Kaber Ellouz (Tunisian Almond Balls)

A recipe for Kaber Ellouz (Tunisian Almond Balls)! These multi-colored marzipan rounds are flavored with rose water and coated in sugar for quite the vibrant treat.

I first came across the inspiration for these Kaber Ellouz (كعابر اللوز, Tunisian Almond Balls) in the cookbook, Culina Mediterranea, back in 2013. I am updating today (2026) with a few new photos and slight adjustments to the ingredients.

Kaber Ellouz (Kaber El Louz) are sweet, bite-sized (or maybe two bite) treats with an almond base. They are a beautiful, no-bake addition to holidays, special celebrations, or simply alongside a cup of coffee.

Start by creating a slightly thickened syrup with sugar, vanilla sugar, and water. After removing from heat, whisk in a large splash of rose water. Slowly mix this syrup into finely ground almonds to form a dough, then, after a brief refrigeration, divide the dough into three equal parts.

Keep one part plain (off-white), then dye the second dough red and the third green. Roll each section into a thin rope, braid the ropes to gently bring the colors together, and cut this rope into individual pieces.

To finish, roll each piece into a ball and coat evenly in additional sugar. For easy serving, place the Kaber Ellouz in miniature muffin liners. This will (somewhat) help keep the granulated sugar from leaving a trail across your kitchen and dining area.

Notable Ingredients

Rose water is created by collecting the liquid from distilled roses.I have been able to locate it in pantry/baking section of grocery stores (make sure it is culinary rose water) with Middle Eastern and South Asian ingredients and more recently in some larger American supermarkets.

Vanilla sugar adds a wonderful light vanilla flavor to the Kaber Ellouz without the use of vanilla extract. You can buy small packets of vanilla sugar in the European section of many larger supermarkets, but it is easy to make at home.

Scrape out the seeds of one vanilla bean and mix well with 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar. Store in an airtight container with the scraped out vanilla beans.

If vanilla sugar is unavailable, swap for about a teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (halal-certified vanilla extract if avoiding alcohol).

The original recipe in Culina Mediterranea calls for ground almonds. I used a pre-made, finely ground almond flour. Almond flour has a light, powdery texture from blanched, skinless almonds. Almond meal is often made with the skins still on and will have a more coarse, dense texture.

If almond flour is unavailable, you can make ground almonds at home with a bit of planning ahead. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add whole almonds and boil for exactly one minute. Don’t boil any longer or the texture will become soft. You just want to loosen the skin so the almonds easily pop out.

Immediately drain and rinse the almonds with cold water. Squeeze along the bottom of the almond and the skin should slide right off. Discard the skins and arrange the almonds in a single layer to air dry- either overnight or in a 230˚F (110˚C) for 5-10 minutes until dry but not toasted.

Grind the dried, skinless almonds in a food processor until fine and powdery. Take care to not over-pulse or the almonds will start to release oil and turn into a paste.

I have made these Kaber Ellouz with both gel food coloring and natural, powdered food coloring. Since the almond dough is not baked, both work well. The gel coloring tends to be more vibrant.

A Few Kaber Ellouz (Tunisian Almond Ball) Tips

Sift the almond flour before using to create a smoother texture.

The dough will be sticky at first after mixing in the syrup. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour before dying and rolling into ropes. This will make it easier to handle. Continue to knead in more almond flour as needed until the dough no longer sticks to the work surface. Take care not to add too much or the rounds will end up dense.

If the dough is too dry and cracked to form, very slowly add a little more water- a splash at a time.

If not enjoying immediately, store the Kaber Ellouz in an airtight container at room temperature. The exterior will start to dry out/crack and the sugar will become sticky as it is exposed to air.

Looking for more almond-based desserts?

Try:

• Chocolate Almond Toffee
• Marzipankartoffeln (Marzipan Potatoes)
• Badem Ezmesi (Bebek Almond Truffles)

This recipe was originally posted in September 2013 and updated in July 2026.

Kaber Ellouz (Tunisian Almond Balls) Recipe

Adapted from Culina Mediterranea

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Kaber Ellouz (Tunisian Almond Balls)

A recipe for Kaber Ellouz (Tunisian Almond Balls)! These multi-colored marzipan rounds are flavored with rose water and coated in sugar for quite the vibrant treat.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Tunisian

Keyword Africa, African, almond, dessert, red food coloring, rose water, Tunisia, Tunisian, vanilla

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Resting Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 20 Almond balls

Ingredients

• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (12 grams) vanilla sugar
• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) water
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) rose water
• 3 cups (300 grams) fine almond flour sifted, plus more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon red food coloring
• 1/4 teaspoon green food coloring

Garnish:

• 1/4 cup (50 grams) fine granulated sugar caster sugar

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, vanilla sugar, and water.
• Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking often, until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the rose water.
• Sift the almond flour into a large bowl.
• Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to slowly stir in syrup until no streaks of the almond remain.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Dust a large work surface lightly with almond flour. Add the rested almond dough and knead lightly until no longer sticky, adding more almond flour as needed.
• Divide the dough into three equal pieces.
• Set one piece aside.
• For the second piece, add the red food coloring and knead until evenly distributed.
• For the third piece, add the green food coloring and knead until evenly distributed.
• Roll each piece into a 3/4 inch (2 centimeter) thick rope.
• Carefully arrange the ropes side by side with about 2 inches (5 centimeters) of space between each rope.
• Starting from one end, braid the ropes together. Gently roll the braided rope back and forth once or twice to remove any air and seal together the dough.
• Pour about 1/4 cup (50 grams) fine granulated sugar into a wide bowl.
• Cut the braided rope into about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then coat evenly in the sugar.
• If desired, place each coated round into a miniature muffin liner for easy serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.