Awamat (Crispy Honey Dough Balls)
Little balls of yeasted batter fried until golden and crunchy, then dropped into a cool sugar syrup with lemon and orange blossom. Crispy outside, soft inside and very sweet.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the batter
In a bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, yeast, sugar and salt. Slowly whisk in the warm water until you get a thick, smooth, sticky batter. Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, until bubbly and doubled in size.
- 250g plain flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp dried fast-action yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 300ml warm water
✅ Done when: the batter is full of bubbles and has doubled in size
Make the syrup
While the batter rises, put the sugar and water for the syrup in a pan over medium-high heat. Once it boils, lower the heat to medium and let it bubble gently for 8 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and cook 1 more minute, then turn off the heat, add the , and let the syrup cool completely before using.
- 400g sugar, for the syrup
- 250ml water, for the syrup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp
✅ Done when: the syrup is completely cool to the touch
Heat the oil
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Fry
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Soak in syrup
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Serve
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Make the batter
In a bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, yeast, sugar and salt. Slowly whisk in the warm water until you get a thick, smooth, sticky batter. Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, until bubbly and doubled in size.
- 250g plain flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp dried fast-action yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 300ml warm water
✅ Done when: the batter is full of bubbles and has doubled in size
Make the syrup
While the batter rises, put the sugar and water for the syrup in a pan over medium-high heat. Once it boils, lower the heat to medium and let it bubble gently for 8 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and cook 1 more minute, then turn off the heat, add the , and let the syrup cool completely before using.
- 400g sugar, for the syrup
- 250ml water, for the syrup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp
✅ Done when: the syrup is completely cool to the touch
Heat the oil
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Fry
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Soak in syrup
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Fried dough soaked in syrup or honey goes back to ancient Greece, where similar sweets were given as prizes at the Olympic Games. Today they are found from Greece (loukoumades) to Iraq.
In Lebanon, awamat are made for the Epiphany (Eid al-Ghitas) in January, when Christian families fry them at home and share them with neighbors.
⭐ Why It's Famous
They are cheap to make, fun to eat and loved by children and adults alike.
💡 Fun Fact
Awamat means 'floaters' in Arabic, because the balls float to the top of the oil as they fry.
Lebanon and the eastern Mediterranean
33.89°N, 35.50°E
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