Holy Week sweets in Seville: torrijas, pestiños and convents

The Easter sweets in Seville above all, torrijas and pestiños, which fill sweet shops, bars and kitchens during Lent. To these are added convent sweets, such as yemas de San Leandro, and recipes typical of the towns in the province, from borrachitas in Lebrija to orejitas de abad in Coria del Río.

If you’re visiting Seville at this time of year and want to round off the day with a live performance by flamenco, check out the opening hours and prices of the Tablao Flamenco Las Setas.

Why Lent has its own sweets in Seville

The cuisine of these weeks is marked by the vigil, the Catholic custom of not eating meat on certain days of Lent. In the Sevillian table, they serve cod, spinach with chickpeas and vigil stews, which are cooked without meat, and for dessert, fried sweets like torrijas and pestiños. In the province of Seville, cod and torrijas are the two most characteristic products of Lent.

If you are interested in Andalusian cuisine for the rest of the year, you have a selection of Typical Andalusian dishes.

Torrijas, the most typical Easter sweet in Seville

The RAE defines torrija as a «slice of bread soaked in milk or wine and topped with egg, fried and sweetened». The confectioneries in Seville prepare them with milk or wine.

They are traditionally eaten during Lent, but nowadays many bars in Seville serve them as a dessert all year round.

Pestiños: fried pastry coated in honey

The pestiño is, according to the RAE, a «fried fruit made with small portions of flour dough and beaten eggs, which after being fried in oil are then dipped in honey». In the Andalusian recipe, the dough is flavored with anise, and some people sprinkle it with sugar instead of dipping it in honey.

They are also a Christmas sweet, but in the province of Seville it is traditional to make them during Lent and Holy Week.

Other Lenten sweets in the province of Seville

Several villages in the province have their own traditional sweets for this time of year. Here are a few examples:

• Jelly sweets (Lebrija): they are made from leftover bread dough and are typical of Lent.
• Lebrija doughnuts (Lebrija): generously sized doughnuts made with egg and flour in the dough.
• Abad’s little ears (Coria del Río): a characteristic sweet of Lent in Coria.
• Piñonates: They are made in some villages in Seville and, despite their name, they do not contain pine nuts.

Where to buy Easter sweets in Seville

Tortillas and pies can be found in patisseries, bakeries, and bars throughout the city. Among the historic patisseries in the city center is La Campana on Sierpes Street, which claims to be a workshop of «master pastry chefs since 1885» and makes tortillas.

Conventual sweets are purchased at the shops of cloistered monasteries. The Augustinian nuns of the Real Monasterio de San Leandro, in Seville since 1295, are known for their San Leandro wafers, which they sell at the monastery shop alongside other sweets. And every December, the Archdiocese of Seville organizes the festival of San Leandro in the Real Alcázar. Exhibition of Sweets from Cloistered Convents, The event, which in 2025 celebrated its 41st edition (from December 5 to 8), included 19 communities, including San Leandro.

Easter sweets in Seville and flamenco

Seville’s Holy Week also has its own traditional song: the saeta, a folk song sung without guitar accompaniment as the brotherhoods’ processions pass by. We tell you all about it in our guide to the flamenco saeta, and the key days for the processions are on the Guide to Holy Week in Seville.

If, after your torrijas, you fancy a visit to flamenco, the Tablao Flamenco Las Setas is at Plaza de la Encarnación, 38, on the ground floor of Metropol Parasol. There are performances at 6.00 pm, 7.30 pm, 9.00 pm and 10.30 pm (and at 4.30 pm in high season); the show lasts 60 minutes, without an interval, under the artistic direction of Sandra Guerrero «La Negra» and featuring more than 80 artists in rotation. Before the show, the stage bar It serves sherries – from manzanilla to Pedro Ximénez – and Iberian tapas.

Frequently asked questions about Easter sweets in Seville

The most typical Easter sweets in Seville are: * **Torrijas:** These are the undisputed queens of Easter sweets. They are slices of bread (usually day-old) soaked in milk and/or wine, coated in egg, fried, and then usually drizzled with honey or sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. * **Borrachuelos:** These are fried pastries filled with either sweet or savoury fillings, often flavoured with cinnamon or orange zest. * **Pestiños:** Sweet, deep-fried pastries coated in honey or sugar. They are often shaped into twists or knots. * **Tortas de Aceite:** Thin, crispy, flaky pastries traditionally made with olive oil, flour, sugar, and aniseed. They are often enjoyed with a coffee or as a light dessert. * **Huesos de Santo:** While more commonly associated with All Saints' Day (

The most typical are torrijas and pestiños. In the province there are also sweets typical of Lent, such as borrachitas and rosquetes from Lebrija or orejitas de abad from Coria del Río, and in enclosed convents sweets such as yemas de San Leandro are sold.

What is the difference between a torrija and a pestiño?

A torrija is a slice of bread soaked in milk or wine, coated in egg, fried and sweetened. The pestiño is a small portion of flour and egg dough that is fried in oil and coated in honey. Both are typical fried sweets of the Seville Lent.

Where can you buy convent sweets in Seville?

In the revolving hatches of the enclosed monasteries that make them, such as that of San Leandro, famous for its egg yolk sweets. Every December, the Archdiocese of Sevilla also organises the Enclosed Convent Sweets Exhibition in the Real Alcázar, which in 2025 brought together 19 communities for its 41st edition.

Can you eat torrijas outside of Easter?

Yes. Their traditional season is Lent, but in Seville many bars have them as a dessert all year round. Pestiños, as well as during Lent and Holy Week, are a typical Christmas sweet.