5 Top Desserts in Argentina

Argentina has a very special amorous relationship with postres (desserts). Sugary, gooey, chocolaty, caramel-y, fruity, and creamy; sweet lovers will sure not be disappointed when it comes to navigating the Buenos Aires post meal sweet-induced food world. Suck on a spoonful of dulce de leche and bite into a cake oozing with a rich chocolate center – it’s time to live la vida dulce and get to know some of Argentina’s most popular desserts.

Flan Mixto

Flan Mixto from Don Julio
Flan Mixto from Don Julio; photo by Allie Lazar.

What is it?

No respectable parrilla, bodegón, or cantina in Argentina would omit flan mixto from its carta de postres (dessert menu). It’s the distant relative of the crème brûlée (without the crunchy brûlée top), where crème caramel, or caramel custard, is served with a thin layer of soft caramel on top. Even though this jiggly condensed milk custard is readily found across many Latin American countries, the generous dollop of whipped cream and mountain of dulce de leche (the mixto) is what makes it ubiquitously Argentine.

Best Flan Mixto in Buenos Aires:

  • Don Julio: Guatemala 4691, Palermo Soho
  • El Obrero: Agustín Caffarena 64, La Boca
  • Parrilla El 22: Carranza 1950, Palermo Hollywood
  • Chocotorta

    Chocotorta in Loreto Garden Bar
    Chocotorta in Loreto Garden Bar; photo by Allie Lazar.

    What is it?

    A birthday party wouldn’t be complete without it: chocolate “chocolinas” cookies, dulce de leche and queso crema (Argentine version of cream cheese), this no-bake cake might be one of the most simple yet satisfying Argentine dessert recipes around. Literally translated to mean “chocolate cake”, chocotorta is a multilayer cake where store-bought chocolate cookies are soaked in coffee (or Kahlua for a drunken version), and topped with a dulce de leche-cream cheese filling.

    Best Chocotorta in Buenos Aires:

  • Loreto Garden Bar: Virrey Loreto 2912, Colegiales
  • La Esperanza: Sucre 1302, Belgrano
  • Scarlett Cakes Bakery: Nicaragua 4457, Palermo Soho
  • Helado

    Jauja Helados Photo by Jauja
    Jauja Helados; photo by Jauja.

    What is it?

    Helado isn’t just a dessert in Argentina; it’s a religion. Creamy, dense, and sweet, it’s the perfect cure for those humid Buenos Aires summer days, and ideal comfort food for chilly winter porteño nights. Multiple ice cream shops, or heladerías, pop up in every barrio serving wonderful flavor varieties of chocolate, dulce de leche, cream and sorbet by the cone, cup, or kilo. Some flavors to try? Dark chocolate, dulce de leche with banana, frutas del bosque con crema (forest fruits and cream).

    Best Helado in Buenos Aires

  • Jauja: Cerviño 3901, Palermo
  • Cadore: Avendia Corrientes 1696, Congreso
  • La Cremerie: Báez 252, Las Cañitas
  • Panqueques de Dulce de Leche

    Los panqueques de Mataderos
    Los panqueques de Mataderos; photo by Allie Lazar.

    What is it?

    No, this isn’t good ol’ Amurrican diner breakfast pancakes you smother with butter and maple syrup. Argentine panqueques pack a whole new level of sweet bombardment with a gooey inside. Similar to the French crêpe, each ultra thin panqueque is slathered with dulce de leche before tightly rolled and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Some variations of the thin pancakes add sliced bananas to the mix, while others get a bit tipsy with raisins and rum flambé.

    Best Panqueques in Buenos Aires

  • Peron Peron: Carranza 2225, Palermo Hollywood
  • Los Panqueques de Mataderos: Av. Lisandro de la Torre y Av. de los Corrales
  • Lo de Carlitos: Multiple locations across Buenos Aires
  • Postre Vigilante

    Postre vigilante with dulce de membrillo
    Postre vigilante with dulce de membrillo; photo by Allie Lazar.

    What is it?

    The classic vigilante is Argentina’s answer to the end-of-the-meal cheese course, featuring a creamy queso sweetly topped with a slice of either dulce de membrillo (quince paste) or dulce de batata (sweet potato paste). The vigilante is also simply known as “queso y dulce” or a “Martin Fierro,” named after the infamous gaucho from writer José Hernandez’s epic poem. Both the dulce de membrillo and the dulce de batata have a jam-like flavor with a more dense gelatinous texture that pairs nicely with soft mild cheeses.

    Best Postre Vigilante in Buenos Aires

  • El Federal’s “Puro Noreste”: 1015 San Martin, Retiro
  • Las Carnitas: Monroe 1785, Belgrano
  • Albamonte: Corrientes 6735, Chacarita
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    Allie Lazar

    Allie Lazar

    Allie is a freelance eater based out of Buenos Aires. An ex-vegetarian born and raised in Chicago, she was lured by the carnivorous spell of chorizo in 2006 and never turned back. She has managed to channel her unhealthy obsession for all things culinary and travel-related into something a bit more socially acceptable: writing about food, wine and travel. She is also known for her master utensil-using skills, covering the BA gastronomy scene on her blog Pick Up The Fork.


    2 responses to “5 Top Desserts in Argentina

    1. Manu Ginobili says:

      Was doing a research project on Argentine foods. Thank you so much for this information! It was really helpful!

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