✔ Updated · 25 traditional desserts grouped by type, with an easiest-first table and holiday guide
Greek desserts are built on a short list of ingredients: honey, walnuts and almonds, olive oil, semolina, thick Greek yogurt, citrus and warm spices like cinnamon and cloves. I’m a sucker for anything soaked in honey syrup.
The easiest Greek desserts to make at home are rizogalo (creamy rice pudding), yiaourtopita (Greek yogurt cake), revani (syrup-soaked semolina cake), pasta flora (lattice jam tart), loukoumades (honey donuts) and portokalopita (orange phyllo cake made with dried phyllo). Most use pantry staples such as semolina, yogurt, olive oil, honey and nuts, and many are soaked in syrup, so they stay moist and keep well.
- Most famous: baklava and loukoumades.
- Easiest for beginners: rizogalo and yiaourtopita.
- Christmas cookies: melomakarona and kourabiedes.
- Easter treat: koulourakia butter cookies.
Many are soaked in a fragrant syrup after baking, which keeps them moist for days and makes them forgiving for home bakers. Below are 25 easy Greek desserts, grouped into syrup cakes and phyllo sweets, everyday cakes and pies, cookies, and fried, spoon and no-bake sweets, with the Greek name, what each one is and when it's traditionally eaten.
Syrup Cakes and Phyllo Sweets
The Greek trick of pouring cool syrup over a hot cake (or hot syrup over a cooled one) is what keeps these desserts so moist. Make them a day ahead; they only get better.
1. Baklava
Layers of buttered phyllo filled with chopped walnuts or pistachios and cinnamon, cut into diamonds, baked crisp and soaked in honey syrup.
2. Portokalopita (Orange Phyllo Cake)
A clever, easy cake made with torn, dried phyllo instead of flour, mixed with yogurt, eggs and orange zest, then soaked in orange syrup.
3. Revani (Semolina Cake)
A light, golden semolina sponge flavored with orange or lemon, soaked in syrup straight after baking, and often topped with almonds or coconut.
4. Karidopita (Walnut Cake)
A moist, spiced cake made with plenty of ground walnuts, cinnamon and cloves, soaked in syrup and cut into squares for serving.
5. Galaktoboureko (Custard Phyllo Pie)
A creamy semolina custard baked between buttered sheets of phyllo until crisp, then soaked in lemon syrup. Best on the day it is made.
6. Ekmek Kataifi
A layered dessert of syrup-soaked shredded kataifi pastry, thick vanilla custard and whipped cream, topped with chopped pistachios or almonds.
7. Kataifi Nut Rolls
Buttered strands of shredded kataifi pastry rolled around a walnut and cinnamon filling, baked golden and soaked in honey syrup, like a crunchy baklava.
8. Bougatsa
A Thessaloniki breakfast favorite: semolina custard wrapped in crisp phyllo, cut into squares and dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
Everyday Cakes and Pies
9. Melopita (Honey Pie)
A crustless or thin-crusted pie from the island of Sifnos made with fresh mizithra or ricotta, eggs and honey, finished with cinnamon.
10. Yiaourtopita (Greek Yogurt Cake)
A simple, tender pound-style cake made with thick Greek yogurt, lemon zest and olive oil or butter, served plain or with fruit.
11. Fanouropita (Saint Fanourios Cake)
A dense, egg-free and dairy-free cake made with olive oil, orange juice, cinnamon and cloves, traditionally baked in honor of Saint Fanourios.
12. Milopita (Greek Apple Cake)
A homely apple cake or pie with grated or sliced apples, cinnamon and walnuts, sometimes raisins, often served warm with yogurt or ice cream.
13. Pasta Flora (Jam Tart)
A buttery, crumbly tart filled with apricot or quince jam and topped with a pastry lattice, sturdy enough to keep at room temperature for days.
14. Sokolatopita (Chocolate Syrup Cake)
A moist Greek chocolate cake soaked in chocolate syrup and often finished with a glossy chocolate glaze; a bakery and birthday favorite.
15. Galatopita (Milk Pie)
A simple pie of milk, semolina, eggs and sugar baked until set, either crustless or on phyllo, then dusted with cinnamon.
Cookies
Greek cookies are tied closely to the holidays, and nearly every bakery and home kitchen makes trays of them at Christmas and Easter.
16. Melomakarona (Honey Cookies)
Soft Christmas cookies made with olive oil, orange juice and spices, dipped in warm honey syrup and sprinkled with chopped walnuts.
17. Kourabiedes (Butter Almond Cookies)
Rich, crumbly Christmas shortbread made with butter and toasted almonds, sometimes scented with brandy or rose water, buried in powdered sugar. Lucy handles the sugar in our house, and the kitchen looks snowed in afterward.
18. Koulourakia (Easter Cookies)
Buttery, lightly sweet cookies flavored with orange and vanilla, rolled into twists or coils, brushed with egg wash and often sprinkled with sesame.
19. Amygdalota (Almond Cookies)
Chewy, naturally gluten-free cookies made from ground almonds, sugar and egg whites, often scented with rose or orange blossom water and dusted with sugar.
Fried, Spoon and No-Bake Sweets
20. Loukoumades (Honey Donuts)
Bite-size puffs of yeasted batter fried until crisp and golden, then drenched in honey syrup and topped with cinnamon and chopped walnuts.
21. Rizogalo (Rice Pudding)
The easiest Greek dessert of all: short-grain rice simmered slowly in milk with sugar, lemon peel and vanilla, served warm or chilled with cinnamon.
22. Diples (Honey Pastry Rolls)
Thin sheets of dough fried into crisp rolls or bows, drizzled with honey syrup and sprinkled with walnuts and cinnamon; made for weddings and holidays.
23. Halvas (Semolina Halva)
A stovetop pudding of semolina toasted in olive oil, then cooked with sugar syrup, nuts and cinnamon. Egg-free and dairy-free, so it is popular during Lent.
24. Pasteli (Sesame Honey Bars)
An ancient no-bake sweet: toasted sesame seeds bound with boiled honey, spread thin, cooled and cut into crunchy bars.
25. Greek Yogurt With Honey and Walnuts
The simplest Greek dessert: thick strained yogurt drizzled with thyme honey and topped with toasted walnuts. Ready in two minutes, and my favorite weeknight treat.
Easiest Greek Desserts to Start With
If you are new to Greek baking, start at the top of this table. Times are approximate and don't include cooling or syrup soaking.
| Dessert | Difficulty | Active time | Key ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greek yogurt with honey | Very easy | 5 min | Strained yogurt, honey, walnuts |
| Rizogalo | Very easy | 35 min | Rice, milk, sugar, lemon |
| Yiaourtopita | Easy | 15 min | Greek yogurt, eggs, flour, lemon |
| Halvas | Easy | 25 min | Semolina, olive oil, sugar, nuts |
| Galatopita | Easy | 20 min | Milk, semolina, eggs, sugar |
| Sokolatopita | Easy | 25 min | Cocoa, flour, eggs, chocolate syrup |
| Pasteli | Easy | 15 min | Sesame seeds, honey |
| Revani | Easy | 20 min | Semolina, eggs, citrus, syrup |
| Pasta Flora | Easy | 25 min | Butter pastry, apricot or quince jam |
| Portokalopita | Easy | 25 min | Dried phyllo, yogurt, orange, syrup |
| Melopita | Easy | 15 min | Mizithra or ricotta, eggs, honey |
| Amygdalota | Easy | 20 min | Ground almonds, sugar, egg whites |
| Loukoumades | Medium | 30 min | Yeast batter, oil for frying, honey |
| Melomakarona | Medium | 40 min | Olive oil, orange, spices, honey syrup |
| Baklava | Medium | 45 min | Phyllo, butter, walnuts, honey syrup |
| Galaktoboureko | Medium | 45 min | Phyllo, semolina custard, syrup |
Greek Desserts by Holiday
- Christmas: melomakarona and kourabiedes are on almost every table, often with baklava.
- Easter: koulourakia butter cookies are baked on Holy Thursday or Saturday for Easter Sunday.
- Lent and fasting days: fanouropita and semolina halvas are egg-free and dairy-free, so they suit fasting periods.
- Saint Fanourios Day (August 27): fanouropita is baked and shared in his honor.
- Name days and celebrations: loukoumades, baklava and syrup cakes like revani are popular for parties because they feed a crowd and keep well.
Tips for Greek Syrup Desserts
- Mind the temperatures: pour cool syrup over a hot cake, or hot syrup over a cooled cake, never hot on hot, or the dessert turns soggy. My first revani taught me that one the hard way.
- Let them rest: syrup cakes and baklava need at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, to absorb the syrup.
- Store at room temperature: most syrup desserts and cookies keep covered for 4 to 7 days. Desserts made with fresh cheese or yogurt, like melopita, belong in the fridge.
- Keep phyllo covered: while you work, cover the stack with a damp towel so the sheets don't dry out and crack.
- More world desserts: explore our Spanish desserts and Mexican desserts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular Greek dessert?
Baklava is the best-known Greek dessert outside Greece: layers of buttered phyllo and chopped nuts soaked in honey syrup. Within Greece, loukoumades, galaktoboureko custard pie, and the Christmas cookies melomakarona and kourabiedes are just as loved.
What are some easy Greek desserts for beginners?
Rizogalo (rice pudding), yiaourtopita (Greek yogurt cake), revani (semolina syrup cake) and pasta flora (jam tart) are the easiest. They need no special equipment, use pantry ingredients and are hard to get wrong, especially the syrup-soaked cakes, which stay moist.
What are traditional Greek treats made with honey?
Honey is central to Greek sweets. Loukoumades are drenched in honey syrup, melomakarona cookies are dipped in it, baklava is soaked in it, and melopita is a honey and fresh cheese pie from Sifnos. Thick yogurt with honey and walnuts is also a simple everyday treat.
What desserts did the ancient Greeks eat?
Ancient Greeks sweetened food with honey, since sugar was not used. Records describe honey cakes, sesame and honey bars similar to modern pasteli, cheesecake-like cakes made with fresh cheese, fruit, nuts and figs. Melopita and pasteli are the closest modern relatives.
How long do Greek syrup desserts last?
Syrup-soaked desserts like baklava, revani and karidopita keep, loosely covered at room temperature, for about 5 to 7 days. Refrigeration can make phyllo soggy and semolina cakes firm. Desserts made with fresh cheese, cream or custard should be refrigerated and eaten within 3 to 4 days.
