Awamat (Lebanese doughnuts) are one of my all-time favorite treats! I’m almost ashamed to admit that I often avoid making these delicious Lebanese doughnuts simply because I can never stop at just one. They’re crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and completely irresistible! If you’re planning to make this traditional Lebanese awamat recipe, you might want to squeeze in a little extra workout this week because these sweet, syrup-soaked dough balls are seriously addictive!

These fried dough balls have a crispy, golden-brown exterior and a sweet, syrup-soaked interior, with an extra coating of sugar syrup for the perfect finish. The vegan, dairy-free, and egg-free awamat recipe is a real crowd-pleaser, both in taste and quantity! Although making these Lebanese doughnuts from scratch takes a little time and effort, the delicious final result makes it all worthwhile.

What Ingredients Do You Need to Make Awamat (Lebanese Doughnuts)?

All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour has a moderate protein content, which helps the batter hold its shape without making the awamat overly chewy.

Cornstarch: Cornstarch is the secret to achieving a beautifully golden-brown color and an extra-crispy exterior!

Potato: Most people don’t use potatoes when making awamat, but I believe they should! This little secret ingredient helps the fried dough balls absorb the sugar syrup more effectively, making them wonderfully sweet and syrupy on the inside. Don’t worry—you won’t taste the potato at all!

Active dry yeast: Yeast is the leavening agent that helps the batter rise, giving the awamat their light texture. The batter needs time to rise, usually about 1 to 1½ hours, so plan accordingly.

A tiny pinch of salt: Just a small pinch of salt enhances the overall flavor of the dough without making the awamat taste salty.

Lukewarm water: Lukewarm water helps activate the yeast and encourages the batter to rise properly. Be careful not to use hot or boiling water, as excessive heat can damage or kill the yeast.

Tips for Making the Best Awamat

1. How to Shape Perfectly Round Awamat

For beautifully round awamat, scoop up a little batter—just enough to fill your hand. Close your fist gently to push a small ball of dough through the space between your thumb and index finger, aiming for a ball about the size of a cherry.

This technique might look complicated at first, but trust me, it’s much easier than it seems! Watch the recipe video to see exactly how it’s done.

If you find it difficult to shape the dough with your hands, you can transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip and squeeze out small balls directly into the oil. However, I find that using your hands gives you better control and produces more evenly shaped awamat.

2. Double-Fry the Awamat for Extra Crispiness

Here’s one of my secrets to making perfectly crispy awamat: fry them twice! The double-frying method helps cook the dough balls thoroughly while creating that beautiful golden-brown, crispy crust everyone loves.

For the best results, fry the awamat once until they are lightly golden, remove them from the oil, and let them rest briefly. Then, fry them a second time until they become deeply golden and wonderfully crispy.

3. Dip Hot Awamat in Room-Temperature Sugar Syrup

For the perfect syrupy finish, dip the hot, freshly fried awamat into room-temperature sugar syrup. This temperature contrast helps the dough balls absorb the syrup while maintaining their crispy exterior and sweet, syrup-soaked interior.

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Awamat (Lebanese doughnuts)

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Prep: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Cook: 27 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Course

Dessert

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sugar syrup desserts

Cuisine

#Middle Eastern

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Lebanese

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Description

These fried dough balls have a crispy, golden-brown exterior and a sweet, syrup-filled interior. This vegan, dairy-free, and egg-free awamat recipe is a real crowd-pleaser, both in taste and quantity. Although making them from scratch takes a bit of time and effort, the delicious final result makes it all worthwhile.

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

4 cups vegetable or sunflower oil

For the Awamat Dough

• ▢ 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 medium potato boiled until fork-tender
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch cornflour
• ▢ 2 cups lukewarm water

For the Sugar Syrup (Atter)

• ▢ 3 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 1½ cups water
• ▢ 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons orange blossom water
• ▢ For Frying
• ▢ 4 cups vegetable oil or sunflower oil

Instructions

 

• Prepare the sugar syrup (atter).

  Add the water, sugar, and lemon juice to a saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the syrup simmer uncovered for 7 minutes. Stir in the orange blossom water, remove the saucepan from the heat, and set the syrup aside to cool to room temperature.
• Boil and mash the potato.

  Place the potato in a pot and cover it with water. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potato is fork-tender. Drain the water and let the potato cool enough to handle. Peel it and mash thoroughly with a potato masher until completely smooth, with no lumps.
• Prepare the awamat batter.

  Transfer the mashed potato to a large bowl. Add the all-purpose flour, active dry yeast, cornstarch, and lukewarm water. Whisk everything together until you have a smooth, lump-free batter.
• Let the batter rise.

  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (cling film) and leave the batter to rise in a warm place for about 1½ hours, or until it has doubled in size.
• In a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil to the appropriate temperature for frying.
• Scoop up a little batter, just enough to fill your hand. Gently squeeze your fist to push a small ball of batter through the space between your thumb and index finger, aiming for a size similar to a cherry. Watch the recipe video for a step-by-step demonstration of this technique.
  
• Carefully drop the batter balls into the hot oil, frying them in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and stir occasionally until the balls begin to firm up and turn pale yellow. Watch the recipe video to see exactly how they should look at this stage! Remove the awamat from the oil using a slotted spoon and repeat the process until all the batter has been fried.
• Return the partially fried awamat to the hot oil in three batches. Fry them a second time until they turn a beautiful golden-brown color and become crispy. Double-frying is the secret to achieving that perfectly crunchy exterior.
• Remove the awamat from the oil using a slotted spoon and immediately dip them into the sugar syrup. Let the dough balls soak for 2–3 minutes to absorb the syrup. Remove them from the syrup and transfer to a serving dish. Serve and enjoy these crispy, golden Lebanese doughnuts.
  

Video

Notes

If you make this recipe, share your pictures on Facebook! I would love to see your creations!Hashtag them #Hadia's Lebanese Cuisine

Keyword awamat, awameh, zalabia

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