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Gulf Arab

Luqaimat

Vegetarian

لقيمات · luqaymāt

Little balls of saffron- and cardamom-scented yeast batter fried until crisp and golden outside and airy inside, then drizzled with date syrup or honey and sesame.

Luqaimat is a Gulf Arab dessert, ready in about 1 hour 35 minutes and made with all-purpose flour and honey. It serves 6 and is rated advanced to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Lokma
Representative photo. elif ayse / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 35 min
Serves
6
Level
Advanced
Calories
321

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the flour, cornflour (opens in a new tab), yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab), cardamom (opens in a new tab) and salt. Add the saffron (opens in a new tab) water, yogurt (opens in a new tab) and warm water and beat to a smooth, thick batter like a soft cake batter.

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

  2. Step 2

    Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled and bubbly.

    • 1 min

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil to 170 °C. Squeeze small balls of batter through your fist (or drop from an oiled teaspoon) into the oil and fry in batches, turning, until deep golden and crisp.

    Food safety: Never fill the pan more than a third with oil; keep children away and don't leave hot oil unattended.

  4. Step 4

    Drain on kitchen paper, then toss with the honey (opens in a new tab) or date syrup while warm and sprinkle with sesame (opens in a new tab).

    • 3 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Commonly attributedPopular across the Gulf, especially during Ramadan; similar fried dough balls are made throughout the Middle East.Also popular in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia
Dish
Dessert · Snack · Desserts · Sweets & confectionery · Street food
Cooking method
Deep-fried
Taste
sweet, aromatic / warmly spiced, mild
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Street food
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Honey · Cornstarch · Dried yeast · Sugar · Cardamom
Techniques
Deep-frying · Fermentation

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom yogurt
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains, can be adapted: Sesamefrom sesame seeds

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

321 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 128 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 6%
  • Carbohydrate 64%
  • Fat 30%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy321 kcal250 kcal
Protein5 g3.9 g
Carbohydrate52.4 g40.8 g
Net carbohydrate50.9 g39.6 g
Sugars18.9 g14.7 g
Added sugars18.5 g14.4 g
Fibre1.5 g1.2 g
Fat10.7 g8.3 g
Saturated fat1.2 g0.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol1 mg1 mg
Sodium103 mg80 mg
Salt equivalent0.3 g0.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
76 mg
Calcium
19 mg
Iron
2.1 mg
Magnesium
12 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
1 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
149 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: saffron, sesame seeds.
  • “—” 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 or oil between drops so the sticky batter slides off cleanly.

Common mistakes

  • Oil too hot — the outsides brown before the centres cook through.

Serve with

  • Serve warm with Arabic coffee or karak chai.

Storage

  • Best eaten within an hour or two of frying.

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

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 1

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 30 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 22 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 52 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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