20 Delectable Colombian Desserts To Make Your Mouth Water

Colombian cuisine is full of different, intriguing flavors thanks to being a compound of the six major regions within the country, these being Insular, Amazonian, Pacific, Orinoco, Andean and Caribbean.

The desserts of Colombia are no exception to this intriguing nature, as there is an abundance of flavors and delicious tastes to be had within the sweet cuisines of the country that are inspired by the differing Colombian regions. 

A fair amount of these desserts are also relatively easy to make, so if you are interested in giving them a try you can do so at home.

With this in mind, we are going to be looking at twenty mouth-watering Colombian desserts that you can make right now with these recipes! Let’s get started.

1. Colombian Pound Cake

Colombian pound cake is a different take from the pound cake that you get in the United States.

It contains no baking soda or baking powder, replacing these ingredients with a ton of eggs instead (as well as a dash of brandy).

This makes for a cake that is not overly sweet, but that has a kick to it thanks to that addition of brandy.  

2. Aborrajado (Cheese Stuffed Sweet Plaintain Slices)

This is a Colombian treat that is actually pretty difficult to pin down as it has both sweet and savory elements and is often used as an appetizer as well as a dessert.

This is due to the combination of fried, sweet plantain slices with cheese. 

Aborrajados are definitely a unique dish that isn’t always used as a dessert.

However, one popular addition to the cheese and fried plantain mix is guava paste, which puts them more in line with desserts.

3. Torta Maria Luisa (Traditional Colombian Cake)

The Torta Maria Luisa is both a Colombian and a Salvadorian dessert that has some familiarities with the well-known cake is the English Victoria Sponge.

This is a layered cake that is usually orange flavored and features layers of berry jam with icing sugar decorating the top. 

There are various different takes on the Torta Maria Luisa that can be found throughout South America.

4. Cholados Colombianos (Colombian Snow Cones with Fruit)

This Colombian recipe is a refreshing cross between a drink, a fruit cocktail, and a frozen dessert. It is made simply with a variety of fresh fruit and crushed ice, making it the perfect choice for a hot summer’s day!

Although ice and fruit are the main ingredients, you can also add condensed milk into the mix as well. 

Some of the most popular fruits used in the Cholados Colombianos include pineapples, papayas, bananas, strawberry, mangoes, kiwis and apples along with fruit syrup. 

5. Brevas con Arequipe (Figs With Arequipe)

Figs are a popular dessert fruit to feast on in Colombia and they are well known for being paired with arequipe, also known as dulce le deche or manjar.

This sweet sauce is known for accompanying various desserts, though it is highly popular with figs. 

Ariquipe is a blend of sugar and caramelized milk, which creates a very sweet seasoning of sorts. 

As well as ariquipe, figs are also commonly eaten alongside syrup in Colombia, and they can often be candied as well.  

6. Arroz Con Leche (Rice Pudding)

Arroz Con Leche is a comfort food as well as a Colombian dessert, being a type of rice pudding. 

Rice pudding is popular around the world, with different countries having different variations of the dish.

Arroz Con Leche tends to be made with an aromatic burst of cinnamon and has a particualry deliciously creamy texture.

7. Natilla Colombiana (Colombian Christmas Custard)

This next dessert is one that tends to be enjoyed during the festive season in Colombia. The dish itself is a custard like recipe, similar to the previously mentioned arequipe. 

Natilla Colombiana tends to be thicker than arequipe though, as it is made with cornstarch.

It is also flavoured with panela, which is a sugar that is a by product of the sugarcaning process with a dark, molasses like look.

This makes natilla firmer, so it is able to be sliced. However, it has also been known to be served in a gloopier, creamy pudding like form as well. 

Common additions to natilla include nuts, shredded coconut and raisins. 

8. Roscón De Arequipe (Colombian Sweet, Stuffed Round Bread)

Arequipe makes another appearance with this next dessert, which is a rounded, sweet bread that is stuffed with the sweet mixture (see also ‘23 Mouthwatering Stuffed Bread Recipes‘). 

This dessert is a traditional one that is popular in Colombia, often eaten with milk or coffee thanks to the sweet nature. The bread is also known for its fluffy texture.

It’s no wonder that it is considered to be one of the most popular sweet breads in the Colombia!

9. Obleas (Colombian Wafers)

Obleas- large and round wafers that are around 1mm thick and 20cm in diameter- are a very common sweet snack and dessert in Colombia. 

They are another sweet dish that tends to be stuffed with arequipe, though there are other fillings that are common such as condensed milk, mora (a type of blackberry sauce) and shredded cheese.

Obleas are so common that they can be purchased from most street vendors across the big cities in Colombia. 

10. Cocadas Blancas (Colombian Style Coconut Candy)

Cocadas Blancas is another popular dish throughout Colombia as well as in various Latin American regions such as Mexico, Brazil and Venezuala. 

Cocadas are a traditional confectionary that is made of shredded coconut and eggs.

They are known for their soft and chewy texture and consistency, often oven baked until they are golden brown. 

Due to their popularity, there are hundred upon hundreds of different kinds of cocadas recipes. 

11. Torta de Tres Leches (Three Milks Cake)

Tres Leches cake- translating to Three Milks cake- is another dessert that is highly popular across Latin America, including Colombia. 

This dessert is a sponge cake- though in some recipes it can be turned into a butter cake- that has been soaked in three different kinds of milk. These milks are condensed milk, heavy cream and evaporated milk.

Despite being covered in milk, Torta de Tres Leches are able to avoid becoming soggy thanks to the unique texture that the cake has.  

12. Polvorosas (Colombian Sugar And Butter Cookies)

Colombian Polvorosas come from the Spanish Mantecado cookie family, which was a type of Spanish shortbread that would be made with pork fat (known as manteca in Spanish). 

Nowadays, this is a simple dish of sugar cookies that are also made with butter.

The cookies typically have a buttery and crumbly consistency- thanks to that shortbread heritage- and are rolled in powdered sugar, which is suggested within the name as Polvo is the Spanish term for powder. 

13. Enyucado (Colombian Style Cassava Cake)

This next dessert is a cake that comes from a traditional recipe originating on the Atlantic coast of Colombia.

It also combines sweet with savory in Colombian style as it is made with coconut, cheese, star anis seeds and shredded yuca, which is the root of the Cassava plant.

There are some recipes that also incorporate guava jam into the recipe to make it a little bit sweeter. 

This combination of ingredients creates a consistency that is similar to cheesecake in texture, but is very much its own thing in terms of a unique dessert. 

14. Postre De Natas (Colombian- Style Milk Pudding)

Postre De Natas is another incredibly popular dessert in Colombia, with origins in the Andean zone. 

The dessert is made from sugar syrup, milk and egg yolks.

Despite only being made up of these three ingredients (not counting any common garnishes, such as raisins), postre de natas is a time consuming dessert as the milk is first heated before the skin and cream of the milk is skimmed from the top.

The mixture with then be combined with the sugar syrup and the beaten egg yolks. 

15. Colombian Merengón (Pavlova)

This dessert is a Colombian meringue that is known for its wide range of variations, such as the popular Merengón de Fresas- which is meringe with strawberries and cream-, or merenguitos, which are small, hardened cookies that are made from meringue. 

When it comes to sweetness, this choice- made from egg whites, heavy cream and sugar-  you can’t go wrong with Colombian meringue. 

16. Torta Negra Colombiana (Colombian Black Cake)

A popular cake for birthdays and special occassions across Colombia, the Torta Negra is basically the countries take on the traditional fruit cake.

The dessert is made up of figs, prunes and raisins, but it also has a kick to it thanks to the inclusion of port and rum. It is also seasoned with aromatic spices to heighten the flavors. 

When it comes to sweetening the Torta Negra, sweet and burnt brown sugar (known as dulce quemado) is often used, but it can easily be substituted with molasses. 

17. Dulce de Brevas (Colombian-Style Figs With Syrup)

Dulce de Brevas is another fig based Colombian dessert but rather than being served with arequipe, the figs are instead drenched in a syrup that is made up of panela sugar, cinnamon and lime juice. 

This dish is made by first slitting the figs crosswise on the top before leaving them to soak overnight in some lime juice and water.

The next day, the figs will be rinsed and then cooked in panela sugar with water and cinnamon sticks.

The sugar will dissolve and then create a syrupy texture, which is what the figs are covered in before they are served. 

18. Salpicón de Frutas (Colombian Fruit Cocktail)

The perfect combination of a smoothie and a fruit salad, the Salpicón de Frutas is a refreshing and delicious fruit cocktail that tends to use ripe pieces of fruit such as banana, mango, watermelon and papaya. 

The fruits that are used within the fruit cocktail are slicved very thinly so that everything mixes together effortlesslyly, melting into a fruity and tasty dessert drink. 

19. Pastel de Gloria (Guava, Dulce de Leche And Cheese Pastry)

The Pastel de Gloria is a tasty Colombian dessert treat made up of crumbly puff pastry that has a specific filling.

These fillings can vary but they include guava paste, guava jelly, ariquipe, cheese or almonds.

If cheese is used, the lines between sweet and savory can become a bit blurred, as with some of the other desserts on this list. 

The dessert tends to be sprinkled with granulated sugar to top it off, creating a beautifully tasty pastry snack. 

20. Flan de Coco (Coconut Flan)

Another dessert that is popular across Latin America and Spain as well as in Colombia, the coconut flan has tons of variations, but is known for its light, delicate and creamy texture. 

Usually made with cream, coconut milk, flaked coconut, eggs, condensed milk and vanilla extract, this dessert has caramel on the inside so that when the dessert is inverted, a smooth and sweet caramel layer will cover the top and the sides. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Colombian Desserts Popular Across Latin America?

Yes! A fair amount of the Latin American countries share similar cuisines, including desserts.

There are a lot of desserts included here that spread across Latin America, or have origins in different Latin American countries, but became widely popular in Colombia. 

Some of the most prominent countries that share similar cuisines to Colombia includes Ecuador, Venezuela, Guatemala, Mexico and Bolivia.

This makes for a fantastically diverse range of dessert options that take inspiration from different regions across Latin America. 

What Type Of Desserts Are Common In Colombia?

The great thing about the desserts that are popular in Colombia is that a lot of them are relatively light in nature as well as thick, sweet and creamy.

If that sounds like the kind of dessert that would be up your street, then why not try and make one of these desserts so that you can taste the decadent deliciousness for yourself? 

What Influences Helped To Shape Colombian Cuisine?

The cuisine of Colombia will vary from region to region, but in general, the cuisine has particularly strong influences from countries such as Spain and Africa as well as influences from and the Indigenous Colombian people.

Some regions also have some Arabic influences within their cuisine too.