Colombian Dessert Recipes
From crispy street-side obleas to golden fried buñuelos, discover the sweets that define Colombia’s rich dessert tradition.
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Colombian desserts blend Indigenous, Spanish, and Afro-Caribbean influences, built around panela (unrefined cane sugar), tropical fruit, and creamy milk caramel, giving rise to beloved treats like arequipe, buñuelos, and obleas found at street carts, family tables, and holiday celebrations across the country.
Obleas
Two large, wafer-thin discs pressed around a generous layer of warm arequipe caramel, obleas are Colombia’s favorite street treat — sold from carts on nearly every corner and piled with toppings like condensed milk, cheese, or fruit preserves.
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A Guide to Colombian Desserts
Colombian desserts revolve around arequipe, the local dulce de leche. It is spread on obleas, the thin wafers sold on every corner, layered in milhojas, and stuffed into figs for brevas con arequipe. Cocadas are the coconut candies, and buñuelos, the fried cheese fritters, are dessert, breakfast and Christmas all at once. From Cali come aborrajados, ripe plantain fritters stuffed with cheese and guava paste. With an afternoon tinto, try desserts to serve with Colombian coffee.
Start with the recipes above, then see the full roundup of 21 Colombian desserts, or explore all Colombian food and Latin and Spanish desserts across the site.
Milhojas also features in our country-by-country guide to Latin American and Spanish cakes and pastries.
The cholado is Colombia’s entry in our guide to Latin American and Spanish frozen treats.
Craving more Colombian sweets?
Explore our complete roundup, or browse desserts from across Latin America and Spain.