Top 15 Belgian Desserts
Having a sweet tooth is your greatest asset when visiting Belgium. The country known for some of the best chocolate in the world is all about desserts and delicious sweet treats all day long.
You’ll always have some room left to eat one of their delicious delicacies since the Belgians sincerely believe that their desserts don’t end up in your stomach, but go straight to your heart. Enjoy their sweets and start tasting!
1. Lukken
A wonderful cooking activity that people do a few days before the New Year. It is a Belgian tradition in the Western Flanders region, where Bruges is the capital.
So, the ladies in West Flanders, or at least the older generations, bake these thin butter waffles named ‘Lukken’ to enjoy time with their children and grandchildren and give them away for good luck for the coming year. They are thin, crispy, and delicious.
2. Chocolate mousse
This one is the ultimate dessert in Belgium, especially since it is made with Belgian chocolate. These days, you can find chocolate mousse made of any type of chocolate which makes sure it never gets boring.
A good chocolate mousse should melt in your mouth, is light and airy, plus also super creamy. It definitely is the dessert to have after eating a delicious dinner and melts in your mouth whatever flavor you’re trying.
3. Rice Pudding
It is said that rice pudding is eaten by the angels in heaven with golden spoons. For sure, it tastes heavenly when you eat rice pudding in Belgium.
Make sure the milk is fresh, so we’re talking fresh-from-the-cow milk and no 5% fat milk; it helps with the color as well. Yet, the yellow color also comes with adding saffron, a vital ingredient when one makes rice pudding the Belgian way. Top it off with some cinnamon and brown sugar to taste, a dessert from heaven.
4. Knapkoek
This one has been baked in Belgium since the 17th century and has a flat, round shape. It is very typical in Belgium to find regional delicacies, and this one is to be found in Maaseik close to the Dutch border.
There used to be a port there, so it was a treat for the skippers. The name comes from the sound it makes when you take a bit of it, and it is covered with these highly delicious sugar chunks.
5. Chocolate Truffles
Yet not the ones you put on your expensive dinner, the chocolate-covered ones. To make the distinction, people call them chocolate truffles. They have chocolate ganache inside and are made in several steps.
First, the chocolate ganache has to cool down so it is a bit hard before you dip the truffles in melted chocolate to then roll them in chocolate flakes. So in the end you have this crunchy chocolate praline with a tasty soft chocolate filling.
6. Waffles
Waffles in Belgium are traditionally eaten as a snack around 4 pm, so not as breakfast or as dessert. Of course these days, the Belgians have waffles available at any moment of the day. The takeaway waffles stands are sure to pick up the pace during winter time, and waffles are not only delicious to eat but mouth-watering to smell as well.
You can find waffles with any topping, think chocolate, fruit, whipped cream, and anything your sweets-loving heart desires.
7. Liers Vlaaike
A bit more savory as a taste, these tarts or pies were invented more than 300 years ago, in Lier. The basic ingredients are breadcrumbs, candy syrup, milk, and herbs. Then you just add the typical ingredients from the region and you can have a Vlaai specific to any region in Flanders.
Yet, it all started in Lier and is once again a traditional dessert passed on by generation upon generation. Very often, raisins are added to it and children only learn to appreciate it past the age of 12; before that, they’ll often grab the rice pudding instead.
8. Cuberdon
The original ones are the purple-colored ones, made from natural Arabic gum and the raspberry flavoring also adds to the color. In Belgium, people call them little noses since they do have a slight nose shape. They are very sweet, since they are mainly made from sugar, and they can start a war between merchants about who has the best one.
They have a hard exterior with a gooey inside and are originated from the city of Ghent. These days, you can find them in all sorts of colors and even in the supermarkets.
9. Mattentaart uit Geraardsbergen
The quality of the Mattentaart is linked to the quality of the milk and therefore the main ingredient. Other ingredients are buttermilk, eggs, and almonds. These cute little tarts, made as a single serving, are said to have originated in the Middle Ages.
You can find them even in the famous paintings by Pieter Brueghel. And in Geraardsbergen, the place where it all started for the Mattentaart, they have a full day at the end of April to celebrate this delicious tart.
10. Speculaas
Although very often wrongly translated as gingerbread, a speculaas biscuit is way more than just that. It is a Belgian tradition and delicacy, no matter what the Dutchmen say. Traditionally, they have speculaas in December, just before St. Nicholas’ day. It is a celebration for children that often comes accompanied by sweets.
These days, you can have speculaas any day of the year, and Lotus is their biggest brand and exports the product! A coffee with a piece of speculaas, they form a winning team in Belgium.
11. Bread Pudding
It is more than just a great recipe to avoid food waste since it has a wonderful taste. You’ll be able to find bread pudding in every local bakery, mainly on the days just after a busy weekend.
On top of that, it is also popular to have as dessert after a typical Belgian lunch or dinner. Heat up your piece of bread pudding, add some ice cream, and just enjoy this delicious sweet.
12. Bresilienne Taart
A Bresilienne pie is made in different stages. First, there is a yeast dough for the bottom, a real vanilla cream pudding for the filling, a flan for the other laying of filling, and whipped cream on top; plus, don’t forget to add the Bresilienne nuts, since the nuts are the reason why the pie is named that way.
Bresilienne nuts are hazelnuts that have been through a process of caramelization. Without the nuts, it is just a flan and who wants that when you can have a Bresilienne pie.
13. Advocaat
Not really a dessert, more a liquor. With its strong yellow color, it certainly looks different. The color comes from the main ingredient, namely, eggs. Add some brandy and sugar and you get this custard-like-consistency drink.
People don’t just drink it, however; the way to have it is in a tiny chocolate cup and spoon it out, then you eat the chocolate cup the size of your thumb with the left-over advocaat in it. They also put it on cakes and in pastries, and it is just delicious.
14. Chocolate Moelleux
Even though it has a French name, this dessert is to be found in Belgium; heck, the Belgians are famous for their chocolate, so any chocolate dessert is a win in Belgium.
On top of that, half of the Belgians speak French as their native language, so it is to be found on a Belgian menu in any city. Since they’ll use Belgian chocolate and know how to make it really rich in flavor, this will be a great way to conclude your dinner.
15. Oliebollen
The literal translation would be ‘deep-fried doughnut balls,’ and they indeed taste a little bit like a doughnut. Often, you can find these treats at a fair where you can buy them in their typical pointy bags, covered with icing sugar.
People rarely make them at home since you would cover your entire house with a grease smell. But when walking around a fair, you can just follow your nose and find the stall where they make and sell them.
Related: Most Popular Belgian Foods
