist, and tasty honey cookies you could try.
They are baked and then soaked in a syrup flavored with honey, cinnamon, and cloves and covered with crushed almonds on top.
Some households and bakeries also prepare melomakarona covered in dark chocolate, which is simply a spectacular Christmas treat!
Greek cookies melomakarona, a Christmas dessert
25. Kourabiedes
Kourabiedes are buttery shortbread cookies that are usually made with almonds and covered in excessive powdered sugar.
The kourabiedes might have originated in Asia Minor and were brought to Greece by Greek refugees.
This is another sweet typically served at Christmas and sometimes at Easter.
Kourabiedes Greek Christmas cookies
Final Thoughts
These are just a few of the many delightful Greek sweets you can find in the country, showcasing the diversity of each region, either close to the sea, in the countryside, or in the mountainous areas of Greece.
Exploring these unique desserts will give you a taste of Greek cuisine. And even though each region and each island may have its own local specialties, Greek sweets as a whole share a few common ingredients, always resulting in unique flavors in every destination you visit.
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About the Author
Gabi Ancarola is a translator and travel journalist living in Crete. She regularly writes about Europe for several magazines about travel, gastronomy, and hospitality. She has published several travel guides about Greece and plans customized trips to the Greek islands. She loves cooking local dishes, taking photos, and driving on the mountain roads of Crete.