The easiest and tastiest Turkish delight treats that you can ever make at home. Simple ingredients, no thermometer needed this is great for gifting as well.
Turkish Delight, also known as Lokum or rahat lokum, is a gel-like sweet candy that comes in various colors and flavors. The classic Turkish delight recipe is flavored with rose water. These are just the perfect sweet treats for parties or to go with your coffee.
Next time, try this Turkish flour halva.
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❓Why This Recipe Works
- An easy recipe with simple ingredients, no Xanthan gum or other special ingredients.
- No thermometer is needed.
- Very adaptable to your liking in terms of texture with lots of flavors.
- Vegan, gluten free and if you leave out the nuts it will be a nut free candy recipe too!
If you look up Lokum or Turkish delight recipe, many people describe it as soft and sometimes very soft. I came to realize that different people have different expectations on them according to where you have been raised.
The Turkish delight I grew up with in Egypt is stretchy and chewy, not as if you are eating jello. The most common problem I saw was that people complained that their Turkish delight was not set to their liking.
After a dozen of trials I've come to a recipe that is so simple and very adaptive. You'll finally get your perfect lokum according to your taste and not mine.
This recipe does not need a candy thermometer or cream of tartar. We will simply depend on our senses to determine the right time to take it off the heat.
📝 Ingredients
Note: This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page. The full ingredient list is in the recipe card below.
Ingredient Notes
- Water is the main liquid to dissolve cornstarch, using fruit juices or milk is possible check out the notes section for more about that.
- Food coloring, red food coloring is the most common. I've used many food colors and color combinations. I highly recommend Wilton Color Right to simply get any color you like.
- Lime or lemon juice, it really does not make a difference.
- Corn syrup: use light corn syrup. I've not tried using honey instead, but I expect it will work just as fine, but it might affect the flavor a bit.
- For flavors, classics use rosewater or orange blossom water. In Egypt, the most famous is vanilla-flavored. Other flavors can be used as well. Check the notes for more about that.
- Nuts of your choice, this is completely optional but highly recommended. These small squares are sweet and adding nuts balances the sweetness.
🥄 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Pour water and cornstarch in a medium saucepan and whisk well until combined with no lumps.
- Heat the mixture over medium heat and whisk until it thickens, which will take probably 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce heat to the lowest possible flame. Mix in rosewater and lime juice.
- Set a timer to 1 hour. Add a fifth of the sugar and mix well until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Pour 1 Tablespoon corn syrup and mix. Repeat this process every 5 minutes until you finish all the sugar and corn syrup.
- We aim that the bottom of the pan be clear with no burnt mixture as shown above. Use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to check it.
- Keep cooking the mixture on a very low flame and start checking the consistency when your timer reads 10 minutes. Take a small portion of the mixture with a spoon and dip it in a cup of iced water. Wait until it cools down completely and test the texture. You might want to chew on it as well to make sure it has reached your preferred texture.
- Take it out of the heat, add food coloring and mix. Adjust the flavor to you liking if you need to add more rosewater, this is the time to do so.
- Mix in nuts if using.
- Empty the Turkish delight mixture in a container lined with parchment paper.
- Wet your hands with water and carefully press the lokum to fill the container. Let it set in a cool dry place.
- In a small bowl mix together confectioners sugar and corn starch. Dust a cutting board with the icing sugar mixture. Flip the delights over and dust the other side as well.
- Using a sharp knife cut into small cubes. Dust the sides of each square with more of the cornstarch mixture to prevent stickiness.
Best Turkish Delight Recipe
What makes a good Turkish Delight? if you ask me I will say flavor and not overly sweet. What makes the Best Turkish delight? for me it is the texture.
There are recipes that use gelatin, ugh! Other recipes use a lot of cornstarch along with sugar syrup made with white sugar. I've found that the texture of this one does not match what I like as it does not really produce the chewy texture and bite I was looking for.
The authentic way I've found called for glucose syrup made with grape juice, which is hard to find and will probably take a day to make. So corn syrup was the proper ingredient to use instead. The syrup is used to give that extra stretch and bite you find in this recipe.
So if all that appeals to you too, then I dare say this might become YOUR favourite Homemade Turkish Delight Recipe too!
💡 Tips
- Please note that this authentic Turkish delight recipe needs a bit of patience to make so make sure to give it time.
- For different flavors, you can use juice instead of water, but be careful with the sugar; adjust the sugar level to your liking.
- You can also use milk, but when using milk, do not add lime juice until you are done with adding all the sugar and corn syrup or else your milk will curdle.
- When using juice or milk keep in mind that your delights might take longer to cook to your perfection. For my taste it took me almost 30 minutes more.
- You can use any flavor extract you like but the most traditional Turkish delight flavors are rosewater, vanilla, lemon, mint, pomegranate and mastic. I’ve made this with great success using pomegranate juice and crushed mastic.
- The most famous in Egypt is vanilla flavored with walnuts and shaped into a rope.
- If you have a candy thermometer and if it would help you to know, my Turkish delights was good for me when it reached between 195F and 205F.
- Getting the right texture depends greatly on what you like and on the heat you are using. I've noticed that to reach the right texture for me, it takes 1 hour on an electric stove, while the same consistency takes 1 hour and 10 minutes on a gas stove.
- We had so much fun using the Wilton Color Right Chart to make different colors for this Turkish delight recipe.
Troubleshooting
- If the Turkish delight is grainy or has bits of something like hard candy then you either did not give sugar time to dissolve and melt between additions, was in a hurry and added the sugar all at once, or in less additions, the heat was high and you did not turn it to the lowest possible flame.
- If your Turkish delight did not set to what you want, do not throw it away. Here is how to fix that: in a saucepan, add one tablespoon of water and the unset delight mixture and turn the heat to low. Break up the mixture with a spatula to help them melt back. Keep cooking and stirring every 5 minutes. Adding an extra 1-2 teaspoons of lime juice OR raising the heat can accelerate the setting. BUT you need to be aware that adding extra lime juice could affect the taste, this is not a problem when making lemon or pomegranate flavored ones but if you are making other flavors it might be unpleasant. Also raising the heat to medium-low heat can expedite the cooking but you need to stay alert and stir every minute or two to prevent burning.
🍽️ Serve With
- It is common to serve Turkish delight with Turkish Coffee to complement the bitterness of the coffee.
More Turkish Recipes
- 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.
- Turkish Lentil Soup also known as "Mercimek Çorbası" is a simple yet so tasty red lentil soup. Do not miss the garnish on top, it is to die for!
- Turkish Simit is a beloved traditional street bread with a unique sesame-crusted exterior. Also known as Turkish sesame bagel, this bread is great with a cup of tea or with feta cheese.
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We loved using the Wilton color right set, it helped us make many color combination for different occasions and it was fun to use with kids.
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More candies to enjoy
There’s something magical about making your own candy at home—it’s fun, rewarding, and lets you create sweet treats tailored to your taste.
Turkish delight
The easiest and tastiest Turkish delight treats that you can ever make at home. Simple ingredients, no thermometer needed this is great for gifting as well.
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Servings: 16
Calories: 94kcal
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup water 150g
- ⅓ cup cornstarch 40g
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1-2 teaspoon rosewater or any extract for flavor
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- 5 Tablespoons corn syrup. 75g
Optional:
- ⅓ -½ cup nuts of your choice
For final coating:
- 4 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Pour water and cornstarch in a saucepan and whisk well until combined with no lumps.
- Heat the mixture on medium and keep on whisking until it thickens, will take probably 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce heat to the lowest possible flame. Mix in rosewater and lime juice.
- Set a timer to 1 hour.
Add sugar and corn syrup as follows: When your timer reads
- 60 minute ( in the beginning) add ⅕th of the sugar, mix it well with a spatula until sugar no longer visible then mix in 1 Tablespoon corn syrup.
- 55 minutes (after 5 minutes of first addition): add another ⅕th of the sugar, mix it well with a spatula until sugar no more visible then mix in 1another Tablespoon corn syrup.
- 50 minutes (after 5 minutes of first addition): add another ⅕th of the sugar, mix it well with a spatula until sugar no more visible then mix in 1another Tablespoon corn syrup.
- 45 minutes (after 5 minutes of first addition): add another ⅕th of the sugar, mix it well with a spatula until sugar no more visible then mix in 1another Tablespoon corn syrup.
- 40 minutes (after 5 minutes of first addition): add the remaining ⅕th of the sugar, mix it well with a spatula until sugar no more visible then mix in the last Tablespoon corn syrup.
- Let the mixture cook stirring it every 5 minutes to ensure even cooking and prevent scorching.
- Line a 5”x5” glass container with parchment paper and spray or brush with oil.
- When your timer reads 10 minutes start checking your Turkish delight by taking a piece ( about ¼ to ½ teaspoon) on the tip of a spoon. Immediately immerse the spoon in a cup of iced water. Leave it there for 40 seconds to a full minute to cool down.
- Take the spoon out and carefully check the consistency and texture of your delights, taste it to make sure it has reached your preferred chewiness. Please make sure it has completely cooled down or else you will burn your tongue.
- When you’ve reached your desired consistency, take it out of the heat.
- Now is the time to adjust color and more flavor if desired.
- Mix in the nuts if using.
- Empty the Turkish delight mixture in the container. Wet your hands with cold water and press to fill the container. Be very cautious as the mixture will be hot.
- Brush a piece of plastic wrap with oil and cover the delights.
- Let it cool completely and set on counter top, will take approximately 2-3 hours or overnight.
- Mix the coating ingredients together and dust a clean counter top with some of the mixture.
- Take the Turkish delight out of the container using the parchment paper. And flip it over the counter top.
- Peel off the parchment paper and dust the top with more of the coating mixture.
- Oil or wet ( with cold water) a sharp chef’s knife and start cutting the delights into squares.
- Dust the sides of each square with more of the coating powder to prevent stickiness.
- Store Turkish delights in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Make sure to separate layers with plastic wrap or parchment paper.
Video
Notes
- You can use juice instead of water but be careful with the sugar, adjust sugar level to your liking.
- You can also use milk, but when using milk do not add lime juice until you are done with adding all the sugar and corn syrup or else your milk will curdle.
- When using juice or milk keep in mind that your delights might take longer to cook to your perfection. For my taste it took me almost 30 minutes more.
- If your Turkish delights did not set to your liking, do not throw it away. Here is how to fix that. In a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of water and the unset delights and turn the heat to low. Break up the delights with a spatula to help them melt back. Keep cooking and stirring every 5 minutes. Adding an extra 1-2 teaspoons of lime juice OR raising the heat can accelerate the setting. BUT you need to be aware that adding extra lime juice could affect the taste, this is not a problem when making lemon or pomegranate flavored ones but if you are making other flavors it might be unpleasant. Also raising the heat to medium-low can expedite the cooking but you need to stay there and stir every minute or two to prevent burning.
- You can use any flavor extract you like but the most common are rosewater, vanilla, lemon, mint, pomegranate and mastic. I’ve made this with great success using pomegranate juice and crushed mastic.
- The most famous in Egypt is vanilla flavored with walnuts and shaped into a rope.
- If you have a candy thermometer and if it would help you to know, my Turkish delights was good for me when it reached between 195F and 205F.
- Troubleshooting: If the Turkish delight is grainy or has bits of something like hard candy then you either did not give sugar time to dissolve and melt between addition, was in a hurry and added the sugar all at once or in less addition, the heat was high and you did not turn it to the lowest possible flame.
- Getting the right texture depends greatly on what you like and on the heat you are using. I've noticed that to reach the right texture for me it takes 1 hour on electric stove while the same consistency takes 1 hour and 10 minutes on gas stove.
- We had so much fun using the Wilton color right chart to make different colors for our delights.
- If all else fails or if fixing it is too finicky, you can add water to make Turkish delight flavored beverages Use it as a topping for ice cream or into seltzer water. The possibilities are endless.
Nutrition
Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg
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Nichole J
Only way I am making these now. I made them last Christmas, mint flavored and covered them with dark chocolate. They were a hit. Getting ready to make them again for St Patty’s day.
Shauna
I followed your method to the T and got the gooey rosey texture that I adore, my daughter and husband now do not know where I have hidden the remaining cubes! Thank you for sharing the recipe will definitely be making again.
Laila Khalil
We love this recipe and come back to it every year to make Christmas treats for friends and family. I made rose, mint, lemon and apple flavored ones and all have been well received. Thanks for the great recipe.
z.q.d
I don't know why you like this it gives way to small portions and was lumpy when I added it the right way. the instructions were very unclear. I would not recommend deserves one star. never using again, also who would dye it green! who?
Amira
It's unfortunate that your experience with the recipe wasn't positive, I understand your frustration as well as I understand that this recipe needs a lot of patience. However, it seems you may have missed some key steps.I think you did not check the step by step images or the video as these should clarify anything that is unclear. A green Turkish delight is usually flavored with mint or green apples, I hope this makes sense.
Bill
Does this recipe work with silicone molds for making fruit snacks?
Amira
Bill, I haven't tried that. Please let us know if you try it. Thanks
Anna Likousis
They are amazing
Jeraldine
I was wondering if there's something else I could use instead of corn syrup. I can't have it but would love to make these.
thanks
C. Jamal
This is perfect, that's what my husband said. TBH I do not even know what Turkish delights taste like but my husband wanted to replicate these long ropes sold in Egypt so we went for it. First it was a bit soft for his taste so we returned it to the pot as suggested and added an extra teaspoon of lemon juice. It set beautifully and it was not too sweet.
Amira
They are the best I loves them with walnuts so much. I am very happy that my recipe worked for you.
Chuluuna
How long the lokum made is stored?
Amira
Chuluuna, I would say a month.
John@Kitchen Riffs
Who doesn't like something sweet? These look wonderful, and look pretty easy - and fun! - make. Thanks so much.
Amira
Haven't heard of any yet :). Thanks for dropping.
Victoria
These look like a lot of fun to make!
Amira
They are, thanks for stopping by
Amira
Indeed they are ... my kids are thrilled with these homemade sort of gummies , I just need to try making them a little healthier with juice.
Denise Browning@From Brazil To You
Hi, Amira! My kids would love to eat these colorful candies. Thanks for the recipe! I bet that the homemade ones taste much better that the store-bought candies.