Zalabia, AKA Lugaimat, lokma or loukoumades (Greek donuts with honey) are little balls made with simple dough, fried then drizzled with honey syrup. Zalabia is most famous in Egypt especially during Ramadan.
Next, try this foolproof Tulumba recipe.
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❤️ Why You'll Love It
- Little dessert bites perfect for potluck or any occasion.
- A fairly easy recipe with step by step images to show you how to make homemade Zalabia
Crisp on the outside while soft and tender inside these bite size donut holes are great for sharing with family and friends. This recipe makes A LOT, but I'm giving you a great option to freeze.
📝 Ingredients
🥣 Equipment
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- You will need two 12inch piping bags.
- A small scissors.
- Frying spoon.
🥄 Instructions
- In a large bowl combine dry ingredients.
- Slowly add lukewarm water and mix until an elastic batter forms.
- Cover and let it rise for almost an hour.
- Deflate the batter and start filling your piping bag.
- Heat 1 ½ inch of oil in a frying pan. Dip the tip of the scissors in the oil and start piping about 1 inch of the dough into the hot oil and cut. Make sure to dip your scissors after each one.
- Keep stirring the dough balls and pushing them down into the hot oil with the back of your frying spoon so they will get evenly fried.
- Take the zalabia balls out and place into a bowl with room temperature syrup, give it a quick stir and let them soak some syrup for about a minute.
- Using a slotted spoon take the balls out of the syrup and place into a strainer to drip excess syrup.
💡 Expert Tips
- I like to reduce the heat a notch while piping the balls so they will not get golden quickly while I still piping others. Then when I am done with piping I raise the temperature again.
- 1 to 1 ¼ inch is my preferred size, you can get bigger or smaller according to your preference.
- Make sure to dip the scissors between cuts so the dough won't stick to it.
- You will need to fry the dough in batches, cover the rest of the dough while working with a batch and make sure to deflate the remaining dough before refilling your bag.
⌛ Make Ahead
- You can actually freeze zalabia so here is what I do. Fry the dough until they get pale yellow like the photo above. Take them out of the oil and spread on a single layer on a large tray or baking sheet lined with paper towels. Wait until they are completely cooled, place on a freezer bag. When ready to use, take them out and fry in hot oil then proceed with the recipe as is.
👩🍳 Variations
Using simple sugar syrup is the traditional way to serve Zalabia, but recently your can find Zalabia drizzled with any syrup you like, the most common is chocolate syrup or nutells. You can also roll the donuts in cinnamon sugar or dust with powdered sugar.
🧺 Storage
It is best to enjoy zalabia fresh but if you have leftover, place them on a container on your counter and reheat in the oven.
📣 More Recipes From the Blog
- Tulumba is a popular street food throughout the Middle east. Tulumba pastries are fried to golden brown and dunked in cold syrup for an out-of-this-world crunchy yet so fluffy on-inside sweet fritters.
- Qatayef are the Arab stuffed pancakes, they are one of the most iconic recipes during the holy month of Ramadan.
- Indulge in the rich, sweet flavors of the Middle East with these buttery and flaky baklava rolls. Perfect for special occasions or as a decadent treat any time.
- Kunafa is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert that is made with a layer of golden shredded phyllo dough, a creamy filling, and a sweet syrup. A popular dessert in many countries that is often served during special occasions and holidays.
- Basbousa is a traditional Egyptian dessert made from semolina flour, coconut, yogurt and soaked in simple syrup. It’s delicious and easy to make!
- Chebakia is a flower-shaped Moroccan pastry that is like no other. These crispy, golden brown sesame cookies are fragrant, nutty, and bursting with delightful flavors in every bite.
I hope you'll like this recipe and please if you make this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #amiraspantry — I love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter!
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Zalabia (Lugaimat) Recipe
Ingredients
For the simple syrup:
- 2 cups granulated sugar 400g
- 1 ¼ cup water
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the dough:
- 2 cups all purpose flour 240g
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon dry yeast 10g
- 1 Tablespoon dry milk 8g
- 2 teaspoons corn starch 7g
- 1 Tablespoon sugar 15g
- ½ teaspoon baking powder 2g
- 1 ⅓ cup warm water
- Oil for frying.
- crushed nuts optional for garnish
Instructions
Make the syrup
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add the syrup ingredients and stir a couple of times with a spoon.
- Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Take it off heat, set aside and let it cool down completely.
Make the Zalabia dough:
- In a deep bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix with a spatula.
- Gradually add warm water until you reach an elastic rubbery dough as shown in the pictures above.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a dark warm place for an hour to an hour and a half.
- Pour about 1 ½ - 2 inches of oil in your frying pan and heat on medium.
- Deflate the batter as we do not want it to be all bubbly.
- Brush piping bag with oil then fill with some of the batter. Cut a small opening in it.
- Dip your scissors in the oil and start piping around 1 inch of batter, cut with scissors.
- The batter will start to form a round ball and float in oil.
- Continue piping and cutting dough making sure you dip your scissors in oil between cuts
- Keep flipping and turning the balls around so they fry evenly, also push them down in the oil to get golden color.
- Take them out of the oil straight into the cooled syrup.
- Toss them around in the syrup then take them out into a strainer to remove excess syrup.
- Serve garnished with nuts.
Video
Notes
- The recipe might take a little bit less or a little more water this depends on the flour so just gradually add water until you reach the consistency shown.
- You can flavor the syrup with rose water or orange blossom water.
- I like to reduce the heat a notch while piping the balls so they will not get golden quickly while I still piping others. Then when I am done with piping I raise the temperature again.
- 1 to 1 ¼ inch is my preferred size, you can get bigger or smaller according to your preference.
- Make sure to dip the scissors between cuts so the dough won't stick to it.
- You will need to fry the dough in batches, cover the rest of the dough while working with a batch and make sure to deflate the remaining dough before refilling your bag.
- The deeper the color, the crunchier they will be.
- This recipe will make about 700-750g of Zalabia.
- Make ahead:
You can actually freeze zalabia so here is what I do. Fry the dough until they get pale yellow like the photo above. Take them out of the oil and spread on a single layer on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Wait until they are completely cooled, place on a freezer bag. When ready to use, take them out and fry in hot oil then proceed with the recipe as is. - Variations:
Using simple sugar syrup is the traditional way to serve Zalabia, but recently your can find Zalabia drizzled with any syrup you like, the most common is chocolate syrup or nutella. You can also roll the donuts in cinnamon sugar or dust with powdered sugar. - Storage:
It is best to enjoy zalabia fresh but if you have leftover, place them on a container on your counter and reheat in the oven.
Nutrition
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First published Oct 16, 2015 . Last updated April 8, 2022 with important tips, clear step by step instructions and readability.
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Charissa
I’m Canadian but married into an Egyptian family. My husband loves when I make your recipes as they always turn out great and taste very authentic! My sister in law and mother in law were amazed at the fact I can make all these recipes and loved the Zalabia I made with my kids.
Meghan McCuiston-Boerman
I am making a display for children about Egypt for my public library and I would like permission to use a photo of your Zalabia. Please let me know.
Amira
Yes of course but please mention the source, thanks. I fyou like any further help I am glad to chime in.
Alex797
Thank you for the recipe I have tried the recipe and it works kudos to you
marie kléber
A lovely recipe full of beautiful memories too Amira!
I would have loved my little one to have such ones with his family in Egypt. But too late for now. I'll master the recipe and he will then remember mine...I hope.
Thank you dear. Love from sunny Paris
Denise Browning@From Brazil To You
These sweet dumplings look so mouthwatering... I would devour them in seconds accompanied by a good cup of coffee.
Rafeeda
May Allah bless the soul of your dad and give him Jannah... Aameen... Lqeimat is something that I love a lot... but I have never tried making it. I loved the tip that you gave to make the same shape! Will try...
Umm Hamza
As Salaamu Alaykum ukhti, these remind me of a similar Turkish sweet called tulumba, different shape but same kinda ingredients and delicious! Can't wait to try my hand at these too they look easier than tulumba!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
I think I ate these during a Ramadan festival! They were so moreish and it was hard to stop at just one! 😀
Amira
They are lovely indeed and I can eat 10 without even noticing :/
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
I know I'd love these and I'm eager to try. I don't think I'd care that they weren't perfectly round and each the same size. 🙂
Amira
Hahaha, that's what I kept telling him!!! why does it matter to you the point is in the taste.. he always replied with an Egyptian proverb " eyes eat before the mouth" :).
Evelyne@cheapethniceatz
Perfectly shaped indeed, your loayqmat look so good right now. its 3pm teat time for me. I am sure he has a big smile looking down at then 🙂
dots
my dough was perhaps a bit too loose, it was pouring from the bag creating shapeless lumps. unfortunately they came out super delicious. i had to give most away to stop myself from eating the entire batch by myself.
next time i will add a little bit more flour.
fantastic recipe, thank you so much!
Tracey
A friend of mine makes these using Kiri cheese in the middle. His mom taught him to unwrap a square, then cut it in four little triangles. Then he wraps the dough around them and fries them as usual, and serves with powdered sugar or syrup as usual. He does not know if there is a specific name for them, but they are a delicious variation!
Amira
This is great I just wonder how can he wrap the dough on it as it is a batter not a bread-like dough? can you ask him.
Tracey
I've actually helped him make them a couple of times. He uses Nido powder in them instead of sour cream. It makes them more like a dough, but it's still a very, very soft dough. We roll them into balls and then poke the cheese into the middle. It's hard to "wrap" them! The cheese has to be pretty cold or it doesn't work. But oh my goodness. They're a little like tiny cheese Danishes! Whenever we makes them we never have enough!
Amira
Woow this sounds like a great yummy one.. although hard to make but I believe it worth the trouble :), I wish to try them one day. Thanks for the update.