Religious & festival
The Ramadan Sweets Guide
More than any other time of year, Ramadan is when the Moroccan sweet tooth comes fully into its own. The sweets that break the fast are rich, honeyed and sustaining by design, made to restore energy to a fasting body and to bring joy to the evening table. In the weeks before the month begins, kitchens fill with the smell of frying dough and warm honey as families prepare their chebakia and sellou in bulk.
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- Religious & festival
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- 19 July 2026
At a glance
- Ramadan sweets are rich and energy-dense by design, to restore a fasting body.
- Chebakia and sellou are the two essential Ramadan sweets.
- Many are made in large batches before the month begins.
- Honey, sesame, almonds and orange-blossom water are the defining flavours.
Chebakia, the queen of Ramadan sweets
If one sweet defines Moroccan Ramadan it is chebakia. Strips of spiced sesame dough are folded and pinched into an intricate flower or rose shape, deep-fried until golden, then plunged straight into warm honey scented with orange-blossom water and finally rolled in sesame seeds. The result is crunchy, sticky, fragrant and intensely sweet — the perfect quick-energy companion to a bowl of harira.
Making chebakia is a labour of love, and families often gather to shape hundreds of them in the days before Ramadan, storing them to last the month.
Sellou and the other treats
Alongside chebakia sits a small repertoire of beloved Ramadan sweets and enriched breads, all chosen for sustenance as much as pleasure.
- Sellou (sfouf): toasted flour, ground almonds and sesame bound with honey and butter into a dense, energy-rich paste.
- Briouat: honey-dipped fried triangles filled with almond paste.
- Baghrir: the thousand-hole semolina pancakes soaked in butter and honey.
- Msemen and harcha: flaky and semolina griddle breads eaten with honey and cheese.
- Dates stuffed with almond paste: a simple, elegant sweet to end the meal.
Why the sweets are so rich
The richness is functional. After a long day without food or water, the body needs quick, concentrated energy, and the honey, nuts, sesame and toasted flour of these sweets deliver exactly that, along with lasting sustenance from the fats and proteins. Sellou in particular is almost a fortifying food rather than a mere treat, traditionally eaten by new mothers and anyone needing strength. The pleasure and the practicality are inseparable.
For the meals these sweets accompany see the Ramadan iftar guide, and for the festival that follows, Eid al-Fitr sweets and celebrations.
Frequently asked questions
What sweets are eaten during Ramadan in Morocco?
The essentials are chebakia (honey-soaked sesame pastry) and sellou (a rich toasted-flour, almond and sesame paste). Alongside them come almond briouat, baghrir pancakes with honey, msemen and harcha griddle breads, and dates stuffed with almond paste, all eaten to break the fast.
What is chebakia?
Chebakia is the signature Ramadan sweet: spiced sesame dough shaped into an intricate flower, deep-fried, soaked in orange-blossom honey and rolled in sesame seeds. Crunchy, sticky and intensely sweet, it is eaten alongside harira to break the fast and is usually made in large batches for the month.
What is sellou?
Sellou (also called sfouf) is a dense, sweet paste of toasted flour, ground fried almonds and sesame seeds bound with honey, butter and spices. Rich in energy, it is eaten by the spoonful during Ramadan to restore strength, and is traditionally given to new mothers and anyone needing nourishment.
Why are Ramadan sweets so rich and sweet?
By design. After a long day of fasting, the body needs concentrated, quick energy, which the honey, nuts, sesame and toasted flour of these sweets provide, along with lasting sustenance from fats and proteins. The sweets are as much fortifying food as indulgence, which is why they are so central to breaking the fast.