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Easter in Seville means parades, crowds, the smell of incense in the streets, and orange blossoms overhead. But most of all, it means that the season for honey glazed pestiños is here! This simple Spanish recipe is easy to make, and is the taste of Seville each Easter.
If you’re looking for more fried Spanish treats, don’t miss my recipes for buñuelos, torrijas, and tortas de la abuela!
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Introduction
These honey-glazed fritters are one of my favorite springtime snacks, full of the aromas of Easter: orange blossom, anise, and toasted sugar. They’re a staple Andalusian recipe, and like many traditional foods from southern Spain, have their roots in Moorish cuisine. In fact, pestiños are very similar to Moroccan chebakia!
If you’re in Seville during Semana Santa, you’ll be able to pick up some tasty pestiños from one of the city’s convents. But what about when you leave? Luckily, I’ve got a super easy and authentic recipe so you can make your own pestiños at home!
Ingredients
Wondering what ingredients you need to make these tempting honey glazed pestiños? Fortunately, they don’t take anything super fancy! Let’s talk about the most important ingredients.
- Olive Oil: Be sure to use good quality extra virgin olive oil. You’ll infuse it with orange zest, anise, and sesame seeds for a wonderful flavor!
- Honey: You’ll make a simple honey glaze to coat the pestiños in for a shiny, sticky, sweet finish.
- Sunflower Oil: You’ll need this for frying the pestiños. You can use any other neutral oil that’s safe for deep frying.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Honey Glazed Pestiños
If you’d like to see the full ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.
- Pour the olive oil into a small pot and add the orange zest. Heat gently over low heat for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and add the sesame and anise seeds. Let it cool to room temperature.(image 1)
- Sieve out the seeds from the oil, reserving the oil for later. Crush the seeds with a mortar and pestle to make a paste. (image 2)
- Mix the flour, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl, then add the infused olive oil and the wine. (image 3)
- Add the seed paste and mix to form a dough, then knead until the dough is smooth, about 15 minutes. (image 4)
- Shape the dough into a ball, then place it in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let it rest for 1 hour. (image 5)
- To shape the pestiños, take a teaspoon of dough and roll it thinly into an oval shape. Fold the two long sides in the middle, like an envelope. (image 6)
- Heat the sunflower oil to 350°F (180°C), then fry 3-4 pestiños at a time. Let them brown for a minute or so on each side. (image 7)
- Drain the deep-fried pestiños on paper towels. (image 8)
- To make the glaze, pour the honey, lemon juice, and a splash of water into a pot. Stir over medium heat until smooth. (image 9)
- Coat each pestiño in the glaze. (image 10)
- Drizzle a little extra glaze on the pestiños if desired. (image 11)
- Serve right away and enjoy these Spanish Easter treats! (image 12)
Recipe FAQs
Pestiños consist of a simple dough made from orange zest-infused olive oil, flour, spices, and white wine, which is then deep-fried in sunflower oil and coated in a honey glaze or tossed in cinnamon sugar.
The name “pestiño” has no literal translation into English, but it simply is the Spanish name for a special Easter pastry that’s deep fried and soaked in a honey glaze.
Pestiños come from the Andalusian region of Spain, and are particularly beloved in the city of Seville, where they are a favorite treat during Holy Week (Semana Santa). Pestiños were brought to Spain by the Moors, and share many similarities to the Moroccan chebakia.
Serve
There’s two ways to finish off these pestiños: soak them in a honey glaze, or toss them in cinnamon sugar. Either way is delicious!
In Andalusia, pestiños are served during Holy Week (Semana Santa), which leads up to Easter. If you’re looking for more Spanish Easter recipes to serve with your pestiños, be sure to try my recipes for spinach and chickpea stew, bacalao and potato stew, and bacalao croquettes.
Expert Tips
- Make sure the oil for deep frying the pestiños stays at a constant temperature (around 350°F or 180°C).
- Fry 3-4 pestiños at a time to avoid overcrowding the pan and cooling down the oil too much.
- Don’t want to use the honey glaze? Toss the pestiños in cinnamon sugar instead.
Honey-Glazed Pestiños
These honey-glazed pestiños are an easy, authentic Spanish Easter dessert for Holy Week (Semana Santa). Thin strips of dough are flavored with ground spices or liqueurs of orange blossom and anise, and then flash-fried to crispy perfection.
Print (images optional)
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Rate
Servings: 25 servings
Calories: 233.6kcal
Instructions
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Infuse the olive oil by placing it in a small pot with the orange zest and warming it over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove it from heat, add the sesame and anise seeds, and let cool to room temperature.
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Strain the oil into a bowl, and reserve it for later. Use a mortar and pestle to crush the sesame and anise seeds into a paste.
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Combine the flour, cinnamon, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the strained oil and the sweet wine, and knead to form a dough. Add the seed paste and mix thoroughly. Continue kneading for 15 minutes, then form into a ball, place in a bowl, and cover with a damp cloth. Let it rest for 1 hour.
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To make the fritters, take a teaspoon of dough and roll it into a very thin, long oblong shape. Fold in the two long sides and stick them together to make an envelope-like shape.
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Pour the sunflower oil into a heavy-based skillet or pot and heat to 350°F (180°C) over medium-high heat.
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Fry 3-4 fritters at a time until they’re golden, about 2-3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel to drain. Repeat with the remaining fritters, reheating the oil before frying each batch.
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Make the glaze by combining the honey, lemon juice, and the splash of water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until well combined and heated through.
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Coat the fritters in the glaze and put them on a plate. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
- Make sure the oil for deep frying the pestiños stays at a constant temperature (around 350°F or 180°C).
- Fry 3-4 pestiños at a time to avoid overcrowding the pan and cooling down the oil too much.
- Don’t want to use the honey glaze? Toss the pestiños in cinnamon sugar instead.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pestiño | Calories: 233.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.47g | Protein: 1.08g | Fat: 19.71g | Saturated Fat: 2.21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.24g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15.7g | Sodium: 2.34mg | Potassium: 18.81mg | Fiber: 0.35g | Sugar: 5.64g | Vitamin A: 1.29IU | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 4.12mg | Iron: 0.57mg
Photography by Giulia Verdinelli
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