Qatayef (Ramadan Stuffed Pancakes with Cream or Nuts)
قطائف (رمضان کے بھرے پین کیک، ملائی یا میووں کے ساتھ)
When Ramadan begins, qatayef appear in bakeries from Cairo to Damascus. They're small, spongy pancakes cooked on one side only, so the top stays soft and sticky enough to fold and pinch closed. Some are filled with (Arabic clotted cream) and left open at one end, dipped in crushed pistachios; others are stuffed with walnuts, sugar and cinnamon, sealed, and fried or baked. All are finished with a light syrup perfumed with .
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr
- Prep: 30 min
- Cook: 30 min
- Medium
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Make the syrup: boil the sugar and water for 5 minutes, add the lemon juice and orange blossom water, and cool. Make the ashta: whisk the milk, cream and cornflour in a pan and stir over medium heat for 6–8 minutes until very thick. Cool, covered.
Blend the flour, semolina, yeast, baking powder, sugar and lukewarm milk into a smooth, pourable batter. Rest for 30 minutes until bubbly.
Heat a non-stick pan on medium-low. Pour 1 tbsp batter to make 8–10 cm rounds. Cook on one side only for 2 minutes until the top is covered in holes and no longer wet. Lift onto a cloth and cover.
For cream qatayef: fold each pancake in half and pinch the edges together halfway, leaving a cone. Pipe or spoon in ashta and dip the open end in pistachios. For walnut qatayef: fill with the walnut mix, seal completely, brush with butter and bake at 200°C for 10 minutes.
Drizzle with the cold syrup just before serving.
Kitchen notes
Cook on one side only: the soft, sticky top is what lets you pinch the pancakes closed.
Keep cooked pancakes covered with a cloth, or they dry out and won't seal.
Thick, sweetened malai or whipped cream cheese can replace the ashta.
The sweet of Ramadan
Qatayef have been part of Ramadan for centuries; some food historians trace them back to the Fatimid and Abbasid eras. Today, bakeries across Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon set up stalls outside their shops during the holy month to cook the pancakes on big griddles, and families buy stacks to fill at home after iftar.
Two kinds
There are two main styles. Asafiri qatayef are small, filled with cream, pinched closed only halfway and dipped in pistachios, so they look like little birds’ mouths. Larger qatayef are filled with walnuts or sweet cheese, sealed completely and fried or baked until crisp. Both are finished with syrup.
One side only
Like Moroccan baghrir, qatayef are cooked on one side, letting bubbles rise and leaving the top soft and sticky. That sticky top is what seals the pancake when you pinch it.
Serving
Serve after iftar with Arabic coffee or tea. For more Ramadan sweets, see luqaimat and our Ramadan and iftar collection.
Questions people ask
Can I make qatayef ahead?
Cook the pancakes up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Fill just before serving.
What is ashta?
Arabic clotted cream, traditionally made from the skin of simmered milk. The quick version here thickens milk and cream with cornflour.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 390
- Protein
- 8 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 54 g
