Atayef
Updated Aug 11, 2025
Lebanese atayef, airy and slightly sweet middle eastern dessert stuffed with cheese and drizzled with sugar syrup (ater) and crushed pistachios.
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Atayef is a reminder of home for me!
Atayef (also called qatayef or katayef) are one of those recipes that instantly remind me of home. They’re little Middle Eastern pancakes made with yeast, so they bubble up on top while the bottom cooks and they’re only cooked on one side. Once they’re ready, you fill them with sweet cheese or a nut mixture, then bake or fry them and drizzle with fragrant simple syrup.
They’re especially popular during Ramadan, but in my family, they’re one of those treats everyone gets excited about, no matter the time of year. They’re not exactly like American pancakes, there are a few more steps, but that’s part of what makes them feel so special.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Atayef Ingredients
Pancake Ingredients
- Flour: You’ll need both all-purpose flour and semolina flour for this recipe!
- Yeast: You should be able to find packets of yeast at any standard grocery store.
- Dry Ingredients: This atayef recipe calls for baking powder, granulated white sugar, and just a punch of salt.
- Milk: Whole milk is best here imo, but low-fat milk will also work.
- Cooking spray: I like to use cooking spray to keep my atayef from sticking to the pan! But a splash of cooking oil will do if you don’t have any spray in the house.
- Crushed pistachios: For serving!
Simple Syrup Ingredients
- Sugar: I use a white granulated sugar.
- Water: Tap water is fine!
- Orange blossom water: Skip this if you don’t have any orange blossom water on hand!
- Lemon juice: I always prefer fresh lemons over bottled juice.
Cheese Filling Ingredients
- Ricotta: Use whole milk ricotta if you can!
- Mozzarella: I like to buy freshly grated mozzarella, but any packaged mozzarella will do.
How to Make Atayef
How to Make the Pancakes
How to Make the Filling
How to Assemble and Bake
Atayef Recipe
Ingredients
Pancake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup fine semolina
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups warm milk
- Cooking spray
Simple Syrup
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Filling
- 1 ½ cup whole milk ricotta
- 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a large blender combine the flour, semolina, sugar, baking powder, instant yeast, salt and milk. It should have the consistency of very runny pancakes.
- Cover with a towel, and let the mixture sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. Blend the mixture again and let it rest for 10 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the simple syrup. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the orange blossom water and lemon juice. Pour syrup into a heat proof container and allow to cool.
- When the batter is done resting, heat a non-stick pan on medium heat, then pour 2 tablespoons of the batter onto the pan and you’ll notice the appearance of bubbles.
- Cook until the bubbles dry out and the bottoms become golden, about 2 minutes. Do not flip. (If no bubbles are appearing, add more water or milk since your batter is probably too thick.) Set aside in a warm place covered so they remain moist.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons of the prepared simple syrup. Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling into each pancake and pinch the sides together.
- Place the closed atayef on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spray with cooking spray and bake for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Serve immediately, drizzled with simple syrup, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Tips
- Use a blender to make your atayef. I learned this tip from one of my followers, (@hildatalks) and it really makes a difference in creating a smooth consistent batter with perfect bubbles! You can also use an electric whisk, just don’t use a manual whisk.
- Check for bubbles. The most important part of atayef is the bubbles! Like most pancake recipes, your first one might be a flop, and in this case, it’s probably because there aren’t enough bubbles. If this happens, add another 1-2 tablespoons of water and blend quickly again.
- Keep your atayef pieces small. I like to use about 2 tablespoons for each. For easy pouring, you can fill a ¼ cup halfway to keep the shape of the pancakes small and uniform.
- Don’t cook on both sides! It’s very important that you only cook the atayef on one side and keep the other side uncooked. The opposite side has to be raw in order to seal the mixture inside.
- Make sure not to overstuff your atayef. I like to use about 1 tablespoon of the mixture inside the pancake before sealing it. If you add more than a tablespoon, your atayef will likely open while baking in the oven.
Serving Ideas
- Mix up your fillings! The most authentic way to make atayef is with an ashta filling made with heavy cream, corn starch, and sugar. It resembles the easier version I make here with the mozzarella and ricotta! You can also try a nut filling using a mixture of walnuts and sugar or pistachios and sugar…similar to the filling you’d find inside baklava or maamoul.
- Pair with coffee or tea. Atayef is great with a cup of homemade cold brew coffee, whipped coffee, or iced matcha.
FAQs
Atayef will last for up to four days in the fridge. To help keep the edges crispy, keep them uncovered, then reheat them in your air fryer, oven, or toaster to crisp them up when you’re ready to eat. You can also microwave them for a quick and easy snack!
You can! Just freeze your atayef after baking and cooling them. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet in the freezer, and when frozen, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, heat them as you would normally!
That is usually an indication that the batter doesn’t have enough liquid in it. Add another 1-2 tablespoons of water and blend quickly again in the blender!
Try adding 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to the batter for a crunchier texture. You can also try baking them for 5 – 10 more minutes!
It’s possible that you may have overcooked your atayef so they lost their moisture and didn’t seal. You’re only cooking the batter on one side and the other side is essentially raw and uncooked, so the edges should be pretty sticky!
Comments
I’m excited to try these. When you call for fresh mozzarella and then shredded mozzarella, could you be more specific – are you meaning the fresh, large balls of mozzarella or blocks of part skim mozzarella that are shredded?
The recipe actually only calls shredded mozzarella. The other cheese in it is ricotta, which you can substitute for fresh large balls of mozzarella that you shred. But to keep it simple, just just use ricotta and shredded mozzarella like in the picture.
The yummiest and easiest recipe ever!
Thank you, Racelle! So happy you liked it!!
These look amazing but I can’t have any gluten. There’s plenty of good gluten-free flour blends available but what could I substitute for the semolina? Maybe a very fine cornmeal.🤔 I hope you can help , I always have a Spring brunch and these would be a great addition! Thanks
Hmm, good question! You can use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour to substitute for the all-purpose flour. For the semolina flour, I think corn semolina or rice flour might work best. I haven’t tried making this recipe gluten-free though, so it may take some experimenting. Good luck!
I ran into an issue when baking it; before flipping, the pancakes split open at the top and the filling puffed out (I used the ashta recipe). I thought it might’ve been because I overfilled it, but even the ones that had considerable room inside still popped, making flipping impossible. Is this something you’ve seen before?
So sorry to hear that! I think it’s possible that you may have overcooked them so they lost their moisture and didn’t seal. Usually it’s pretty sticky because you’re only cooking the batter on one side and the other side is essentially raw and uncooked which is what helps them stick. Do you think that was the case? Otherwise, I think that you may have needed more moisture possibly because it’s very dry where you are? The moisture is what helps them close. I hope that helps!
Would you happen to have a recipe for other fillings?
Yes! Here’s a link to my ashta recipe that’s the most popular filling. For the nuts filling, I recommend using the same mixture as my maamoul or baklava recipe.
This was so good! The orange blossom was the perfect ingredient for that sweet and floral taste. I was craving something middle eastern sweets and this was perfect!
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed!