Gata is easily one of the most beloved Armenian desserts. It's a pastry with similarities to both croissants and rugelach, but with a personality of its own. Some call it nazook, but this typically refers to a walnut-filled version made by Iranian Armenians. Crisp on the outside, flaky within, with spirals of vanilla-laced sweetness throughout, it's a divine dessert any time of year.

Whether you call these morsels gata (as my family does) or nazook (as some Iranian-Armenians typically do), the pastry itself is amazing! There is often regional differences in terminology for Armenian recipes.

Many Armenians grew up in various countries throughout the Middle East and Near East because of wars in the area. Vocabulary and cooking methods for popular dishes vary because of this. My family comes from Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, and to us this is gata 🙂 There is also a flat version of gata, but this rolled one is my favorite!

My aunt has perfected her gata-making technique over years of tweaking. She recently passed those secrets on to me. And lucky for you, I'm in a sharing kind of mood!

Not only are the ingredients important to yield the perfect gata, but the tricks she uses make the process easier. Thus now we can all create an all-around excellent pastry using this incredibly detailed recipe.

Closeup of a beautifully golden Armenian gata on a baking sheet.

How to make Armenian Gata: Day 1

This is a two-part process and must begin the day or evening before baking the pastries. The dough is very easy to make, especially with the use of a food processor.

This recipe yields a lot of dough. Make half the dough at a time, and then combine the two halves. This will give the dough plenty of room to move around the bowl of the food processor.

Ingredients in the dough include flour, butter, baking soda, baking powder, and sour cream. After making the two halves of dough, and pressing them into one mass, you will need to laminate the dough.

First you will cut the dough into four equal parts. Then for each quarter fold the dough multiple times in a technique similar to making croissants, but without the block of butter.

Here the butter is already worked into the dough via the food processor step, similar to making pie dough. These "laminated" dough squares rest in the fridge until we are ready for step two the following day.

Preparing the dough for gata by folding it over itself into a square.

Day 2

The next day, you'll begin by making the filling for the gata, referred to as "khoreez" in Armenian. This process begins similarly to the dough, by blitzing flour and butter together in the food processor. You will then add sugar and vanilla to yield a sweet, sandy filling.

A crumbly mixture of khoreez (filling) for gata.

Working with one square of dough at a time, roll it out into a thin rectangle. The thinner it is, the more layers you'll yield when you roll it up! Cover the dough in the "khoreez" filling, leaving a small uncovered edge for sealing.

A flat rectangle of dough on a wooden board topped with a crumbly mixture.

Use the palms of your hands to press the filling into the dough to make the rolling process less messy. Tightly roll the dough into a spiral, similar to assembling a jelly roll.

Rolling gata jelly roll style on a wooden board.

Finally, use a rolling pin to gently flatten the roll. Don't use a lot of pressure. Simply allow the weight of the rolling pin to do the work for you. Now, we're ready to finish the gata!

Flatting the gata roulade with a rolling pin on a wooden board.

It's easier and less messy to brush the entire roll with egg wash before cutting it into pieces.

Brushing the gata roulade with egg wash.

It is traditional to use a serrated vegetable cutter when portioning gata. This results in beautiful serrated edges, and picture-perfect gata! If you're unable to acquire such a tool, a dough scraper will work in a pinch, but won't yield the same refined look.

Cutting the gata roulade into individual pieces with a serrated vegetable cutter.

Arrange the gata on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake the gata one tray at a time for 25 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees F, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. You can use this time to work on assembling the remaining gata. Multitasking for the win!

Unbaked gata arranged on a baking sheet.

The gata will bake until golden, showing off their lovely flaky layers and sweet filling. The delicate vanilla flavor shines through these crisp and delectable sweets.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Although the process to make gata seems lengthy, it's really not. You will certainly need to plan ahead. Other than that, as long as you use these convenient tricks you'll find that the resulting gata is absolute perfection.

Armenian gata is especially great at Christmastime and around Easter, but it's delicious any time of year. Have you ever eaten these delicious treats before?

Rows of golden brown baked Armenian gata arranged on a baking sheet.

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Closeup of flaky Armenian gata pastries arranged in rows on a baking sheet.

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!