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Greek

Loukoumades

Vegetarian

Λουκουμάδες · Loukoumádes

Small, airy yeasted doughnut balls fried until golden and crisp, then drenched in warm honey syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon and chopped walnuts.

Loukoumades is a Greek sweet, ready in about 1 hour 40 minutes and made with all-purpose flour and honey. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Lokma
Representative photo. elif ayse / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 40 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
376

Ingredients

6 servings

For the dough

For frying

For the syrup

To finish

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt, then beat in the water to make a smooth, thick, sticky batter. Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled and bubbly.

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

  2. Step 2

    Make the syrup: simmer the honey (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab) and water for 3 minutes, then keep warm.

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil to 175 °C. Squeeze small balls of batter through your fist (or drop from a wet teaspoon) into the oil and fry in batches, turning, until puffed and golden.

    Food safety: Deep-frying: never fill the pan more than a third with oil, and keep children away.

  4. Step 4

    Drain briefly, then toss in the warm syrup and serve straight away dusted with cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and walnuts (opens in a new tab).

    • 2 min

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Origin disputedFried dough balls in syrup are shared across Greece, Turkey (lokma), Cyprus and the Middle East; this recipe follows the Greek style.Also popular in Greece, Türkiye
Dish
Dessert · Snack · Sweets & confectionery · Desserts · Street food
Cooking method
Deep-fried
Taste
sweet, aromatic / warmly spiced, nutty
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Dairy-free
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Honey · Dried yeast · Sugar · Cinnamon
Techniques
Deep-frying · Simmering · Fermentation

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Tree nutsfrom walnuts
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

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

376 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 156 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 6%
  • Carbohydrate 69%
  • Fat 25%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy376 kcal242 kcal
Protein5.7 g3.7 g
Carbohydrate65.9 g42.3 g
Net carbohydrate64 g41 g
Sugars27 g17.3 g
Added sugars26.8 g17.2 g
Fibre1.9 g1.2 g
Fat10.6 g6.8 g
Saturated fat1.1 g0.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium198 mg127 mg
Salt equivalent0.5 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
77 mg
Calcium
20 mg
Iron
2.5 mg
Magnesium
14 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
173 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.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: walnuts.
  • “—” 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

  • Dip the spoon in water between scoops so the batter slides off cleanly.

Common mistakes

  • Oil that is too hot browns them before the centres cook.

Food safety

  • Honey should not be given to babies under 12 months.

Storage

  • Best eaten immediately.

Variations

  • Chocolate loukoumades: A modern version drizzled with chocolate sauce instead of honey.

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

For the syrup

Used in steps 1, 2

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 25 min

    Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

  2. First rise (bulk) · about 1 h

    About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.

  3. Bake · about 18 min

    Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

  4. Start to finish: about 1 h 43 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
  • Dough didn't rise

    Likely causes

    • Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
    • Kitchen too cold
    • Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
    • Starter not active

    What to do

    • Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
    • Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
    • Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
    • Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
  • Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)

    Likely causes

    • Too warm
    • Too much yeast
    • Left too long

    What to do

    • Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
    • Use less yeast or a cooler proof
    • Set a timer and check early with the poke test

Reviews & corrections

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

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