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; 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:
Chocotorta
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:
Helado
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
Panqueques de Dulce de Leche
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
Postre Vigilante
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
Allie Lazar
Latest posts by Allie Lazar (see all)
- CHEF’S RECIPE: MARIANO RAMON, GRAN DABBANG IN BUENOS AIRES - January 2, 2017
- THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO EATING AND DRINKING IN ALMAGRO - December 7, 2016
- TOKYO IN BUENOS AIRES - September 22, 2016
The Buenos Aires Helado Guide & Heatmap 
Where Argentina’s Top Chefs Go Out to Eat
[…] Source: https://therealargentina.com/argentinian-wine-blog/5-top-desserts-in-argentina/ […]
Was doing a research project on Argentine foods. Thank you so much for this information! It was really helpful!