Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Greek · Mediterranean

Galaktoboureko

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Γαλακτομπούρεκο · Galaktoboureko

A thick semolina custard baked between crisp, buttered filo layers and drenched in lemon-cinnamon syrup.

Galaktoboureko is a Greek dessert from Greece, ready in about 3 hours 30 minutes and made with milk, semolina and filo pastry. It serves 12 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
30 min
Cook
1 h
Rest
2 h
Total
3 h 30 min
Serves
12
Level
Intermediate
Calories
421

Ingredients

12 servings

Custard

Pastry

Syrup

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Make the syrup: boil the sugar (opens in a new tab), water, lemon juice (opens in a new tab) and cinnamon (opens in a new tab) for 5 minutes, then cool completely.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the milk (opens in a new tab) with half the custard sugar (opens in a new tab). Whisk (opens in a new tab) in the semolina (opens in a new tab) in a thin stream and cook, whisking, until thick like porridge, 5–6 minutes. Off the heat beat in the butter (opens in a new tab), vanilla (opens in a new tab) and zest. Whisk the eggs (opens in a new tab) with the remaining sugar and stir them into the slightly cooled custard.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 180 °C. Butter (opens in a new tab) a 23 × 33 cm dish and lay in 7 filo (opens in a new tab) sheets, brushing each with butter and letting the edges overhang. Pour in the custard, fold the edges over and top with the remaining 5 sheets, buttering each.

  4. Step 4

    Score the top into portions and bake for 45–50 minutes until deep golden and crisp.

    Food safety: Bake until the egg custard is fully set.

  5. Step 5

    Pour the cold syrup slowly over the hot pie and leave for at least 2 hours to soak before cutting.

    • 2 min

About this dish

Origin
Greece · Commonly attributedRooted in Ottoman-era custard pastries; very close to Turkish laz böreği.Also popular in CyprusMore food from Greece
Dish
Dessert · Snack · Desserts · Pastries
Cooking method
Oven-baked, Simmered
Taste
sweet, creamy, buttery, citrusy
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Milk · Semolina · Filo pastry · Sugar · Egg · Butter
Techniques
Baking · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom milk, butter
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom semolina, filo pastry
  • Contains: Glutenfrom semolina, filo pastry

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

421 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 208 g · recipe makes 12

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 7%
  • Carbohydrate 58%
  • Fat 35%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy421 kcal203 kcal
Protein7.9 g3.8 g
Carbohydrate61.2 g29.5 g
Net carbohydrate60.2 g29 g
Sugars——
Added sugars37.5 g18.1 g
Fibre1 g0.5 g
Fat16.5 g7.9 g
Saturated fat9.3 g4.5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol99 mg48 mg
Sodium239 mg115 mg
Salt equivalent0.6 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
181 mg
Calcium
119 mg
Iron
1.5 mg
Magnesium
20 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
157 µg
Vitamin C
1 mg
Vitamin D
1.4 µg
Vitamin B12
0.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
71 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Cold syrup on hot pastry (or vice versa) keeps the filo crisp.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the eggs to boiling-hot custard scrambles them — let it cool for a few minutes first.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The body of the dish

Custard

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 30 min

    Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.

  2. Rest · about 2 h

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  3. Bake · about 50 min at 180 °C

    Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.

  4. Start to finish: about 3 h 20 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like