Recipe
🍳 BREAKFAST
Khanfaroosh
Little saffron-and-cardamom cakes, crisp outside and soft within, fried and dusted with sugar.
Qatari · medium · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 20 min
~386 cal · 11g protein · 75g carbs · 4g fat · 2g fiber · 26g sugars · 1g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Khanfaroosh is a traditional Gulf sweet and a cherished breakfast and Ramadan treat, little fried cakes with a distinctive shape and perfume. A batter of rice flour and wheat flour is scented with the region's beloved aromatics, , , and , and leavened so it fries up light.
The batter is cooked in a special patterned mould that gives each cake its ridged, decorative form and crisp edges, while the inside stays soft and fragrant. The mix of rice and wheat flour gives a texture somewhere between a cake and a fritter.
In Qatar these golden cakes are dusted with sugar or drizzled with date syrup and served with a small cup of Arabic coffee, especially during Ramadan and on special mornings.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and dairy-, nut- 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 4
1.5 cups flour
1/2 cup rice flour
3 eggs
1 tsp threads
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp
1/3 cup
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
as needed oil for frying
Instructions
1
Bloom the saffron in a little warm water to draw out its colour and aroma.
2
Beat the eggs (or aquafaba) with the sugar, saffron, turmeric, and cardamom until pale and almost doubled, then beat in the flours, baking powder, and enough rosewater to bring it to a loose, pourable batter.
✎ Chef’s note
If you have time, cover the batter and rest it overnight in the fridge. It deepens the saffron colour and aroma, which is exactly what khanfaroosh is prized for.
3
Heat the oil for deep-frying to about 350F (175C).
✎ Chef’s note
Get the oil properly hot before frying, so the batter crisps quickly and golden rather than soaking up oil and turning heavy.
4
Drop in spoonfuls of batter (or use a mould) and fry until crisp and golden.
5
Drain, dust with sugar, and serve with Arabic coffee.
Doha tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Doha. Harees is Gulf-wide rather than Qatari, and the iftar table here usually leads with it and with thareed, bread soaked through with a meat and vegetable stew. Madrouba, balaleet, luqaimat and khanfaroush fill out the same table, which is a Ramadan repertoire more than a national cuisine.
🗺️
Qatar. Harees is Gulf-wide rather than Qatari alone: wheat and meat cooked together for hours and then beaten until neither is distinguishable, and it appears in Ramadan across the whole peninsula. The other Qatari names worth using are thareed, bread soaked in stew; madrouba, a beaten rice porridge; balaleet; and luqaimat, the syrup-soaked dumplings.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Qatar
HareesWheat berries and meat pounded together over long cooking into a smooth, comforting porridge.
MadroubaA soft, porridge-like rice and chicken dish beaten smooth with spices and dried lime, comforting Qatari Ramadan fare.
Assidat al-BoubarA warm pumpkin pudding of toasted flour, date syrup, and cardamom, a warming Qatari Ramadan sweet.
Browse all Qatar recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Mould or tin, Whisk.
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
Make it a Qatar meal
Sharbat LoomiDrink
Assidat al-BoubarDessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Khanfaroosh?
Little saffron-and-cardamom cakes, crisp outside and soft within, fried and dusted with sugar.
Where does Khanfaroosh come from?
Khanfaroosh is a Qatari dish from Doha, Qatar.
Can Khanfaroosh be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Khanfaroosh recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Khanfaroosh 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 count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), 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 Khanfaroosh take to make?
About 40 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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