10 Famous Saudi Arabia Sweet Dishes

The primary ingredients to make Saudi Arabian sweet dishes are dates, wheat, and honey. Thus, these foods can offer nutritional value.

Below we have listed the most well-known Saudi Arabian desserts that are packed with flavor and satisfy your sweet tooth without regret.

1. Ma’amoul
Ma’amoul is a classic dessert that is packed with nuts and fruits such as dates, walnuts, and pistachios. It is made of semolina or regular flour and comes in various varieties.

To differentiate the cookies the date ma’amoul is made into a dome that has flat tops, while the walnut version is typically made into a dome with a round top, whereas the pistachio version has an elongated, oval shape.

2. Knafeh
Knafeh is a sweet cheese pastry. You’ll never be disappointed with cheese in desserts. Knafeh is made up of Kataifi, which is spun pastry that has been soaked in sweet syrup, and stacked with cheese, clotted cream, or pistachios.

This cheese-based sweet was created by doctors and was recommended to curb the appetite during Ramadan.

Knafeh is not just a traditional Middle Eastern dessert, but it’s also a popular iconic sweet dish across Turkey and Greece.

3. Baklava
Baklava is an exquisitely crafted layer of pastry that is filled with chopped nuts, such as walnuts, roasted almonds, or pistachios. It is sometimes, topped with pistachio, and sweetened with syrup.

Baklava is perhaps the most common dessert in the Middle East region and countries. The origins and the history behind this delicious treat are unsolved. It’s certainly popular among Turkish, Iranian, and Arab cuisines.

4. Muhallebi
This silky and smooth milk pudding is not just tasty, but also has an incredibly delicate and light aroma that everyone loves.

Muhallebi has been a significant dessert in Arab cuisine for a long period of time. To be exact, in the late 7th century, a Persian chef from Sassanid Persia served this delightful dessert to an Arab commander, Al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra.

He was so impressed by the pudding that he named the recipe by his name. The original recipes, dating to the 10th century comprised three variations: thickened milk by crushing rice, thickened milk by grain (which comes along with chicken), and an egg pudding with no rice.

5. Luqaimat
Luqaimat is nothing but cute tiny dumplings that are coated with syrup. Luqaimat is among the most sought-after Arabic desserts and for a good reason!

It’s a deep-fried but extremely light, flour dumpling, sweetened with honey, or date syrup, and sometimes garnished with sesame or black seeds.

The sweet dumplings can be enjoyed as a snack or as dessert.

6. Hanini
Hanini is a traditional Saudi dessert made from date and brown flour. Take a bite and you’ll be unable to put it down. This delicious dessert comes with a lengthy expiration date.

7. Basbousa
Basbousa is a semolina syrup-soaked cake from Egypt that has found its way through the Middle-east region, even to Greece, Turkey, and Armenia.

The semolina cake batter cooks on the sheet pan and is then sweetened with simple syrup and orange flower water or rose water to make this delicious dessert. Prior to serving, locals slice the cake into square or diamond bite-sized pieces.

8. Qatayef/ Katayef
Qatayef is an Arab dessert that is served throughout the Holy Month of Ramadan. These delicious Middle Eastern pancakes are stuffed with white cheese or nuts and then soaked in the sweet syrup of roses.

During Ramadan, bakeries and supermarkets would fill their shelves with Qatayef dough throughout the Middle East. But, because the demand is high, they usually run out of stock. Make sure to purchase the Qatayef before the time.

9. Kleija
Klaija comes in many variants nowadays, however, the one with the date paste filling has no match.

It is among the most popular sweets of the Province of Qassim due to its crunchy outside texture and the soft filling made of dates, molasses, and cinnamon. The mix is baked in the oven for a while until it is cooked and then served hot with Arabic coffee.

10. Umm Ali/ Om Ali
Umm Ali, meaning “Mother of Ali”, the well-known Egyptian dessert is a very popular sweet dish in the kingdom of Saudia Arabia.

This delicious heart-warming dessert is made by mixing milk, pastry, nuts, raisins, spices, sugar as well as honey. The dessert is heated in the oven till it is golden brown.