Ingredient
25 Greek Recipes with Honey and Nuts
Thyme honey from the islands, walnuts from Epirus, pistachios from Aegina. The backbone of nearly every Greek dessert.
Thyme honey from the islands, walnuts from Epirus, pistachios from Aegina. Between them they are the backbone of nearly every Greek dessert.
Honey goes on at the end: over loukoumades, into the syrup for melomakarona, onto pancakes, fried bread, fresh cheese and halloumi. Sesame and honey are pressed into bars, and on Rhodes into the sweet given at weddings.
Nuts are the body of things. Walnut spice cake is mostly ground walnuts. Kourabiedes are butter and almond. Corfu whips honey and egg white around toasted almonds for its nougat. Cyprus threads almonds on a string and dips them in grape must. The fig and walnut bars of the Mani need no baking at all.
Every recipe on Kalliopi's Kitchen carries the dish's Greek name and a pronunciation, its region where that is meaningful, ingredient quantities in both metric and imperial, and an honest note on what commonly goes wrong. Nutrition figures are calculated estimates and are labelled as such.
1. Loukoumades
Λουκουμάδες · loo-koo-MAH-des
Possibly the oldest dessert Europe still eats: honey tokens much like them went to the winners of the ancient games. The batter is wetter than any dough you could handle, and that water becomes the steam that blows the middle hollow. They do not keep. Within twenty minutes of the fryer they are soft.
Yiayia’s tip: Keep the spoons wet. The batter sticks ferociously to anything dry. A bowl of water beside the pan, and dipping the spoons between every single puff, is the difference between this being easy and being maddening.
Make Loukoumades2. Melomakarona
Μελομακάρονα · meh-lo-mah-KAH-ro-nah
Every Greek household bakes these at Christmas and every household argues about them: how much orange, brandy or no brandy, soft all the way through or a little bite left in the middle. They have no butter and no eggs, and they are better on day three than on day one, so make them ahead.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not knead. Fold the dough until it just holds together and stop. Kneaded dough makes tough cookies that will not absorb syrup.
Make Melomakarona3. Kourabiedes
Κουραμπιέδες · koo-rah-bee-EH-des
The other Christmas cookie, and the opposite of melomakarona in every way: almost pure butter and almond, baked pale, then buried in icing sugar. There is so little else in them that the butter you buy is the cookie you get. Nobody has ever eaten one tidily.
Yiayia’s tip: Pale, not golden. A browned kourabies is overbaked. They should look almost underdone when they come out, set but barely coloured.
Make Kourabiedes4. Cypriot Grape Must and Almond Candy
Soutzoukos · Σουτζιούκος · soo-JOO-kos
Almonds or walnuts are threaded on a string and dunked over and over in grape must cooked thick, each dip adding a layer until the coat is firm and chewy. Cyprus makes it in autumn, when there are fresh grapes. It has no refined sugar. The work is slow, not hard.
Yiayia’s tip: Reduce shop-bought grape juice first. Simmering it down by about a third before you start concentrates the flavour closer to genuine fresh must.
Make Cypriot Grape Must and Almond Candy5. Mahalepi
Μαχαλεπί · mah-hah-leh-PEE
A milk pudding set with cornflour and no eggs, which makes it a soft blancmange more than a custard. The Cypriot one takes a pinch of ground mastic, which leaves a faint resinous scent. It is eaten cold under a syrup of rose water or orange blossom. Hot-weather food, not for after a heavy meal.
Yiayia’s tip: Whisk the cornflour into cold milk first. Adding it directly to hot milk gives you a lumpy pudding no amount of stirring afterwards fixes.
Make Mahalepi6. Cyprus Delights, Rose and Mastic
Loukoumia · Λουκούμια · loo-KOO-mee-ah
Cyprus's own Turkish delight, flavoured with rose water and mastic, and the town of Geroskipou near Paphos has protected status for its style. It is patient work, not difficult work: a syrup, a cornflour paste, a long slow cook, then cubes rolled in icing sugar.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not stop cooking early. The long, slow cook is what sets the texture. A mixture that looks done at twenty minutes is not done.
Make Cyprus Delights, Rose and Mastic7. Cypriot Fresh Cheese with Honey
Anari me meli · Ανάρι με μέλι · ah-NAH-ree meh meh-LEE
Three things on a plate: anari, honey and crushed walnuts. Anari is the soft whey cheese left over from making halloumi, close to ricotta, mild, milky and faintly sweet. With so little there, a thyme honey with character does far more than a bland one. One of the oldest desserts in Cyprus.
Yiayia’s tip: Fresh, not dried anari. Dried anari is salted and firm, meant for grating over pasta. This dish specifically wants the soft, fresh, unsalted version.
Make Cypriot Fresh Cheese with Honey8. Fried Honey Pastry
Diples · Δίπλες · THEE-ples
The name means folds. Paper-thin egg dough is twisted on a fork as it hits the oil, so it curls into a crisp ribbon, then it goes into honey syrup under walnuts and cinnamon. No single step is complicated. The rolling takes practice, and the frying leaves no time to hesitate.
Yiayia’s tip: Roll it thinner than feels right. Diples should be nearly translucent before frying. A thick sheet fries chewy rather than light and crisp.
Make Fried Honey Pastry9. Walnut Spice Cake
Karydopita · Καρυδόπιτα · kah-ree-THOH-pee-tah
A cake made mostly of ground walnuts, with only enough flour to hold it together, spiced with cinnamon and clove and soaked in syrup the moment it leaves the oven. It comes out dense, nutty and moist all the way through. Of the Greek syrup cakes, this is one of the hardest to get wrong.
Yiayia’s tip: Hot cake, cold syrup. One side hot and the other cold is the rule for every baked Greek syrup sweet. Make the syrup first and let it cool completely. Hot syrup on a hot cake leaves the crumb heavy and wet.
Make Walnut Spice Cake10. Sesame and Honey Bars
Pasteli · Παστέλι · pah-STEH-lee
Ancient Greek writers mention this as food carried by athletes, and it has barely changed since: toasted sesame seeds bound in hot honey and pressed flat to set. No baking, and under half an hour. The honey must cook until properly thick or the bars stay soft. It keeps for weeks with no special storage.
Yiayia’s tip: Watch the sesame closely while toasting. It goes from perfectly toasted to burnt within moments. Stir constantly and pull it the second it smells fragrant.
Make Sesame and Honey Bars11. Cretan Sweet Cheese Hand Pies
Kalitsounia · Καλιτσούνια · kah-lee-TSOO-nyah
Hand pies from Crete filled with mizithra, a fresh, soft whey cheese, lightly sweetened. They are an Easter food that households make all year. Fried or baked is a family matter, not a rule: fried gives a richer crust with crisp edges, baked is lighter and keeps better. Honey goes on at the table.
Yiayia’s tip: Drain the cheese properly. A wet filling steams the dough apart from the inside. Twenty minutes minimum in a sieve or tea towel is worth the wait.
Make Cretan Sweet Cheese Hand Pies12. Corfu Almond Nougat
Mandolato · Μαντολάτο · man-doh-LAH-toh
Nougat made for Easter on Corfu, and a close relative of Italian torrone, which is the island's Venetian history showing. Cooked honey is whipped into stiff egg whites over low heat until thick, pale and glossy, then toasted almonds go in and it sets between sheets of rice paper. It tests patience more than skill.
Yiayia’s tip: Cook the honey to a real soft-ball stage. Undercooking it leaves the finished nougat soft and sticky rather than properly firm. A sugar thermometer removes the guesswork.
Make Corfu Almond Nougat13. Rhodes Sesame and Honey Wedding Sweet
Melekouni · Μελεκούνι · meh-leh-KOO-nee
The wedding sweet of Rhodes, given to the guests and sometimes stamped with a pattern. It is close to pasteli, sesame bound in honey, but warmer and more aromatic because cinnamon and orange zest run through it, and it is cut into diamonds, not bars. Cut it while still slightly warm, or it cracks.
Yiayia’s tip: Remove the cinnamon and zest before adding sesame. You want their flavour infused into the honey, not large pieces left in the finished sweet.
Make Rhodes Sesame and Honey Wedding Sweet14. Warm Raki with Honey and Spices
Rakomelo · Ρακόμελο · rah-KOH-meh-loh
Crete's raki is a clear spirit distilled from the skins, stems and seeds left after the grapes are pressed. Warmed with cinnamon, clove and honey it turns into a winter drink, taken slowly in small cups. Households turn to it when a cold or sore throat is starting. Use plain raki, never an aniseed one.
Yiayia’s tip: Never let it boil. Boiling drives off the alcohol along with much of the aroma. Keep the heat low throughout.
Make Warm Raki with Honey and Spices15. Pancakes with Honey
Tiganites me meli · Τηγανίτες με μέλι · tee-gah-NEE-tes meh meh-LEE
Thick Greek pancakes, neither a thin crepe nor a fluffy American one, eaten with honey, cinnamon and walnuts. They are an everyday breakfast. At the start of Lent, on Clean Monday, they are made with no egg: flour, water, salt and a raising agent. That version holds together well.
Yiayia’s tip: Use a shallow pool of oil, not a dry pan. This is what gives tiganites their characteristic slightly crisp edge, distinct from a Western-style dry-griddled pancake.
Make Pancakes with Honey16. Fried Bread with Honey
Friganya · Φρυγανιά · free-gah-NYAH
Greece's French toast, and it exists for the same reason: bread too old to eat plain should not go in the bin. The slices get a few seconds a side in egg and milk, then they are fried and finished with honey and a proper dusting of cinnamon. More dessert than breakfast.
Yiayia’s tip: Use bread that is a day or two old. Very fresh bread falls apart in the egg mixture. Slightly stale bread with a firm crumb holds together far better.
Make Fried Bread with Honey17. Turkey Stuffed with Chestnuts
Galopoula gemisti me kastana · Γαλοπούλα γεμιστή με κάστανα · gah-loh-POO-lah yeh-mee-STEE meh KAH-stah-nah
Turkey came late to the Greek Christmas table, and Greek cooks gave it their own filling: minced meat, rice, chestnuts and pine nuts, cooked with warm spices before it goes anywhere near the bird. There is no bread in it at all. It takes five hours, so plan the day around it.
Yiayia’s tip: Stuff loosely, never tightly. The rice expands considerably as it finishes cooking inside the bird. Packing it tightly risks uneven cooking and a food safety issue.
Make Turkey Stuffed with Chestnuts18. Semolina Halva
Halvas simigdalenios · Χαλβάς σιμιγδαλένιος · hal-VAHS see-meeg-thah-LEH-nyos
Remembered as a ratio, not a recipe: one part butter, two of sugar, three of semolina, four of water. No oven, no eggs. Hot syrup goes in off the heat, the lid goes on, and the semolina steams until it swells. Everything in it is already in the cupboard, which is why it gets made so often.
Yiayia’s tip: Toast the semolina properly. It should turn a shade darker and smell distinctly nutty. This is the single biggest contributor to the finished flavour.
Make Semolina Halva19. Semolina Syrup Cake
Ravani · Ραβανί · rah-vah-NEE
The syrup cake to start with if the technique makes you nervous. A sponge of semolina and flour with citrus zest, it has a lighter crumb than karydopita or portokalopita, and it is tied most closely to the north. One rule counts: cold syrup onto the hot cake. Then give it an hour before cutting.
Yiayia’s tip: Whisk the eggs and sugar properly. A genuine five minutes to pale, thick and tripled in volume is what gives ravani its lighter, more cake-like crumb compared with denser semolina cakes.
Make Semolina Syrup Cake20. Sifnos Honey Cheesecake
Melopita Sifnou · Μελόπιτα Σίφνου · meh-LOH-pee-tah SEEF-noo
A cheesecake with no crust and almost nothing in it: fresh mizithra, eggs and honey. It is among the oldest sweets on Sifnos, and some accounts put dishes like it at well over a thousand years old. It bakes into something nearer a firm, golden custard than a Western cheesecake.
Yiayia’s tip: Drain the cheese if it seems watery. Excess moisture stops the filling from setting properly in the oven.
Make Sifnos Honey Cheesecake21. Pan-Fried Halloumi with Honey Breakfast
Halloumi me meli · Χαλούμι με μέλι · hah-LOO-mee meh meh-LEE
Halloumi has a high melting point and a salty, squeaky bite, and both make it a good match for honey. Fried golden, it gets honey and sesame seeds or crushed walnuts. It works for breakfast and as a dessert. With so few ingredients the honey matters, and thyme honey suits it.
Yiayia’s tip: Cut the slices properly thick. About a centimetre holds together well and develops a good golden crust without drying out.
Make Pan-Fried Halloumi with Honey Breakfast22. Christmas Bread
Christopsomo · Χριστόψωμο · hree-STOH-psoh-moh
Christ's bread: a large, round, lightly spiced loaf with a cross of dough laid over the top and often a walnut pressed into the centre. It is baked for Christmas itself. Do not confuse it with vasilopita, the cake with the coin, which belongs to New Year.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not rush the first rise. A properly enriched dough like this needs a genuine hour and a half to two hours to double fully, giving a much better texture than a rushed rise.
Make Christmas Bread23. Peloponnese Dried Fig and Walnut Bars
Sykomaida · Συκομαΐδα · see-koh-mah-EE-thah
One of the oldest Greek sweets, from the Mani, made to carry the fig harvest through winter. Dried figs are pounded with walnuts, sesame and a splash of raki or ouzo, then pressed into firm bars. No oven and no added sugar. The figs bring all the sweetness it needs.
Yiayia’s tip: Use genuinely good, soft dried figs. Very firm, leathery figs are hard to process properly. Steam or soak them briefly first if needed.
Make Peloponnese Dried Fig and Walnut Bars24. Almond Macaroons
Amygdalota · Αμυγδαλωτά · ah-meeg-thah-loh-TAH
Often mistaken for kourabiedes, because both wear a coat of icing sugar. They are nothing alike. These are ground almonds bound with egg white, moist and chewy, closer to an Italian amaretti than to any shortbread, and naturally gluten-free.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not overbake. Amygdalota are meant to stay soft and moist inside. A short bake at low heat, just enough to set the outside, is what gives them their characteristic texture.
Make Almond Macaroons25. Kollyva
Κόλλυβα · KOH-lee-vah
Not an everyday sweet. It is made for Orthodox memorial services, blessed by the priest and shared among the mourners. The wheat is the point: a grain has to be buried and seem to die before it sprouts, which makes it a symbol of resurrection. Pomegranate, nuts, sesame, raisins and cinnamon go through it.
Yiayia’s tip: Dry the wheat thoroughly before mixing. Excess moisture is the main enemy of a properly finished kollyva, making it soggy rather than holding together well.
Make Kollyva
More Greek Recipes with Honey and Nuts
19 more, 44 in all.
BobotaBobota ΜπομπόταBreads and Pies · 55m · serves 8
Walnut and Grape Must CandySoutzouki ΣουτζούκιDesserts · 2h · serves 10
Sesame and Honey BarPastelli ΠαστέλιDesserts · 25m · serves 12
Grilled Manouri Cheese with HoneyManouri me meli Μανούρι με μέλιMeze and Appetisers · 20m · serves 4
BaklavaBaklavas ΜπακλαβάςDesserts · 1h 45m · serves 24
Yogurt with Honey and WalnutsGiaourti me meli kai karydia Γιαούρτι με μέλι και καρύδιαBreakfast Recipes · 5m · serves 1
Apple Pie in PhylloMilopita ΜηλόπιταDesserts · 1h 20m · serves 10
Cold Yogurt and Cucumber SoupTarator ΤαράτορSoups · 15m · serves 4
Baked Feta with Honey and SesameFeta psiti me meli Φέτα ψητή με μέλιMeze and Appetisers · 17m · serves 4
Candied Baby Aubergine Spoon SweetMelitzanaki glyko Μελιτζανάκι γλυκόDesserts · 2h 15m · serves 16
KataifiKataifi ΚανταΐφιDesserts · 1h 15m · serves 12Browse other ingredients
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