If you haven’t already, you MUST try Halawet el Jibn—a showstopping, melt-in-your-mouth Middle Eastern dessert. And if you have tried it, but only from restaurants or pastry shops, now is the time you make this at home!
It’s therapeutic mixing up that soft and sticky cheese dough, filling it with luscious clotted cream and drenching it in a fragrant syrup. The soft and stretchy halawet el jibn cheese dough just melts in your mouth, and every bite is unique, cheesy and creamy.
This is especially popular in Ramadan or Eid, or on any other festive Middle Eastern occasions. Halawet El jibn literally translates to “the sweetness of cheese” because it’s the perfect example of using cheese in a dessert application.
These sweet cheese rolls originate from central Syria—often credited to Hama (and sometimes Homs). They are enjoyed all across the Levant, and are a cherished staple during Ramadan, Eid, weddings, and festive family gatherings
As soon as I perfected homemade Middle Eastern clotted cream (Ashta), which is so much easier than you think it is, I knew this was the recipe I absolutely needed to use the ashta in.
Jump to:
- Why this is a great Every Little Crumb recipe:
- Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Halawet El Jibn ingredients:
- How to make this:
- Getting ultra smooth halawet el jebn
- How to serve:
- Recipe variations:
- Storing Leftovers:
- Making halawet el jibn in advance:
- Expert tips and tricks:
- Top Tip
- Recipe FAQs:
- If you liked this recipe, you might like:
- Pairing
- Halawet El Jibn
Why this is a great Every Little Crumb recipe:
Halawet el jibn has such nostalgic memories for me- I’d crave them year round, and finally get to eat them during our summer vacations in Jordan. They always seemed like such magical, unattainable morsels, nothing I could attempt at home. Since I’m all about making Middle Eastern food approachable, I knew I had to conquer my fear and figure out how to make these at home. Now I can happily say, these are so much easier than you probably think they are!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- It’s a classic Middle Eastern dessert- something you have to try at least once.
- The pillowy texture of both the sweet cheese dough and the clotted cream melt in your mouth- it’s such a delicious sensation!
- Although the method does need to be followed carefully, the ingredients are pretty basic- you need just a handful of ingredients that carry through in all three components (the sugar syrup, cheese dough, and clotted cream)
- It’s such an accomplishment making halawet el jibn at home, it’s something that made me so happy when I ended up doing it!
Halawet El Jibn ingredients:
- Semolina: a coarse flour made from durum wheat, very frequently used in Middle Eastern desserts. Semolina usually comes as coarse or fine, in this recipe, we use the fine semolina. Fine semolina is sometimes labeled as farina or ferkha.
- Mozzarella cheese: I use packaged shredded Mozzarella cheese, you can also get a block of mozzarella and shred it yourself. You don’t want fresh mozzarella or anything that has too much moisture in it.
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar
- Water
- Orange Blossom water and Rose water: these add a beautiful flavor to cheese dough and to the sugar syrup. I definitely recommend having these on hand if you have any interest in making any Middle Eastern desserts, they are such staples! You’ll find them in Middle Eastern supermarkets, larger retailers, and online.
- Lemon Juice: You’ll also use a squeeze of fresh lemon juice while making the sugar syrup (along with sugar and water and orange blossom and rose water)
- Ashta (clotted cream): You can buy ready made cream (either actual Ashta if you can find it anywhere- it’s a bit hard to find, or canned table cream) but I HIGHLY recommend you make your own. The recipe is in the recipe notes and here.
- Pistachios: for garnish- you can use pistachio powder, roughly chopped pistachios, or sliver
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make this:
- Step 1: Add the sugar and water to a large saucepan over medium heat, and stir occasionally until dissolved.
- Step 2: Let this mixture come to a simmer.
- Step 3: Add the semolina to this sugar water mixture.
- Step 4: Stir until thickened, 30 seconds or so.
- Step 5: Add the rose and orange blossom water and mix to combine.
- Step 6: Add in the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Step 7: Keep stirring until the mixture sticks together and starts to pull away from the bottom of the pan.
- Step 8: Quickly place the dough on greased plastic wrap or silpat, and roll out into a thin rectangle, trimming uneven edges.
- Step 9: Dollop ashta (cream) in a line across the cheese dough.
- Step 10: Roll the cheese dough up and over the cream filling, then cut into bite sized pieces.
- Step 11: Repeat with the remainder of the cheese dough.
- Step 12: To serve, garnish with ground pistachios and serve with extra sugar syrup.
Hint: Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to smoothly cut through the sticky cheese rolls.
Getting ultra smooth halawet el jebn
For ultra‑smooth dough, keep stirring in the mozzarella cheese and scraping the pan bottom until the mixture pulls away as a single mass—this signals the perfect stretchy texture.
How to serve:
- With plenty of extra sugar syrup – I love very liberally dousing this in sugar syrup, especially because the dessert in and of itself isn’t very sweet!
- With pistachio nuts to garnish – The contrast in texture and visual appeal of the chopped pistachios against the pale sweet cheese rolls is signature to this recipe.
- Deconstructed- If you don’t want to fill and cut out individual cheese rolls, you can serve this as a mound, with the cheese dough on the bottom, and heaps of ashta on top.
Recipe variations:
- Akkawi or Nabulsi cheese – if you don’t want to use mozzarella cheese, you can use desalted Akkawi or Nabulsi cheese instead, a very traditional method of preparation.
- Ready made cream- if you don’t want to make the ashta, you can use any ready made cream, or even slightly sweetened ricotta or mascarpone cheese as the filling.
- Store bought sugar syrup- You can use sugar syrup for a store or restaurant if you don’t want to make it- it’s really simple to make though!
Storing Leftovers:
You can store leftover halawet el jibn in the fridge for 2-3 days- make sure to keep them tightly wrapped to avoid the cheese dough drying out.
You can also freeze halawet el jibn for up to one month- either freeze the stuffed rolls before cutting (wrapping them tightly and placing in an airtight container) or freeze individually cut halawet el jibn, also in an airtight container. Freeze before adding any sugar syrup or pistachios. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Making halawet el jibn in advance:
You can make these one day in advance, and store tightly wrapped in the fridge. Avoid garnishing with pistachios or drizzling with sugar syrup until right before serving. Sugar syrup can also be stored tightly covered in the fridge, for 1-2 weeks.
Expert tips and tricks:
- Once the cheese dough starts to pull away from the pan, work fast. It’ll dry up as it cools making it harder to work with.
- Have your plastic wrap sheets ready before starting the recipe, you’ll need to immediately transfer the dough to it.
- Stir the the sugar syrup only at the beginning and only simmer for 10 minutes to prevent it from crystallizing.
- Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to get perfectly cut pieces of halawet el jibn.
- Sprinkle on the pistachios right before serving so they retain their vibrant color and don’t get soggy.
Top Tip
You might have to balance the texture of the halawet el jibn. If it’s too sticky, add a little more semolina. If it’s too dry, add a splash more water or sugar syrup.
Recipe FAQs:
Translating literally to “the sweetness of cheese” or “cheese dessert” this is a classic Middle Eastern dessert made from a semolina and cheese dough that’s wrapped around ashta (clotted cream), chilled, and served with sugar syrup and garnished with pistachios.
No, semolina is a pivotal part of the recipe, and what gives the cheese rolls their signature texture.
You can use ready table cream, mascarpone, or ricotta cheese. I’d recommend mixing anything you substitute with a little orange blossom and rose water to better mimic ashta.
You may have waited too long before rolling- as the dough cools, it starts to dry. You also may not have added enough syrup (sugar water), and can compensate by adding a splash of water.
No, semolina is a wheat product and therefore it contains gluten.
If you liked this recipe, you might like:
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with halawet el jibn:
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Halawet El Jibn
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar 100g
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup fine semolina 175g
- 2 tablespoon orange blossom water
- 2 tablespoon rose water
- 400 g shredded mozzarella cheese 1 2/3 cup, 12oz
Sugar syrup for serving:
- 2.5 cups white sugar 300g
- 1 1/4 cups room temperature water
- squeeze lemon juice
- 1.5 tablespoon rose water
- 1.5 tablespoon orange blossom water
Ashta cream for serving (either ready made or see recipe linked in notes)
Instructions
For the halawet el jibn:
- Stretch out a few large sheets of plastic wrap onto a countertop. Brush them with a little melted ghee or oil to prevent sticking. You can also optionally drizzle some sugar syrup over them for added flavor.
- Add the sugar and water to a large saucepan over medium heat, and stir occasionally until dissolved, then stop stirring and allow the mixture to come to a simmer.
- Add the semolina to the sugar mixture, and use a sturdy rubber spatula to stir until thickened and smooth, about 30 seconds or so. Add the orange blossom and rose water and mix until combined.
- Add the shredded mozzarella cheese and stir until melted. Keep stirring the mixture, scooping the mixture from the bottom of the pan and folding over and over again until the cheese mixture sticks together and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Immediately place the mixture onto the prepared plastic wrap, dividing it into two batches. Cover each half batch with another sheet of plastic wrap, and use a rolling pin to roll out into a thin rectangle. Use a pizza cutter to cut off any uneven sides.
- Add a heaped tablespoon full of ashta cream to the long side of the cheese dough, leaving some dough as a border, then fold the cheese dough over the cream filling, using the plastic wrap to help bring it up and over until you have a sealed cream-filled log. (Think of it like rolling a cinnamon roll with filling inside.)
- Use a knife to cut this cream filled log away from the rest of the cheese dough, and set aside on a non stick surface that you can later slice it on (a silicone baking mat, cutting board, parchment covered countertop)
- Repeat the process until you've used up all your cheese dough, and slice each cream filled log into small individual halawet el jibn pieces. Store tightly wrapped in the fridge until ready to serve, then topped with crushed pistachio pieces and serve with sugar syrup, preparation method below:
For the sugar syrup:
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water and lemon juice. Set on a stovetop over medium high heat. Stir just to combine then let it be. If sugar isn’t dissolving, you can stir a couple times but as soon as it starts to boil stop stirring.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from stove immediately once 10 minutes is over. It should have thickened to the consistency of maple syrup.
- Once off the heat, stir in rose water and orange blossom water, and transfer to a container to cool. Serve with the halawet el jibn.
Video
Notes
🧾 Ingredient Notes:
- Fine Semolina: Use fine semolina for a smooth, cohesive dough.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Shredded low-moisture mozzarella works best.
- Floral Waters: Rose water + orange blossom water are essential for authentic flavor. You can find these in Middle Eastern supermarkets or online!
- Ashta: Homemade is ideal. Follow this recipe! In a pinch, canned cream, ricotta, or mascarpone cheese will also work, mix any of these with a little rose and orange blossom water.
- Pistachios: Use finely chopped or ground pistachios; add just before serving.
💡 Top Tips
- Roll the cheese dough while it’s still warm—it becomes harder to work with as it cools.
- Grease your plastic wrap or silpat to avoid sticking, and drizzle with a little sugar syrup for some extra flavor.
- Use a pizza cutter for clean edges and even slicing.
🧊 Storing
- Fridge: Store tightly wrapped for up to 2–3 days. You can make the rolls 1 day ahead, but don’t garnish with pistachios or drizzle with sugar syrup until right before serving.
- Freezer: Freeze plain rolls (no syrup/pistachios) for up to 1 month.
- Tip: Thaw in fridge, then garnish just before serving.
Rua Qaqish says
I love this Arabic dessert my favorite
Farah Abumaizar says
I LOVE IT TOO!!