I'm willing to bet you've already bumped into a few of these Austrian sweets. Maybe you've even baked one yourself without realizing where it came from.
Tracing the exact roots can be tricky, since so many of these recipes have roamed all across Central Europe. That's exactly why I've pulled together 20 traditional Austrian desserts that I think you'll fall for hard.
1. Homemade Mozartkugeln
This fun little treat is another great dessert to involve the kids. The most you'll need to do is melt the chocolate. But once the main fillings are ready, I bet the kids will love playing around with the marzipan and making fun shapes.
2. Kletzenbrot Recipe (Christmas Fruit Bread)
If you’re looking for something different to serve this Christmas, it doesn’t get more special than this. Brimming with nuts and dried fruits, this lightly spiced rye bread is sure to be a hit.
3. Austrian Buchteln (Sweet Yeast Rolls)
Without that powdered sugar on top, you might think that these are simple, savory dinner rolls. Truthfully they could be!
Even with an apricot filling, I'll bet they’ll taste yummy with some chicken. However, I much prefer them smothered in creamy vanilla sauce.
4. Topfenstrudel (Quark Strudel or Cheese Strudel)
Years ago I fell completely for a humble little tart in the UK called a Yorkshire curd tart, sweet, fruity, and full of fun texture. This cheese strudel gives me all those same cozy vibes, but the filling gets snuggled inside flaky layers instead of a pastry shell. Tender cheese curds, plump raisins, and that shatteringly crisp dough make every bite unforgettable.
5. Classic Austrian Linzer Cookies
Linzer cookies are the best, aren't they? That yummy, buttery biscuit filled with vibrant and fresh raspberry jam is just to die for.
Their signature look depends on that cut out in the middle of the cookie, and it doesn’t take long to do. That said, if you don’t bother with it and just sandwich two cookies together, they’ll still taste fantastic.
6. Vanillekipferl (Austrian Vanilla Crescent Cookies)
I bet these little crescent shaped cookies ring a bell. Dainty, sweet, and ridiculously easy to pull together.
The dough is a rich shortbread with eggs and ground nuts mixed in, which gives them that amazing melt in your mouth tenderness. A classic I could bake on repeat.
7. Salzburger Nockerl
Think of this as Austria's answer to a fruit cobbler. You start with a layer of jam on the bottom, usually something berry packed, then pile a cloud of airy, meringue like batter right on top.
There's just a whisper of flour in the mix, so it stays light but gets this lovely little spongy bounce. It's simple, graceful, and totally dreamy.
8. Austrian Polsterzipf with Topfen Dough
This is the kind of treat I like to enjoy for breakfast. The flaky pastry and sweet filling are just what I need to wake me up!
These little pastries are filled with yummy fruit jam and then fried until golden brown. Feel free to use store-bought pie dough if you don’t have time to make the pastry. Just know it won’t have the same rich flavor.
9. Palatschinken (Austrian Crêpes)
I like to think of these as a happy middle ground in the pancake world. They’re neither too thick nor too thin, and they’re crazy-delicious with everything from jam to caramel on top.
Like French crêpes, they’re much wider, taking up the whole bottom of the pan. But they’re thicker and much more satisfying.
10. Marillenkuchen (Austrian Apricot Cake)
I'm a total sucker for European cakes that lean into fresh fruit and skip the cloying, heavy frosting. But hold up, don't just drop halved apricots onto your favorite vanilla cake and call it a day. The real secret is that this batter has zero baking powder or soda, so the texture is something else entirely, and the fruit absolutely sings.
11. Kaiserschmarrn (Scrambled Pancake)
This goes by a few names: torn pancake, emperor's pancake, and it's a total riot to make with kids. Once the pancake is cooked, grab two wooden spatulas and gently pull it apart into fluffy, ragged pieces.
Then toss in butter and sugar and let everything sizzle until it's golden and caramelized. Messy, sweet, and so much fun.
12. Traditional Gugelhupf (Kugelhopf)
At first glance you might think it's just a simple bundt cake, but cut into it and you'll see something way more special. The dough is yeasted, so it's closer to a tender bread, and it needs a full three hours of proofing. It gets rolled up with a filling just like a cinnamon roll, but you
13. Cremeschnitten (Austrian Cream Slices)
The French know them as mille-feuille. The Brits call them vanilla (or custard) slices, and in Russia, they’re known as Napoleon cakes.
No matter what you call them, you can’t beat a thick layer of vanilla custard with crumbly pastry and powdered sugar. Please, if you make this recipe, don’t use a box of pudding. Yes, it’s similar, but it won’t be the same!
14. Sacher Torte
This cake has a cult following, and for good reason. Dreamed up by a 16 year old pastry apprentice for the Austrian State Chancellor, the Sacher torte is pure chocolate legend.
It's outrageously rich, intensely chocolatey, almost sinful. Trust me, a slender slice is all you need.
15. Dampfnudeln / Germknödel (Sweet Dumplings)
Dampfnudlen is a difficult dish to describe. It’s a sweet dumpling that uses yeast, though it doesn’t require any proofing. They’re usually filled with plum jam before steaming and serving with warm vanilla custard.
16. Linzer Torte
This torte comes straight from Linz, Austria, and it's the real deal. Nutty, buttery, absolutely loaded with that bold sweet tart raspberry jam, just like the cookies.
One big difference from a regular fruit tart is that you only spread a thin layer of filling, so the dough has to be spot on. Nail it and you're in for pure tradition; miss the mark and it can turn a little dry.
17. Topfenknödel (Austrian Topfen Dumplings)
These are like little cheesecake bites, which means they’re dangerous to have around. I should know, I finished half a batch in one sitting last week!
Unusually, they don’t often use cream cheese in Austria and Germany and instead rely on cheese curds or quark to give them a similar texture. If you can’t find either of those, I suggest trying silken tofu.
18. Apple Strudel
For a truly authentic apple strudel, you've got to use the right kind of dough, and I do not mean puff pastry. This dough is more like a soft bread dough that you gently stretch with your hands until it's nearly see through. Then you roll it up around the filling like a burrito, and those gossamer thin layers bake up into that signature flaky magic.
19. Krapfen (Austrian Jam Filled Donuts)
You’ll see these donuts at many celebrations, but they’re never more popular than during Faschingsdienstag (Mardi Gras). Though they’re traditionally served with apricot jam, you can fill these however you like. They’re even tasty on their own with a dusting of powdered sugar.
20. Marillenknödel (Austrian Apricot Dumplings)
Like Georgia and its peaches, apricots (as you may have noticed) are a beloved and celebrated fruit in Austria. They grow in the south, and that’s why you see them in so many recipes. And like peaches, when they’re fresh, they’re wonderfully bright and sweet.
