🍢 SNACK
Eliópittes (Cypriot Olive and Mint Breads)
Soft yeast breads enriched with olive oil and studded with black olives, spring onion, fresh coriander and mint, shaped into small rounds and baked golden, eaten with coffee as a snack or through the Lenten fast.
Cypriot · medium · serves 10
prep 30 min · cook 45 min · plus 1 h 30 min hands-off time
~349 cal · 5g protein · 41g carbs · 18g fat · 2g fiber · 1g sugars · 3g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Eliópittes, olive pies, are one of the best-loved savoury bakes of Cyprus. They come in many shapes: little rounds of bread with the olives kneaded through, turnovers, or long rolls filled and baked, and they are eaten with a cup of coffee or tea, for breakfast, as a snack or as part of a meze.
Because they contain no meat, dairy or eggs, they are a staple of the Lenten fast, and Cypriot grandmothers bake them in batches and freeze them for the family. The filling is always black olives with onion and herbs; Cypriot cooks use mint above all, and fresh coriander, which is loved on the island, often goes in too. Some doughs are made with orange juice instead of water.
This version follows the Cypriot government's collection of traditional dishes: a yeast dough rich with oil, into which the olives, spring onion, coriander and mint are kneaded before it is shaped into small rounds.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 10
- 500 g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried yeast
- 180 ml corn oil or olive oil, divided
- 200 to 225 ml warm water
- 1/2 cup (about 75 g) black olives, pitted and chopped
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup (about 10 g) fresh coriander, chopped
- 1/4 cup (about 10 g) fresh mint, chopped, or 1 tbsp dried mint
Instructions
- 1Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add 120 ml of the oil and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until it is fully absorbed.
- 2Gradually add the warm water and knead for about 10 minutes, until you have a soft, elastic dough. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled.
- 3Add the olives, spring onions, coriander, mint and the remaining oil and knead gently until they are spread through the dough.
- 4Divide into 10 pieces and shape into rounds about 10 cm across. Set them on a baking tray lined with parchment, cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 185C (365F).
- 5Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature, with coffee or as part of a meze.✎ Chef’s noteThey freeze well, baked or unbaked, which is how Cypriot families keep a supply through Lent.
Cypriot tradition, after the Press and Information Office collection of traditional dishes.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Nicosia. Kleftiko takes its name from klefti, meaning stolen. Shepherds are said to have sealed meat into a pit dug in a hillside so that no smoke would give them away, and the modern version keeps the principle: lamb sealed in a covered oven for hours until it falls off the bone.
🗺️
Cyprus. Cypriot food is Mediterranean meze at its finest, grilled halloumi, slow-cooked kleftiko lamb, and dozens of small plates. Greek and Turkish influences meet over olive oil, herbs, and village bread.
🌍
Europe. Europe has written a great deal of its food into law. A regulation of 1992 created the protected designation of origin and the protected geographical indication, tying a name to a place and a method, and an EU evaluation published in 2021 counted more than three thousand registered names across those schemes, from cheeses and hams down to particular shapes of bread.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Cyprus
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Halloumi and EggsSlices of grilled halloumi with fried eggs and fresh tomato, the classic Cypriot breakfast.
KoupesTorpedo-shaped bulgur shells stuffed with spiced minced meat and onion, fried crisp, a favorite Cypriot snack-lunch.
Browse all Cyprus recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Oven.
Storing it: Best the day it is made. Wrap well and refresh in a warm oven, or freeze and reheat straight from frozen.
Make it a Cyprus meal
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LoukoumadesDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Eliópittes (Cypriot Olive and Mint Breads)?
Soft yeast breads enriched with olive oil and studded with black olives, spring onion, fresh coriander and mint, shaped into small rounds and baked golden, eaten with coffee as a snack or through the Lenten fast.
Where does Eliópittes (Cypriot Olive and Mint Breads) come from?
Eliópittes (Cypriot Olive and Mint Breads) is a Cypriot dish from Nicosia, Cyprus.
Can Eliópittes (Cypriot Olive and Mint Breads) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Eliópittes (Cypriot Olive and Mint Breads) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Eliópittes (Cypriot Olive and Mint Breads) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Eliópittes (Cypriot Olive and Mint Breads) take to make?
About 2 h 45 min in all: 30 minutes prep and 45 minutes cooking, plus 1 h 30 min of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 10.
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