Loukoumi is the Greek name for Turkish Delight. It is enjoyed throughout Greece, where people make it in their own kitchens or buy it from specialty candy shops.
Loukoumi, aka Turkish Delight, is this bomb candy from the Middle East that’s gone international. It’s made by simmering a combo of sugar, water, corn starch, and flavors like rosewater or lemon juice until it gets thick and gooey.
The mixture is then poured into a flat pan, left to cool, and then cut into little squares. They get dusted with powdered sugar or cornstarch to keep ’em from sticking together. Loukoumi comes in tons of flavors like rose, lemon, orange, and mint. You can eat it by itself or with some tea or coffee. It’s such a sweet and delicious treat that’s super easy to love. 
One favorite Loukoumi version of mine can be found at a small family run shop called “Ta Geraneia” named for a small flower with a lovely fragrance. I love their coconut, but they make rose, pistachio and other flavors. The shop is located about an hour from Athens in the town of Loutraki on the Gulf of Cornith. The town and municipality is a delightful mix of beachfront hotels, small inns and villas. It is a favorite of Athenians and those from abroad on holiday because there is so much to explore here including ancient temples, a thermal spa, museums, a sports center, large casino- hotel, water sports, mountaineering, hiking, yachting and enjoying the beaches. And of course the food.
Traditionally enjoyed with a cup of strong coffee, Loukoumi is ever-present in Greek homes and offered to guests who drop by. We have a simple – and delicious – recipe for you to try at home.
Step by Step Guide to Making Loukoumi – Greek Turkish Delight
Preparation:
- Begin by gathering all your ingredients: powdered gelatin, cold and hot water, sugar, an orange for its rind and juice, organic orange food coloring, and optional nuts like pistachio or toasted almonds. Also, prepare confectioner’s sugar for the final step.
Softening the Gelatin:
- In a bowl, sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the cold water. Allow it to sit and soften. This process ensures the gelatin dissolves smoothly in the subsequent steps.
Creating the Sugar Syrup:
- In a saucepan, combine the sugar and hot water. Heat this mixture until it reaches a boiling point.
- Now, add the already softened gelatin to the boiling sugar mixture. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and let this combination cook for about 20 minutes.
Infusing the Orange Flavor:
- Grate the rind of your orange and squeeze out its juice.
- Once your sugar and gelatin mixture has simmered for 20 minutes, incorporate the orange juice, rind, and a few drops of orange food coloring. Stir the mixture well, ensuring the colors and flavors are distributed evenly.
Setting the Loukoumi:
- Before the mixture cools down completely, strain it into a loaf pan. Make sure the pan is large enough that the mixture rests an inch below the pan’s lip. This ensures even setting and easy cutting later.
- At this stage, if you’re using nuts, stir them into the mixture for added texture and flavor.
Cooling and Setting:
- Place the loaf pan in the fridge and let the mixture chill until it becomes firm.
Shaping and Coating:
- Once your Loukoumi is set, turn it out onto a clean cutting board.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the gelatinous block into one-inch cubes.
- Roll each cube in confectioner’s sugar to give it that classic Loukoumi finish. If you prefer a lighter coating, you can thin out the confectioner’s sugar with a bit of cornstarch.
Serving & Storage:
- Serve your Loukoumi as a treat with coffee or tea. Store any leftovers in an airtight container to maintain its freshness and prevent it from becoming too sticky.
How to Make Loukoumi – Greek Turkish Delight
- Yield: 12 -14 1x
Description
Loukoumi is the Greek name for Turkish Delight. It is enjoyed throughout Greece, where people make it in their own kitchens or buy it from specialty candy shops. Learn to make it at home with this simple, but delicious recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons powdered gelatin
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1 orange (grated rind, juice of)
- Orange food coloring (organic preferred)
- Pistachio nuts or toasted almonds (optional)
- Confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Soften gelatin in the cold water.
- In a sauce pan combine sugar and hot water and heat to boiling.
- Add softened gelatin in water, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add orange juice, rind and coloring.
- Stir and cool for handling.
- Strain into a loaf pan. Pan should be large enough so that mixture is an inch below lip of the pan.
- Stir in nuts, if desired.
- Chill until firm in fridge.
- Turn out of pan onto a board.
- Cut into one inch cubes and roll in confectioner’s sugar. You can thin the sugar with cornstarch if desired.
- Category: Candy
- Cuisine: Greek
HI! I am interested to try this recipe but the ingredients (minus the powdered sugar and nuts) reads like a recipe for homemade Jello. I know it’s the quantity of gelatin that would determine the thickness of the final product once it is chilled….less gelatin would make it softer and it would be more like Jello, and more gelatin would make it firmer. My question is this: once they firm up in the fridge, with the amount of gelatin you recommend what is the final consistency the maker of this recipe is looking for? “Super firm Jello” I take it? Traditional Turkish Delight I would describe as “more sticky then Jello” What makes it stick and hold together better? Thank you for your reply!
I will try this recipe as I had tried to do them for years from a Greek recipes book, but no way I can do it well. It got so sticky, never gets harder to cut in squares! By the way, I had been in Loutraki years ago.
Hello Ladies, sorry I didn’t respond sooner I missed these comments.
As for “ jello -like consistency” – true, more gelatin will give a firmer sweet.
As for not getting hard enough, check that your gelatin is fresh. As,o: My friend who is a teaching chef in France suggests you forget the jello-type powdered gelatin and use the professional gelatin sheet which you just dissolve in the cold watercalled for in recipe, as for how much of the gelatin sheet to use, look up equivalents ( how much powdered plain gelatin equals a gelatin sheet?). I will do more research and may have answer for you soon.
Once you master the gelatin sheets, I think that it will also solve the gooey texture issues . . .
Take a look at this for powdered gelatin to gelatin sheets ratio.
https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/43794/how-much-powdered-gelatin-to-one-gelatin-leaf
Also another idea is to use silicone molds. Pour the liquid into cute molds or traditional square ones. The are a whole lot of options via the internet.
Good luck and let us know what you come up with, okay? Thanks for reading and your questions. We all learn from each other. Aloha!
INSTEAD OF USING ORANGE,HOW MUCH ROSE-WATER COULD YOU USE FOR THIS RECIPE,OR HOW MUCH ROSE-WATER SYRUP.
Haw can’t I keep them soft and haw long to save them in the topper wear thank you
Awesome recipe! I love it! This is gonna be my staple.
Thank you for the recipe.
Kindly consider taking out the “Turkish” adjective from the recipe name. Loukoumi has nothing to do with turkey.
The recipe original is an Arab one. The name Loukoum means literrlt bites in Arabic. The Greeks adopted the name and the recipe before the turkish occupation to the old Beyzintin lands.
I understand that the western world calls it turksih delights because it was introduced to Europe during turksih offensives there, but that does not make a turksih one.
Thank you
These are not Greek loukoumia. They are more like a dried jello jiggler
Being an Asia Minor Greek, how does one make pasta flora using loukoumi candy?
A deceased aunt was known for this recipe which seems to have been known and quite popular amongst these Greeks.
I recall she rolling pieces of loukoumi in phyllo but I have no idea if she used anything else.
Thanks/
I need some Greek delight in my life!
What is not to love about this! Thank you, my delights were absolutely delightful!