Best Guatemalan Desserts: Traditional Sweets & Candy

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Guatemalan desserts are traditional sweets made with plantains, panela (unrefined cane sugar), corn, and local fruit, simmered in spiced syrup, and most are associated with specific dates rather than a dessert menu. That is the part that catches people off guard. Torrejas are a Semana Santa dish. Molletes and jocotes en miel arrive for Day of the Dead. Buñuelos and tamales de cambray show up at Christmas. Ask a Guatemalan for a dessert recipe, and the first question back is usually what time of year it is.

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What Makes Guatemalan Desserts Different

Guatemalan sweets split into two families, and knowing which one you are looking at answers most of the questions people have about them. Postres are the plated desserts: rellenitos, arroz con leche, bocado de reina, torrejas. You make them at home, you serve them at a table, and you eat them warm. Dulces típicos are the confectioner’s candies, sold by weight from glass cases at ferias patronales. Most Guatemalan families buy those rather than make them. This guide is about the first family.

The through line is panela and syrup. Guatemalan sweets lean on unrefined cane sugar cooked down with cinnamon and on fruit simmered in that syrup until it turns glossy and keeps for weeks without refrigeration. That is not a stylistic preference. It is what you do with fruit in a hot country before anyone owns a freezer, and it is why so many of these Guatemalan desserts predate the appliance you would now use to store them.

What Desserts Are Popular in Guatemala?

The most popular Guatemalan desserts are rellenitos de plátano, bocado de reina, buñuelos, and champurradas. Rellenitos are the one most Chapines name first: mashed ripe plantain wrapped around sweetened black beans, fried, and rolled in sugar. Bocado de reina turns stale bread into something closer to cake than pudding. Buñuelos and champurradas are the fair-and-coffee end of the list.

Popularity and tradition are not the same list, though. Ask which desserts Guatemalans actually eat, and the answer is seasonal: garbanzos en miel and torrejas during Lent and Semana Santa (Holy Week), molletes and jocotes en miel for Día de Todos los Santos (All Saints’ Day), buñuelos and tamales de cambray at Christmas. The table below sorts them the way a Guatemalan cook would.

Traditional Dessert Recipes from Guatemala

I have been making these outside Guatemala for years, which means I have also spent years hunting down panela, plantains ripe enough to mash, and figs that hold their shape. Some of these travel beautifully. A few of them fight you. I have marked which is which, because there is nothing worse than committing to a dessert on a Tuesday night and finding out at step three that the one ingredient it depends on is four stores away.

With lots of delicious recipes to choose from, you will have a tough time deciding which one to cook first. These traditional Guatemalan dessert recipes are so good you’ll want to run and plan your menu for 15 de septiembre, Hispanic Heritage Month, or whenever you are craving something sweet.

Rellenitos De Plátano

If you’re looking for the best rellenitos de plátano recipe, you’ve come to the right place. This Guatemalan dessert is one of my favorites: ripe plantains filled with beans and covered in sugar. This sweet plantain recipe is one of Guatemala’s most popular desserts.

If you have never tried plantain rellenitos before, you might think this is a strange combination of flavors. But you’ll be surprised at how amazing this plantain dessert is. It’s also an easy recipe you can make in less than 30 minutes.

Arroz con Leche

In this yummy rice pudding recipe, you will taste the flavors of Guatemala melting in your mouth. It is an easy dessert you’ll surely enjoy. Arroz con leche is the perfect dessert to make with the whole family on a rainy day. I hope you enjoy this quick and delicious recipe as much as I do.

And if you love rice-based recipes, then Guatemalan horchata is a must! Made with a blend of rice, cinnamon, and vanilla, this creamy beverage is the perfect way to cool down and satisfy your sweet tooth on a hot day. With its unique and delicious flavor, it’s no wonder horchata is a popular drink all across Central America.

Platanitos Fritos

Platanitos fritos (or plátanos maduros fritos as they are also known) is probably one of the easiest Guatemalan recipes. These tasty fried sweet plantains can be made in just minutes!

Chocobananos

Chocobananos are frozen bananas on a stick dipped in chocolate and rolled in crushed peanuts, sprinkles, or coconut. Every Guatemalan kid has eaten one out of a cooler at a park or a fair. Four ingredients, no cooking, and the freezer does the work, which makes it the easiest thing on this list and the one my kids ask for.

Jocotes en Miel

Hog plums cooked in a bubbling sweet syrup and heavenly spices, these juicy jocotes en miel are a traditional Guatemalan food commonly served around the Day of the Dead celebrations. Still, you can now enjoy this simple yet delicious recipe any day.

Plátanos en Mole

Looking for a dessert that’s both sweet and savory? Look no further than plátanos en mole, a beloved Guatemalan food that’s sure to satisfy any craving. Featuring ripe plantains smothered in a rich, aromatic mole sauce, this dish is a true feast for the senses. Whether you’re a seasoned foodie or just looking to try something new, Platano en Mole is a must-try dessert that’s sure to leave a lasting impression.

Torrejas

Torrejas are a Guatemalan Semana Santa dessert: slices of sweet bread soaked in egg, fried, and then simmered in a panela syrup spiced with cinnamon and cloves. They are not stuffed, which is the difference between torrejas and molletes, and it is the thing people most often mix up. During Lent, you will find them in bakeries and market stalls across the country, and outside that window, they mostly disappear. The syrup traditionally carries rum. Mine does not, because my kids eat these, but the rum version is the one you will be handed in Guatemala, and it is worth making at least once.

Guatemalan Buñuelos

Buñuelos Guatemaltecos are bits of fried wheat-based dough, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Throughout Latin America, there are different versions of buñuelos; they can be round, flat, or even twisted strips of dough. In Guatemala, the buñuelos are covered in powdered sugar and served in a light syrup with a hint of anise.

Garbanzos en Miel

Garbanzos en miel, also known as chickpeas in honey, combines the sweetness of brown sugar or panela with the nutty flavor of chickpeas. This chickpea dessert is a popular Guatemalan dish during Lent, Semana Santa, and 1ero de Noviembre, or Día de Todos los Santos. It can also be enjoyed year-round as a delicious sweet snack.

Guatemalan Molletes

Guatemalan molletes are a traditional dessert similar to stuffed French toast, usually served for the Day of the Dead or All Saints Day festivities. They are fried pan dulce, or sweet bread, stuffed with milky custard and soaked in a delicious syrup made with panela (or raw sugar) and rum. However, you can leave the rum out for a kid-friendly version. A step-by-step recipe for this easy, delicious dessert that will have your kids licking their fingers!

Ayote en Miel

Ayote en miel (or ayote en dulce) is a delicious squash in a sweet syrup of panela (unrefined cane sugar) and spices. Once you taste the sweetness of the syrup and the subtle nutty taste of the squash, you will love this dish. So, here is my super-easy recipe to end a great family meal with something sweet that reminds me of back home.

Manzanillas en Miel

Manzanillas en miel, also known as manzanillas en dulce, is a Guatemalan dessert made with the manzanilla fruit (tecojote or Mexican hawthorn). It is also popular in El Salvador where it is known as dulce de manzanilla.  This delicious treat is usually enjoyed during Semana Santa (Holy Week) and Lent.

Chancletas

Güisquil (chayote squash) halves scooped out, mixed with sugar, cinnamon, and raisins, then packed back into their own shells and baked. The name means flip-flops, which is what they look like coming out of the oven. Chancletas is the only dessert here that starts with a vegetable most people put in soup, and it converts skeptics faster than anything else on the list.

Higos en Dulce

Higos en dulce are figs simmered in panela syrup until they go dark and glossy. Same family as jocotes en miel and ayote en miel, and the same Semana Santa and Todos los Santos rhythm. Food-grade cal is what keeps the figs whole instead of letting them collapse into jam, and it is the step people skip and then regret.

Molletes filled with Garbanzos en Miel

These molletes filled with garbanzos en miel offer a twist on two classic Guatemalan desserts. The soft, syrup-soaked molletes combined with honeyed chickpeas in the center merge two popular Lent and Semana Santa treats, which are also enjoyed on November 1st for el Día de Todos los Santos.

Bananas with Sweet Cream

Ripe bananas under a spoonful of thick, sweet cream, and that is the entire dessert. It is what I serve when someone drops by, and there is nothing baked in the house. Just a few simple ingredients, no technique, and it still tastes like somewhere specific.

Sweet Tamales: Guatemala’s Christmas Desserts

Not every Guatemalan tamal is stuffed with meat. Sweet tamales are a dessert; you eat them with coffee, and they show up mostly in December, when kitchens start smelling like masa and cinnamon before anyone is properly awake. These two are the ones people actually make.

Tamal de Elote

Fresh corn ground into masa with sugar and butter, wrapped back into the husk it came in, and steamed. Tamal de elote sits on the line between snack and dessert. Guatemalans eat it with coffee in the afternoon, and nobody bothers calling it a main course.

Tamales de Cambray

The Christmas sweet tamales, pink from the sugar, packed with raisins, almonds, and prunes, and made with a masa enriched until it sits closer to cake than to anything savory. These tamalitos de Cambray come wrapped in tusa (dried corn husks) like other tamales, which is exactly why people who have not had one assume they are a main course rather than a dessert.

Exploring the Sweet World of Guatemalan Baked Treats

Guatemala’s rich culinary culture extends beyond savory dishes to an array of delicious baked treats. Cookies and baked desserts come in various shapes, sizes, and flavors, and use local ingredients such as cinnamon, vanilla, and corn. From barquillos and chiquiadores to sweet empanadas and tres leches, there are so many delicious cookies, cakes, and baked desserts to choose from. Guatemalan baked treats are an essential part of the country’s gastronomic heritage and offer a unique way to explore the flavors of this vibrant culture.

And if you are craving some sweet breads, make sure to check my article about pan dulce de Guatemala. Here you will find a complete list of sweet bread varieties, and recipes for pan dulce, including regional varieties like shecas.

Champurradas

A super easy recipe for champurradas that will surely be a success with everyone in the family. Champurradas are scrumptious giant cookies with the perfect level of crunch to dunk in your morning coffee. This traditional dessert is so simple to make and perfect if you’re looking for an easy Guatemalan dish.

Empanadas De Manjar De Leche

Empanadas de manjar are pie-like pastries filled with a milk-based, creamy custard filling. If you want to surprise your loved ones with this delicious dessert, here is a quick recipe to try.

Cocadas Cookies

Chiquiadores are a type of sweet bread or “pan dulce” common in Guatemalan cuisine. This dessert is famous for its crunchy texture and flat shape, which distinguishes it from other types of sweet bread. Popular at kids’ birthday parties and to accompany ice cream sundaes, these cookies are delicious and easy to make.

Pastel de Elote

Sweet corn cake, dense and custardy, somewhere between cornbread and flan. You usually make pastel de elote when the corn is fresh, and it turns up at snack time as often as it does after dinner. Warm, with coffee, is the correct way to eat it.

Bocado de Reina

Bocado de reina is a delicious cake made with leftover bread. It is remarkably similar to bread pudding but has a more cake-like consistency. It is an amazingly easy, quick dessert that pairs well with any meal.

Quesadillas de Zacapa

This is an easy recipe for quesadilla de Zapaca, a sweet cheese bread or pan dulce typical of Guatemala’s eastern region. A combination of rice flour, cheese, and cream, quesadillas have a moist yet crumbly texture similar to cornbread. If you’re looking for a delicious and easy dessert recipe, this is it.

Pineapple Empanadas

These easy-to-make pineapple empanadas make a great dessert or a quick sweet snack. I like that empanadas are perfect for entertaining and also travel well. They are ideal snacks for bringing to picnics, BBQs, or potlucks. I also love putting them in my kids’ lunchboxes.

Barquillos

And finally, want to add a unique and delicious treat to your Guatemalan dessert repertoire? Look no further than barquillos! With their delicate texture and sweet flavor, these thin wafer cookies are a must-try for any foodie enthusiast.

Guatemalan Sweets to Make at Home

Dulces típicos are the other half of Guatemalan desserts: the sweets sold by the pound from glass cases at ferias patronales (local fairs) and in the candy shops around Antigua, made with panela, coconut, milk, and whatever fruit is in season. Most of them you can make at home, and they are easier than they look. What they ask for is patience, not technique.

These three are the ones most people actually make at home. There are plenty more. My guide to traditional Guatemalan candy covers around 50 of them, including their history, with recipes for colochos de guayaba, maleta de higos, and more!

Canillitas de Leche

Canillitas de leche are my favorite traditional candy. For this dish, I took a few shortcuts. I love experimenting and turning the traditional, time-consuming recipe into a simple, easy, no-bake dessert. As a result, this incredible recipe has all the authentic canillitas de leche flavors without the hard work. This delicious 10-minute dessert uses only three ingredients you already have in your pantry.

Cocadas Reales

This delicious coconut candy recipe is one of my favorite Guatemalan candies. Known as cocadas reales, this coconut candy is shredded coconut and condensed milk cooked on the stovetop. Chewy, sweet, and deliciously soft, this traditional candy is a sweet treat that you’re sure to fall in love with.

Dulce de Chilacayote

A hard-shelled squash soaked in cal and cooked down in panela syrup until the strands turn amber and glassy, crunchy at the edges and soft in the middle. Dulce de chilacayote belongs to Semana Santa and to the ferias, and a jar of it keeps for weeks on the counter.

Guatemalan Desserts: The Sweet Details

How are Guatemalan desserts different from Mexican ones?

Guatemalan desserts lean on panela (piloncillo cones) syrup and fruit, while Mexican desserts lean more on dairy and pastry. The overlap is real; both traditions share arroz con leche, buñuelos, and tres leches, but the Guatemalan versions are usually less sweet and more likely cooked in syrup. The clearest example is rellenitos de plátano, which has no direct Mexican equivalent.

Which Guatemalan desserts can I make with ingredients from a regular US grocery store?

Arroz con leche, platanitos fritos, champurradas, chancletas, and bocado de reina need nothing you cannot buy at a standard US supermarket. Rellenitos need ripe plantains, which most stores carry near the bananas. The ones that will send you to a Latin grocery are anything calling for panela, and higos en dulce, which needs cal (food-grade lime), a white powder used to nixtamalize corn for tortillas and tamales.

When do you actually eat these desserts in Guatemala?

Almost every traditional Guatemalan dessert has a season. Torrejas and garbanzos en miel belong to Lent and Holy Week. Molletes, jocotes en miel, and ayote en miel appear at Día de Todos los Santos celebrations on November 1st. Buñuelos and tamales de cambray show up at Christmas. Only a handful, arroz con leche and rellenitos among them, you eat them year-round, which is part of why they are the two most people know.

Where to Eat These Sweets in Guatemala

If you want the bigger picture of how these sweets fit into the rest of the food, my guide to traditional Guatemalan food covers the savory side and where each dish belongs in a day of eating. And if you are actually going, the sweets are worth planning around. The best ones are not in restaurants; they are at market stalls and ferias patronales, and they are gone by evening.

I plan custom trips through Guatemala, and I build food into the route. So if that is the kind of trip you want, come tell me what you are hoping to eat.

Which One Are You Making First?

When I was growing up in Guatemala, there was this cute little bakery near my house. It made mini pineapple empanadas, and I would always ask my mom to get them for special occasions. I didn’t start making Guatemalan desserts at home until I moved to the US, and now every time I make them, they bring me such special memories. Sharing recipes always brings me joy. It makes me feel like sharing a sweet little piece of my childhood. If your family makes one of these a different way, or if there is a dessert I have left off entirely, tell me in the comments.

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Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz

Paula Bendfeldt-Díaz is a Guatemalan travel writer, photographer, and founder of Growing Up Bilingual. After spending more than 15 years in the United States, she now lives in Guatemala and shares detailed travel guides, traditional Guatemalan recipes, and cultural insights based on a lifetime of firsthand experience.

Through her writing, Paula helps travelers discover Guatemala beyond the typical tourist route with practical advice, local recommendations, and authentic experiences that connect visitors with the country’s people, culture, and traditions.

Planning a trip to Guatemala? Paula offers personalized Guatemala itinerary planning and trip consultation services tailored to your interests, travel style, and budget. Contact her at [email protected] to learn more.

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