Lokma (Turkish Syrup-Soaked Doughnut Bites)
لوکما (شیرے میں بھیگے ترکی پکوڑے نما میٹھے)
Lokma are small, puffy balls of yeasted batter, fried until golden and crisp and then dropped into cold lemon syrup. They're crisp outside, airy inside and dripping with syrup. In Turkey they're sold hot from street stands, especially in İzmir, and families sometimes hire a lokma maker to fry hundreds of them to give away to neighbours and passers-by in memory of a loved one or to celebrate good news. They're one of the easiest Turkish sweets to make at home.
- ⏱ Total: 40 min
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 25 min
- Medium
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Boil the sugar and water for 8 minutes, add the lemon juice, then cool completely. The syrup must be cold.
Whisk the flour, cornflour, yeast, sugar and salt with the lukewarm water into a thick, sticky batter. Cover and leave for 1 hour until doubled and bubbly.
Heat the oil to medium (170°C). Squeeze batter through your fist and scoop off small balls with a wet teaspoon into the oil. Fry for 3–4 minutes, turning, until golden all over.
Drop the hot lokma straight into the cold syrup, stir, leave for 1–2 minutes and lift out. Sprinkle with cinnamon or pistachios and serve warm.
Serve warm.
Kitchen notes
Hot lokma, cold syrup: that's what keeps them crisp outside and juicy inside.
Keep a cup of water nearby to dip the spoon between each ball so the batter doesn't stick.
Eat them the same day; they soften as they sit.
A sweet for sharing
Lokma is one of the oldest sweets in the region; versions are known across the eastern Mediterranean, from Greek loukoumades to Arab luqaimat. In Turkey it has a special social role: on certain occasions, families set up a lokma stand in the street and give the sweets away free, in memory of someone who has died or in thanks for good fortune. Anyone passing can take a cup.
Light and crisp
The batter is simple, flour, yeast and water, but it needs time to rise until it’s full of bubbles. That air is what makes lokma puff up and turn crisp in the oil. Dropping them hot into cold syrup gives a glassy coating that stays crisp for a while.
Serving
Serve warm in small bowls, sprinkled with cinnamon or crushed pistachios, with Turkish coffee. The Gulf version, luqaimat, is flavoured with saffron and cardamom and drizzled with date syrup.
Questions people ask
Is lokma the same as gulab jamun?
No. Gulab jamun is made from milk powder or khoya and is soft throughout. Lokma is a light yeasted batter and is crisp outside, more like a doughnut.
Why is lokma given away?
In Turkey, frying lokma and sharing it is a traditional act of charity and remembrance, often on the anniversary of a death or after good fortune.
Can I drizzle honey instead of syrup?
Yes. Warm honey or chocolate sauce are popular modern toppings.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 330
- Protein
- 3 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
