Polish desserts are comforting and nostalgic, beautifully highlighting seasonal fruits, fresh cheese, and delicate pastries. They are famous for their signature use of sweet farmer’s cheese (twaróg), rich yeast doughs, and generous dustings of powdered sugar. In this article, we have curated a collection of the best must-try Polish desserts.
Drożdżówki z Serem (Polish Yeast Buns)
They are fluffy Polish sweet cheese buns made with a sweetened farmer’s cheese filling, finished with a sugary glaze or sprinkled with powdered sugar, and sometimes topped with fresh berries. Traditionally, they are made as a round bun with sweet twaróg curd in the center as an open-face pastry, but some also bake them as long cheese rolls with braided twists. These Polish desserts are pronounced as "draw-zhooV-ki z seh-rem", where the word drożdżówki means "yeast buns" and serem means "with cheese" in English.
Read more: The Best Polish Yeast Buns Recipes
Sernik (Polish Cheesecake)
A Polish-style light and creamy cheesecake made with a crusty base filled with twaróg, also known as Polish farmer’s cheese or curd cheese and vanilla. Sernik toppings can include berry sauces, chocolate ganache, nuts, or raisins.
Faworki
This classic sweet Polish treat is made with a deep-fried crispy pastry dough shaped into twists and sprinkled with icing sugar. In Poland, they are known by two names: Faworki, which refers to the colorful decorative ribbons medieval knights wore, and Chruściki, which means "dry twigs," highlighting their incredibly delicate, crunchy texture.
Pączki (Polish Doughnuts)
These are traditional Polish doughnuts made with deep-fried yeast dough dusted with powdered sugar, and filled with a sweet jam or custard. While custard is popular, the most traditional, authentic fillings are actually wild rose petal jam or stewed plum marmalade (powidła).You can easily find them at street food stalls and local bakeries in Poland.
Szarlotka (Polish Apple Pie)
It’s a popular traditional polish apple pie made with cinnamon-spiced crumbly crust and sweet-tart juicy apple filling that’s not overly sweet.
Kołaczki
These are traditional Polish cookies made with a cream cheese and butter pastry dough folded into an open envelope shape, and filled with fruit jam and a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top. While sweet apricot, raspberry, and prune jams are the most popular fillings, some bakers also stuff them with sweet poppy seed paste or sweetened farmer's cheese.
Makowiec (Poppy Seed Roll)
A traditional Polish poppy seed roll cake made with a soft yeast dough and a rich, sweet poppy seed filling packed with crunchy nuts and dried fruit.
If you want to bake authentic Makowiec at home, check out this fantastic recipe by mostlysourdough.
Karpatka (Carpathian Mountain Cake)
It’s a popular traditional Polish cream pie, also known as the Carpathian Mountain cake with a sugar-dusted top and two layers of choux pastry. In the middle is a vanilla buttercream filling (crème mousseline). Karpatka tastes like a light pastry with a creamy vanilla custard.
If you want to bake Karpatka at home, check out the Honey Roasted Nectarine & Cardamom Karpatka recipe by bakingwithapastrychef. This unique twist swaps traditional vanilla for a fragrant cardamom cream layered with juicy, honey-roasted nectarines.
