Atayef (Middle Eastern Stuffed Pancakes)

Atayef (qatayef) are an Arabic dessert of stuffed pancakes filled with walnuts, then oven-baked and then coated in a fragrant simple syrup. These are vegan-friendly.

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Jump to:

• 🥞What Are Atayef?
• 😋Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• ✔️What you’ll need
• 🥘Ingredient Notes
• 🔪Step by Step Guide
• ⭐Pro Tips
• 🥞Variations
• 🍴Related Recipes
• Atayef (Middle Eastern Stuffed Pancakes)

I first learned of atayef from my son’s grandmother. I remember her stuffing pancakes and then frying them crisp and coating them in a simple syrup.

They were delightful.

Atayef, can be pronounced differently depending on where in the Middle East. For example, it can be said as Gatayef or Qatayef (Palestinian), Katayef (Gulf), Atayef (Lebanon) and so forth. 

To say atayef in English is simple - "Ah-tah-yeff'

🥞What Are Atayef?

Atayef are light and fluffy pancakes (scattered with holes from air bubbles, not as dense as hotcakes) that have been stuffed with varying fillings.

Whilst homemade atayef are mostly reserved for special occasions, such as a Ramadan dessert after iftar, these Middle Eastern pancakes can be found any time in bakeries across the Middle East.

These can be purchased pre-made or pancakes only.

Filling Variations

With the pancake only, you have the choice of stuffing them with either nuts, white cheese, or ashta (an Arabic custard).

Generally, the ashta version uses a soft pancake (not baked or fried) that has been left half-open. These are known as Atayef Asafiri.

Atayef can be either fried (pan-fried or deep-fried) or baked.

This recipe showcases how to make baked vegan atayef from scratch filled with walnuts. And then lightly coated in simple syrup.

A slightly healthier version, yet equally irresistible.

😋Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Baked and not fried
• A different way of enjoying pancakes which are a dessert!
• Seriously delicious
• These are vegan atayef

✔️What you’ll need

🥘Ingredient Notes

Fine semolina - is readily available in most supermarkets now or can be purchased online.

If you can’t get your hands on fine semolina, just replace it with the same amount of plain flour.

Walnuts - use raw walnuts that have not been salted. These will be crushed into small pieces.

Rose water (affiliate link)- can be found at your middle-eastern grocer or online.

This can be replaced with orange blossom water or can be a 50:50 ratio (rose water and orange blossom water)

Yeast - ensure your yeast is not expired.

Yeast is vital to the success of this katayef recipe, as it creates bubble holes within the face of the pancake.

Water - must be warm to activate the yeast.

Neutral Oil - choose a light oil like grapeseed oil or vegetable or canola oil.

I highly recommend watching the attached video of how to make atayef from scratch. It's a great visual guide.

🔪Step by Step Guide

Approach making atayef in a three-step process (filling, syrup, pancake). 

Prepare filling

Step 1 Crush walnuts into small pieces.

Combine crushed walnuts with cinnamon, coconut, and coconut sugar. Set aside.

Prepare simple syrup (attar)

Step 2 Place sugar and water in a saucepot and stir for approx. 30 seconds to help dissolve sugar.

Bring to the boil, add rose water and add lemon. Stir for 1 minute to bind it together.

Set aside to cool.

Prepare atayef pancakes

Step 3 In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

Add wet ingredients to form a batter.

Step 4 Heat up a nonstick pan over low-medium heat.

Pour batter into the pan. Allow the pancake to cook until bubble holes have formed and there is no more wet batter on the face. Approx. 2 minutes.

Transfer from the pan into a covered tray.

Assembling

Step 5 Place a pancake in your hand with the face-up, pinch one end to help create the start of a pouch.

Place 2-3 teaspoons of filling in the center of the pancake.

Begin pinching the perimeter of the pancake together until it is completely sealed.

Place stuffed pancake onto parchment paper-lined baking tray.

Repeat until all is done.

Step 6 Brush each stuffed atayef with oil and place tray into a pre-heated oven of 180C (356F) and bake until golden brown and crispy. Approx 20-25min.

Step 7 Allow to cool for about 10 minutes and brush (drizzle) with simple syrup and garnish with pistachio.

Serve immediately.

⭐Pro Tips

Atayef batter is thinner than normal pancake batter and will contain more bubbles.

Start using your batter after 15 minutes of letting it sit. The longer the batter sits, the more bubbles, which can make it hard to pour the batter into a round shape.

Do not use a cast-iron skillet or pan. As it will be too hot to create the desired pancakes.

Heat should be on low-med depending on your stovetop. Gas is hotter than electric.

Conduct a test with the first poured pancake. If the underside burns, turn down your heat.

A good size for a single serving of atayef is approximately 10-12cm in diameter. Of course, you can make this bigger or smaller to suit your needs. 

An atayef pancake is ready to take off the heat when there is no more wet batter. Bubble holes should be littered all over the pancake face. 

Never flip the pancake, they are not like regular American pancakes.

It is imperative the face maintains the bubble holes and moisture, this helps with the baking and sealing of the stuffed pancake.

These vegan atayef pancakes are very soft and tender to handle. Be careful when using a spatula to remove them from the pan.

Place each cooked pancake on a tray covered with a tea towel. This will help retain the moisture and slight tackiness which is needed to help with pinching the pancake together once stuffed.

If the qatayef remain uncovered, they will dry out, break apart, and can no longer be stuffed.

Pancakes (not stuffed) can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days and then stuffed. 

Don’t overfill with walnut stuffing. About 2-3 teaspoons will suffice. Leave at least a 1.5-2cm rim to pinch the atayef shut.

Leftover simple syrup can be stored in an airtight jar in the fridge for a couple of months.

🥞Variations

Frying - whether you are deep frying or pan-frying, heat neutral oil and cook each atayef until golden crispy. 

Nuts - swap out the walnuts for raw pistachio or almonds. Or combine a mixture of the three. 

Yeast can be replaced with baking powder

Simple syrup -whilst this will change the dessert altogether and is not traditionally used in Arabic sweets, opt for Maple syrup instead.

🍴Related Recipes

If you're looking for a range of Ramadan desserts, check out Baklawa (Lebanese Baklava)

A delicious Arabic dessert is Namoura, which is a sweet semolina cake.

Something a bit lighter yet still sweet is Lebanese rice pudding riz bi haleeb

Perfect for a summer's day this Hayaliyeh Lebanese milk pudding is refreshingly good.

Or for a quick sweet snack, try these vegan gluten free ANZAC biscuits.

Did you enjoy baking vegan atayef I would love to hear from you, leave me a comment below and give me a rating. This will help me sustain Plant Based Folk. 

Alternatively, did you happen to take a photo of your Middle Eastern pancakes Tag me @plantbasedfolk on Instagram to be featured via stories. If you love sharing your vegan food pics, join the PBF community group. If you’re into fast cooking vids, join me on Tiktok.