Mahalabia – Middle Eastern Milk Pudding
Apr 17, 2023, Updated Jan 28, 2025
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Mahalabia is a creamy and fragrant Middle Eastern dessert made with milk, sugar, and cornstarch; it’s easy to prepare, delicious, and typically served cold, often topped with nuts or fruit.
When you say Middle Eastern or Mediterranean desserts, sweets like Baklava, Kunafa, Maamoul, Sutlac (Turkish rice pudding), Revani Cake (Turkish Semolina Cake) , and Bastani Sonnati Persian Saffron Ice Cream, come to mind.
Even though these are super popular and delicious, some Middle Eastern and Mediterranean desserts just hit differently—like Mahalabia, you know—and deserve the spotlight just as much. Try topping them with chocolate bark for an extra layer of flavor and texture!
Mahalabia is easy, simple, authentic, and beautifully served at any occasion. It’s another effortless dessert that I’m excited to share with you today. Follow along to learn how to make this simple, make-ahead pudding!
Table of Contents
What is Mahalabia?
Mahalabia, also known as muhallebi or mahalabiyeh, is a classic Middle Eastern milk pudding. Legend says it was first made by a Persian cook and served to an Arab general.
This dessert varies by region and tradition, with our version featuring a hint of vanilla. It takes just 20 minutes to prepare and needs some time to chill in the fridge before serving. Mahalabia is an easy, make-ahead treat perfect for any occasion.
Mahalabia Ingredients and Substitutions
- Milk: The key ingredient in this Mahalabia recipe is milk. Whole milk or 2% milk work best, however it’s possible to use skim or plant-based options such as almond milk or cashew milk.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar works best for this recipe. I don’t recommend substituting it with stevia, brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup.
- Cornstarch and Flour: These components are used to thicken the pudding. You can use gluten free flour, but cornstarch is typically preferred.
- Egg Yolk: It is optional, but I find it adds a creamier and richer consistency to the milk pudding.
- Butter: To get a smoother final texture. This step is totally optional and you can leave it out if preferred.
How To Make Mahalabia
Step 1
Place the milk, sugar, flour, cornstarch, and egg in a sauce pan. Combine well until the ingredients are fully mixed and smooth.
Step 2
Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir constantly until the mixture starts to thicken.
Step 3
Reduce the heat to medium and keep stirring. Cook for a few more minutes until the mixture reaches a pudding-like consistency. Remove from the heat.
Step 4
Stir in the vanilla extract and butter until fully incorporated.
Step 5
Divide the mixture into small serving bowls or cups and refrigerate for 3 hours before serving. Garnish with fruit or nuts, if desired.
How To Serve Mahalabia
This Middle Eastern milk pudding is always served chilled in individual cups, making it perfect to prepare ahead of time for potlucks, or friends and family gatherings.
You can garnish it with chopped nuts like walnuts or pistachios for a satisfying crunch. Adding chopped fruit, such as strawberries, or dried fruits like raisins or apricots, brings a lovely pop of color and flavor.
While not traditional, some people enjoy topping muhallebi with chocolate sauce or coconut for a unique twist—or even dried edible roses for that classic Middle Eastern touch.
Pro Tips
Make sure not to stop stirring while preparing the Mahalabia to prevent it from sticking and burning.
Do not add the toppings immediately after pouring the Mahalabia into cups. It’s better to wait until you’re ready to serve it before adding your chosen toppings.
You can adjust the sweetness to your liking.
Make sure to let the Mahalabia cool properly in the fridge before consuming it to fully enjoy its creamy consistency.
Different countries add unique flavors to this dessert, with popular options including rosewater, cardamom, orange blossom water, and mastic.
Ensure the heat is kept low to medium, as high heat can cause the milk to burn at the bottom of the pot.
Storage
Store muhallebi in an airtight container and keep it refrigerated for up to 4 days. Alternatively, you can cover the serving bowls or cups with plastic wrap before refrigerating. Mahalabia should not be frozen, as it would lose its creamy texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make this dessert up to 2 days in advance. Make sure to cover the cups completely.
Burning at the bottom usually happens when the heat is too high or the pudding isn’t stirred enough while cooking. To avoid this, cook the Mahalabia over medium to low heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk to ensure the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Proper heat control and regular stirring are key to a smooth, creamy pudding.
Mahalabia, or muhallebi, can be enhanced with flavors such as cardamom, orange blossom water, rosewater, and mastic. These ingredients are commonly available at Middle Eastern or Mediterranean stores and can also be purchased online.
Absolutely, Mahalabia is a milk pudding traditionally made with regular milk, but you can substitute it with any plant-based milk of your choice, such as coconut or cashew milk, if you’re vegan. I emphasize these options because they tend to be creamy and have a similar consistency to regular milk. Just be sure to omit the egg yolk and butter as well.
More Dessert Recipes
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Mahalabia Middle Eastern Milk Pudding
Ingredients
- 4 cups Milk , see notes
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Place the milk,sugar, flour, cornstarch, and egg in a sauce pan.
- Combine well until the ingredients are fully mixed and smooth.
- Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir constantly until the mixture starts to thicken.
- Reduce the heat to medium and keep stirring.
- Cook for a few more minutes until the mixture reaches a pudding-like consistency. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in the vanillaextract and butter until fully incorporated
- Divide the mixture into small serving bowls or cups and refrigerate for 3hours before serving. Garnish with fruit or nuts, if desired.
Notes
- Make sure not to stop stirring while preparing the Mahalabia to prevent it from sticking and burning.
- Do not add the toppings immediately after pouring the Mahalabia into cups. It’s better to wait until you’re ready to serve it before adding your chosen toppings.
- You can adjust the sweetness to your liking.
- Make sure to let the Mahalabia cool properly in the fridge before consuming it to fully enjoy its creamy consistency.
- Different countries add unique flavors to this dessert, with popular options including rosewater, cardamom, orange blossom water, and mastic.
- Ensure the heat is kept low to medium, as high heat can cause the milk to burn at the bottom of the pot.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love the simple ingredients in this mahalabia and how easy it is to make! It was the perfect dessert for a warm spring day!
Thanks. This is such an easy dessert recipe. Definitely everything easily available in my kitchen . Would enjoy it with some fresh fruit toppings.
This pudding was the best we topped with fresh strawberries, and my entire family loved it.
This middle eastern dessert is so delicious! And the simple to follow recipe made it so easy for me to make!
I absolutely loved making and eating this! The recipe was so easy to follow, and the end result was creamy and delicious.