If you travel for the dessert, Amsterdam will keep you busy. Between centuries-old Dutch classics and a wave of viral Mediterranean sweets, the city punches well above its size. This is the complete Amsterdam dessert guide for a sweet tooth: what to eat, where to find it, and how to string it all into a walkable day without doubling back.
We run Ruma (formerly De Beste Lekkernij), a Mediterranean bakery in the Nine Streets, so we have strong opinions and a lot of practice. Here is how we would plan a day of eating sweet across this city.
The desserts to put on your list
The viral ones
Start with trilece, the Turkish three-milk cake that broke the internet: a light sponge soaked in three milks, caramel on top, served cold. We bake it daily, and ours has over 600 million views. Add Dubai-style pistachio cannoli and, if you want the famous one, a warm chocolate cookie. Full picture in our viral desserts in Amsterdam guide.
The Dutch classics
You cannot leave without a freshly pressed stroopwafel, a warm wedge of Dutch apple pie, and a paper tray of poffertjes. These are the city's edible heritage, cheap and genuinely good when made fresh.
The Mediterranean table
Baklava, tres leches, lokum and simit round out the sweeter side of the city's Mediterranean scene. Honey, nuts, milk and filo, handled with care. More in best Turkish desserts in Amsterdam.
Where to eat dessert in Amsterdam
The densest cluster is the Nine Streets (De 9 Straatjes) and the Jordaan, with the markets, the Albert Cuyp especially, just south in De Pijp. Most of what you want is within a thirty minute walk. Our best desserts in Amsterdam and best bakeries guides have the named spots.
A walkable dessert day
Morning
Begin in the Nine Streets. Coffee and a slice of cold trilece at Ruma on Herenstraat to set the tone. Browse a few shops while you digest.
Midday
Walk down the Heisteeg for the warm cookie at Van Stapele, then drift into the Jordaan. If it is a Saturday, the Noordermarkt and a wedge of apple pie at Winkel 43 are right there.
Afternoon
Head south toward De Pijp and the Albert Cuyp Market for a fresh stroopwafel pressed in front of you. Finish with a canal-side gelato if the sun is out.
Evening
Take a box of baklava or a tin of stroopwafels back with you. Dessert for later, and the best kind of souvenir.
Sweet-tooth tips for Amsterdam
- Buy stroopwafels fresh and warm, not packaged.
- Small shops sell out, so go earlier for the famous ones.
- Pair strong coffee or Turkish coffee with cold trilece or baklava.
- Markets beat tourist-strip shops on both price and quality.
- If a dessert is all photo and no flavour, walk on. Plenty here deliver both.
Good to know
The centre is flat and walkable, so you rarely need transport between dessert stops. Many bakeries open around 8am and the markets run through the day. Cash still helps at market stalls. We are open daily 8am to 7pm.
Dutch sweets glossary
A quick vocabulary so you can order like you know what you are doing. Stroopwafel is the caramel-filled waffle, best fresh and warm. Appeltaart is Dutch apple pie, tall and cinnamon-heavy. Poffertjes are tiny fluffy pancakes with butter and icing sugar. Oliebollen are deep-fried dough balls, a winter and New Year treat. Speculaas are spiced shortcrust biscuits, the flavour behind a lot of the city's seasonal baking. On the Mediterranean side you will meet trilece and tres leches, the three-milk cakes, baklava, the honey-and-filo classic, and lokum, or Turkish delight. Knowing the names makes the menus far less mysterious.
Desserts for different diets
Amsterdam handles dietary needs better than most cities. There are dedicated vegan bakeries doing genuinely good cakes, so plant-based visitors are well served. Many Mediterranean sweets, including a lot of baklava and the milk cakes, are vegetarian. Gluten-free options are increasingly common, and some stroopwafel makers offer them. The honest caveat is to always ask about nuts, since pistachio, walnut and hazelnut run through much of the best baking here. If you have an allergy, a quick question at the counter saves trouble.
Best times of year for a sweet trip
Every season has its angle. Summer is for cold things and canal-side gelato. Autumn and winter bring warm treats, oliebollen toward New Year, and cosy cafe afternoons. Spring sees the city open up again and the terraces fill. Religious and cultural calendars add their own specialities, and during Ramadan and Eid the Mediterranean sweets shine, as we cover in our Eid and Ramadan desserts guide. There is genuinely no bad time to visit Amsterdam with a sweet tooth, only different things to eat. For the headline picks year-round, our viral desserts in Amsterdam guide is a good companion to this one.
Start your tour with us
Make Ruma your first stop. We are at Herenstraat 24A in the Nine Streets, a short walk from the Anne Frank House, Dam Square and Amsterdam Centraal. See the menu, plan a visit, or order across the city. Then go eat the rest of this list.