Mediterranean Desserts are known for being delicious and light.
Whether you’re looking for something new and tasty to try or are trying to find lighter more diet-friendly desserts that still soothe your sweet tooth, there are plenty of options here.
While, baklava might be one of the most famous Mediterranean desserts, it’s far from the only option!
1. Loukoumades – Greek Honey Balls
Greek honey balls are a bit like honey-covered doughnut holes, and just as delicious as you’d expect from that description. They are easy to make, a perfect golden brown color, and their small size makes it easy to satisfy your sweet tooth while also maintaining good portion control.
2. Mini-Phyllo Baklava Cups
Baklava is probably the best-known dessert from the Mediterranean, but it can be overwhelmingly sweet and the portions are often too big to be really enjoyed in one sitting. These mini cups fix both problems, being smaller, not quite as sweet, but just as complex and with a wonderful combination of textures.
3. Best Tahini Brownies
Tahini adds a touch of savory flavor and good cocoa and chocolatey richness complete the dish. The tahini also helps to keep these brownies moist, which makes them properly delectable in any season. The added protein also helps make this dish a little healthier than you might expect, and contributes to the marbling effect of the brownies, making them as beautiful as they are delicious.
4. Knafeh
This traditional Middle Eastern Dish is a fantastic addition to any dessert rotation. The sweet cheese filling provides a savory counterpoint, while also slowing down the sugar so you don’t get as much of an immediate blood sugar boost as you would normally get. Delicate phyllo dough provides a delicious crunch, and simple syrup makes the dessert sweet enough for even the most voracious sweet tooth.
5. Homemade Baklava
This Baklava recipe makes it a lot easier to make this delicious and traditional dessert at home. It’s just as delicious as the kind you can get from a restaurant and preserves the flaky crunch of the phyllo dough. Traditional pistachio nuts provide much of the flavor, as well as protein that can help this rich dessert settle more evenly in your stomach.
6. Mediterranean Diet Baked Apple Pies
This dish might not be quite as traditional, but it’s a delicious addition inspired by Mediterranean cooking styles as well as a lighter version of the American classic. This dessert is perfect for a romantic night since cooking the apples directly makes for a stunning presentation that’s hard to beat.
7. Persian Love Cake
Persian Love Cake is a traditional, rich, and deeply flavorful dish. Its moist texture and thick sponge makes for a cake like none other. Flavors of saffron rose, and cardamom give an exotic edge to this cake, making it more than flavorful without any frosting, and cutting down on the calories as well. Plus, packed with and topped with nuts, this cake has a good bit more fiber and protein than most.
8. Greek Cream-Filled Phyllo Cones
A bit like cannoli, these phyllo cones are delicious, easy to hold in your hands, and a good mix of satisfying textures. Pastry cream adds a soft richness to the dessert, while crunchy phyllo dough is a wonderful counterpoint to the cream. Like many Mediterranean dishes, you can top this with pistachios or other chopped nuts, or even fresh fruit for a more Western take on the dish.
9. Healthy Lemon Bars
If you love the delicious taste of lemon in your desserts, these lemon bars are a fantastic dessert. Richly lemony, and made with coconut and almond flour shortcrust, this dessert is so delicious you’ll quickly forget that these are actually decently healthy! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and even paleo-friendly, you can leave guilt behind when you eat these.
10. Ashure Wheat Pudding
Want an authentic Mediterranean meal that is delicious in any weather, and perfect to show off to guests who love adventurous meals, this pudding is a rich and soothing way to finish off the day. Coconut flakes provide both flavor and texture, as do the dried dates that are often served as a topping for this pudding.
11. Greek Milk Pie – Galatopita
If you’re looking for a custard that’s smooth, simple, easy to make, and as richly creamy and sweet as you could ever want, this milk pie might be just the answer. With a thin layer of custard and an expert-seeming crust that’s actually nicely simple, this pie is good for a special occasion but easy enough for a new baker.
12. Juicy Greek Orange Cake
Orange is a flavor we ignore a little too often in baking. It’s sweet, tangy, delicious, fragrant enough to fill a room, and offers good color as well! No sense is neglected in this sweet, sticky, almost sinfully indulgent cake. Topped with a sweet syrup, this cake is far simpler than it seems and can give many a professional baked confection a run for its money.
13. Greek Rice Pudding
The Greek version of rice pudding is creamier than most of its western counterparts, thanks in part to the use of Arborio rice. That’s the same rice you want for risotto, with just a little bit of added corn flour to help thicken the mixture. Smooth, and flavored with vanilla and cinnamon, this pudding is the purest comfort in a bowl.
14. Sweet Tahini Phyllo Rolls
A take on Baklava that’s simpler to put together, and a bit more savory, these tahini rolls are delicious, slightly savory, with a toothy slightly sticky texture that’s perfect for a filling dessert. Cinnamon sugar, nuts, and thin layers make these rolls a fine dessert if not a good handheld option!
15. Greek Syrup Soaked Custard Pastry
This pastry might still use phyllo dough, but it’s about as far from baklava as you can get in terms of taste and texture. Semolina custard cream provides the main flavor in this dessert, while its sweetness comes from a healthy dose of simple syrup soaked directly into the custard just before serving.
16. Lemon Posset
Lemon Posset’s creaminess is nothing short of divine. It’s one of the best lemon desserts you can try, and even better with a topping of fresh berries. Plus, it’s a simple enough dessert for even beginners, with an impressive creaminess that will make friends and family think you’ve gone to become a pastry chef.
17. Honey Roasted Plums and Ricotta
Honey-roasted fruits are about as traditional as it gets for Mediterranean desserts, and these plums and ricotta are a delicious mix of tanginess, sweetness, and creaminess. Plus, once you’ve mastered this Italian dessert, you’ll have a new technique to use with any fruit that strikes your fancy.
18. Pistachio Baklava
A slightly different take on a traditional baklava, this recipe is a little bit tangier, and easier to put together since you don’t need to add as much stuffing between the layers. Puffy and crunchy all at once, this recipe is a fantastic dessert.
19. Kataifi Nests – Phyllo and Syrup
These sweet treats are delicious, sweet as can be, vegetarian, and look just like a bird’s nest when properly prepared. Delicate and light, this dessert is a good option for people who love the sweet taste, but not the heaviness or fatty calories that come with most desserts.
20. Baklava Cheesecake
A hybrid dish that combines the best of both worlds, the crunchy sweetness of Baklava, and the creamy smoothness and delicate flavors of the best cheesecakes, you can’t get much better than this dessert. Just remember to keep the portions small or you’ll gain a size or two from sheer enjoyment.
21. Greek Style Almond Cookies
Gluten-free, sweet, and shockingly, actually a healthy snack, these cookies are a good option if you’re looking for a small sweet you can keep around all the time. These work pretty well kept on the counter, and your whole family is sure to love them.
22. Om Ali – Egyptian Bread Pudding
Egyptian bread pudding is rich, buttery, and uses nuts instead of raisins, to provide a bit of extra flavor. Milk and pastry instead of bread make this a dessert that’s perfect for any occasion.
23. Greek Lemon Butter Cookies
These cookies are the perfect blend of sweetness to balance lemony flavor. Covered in powdered sugar, they keep well in a tin on the counter, not that you’re likely to be able to keep them around for long enough to worry about it!
24. Pistachio Cranberry Bars
Cranberries, dates, and dark chocolate is a fantastic combination, and healthy as well. These bars require no baking, which makes them a good summer snack, while the pistachios are a good way to add a bit more protein to the bars. Energy-packed and nutritious, this is one dessert that you can feel good about eating.
25. Almond Shortbread Bars
These almond shortbread bars are flavorful, sweet, and come with both almond paste and almond glaze. If you love the taste of almonds, amaretto, or marzipan, these bars are the best of all of them! Slivered almonds give a good counterpoint of texture, for a dessert popular all across Europe and the Mediterranean.
26. Italian Plum and Almond Cake
This cake that’s rich with the flavors of plums, almonds, and simple syrup all three, makes for a delicious cake with a streusel topping. The plums turn a texture like jams or preserves in the oven, and the combinations of flavors and colors makes for a truly stunning cake for any occasion!
