Beverages
Nonnevotten (Dutch sweet pastries)
3.7 / 11 votesThese small, sweet yeasted pastries from the Netherlands are known as Nonnevotten. They're a delicious doughnut-like treat from Limburg, in the south of the Netherlands, usually handed out during carnival parades. Recipe for 6 people.
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Recipe nonnevotten (dutch sweet pastries)
Ingredients
6 persons
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Made by Véronique
Published at 2015-02-14, this recipe is for 6 persons and takes 1 hours 20 minutes.
Founder of Ohmydish (since 2014), she prefers to spend all day in the kitchen. Once working in the hospitality industry as an independent chef, she loves helping you gain confidence in the kitchen. With her easy-to-follow recipes, handy tips, and cooking knowledge, you'll make the most delicious dishes yourself! The recipes are accessible to everyone, from beginners to advanced home cooks.
Updated at: 2026-02-23
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Preparation time
1 hours 10 minutes
Time cooking
10 minutes
Total time
1 hours 20 minutes
Preparation – 1 hour 10 minutes
Dissolve the instant yeast in a little lukewarm whole milk along with a little bit of the sugar, then wait 5 minutes.
Mix the flour, the rest of the milk, the sugar, egg and the yeast mixture together to form a smooth dough. Cut the butter into small pieces. Add the butter and a pinch of salt to the dough and knead it again.
Place the dough under a clean tea towel and let it rise for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, remove the dough from the bowl and flatten it into a pancake shape. Fold the dough in half and let it rise under the tea towel for 15 minutes.
Cut 30 centimetre strips from the dough and roll/tie them to make bow or knot shapes. Let the unbaked nonnevotten rise for 10 minutes.
Frying the Nonnevotten – 10 minutes
Heat the sunflower oil in a deep fryer, or a heavy-based saucepan, to a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius.
Deep fry the nonnevotten until golden brown on both sides. Sprinkle the nonnevotten generously with sugar immediately after frying. Do this straight away otherwise the sugar will not stick properly to the pastries.
These nonnevotten are a typical Limburg delicacy which are often eaten during carnival parades. Enjoy!
Tips!
Where do nonnevotten come from?
These pastries are one of the oldest pastries in the Netherlands. As early as 1676 they were gifted to French commanders in Sittard. Nowadays they are mainly eaten during the carnival in Limburg.
What is a nonnevot?
A nonnevot is Limburgish for a nun's behind (literally a nun's buttocks). It is a typical Limburg pastry in the shape of a knot and is not dissimilar to a sugared doughnut. A nonnevot is also known as a bow (or shtrik in dialect), or by the collective name for a similar pastry poefel.
When are nonnevotten for sale?
Nonnevotten (in Limburg) are for sale at bakeries from about a month before the carnival until Ash Wednesday.
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2 comments on "Nonnevotten (Dutch sweet pastries)"
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Danielle
says on 2022-03-05
I was making this recipe, because it’s Carnaval and I’m not in the Netherlands and I miss these very much. You mentioned mixing in the yeast mixture and “the rest of the milk”. Did I have to mix the yeast with only half of the milk?
Ohmydish
says on 2022-03-07
Hi Danielle, oh yes these are the ones I miss from carnaval too (I don't live in the Netherlands anymore). Sorry for my late reply, hope they ended up great anyway! As described in the first sentence, you only add a little lukewarm milk to the yeast. So not even half, just a little bit. That mixture will become foamy and that means the yeast has been activated. Have a great evening, love Véronique
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