Fried dough + honey syrup = who wouldn’t like that! Loukoumades are my favorite! They are the Greek version of a doughnut in honey syrup.
Loukoumades are fried to a nice golden crisp on the outside but they’re still soft and chewy on the inside. They’re drenched in a honey syrup and then dusted with cinnamon. I’ll wait while you get a paper towel to wipe the drool….
Just like everything else I make, they’re simple to make at home, and definitely a crowd-pleaser. Plus, they’re very economical to make, so I highly recommend that you make these for your next gathering. You can watch me making them on my video.
Let’s go over the ingredients:
Syrup:
- sugar
- water
- honey
- cinnamon stick
Doughnuts
- 2 (.25oz) packages dry yeast
- Lukewarm water
- milk
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- sea salt
- pure vanilla extract
- canola oil for frying
Can you believe that’s all it takes to make delicious doughnuts in honey syrup? They’re so delicious and inexpensive to make.
Can I make a small batch or make them ahead?
Unfortunately, this isn’t something you want to make ahead of time. However, you can make the syrup ahead of time since it needs to be room temperature to roll the doughnuts in, and you can make the dough the morning of your gathering. After it has risen for an hour, just cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Pull it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you’re ready to make the doughnuts so your dough isn’t super cold when you fry it.
If you want to make a smaller batch or aren’t making them for a crowd, you can just cut the recipe in half. They are addictive, so watch out!
Have you tried Greek honey?
It’s my favorite type of honey and if you can get it, I highly recommend it. It’s very aromatic and has herbal notes from Greece’s fields of thyme, oregano, and sage. If you can’t get it, try local honey.
When you make your syrup, be sure to stir it as it comes to a boil so it doesn’t burn on the bottom. Once it comes to a boil, you can reduce the heat to simmer. You’ll only need to stir it occasionally until the sugar has melted completely.
Tips for the yeast
Similar to making bread, you’ll start by dissolving the yeast in ½ cup of lukewarm water with sugar. Make sure it’s not too hot so it doesn’t kill the yeast, and not too cold so it doesn’t take forever to activate the yeast. You want to make sure the yeast activates though, so set it aside for about 10-15 minutes until the mixture gets foamy. If it doesn’t foam, start again with new yeast. It’s important for the yeast to be active when making the doughnuts.
Salt is a big yeast killer. Never put salt directly into your yeast water. The trick is to stir your salt into your flour. It will be dispersed enough to not affect your yeast.
Want to save an extra step? Because you need lukewarm water and lukewarm milk to add to your yeast water, I measure my milk into a large measuring cup, then add hot water to it. There you go… lukewarm milk and water.
Frying your doughnuts
For the oil, I like to use canola oil when frying, and I try to get organic to stay away from GMO’s. To know when it’s ready to fry your doughnuts, the temperature should be between 350˚-375˚F. You can stick a wooden skewer straight down into the oil. If bubbles start rising up very quickly, it’s ready!
When you’re ready to start frying, a great tool to have is an ice cream scooper. It will make things super simple. Put it down in a glass of water between scoops to help the dough release from the scoop. If you don’t have a scooper, just use a couple of tablespoons.
When you put your scoops in the pan, try not to overcrowd the pan. You want to leave enough room to allow them to be flipped and move around a little bit. Also, be sure to have a tray lined with paper towels ready for your doughnuts. Any excess oil will drain off of your doughnuts before you dip them into the syrup.
Topping options for Loukoumades
After you roll your doughnuts in the honey syrup, I like to sprinkle them with cinnamon. Honestly, the more the better, but a lot of people like to sprinkle ground walnuts or powdered sugar on their loukoumades.
They are so light, airy, and delicious! I love the syrup and cinnamon combination, and they’re even better than the ones you get at the festivals.
If you like these, also try the apple version, my Diples (greek honey turnover fried pastries), and my Almond Palmiers (elephant ear pastries).
LOUKOUMADES: GREEK DOUGHNUTS IN A HONEY SYRUP
Ingredients
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 2 (.25oz) packages dry yeast
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- about 4 cups canola oil for frying
- confectioner's sugar and cinnamon for dusting
- Syrup:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in half cup of lukewarm water, whisk in 1 tablespoon of sugar and set aside for 10 minutes until the mixture gets foamy.
- Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl and add to the yeast mixture with the remaining water, milk and vanilla extract. Mix well with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until the lumps disappear in the batter.
- Cover the bowl that the batter is in with plastic wrap or with a clean cloth and set it aside in a warm place to rise, undisturbed for 30 minutes. Make sure the bowl is big enough. When the batter rises it will double in size.
- Mix the dough with a spatula, cover again and let it rise for another 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
- While you are waiting for the dough to rise, make the syrup. Combine all of the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring. Lower the heat and cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool.
- Heat the oil for frying in a saucepan until very hot, but not smoking.
- Keep a glass of water nearby. Using two teaspoons, carefully drop a teaspoonful of dough into the hot oil and repeat until there are enough puffs to comfortably fill the pan while still having some room to flip them over. My pan usually fits 6 puffs at a time.
- Each time you drop one puff into the hot oil, dip your spoons into the water to clean them off before getting another teaspoon of dough.
- Fry the loukoumades until golden brown. About 3 minutes.
- Transfer them onto a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
- You can soak them with syrup using one of these two methods:
- Either, dip them into the honey syrup a few at a time, or just pour the syrup over them.
- Sprinkle some powdered sugar and cinnamon over them and serve immediately!!!!
- Enjoy 🙂
Pin for your Pinterest!
Do you know how to make Greek Christmas and Easter breads
Hi Susan! Yes, I have some recipes on here.
Here’s the Easter bread:https://www.dimitrasdishes.com/tsoureki-greek-brioche/
A chocolate version https://www.dimitrasdishes.com/chocolate-swirl-vasilopita-brioche-wreath/
A New Year’s cake version:https://www.dimitrasdishes.com/vasilopita-cake-new-years-cake-no-yeast/
I have an apple version coming soon 🙂
Dimitra,
I am Greek as well and I loved your loukoumades. I have 2 questions. first How hot do you make your oil ? Second, can I refrigerated the left over batter. It made too many
Hi Dora!
The oil should be between 350 -375 degrees Fahrenheit. Any lower than that and the loukoumades will absorb the oil. The batter can be refrigerated for 1 day. I have not kept it longer than that. ALl the best, Dimitra
Hi Dimitri. Love this recipe ! I have one question after leaving the dough in the fridge (can I cook the Loukoumades right away or do I need to wait for the dough to cool down a bit?) thanks !
Hi Alex! It is best to let the batter come to room temperature so that the oil does not cool down. If the oil cools while frying they will be greasy. Hope this helps. Best regards, Dimitra.
How much yeast in teaspoons or tablespoons?
Hi Dimitra!
I’m originally from Astoria then moved to Tarpon Springs! I have a great friend who lives in Houston, Despina. Anywho, supplies are limited during this time and found whole wheat flour in my cupboard. Can loukoumades be made with whole wheat flour or a mixture of 2 cups whole wheat and 2 cups all purpose flour?
Thank you for your shows, love them! Keep them coming!
Hi Katerina! I grew up in Astoria 🙂
Honestly, I’ve never made them with whole wheat. I don’t think that would be a great idea. If you do give it a try make a smaller batch and let me know how it turns out 🙂 Whole wheat tends to make doughs heavier and denser. They also change the flavor a bit. xx
Hi Dimita,
I just wanted to ask how long you can keep the cooked Loukoumades for. I made a little more than was needed and I have extra.
Do they need to be refrigerated or can I leave them at room temperature?
Hi Dimitrios,
They taste best the day that they are made but, honestly loukoumades have never (ever!) gone to waste in our home. haha! I would refrigerate them 🙂
All the best, Dimitra
Hi.
Is it possible to make the dough the day before?
Yes, you can mix everything together in a large bowl. Just make sure that it will be able to hold double the volume. Cover it with plastic and let it slowly rise in the refrigerator overnight. Enjoy!
Can your IT people remove the privacy and cookies policy tag from the printing transaction?
It is carried over to the recipe and blocks out part of the recipe directions, etc.
Do you have the recipe for the pastry made with loukoumi? It’s from Asia Minor.
Hello
Is it possible to use fresh yeast instead, and much yeast do you use in grams?
Hi, Do you put all 4 cups of the canola oil in the sauce pan at once, or do you use the oil in batches? Also what size saucepan do you use?
Hi Dimitria, I love your recipes !
With loukamadis can I pour chocolate over them without the syrup ?
Kind regards maria
This is an excellent recipe. I made them and everyone at the party loved them. People said that they had excellent flavor and that they were the best that they had or among the best that they have eaten. I had tested several recipes before coming across your recipe. When I decided to make your recipe to bring to the party, I had made two batches so that I can try to get a crisper outer layer (for a crunch similar to those we get at our festival). I split the batch I made, and added 2 tablespoons of starch to one half. This appears to have helped to make crisper loukoumathes and they stayed crispy a little longer. Any suggestions for making them crispier and for them remaining crispy for a few hours? Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that your loukoumades were such a hit at the party! 😊 It sounds like you did a great job experimenting with the recipe to get them extra crispy. Here are a few tips to make them even crispier and help them stay crispy for longer:
1. **Cornstarch/Flour Ratio:** You’ve already tried adding cornstarch, which is a great way to help achieve a crispier outer layer. You can experiment with increasing the amount of cornstarch slightly (up to 3 tablespoons) to get that crunchier texture without affecting the dough’s soft interior.
2. **Double Frying:** Another technique for achieving crispier loukoumades is double frying. After frying the first batch, let them rest for a few minutes and then fry them again at a higher temperature (around 375°F/190°C) for a couple of minutes to crisp them up even more.
3. **Higher Oil Temperature:** Ensure that your oil is hot enough before frying. If the temperature drops too low when frying, the loukoumades will absorb more oil, making them softer. Aim for an oil temperature of around 350-360°F (175-180°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the oil by dropping a small piece of dough in it. If it bubbles and rises immediately, the oil is ready.
4. **Drain and Rest:** After frying, drain them well on paper towels to remove any excess oil. This will keep the outer crust crisper. You can also try placing them on a wire rack instead of a plate to allow air circulation, which helps keep them crispy.
5. **Serving Timing:** Loukoumades are best served fresh, but if you’re making them in advance, you can keep them warm in a 200°F (93°C) oven on a wire rack to help retain some crispness. If you need to store them for a little while, you can reheat them in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for a few minutes to restore some of the crunch.
Let me know how it goes if you try these tips, and I’m sure you’ll make even better loukoumades next time! 😊
Hi Dimitra,
I just made your version of Loukoumades and they turned out delicious! I plan on freezing the extra ones I made. Any recommendations on doing so if you have before?
Dimitra , I love watching you cook . I’m Greek and I’m 75 … and I’ve done a lot of cooking but I love to watch you. I’m so proud of you ! I love your spanakopita recipe ! Last night I made loukoumades- they were delicious. I couldn’t use all the batter so today I’m making more . My three neighbors will be getting treats today for Memorial Day ! Bravo
Theres a greek festival in Portland Oregon in October, and I’ve never had loukoumades anywhere as good as those. I love the device they have above the deep fryer. Ya put all the dough in it and crank it by had, move it around, and each like quarter turn plops out 3 perfectly smooth balls into the oil. They’re golden brown, with a smooth crispy outer shell, like how thin layer of ice forms over snow. The inside airy, soft and chewy with an explosion of honey and doused with cinnamon. mmmmm.. I’m going to give this a shot, and if I can get close to those… then… I shall henceforth be Sir Loukou… ok never mind.. but I’ll owe ya a great deal of gratitude as you’ve made a very happy family! Here goes, cheers!
Oh actually, real question, do you save the oil after, strain it, and reuse or do ya just recycle it after one use? I rarely deep fry, and seems like it could last a couple times at least, but not sure its worth it
That Greek festival sounds amazing, and I love how you described those loukoumades—mouthwatering! I hope my recipe gets you close to that perfection. As for the oil, you can definitely save and reuse it a few times. Just strain it well after it cools to remove any bits of dough, and store it in a clean container. It should be good for a few more rounds of frying as long as it doesn’t start to smell off or get too dark. Happy frying, and I’d be honored if you achieve Sir Loukou status! All the best, Dimitra
I made these loukoumades today for my family and friends. They were a big hit. So tasty, flavorful and plentiful. The first batch was large as i sed half an ice cream scoop but then i used the small melon ball scoop which was just right. I agree the corn starch was a good choice making them a bit crispy.
Demtra, you are an excellent cook… i especially love your spanakopita recipe as well as the spiral spanakopita, too.
That sounds wonderful! I love that you found the perfect scoop size for your loukoumades. And yes, the cornstarch really does make a difference in that crispiness! So happy you’re enjoying the recipes—spanakopita in all its forms is always a winner. Thank you for your kind words! 😊