Güllaç is a light Turkish Ramadan dessert made with paper-thin starch wafers soaked in sweet milk, layered with walnuts, and topped with pomegranate. During Ramadan it is on iftar tables all over Turkey.
My Güllaç Recipe takes about 20 minutes of work, with no oven involved. It needs a short chill in the fridge, and it serves a crowd.
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Turkish cuisine is known for its nutritious and delicious milk desserts and Güllaç is one of the most loved ones along with Soğuk Baklava, Sutlac, Kazandibi, and Muhallebi - Mahalabia Dessert.
This light dessert does not sit heavy on the stomach after a long day of fasting, and it is easily digested.
History of Güllaç
Güllaç goes back to the early Ottoman years, around the late 13th century. Cooks would mix cornstarch and water into a paste, spread it paper-thin, and let the air dry it. The dried sheets were easy to stack and store, which is what made them so useful.
Soak those sheets in sweetened milk and they soften into the dessert we now call güllaç. The Sultan's kitchen took it up, the palace cooks polished it, and it has been dressed up with nuts and fruits ever since.
Why This Recipe Works?
- This simple milky dessert is extremely tasty and very easy to prepare just in 20 minutes.
- Gullac sheets are completely natural, they don’t have any additives which makes them a very light and healthy dessert.
- It is a crowd-pleaser, this simple recipe makes 15 portions of Güllaç dessert!
Ingredients You'll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
- Gullac leaves - Güllaç leaves are starch wafers that are made of corn starch, flour, and water. You can buy them from most Turkish shops or online.
- Milk - I prefer full-fat milk for milky desserts but you can substitute it with semi-skimmed or skimmed milk.
- Sugar - I use caster sugar or granulated sugar. If 500 grams of sugar seems like a lot to you, adjust the amount to your taste.
- Garnishes - You can use any type of nuts to garnish your gullac. Rosewater is another popular flavoring for this dessert as well as pomegranate seeds. You can also use strawberries or cherries to garnish it or add some vanilla paste to milk for extra flavoring.
How to Make Güllaç?
Prepare the Milk
Place the milk and sugar in a medium-sized pan and bring them to a boil over medium heat. Whisk occasionally, making sure the sugar dissolves, and then take the pan off the heat. Let it cool down to room temperature before starting to layer the sheets.
Layer the Güllaç
Trim a Güllaç sheet to fit your serving dish size of 35cm x 25cm (14" x 10") and lay it on the bottom, shiny side up.
Pour a ladle of the milk mixture on top and wait until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Repeat the same with five sheets and then sprinkle on some nuts.
Put the other five sheets on top of the nuts, making sure you soak each of them with sweetened milk. When you finish with the leaves, pour the rest of the milk on them. Cover the dish and refrigerate it for a couple of hours before garnishing and serving.
Garnish and Serve
Remove the dish from the fridge and portion the Gullac. I usually have 15 portions out of this recipe, but you can have smaller or bigger portions if you prefer.
Garnish your dessert just before serving as the white color of Gullac might change when you add the pomegranate seeds or pistachio nuts.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Make sure to bring the milk to room temperature before adding it to the gullac leaves to avoid the dessert getting soggy!
- Lay each sheet shiny side up. The layers look neater and soak more evenly.
- Soak every sheet properly before the next one goes on. A dry patch stays chewy after chilling.
- Garnish just before serving. The pomegranate can stain the white top if it sits too long.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve it cold, straight from the fridge, with a glass of Turkish Tea - Çay.
- It is the natural finish to an iftar meal. If you are building the table, warm Turkish Pide Bread - Ramazan Pidesi belongs on it too.
- A small slice works after any heavy dinner. It is lighter than baklava and the syrup-soaked desserts.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
Güllaç is easy to make ahead. It needs a couple of hours in the fridge anyway, so you can build it in the morning and serve it in the evening. Hold the garnish back until just before serving.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I would not recommend freezing Güllaç, as the texture does not survive defrosting.
Recipe FAQs
The Güllaç word is derived from the combination of ‘Güllü’ and ‘Aş’ words in Turkish. Güllü word means "with rose" and Aş word means "food" in English. The word "Güllü-Aş" eventually turned to "Güllaç" over the years.
Using rose water as a flavoring was very common for this dessert during the Ottomans but today it is more like a personal choice.
It is possible, but it is fiddly work and almost nobody does it at home. The leaves are sold in Turkish shops and online, mostly around Ramadan, so it is worth picking up a pack or two when you see them.
The milk was too hot when it met the leaves. Boil it to dissolve the sugar, then let it cool to room temperature before you start layering, and add it a ladle at a time.
Related Recipes
For more delicious Turkish Dessert Recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious Güllaç Dessert Recipe as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
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Güllaç Recipe
Ingredients
- 9 oz Güllaç leaves (around 10) (250 grams)
- 6 ⅓ cups full fat milk
- 2 cups sugar
- ⅔ cup chopped walnuts, pistachio or hazelnuts
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
Prepare the Milk
- Place the milk and sugar in a medium-sized pan and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
- Whisk occasionally, making sure the sugar dissolves and then take the pan off the heat.
- Let it cool down to room temperature before starting to layer the sheets.
Layer the Güllaç
- Trim a Güllaç sheet to fit your serving dish size of 35cm x 25 cm (14" x 10") and lay it on the bottom, shiny side up.
- Pour a ladle of the milk mixture on top and wait until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Repeat the same with five sheets and then sprinkle on some nuts.
- Put the other five sheets on top of the nuts, making sure you soak each of them with sweetened milk.
- When you finish with the leaves, pour the rest of the milk on them.
- Cover the dish and refrigerate it for a couple of hours before garnishing and serving.
Garnish and Serve
- Remove the dish from the fridge and portion the Gullac. I usually have 15 portions out of this recipe but you can have smaller or bigger portions if you prefer.
- Garnish your dessert just before serving as the white colour of Gullac might change when added pomegranate seeds or pistachio nuts.
Notes
- Make sure to bring the milk to room temperature before adding it to the gullac leaves to avoid the dessert getting soggy!
- Lay each sheet shiny side up and soak every sheet properly before the next one goes on. A dry patch stays chewy after chilling.
- Gullac leaves are sold in Turkish shops and online, mostly around Ramadan. Grab a pack or two when you see them.
- Use walnuts, pistachios, or hazelnuts between the layers, whichever you have.
- Add a splash of food-grade rose water to the milk for the traditional flavor if you like it.
- Garnish just before serving so the pomegranate does not stain the white top.
- Chill the dish for a couple of hours before portioning.
- Make ahead: build it in the morning and serve it in the evening. Hold the garnish back until serving.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freezing is not recommended.
Lilly says
This looks incredible! So soft and decadent. Will make this as soon as I find the gullac leaves!
Erica says
Simple to make and awesome to eat! Amazingly Good!
Naibe says
Great recipe and very easy to follow. My guests enjoyed it very much and said it was refreshing.