8 Greek Desserts Filled with Sweet Mediterranean Flair

Greek cuisine is beloved for many of its savory staples, such as tzatziki, a zesty cucumber yogurt dip, and roasted eggplant moussaka, a luscious béchamel-based entree, to name a couple. But a Greek-style meal wouldn’t be complete without one of these delicious Greek desserts, many of which feature phyllo (a thinly rolled, unleavened dough) and other prominent Mediterranean spices, like cinnamon and clove. From Crispy, Golden Honey-Drenched Loukoumades to Strawberry Ekmek Kataifi, there’s a new-meets-old Greek-inspired dessert for everyone.

Strawberry Ekmek Kataifi

Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

This vibrant pastry is yet another reason to love phyllo. The layered dessert features a crispy shredded phyllo (kataifi) crust soaked in melted butter that’s baked until crispy and golden. Once cooked, a splash of lemon syrup sweetens the otherwise neutral-tasting dough. However, the real star of the dessert is the strawberry custard — a unique take on the more classic iterations of this dish — that adds an eye-catching pop of color.

Baklava Cheesecake

Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Not quite traditional, this cheesecake recipe draws inspiration from baklava, a popular Greek dessert. In this case, the rich cheesecake batter is scented with baklava-style flavors, such as cinnamon, cardamom, and orange zest. Meanwhile, crispy shredded phyllo and candied pistachios garnish the top for a hybrid baklava meets cheesecake-style dessert.

Bougatsa

Ellen Silverman

Chef Nasim Alikhani shares her take on bougatsa, a Greek-style phyllo dessert, intricately folding layers of phyllo dough into an accordion-style presentation and dousing it with melted butter before it’s baked until golden brown. Then Alikhani ladles a rosewater- and vanilla-scented custard over the crispy bougatsa before baking it one final time. As an homage to her Iranian roots, Alikhani adds salted pistachios and cardamom for a slightly unconventional — but exquisite nonetheless — take on the classic dessert.

Crispy, Golden Honey-Drenched Loukoumades

Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Loukoumades are traditional Greek-style doughnut holes made with sweet dough. In this recipe, they’re lightly fried until golden, tossed in a sweet cinnamon-scented honey butter syrup, and topped with chopped nuts for added crunch.

Nutty Baklava Pie

Photo: Victor Protasio / Food Stylist Torie Cox / Prop Stylist Claire Spollen

Pecan pie and baklava come together to form this nutty baklava pie dessert. Although it’s not a traditional Greek-style dessert, its familiar Mediterranean flavors and ingredients — such as warming cardamom, crispy phyllo, and candied nuts — make it a match made in heaven.

Karithopita (Greek Walnut and Olive Oil Cake with Orange Syrup)

Karithopita is a traditional Greek walnut cake made with olive oil, which gives the dessert its iconic dense yet incredibly moist consistency. To brighten up the dish, it’s served alongside a citrus-scented syrup, which adds a surprising hint of tanginess to complement the rich cake.

Kourambiedes

Kourambiedes are a traditional Greek shortbread cookie, traditionally consumed during Christmas or the holidays. This recipe’s success depends on beating the butter for a minimum of 10 minutes to achieve a light and fluffy shortbread texture. A splash of brandy and aromatic ground cloves gives the cookies a deeper flavor while dusting the freshly baked cookies in confectioner’s sugar adds the right amount of sweetness.

Diples (Fried Greek Pastry with Honey and Nuts)

Diples, otherwise known as thiples, are a traditional Greek holiday dessert. They feature thinly rolled dough fried until golden brown. To sweeten the dessert, the diples are gently coated in homemade honey syrup infused with orange zest, cinnamon, and lemon juice.

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