What Greek dessert is deep-fried dough balls drizzled with honey?

The Greek dessert made from deep-fried dough balls drizzled with honey is loukoumades. These bite-sized pastries are made from a soft, yeast-leavened batter, fried until golden, and finished with honey or sugar syrup.

Loukoumades belong to a wider family of fried dough sweets found across the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. The related dish lokma was described in a 13th-century Arabic cookbook as luqmat al-qadi, or “judge’s morsels.” The Greek name loukoumades comes from the same Arabic-rooted food tradition.

In Greece, loukoumades are commonly served hot with honey, cinnamon, walnuts, or chocolate sauce. They are especially associated with street-food stalls, fairs, festivals, and celebratory occasions. Some modern versions use baking powder, but traditional recipes rely on yeast for their airy interior.

They are often confused with baklava or kataifi, but those desserts use layered or shredded pastry rather than fried dough balls. Loukoumades are also related to Turkish lokma and several Arab varieties, although toppings, size, and shape differ by region.