Karpouzopita – Greek watermelon pie recipe from Milos

A Greek pie made from watermelon! This traditional recipe comes from the island of Milos and is made with watermelon, flour, honey, olive oil, cinnamon and sesame seeds. It is an easy and delicious treat during lent, and anytime!

Why I love this recipe

Growing up Greek, visits back to the homeland were an important way for our family to stay connected to our roots, heritage and of course, our family. When we would travel back with our parents, our holidays were spent primarily in the horio (village) and in places where our family lived. Rarely did we venture far and do the more touristy things that many people think about when they consider going to Greece.

Now that we are travelling back to Greece with families of our own, stays at the horio, and with family, are still a priority, but we do play tourist as well. It is amazing exploring for the first time some of the wonders that Hellas has to offer. Our most recent trip included a wonderful stay in Milos, discovering this jewel in the Cyclades, and eating some of the most amazing food we have ever had.

MIlos is a volcanic island in the Aegean Sea and it boasts many culinary specialties, including cheeses made only on the island, ladenia, a tomato flatbread that celebrates the incredible tomatoes you will find in Milos, a dessert called koufeto (stay tuned…that recipe is coming soon), and watermelon pie.

Before heading to Milos, karpouzopita was on my bucket list. Some people think about the beaches they want to swim in. Some note down all the archeological and historical sites they want to see. Me, I make a list of all the things I want to eat, and all the places I want to eat them. Watermelon pie topped the list for Milos. How intriguing! How weird! How could I resist?!

While in Milos my family and I had karpouzopita in two different bakeries, and they were both incredible, but different. In both places the beautiful women working in the bakeries generously shared their recipes (well, not actually the recipes – just the ingredients and their vague directions) and assured me that it was super easy to make karpouzopita!

This particular recipe is inspired by my visit to Mouratos Art of Bakery in Katifora, Milos. We stopped in at this bakery several times and enjoyed everything we tried (and we tried a lot!). The karpouzopita topped the list however. Baked thin, we learned that the watermelon was grated as opposed to cut into chunks. It was mixed together with simple ingredients of honey, flour, olive oil, cinnamon and sesame seeds, making this a perfect dessert for lent.

The sesame seeds placed at the bottom of the pan, and on top of the pie before baking add flavour, texture, and help prevent sticking to the pan. When I finally perfected this recipe, one bite took me back to my stay in Milos, and I remembered the sun, the landscape, the history, and the people, all of which make this an island I hope to visit again and again.

Key ingredients

You only need a few ingredients to make this traditional pie from Milos. The watermelon is of course the star, and the few other ingredients you need are probably already available in your pantry.

You will need:

Watermelon The best red watermelon will give you the best karpouzopita! This is a seasonal dessert, made when fresh watermelon is available and delicious.

Flour I use all purpose (also called plain or regular flour) to make this traditional dessert from Milos.

Honey The flavour of the honey really shines through in this pie, so I like to use honey that is either locally sourced, or from Greece. The better the honey, the better the karpouzopita will be.

Olive oil I use Greek olive oil because I love the flavour and the aroma.

Cinnamon I add cinnamon to the karpouzopita as is traditionally done. A bit of cinnamon really ties in all the other flavours nicely.

Salt I always add salt to my sweet and savoury dishes. You don’t need much to really draw out the other flavours.

Sesame seeds I use white sesame seeds. They add flavour, texture, and also help avoid sticking at the bottom of the pan.

How to make it

Preparation

Begin by grating your watermelon using a box grater or other form of grater. Be sure to do this directly in the mixing bowl since you don’t want to lose any of the watermelon juice which will be created. Be sure to remove any seeds.

Instructions

Step 1
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bottom and sides of a 12 inch round baking pan liberally. Sprinkle the bottom with half of your sesame seeds. Set aside.

Step 2
In a large bowl combine the grated watermelon (and juice), flour, honey, olive oil, cinnamon and salt. Mix well until thoroughly combined.

Step 3
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and then top with the remaining sesame seeds.

Step 4
Bake in the middle rack of your oven for an 75 minutes or until the edges are caramelized and the center is no longer loose.

Step 5
Allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting into pieces and transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Baking tips and helpful hints

Grate your watermelon into the mixing bowl

Have you ever grated watermelon? I hadn’t. Guess what…it’s messy business. Be sure to grate directly into your mixing bowl to not lose any of the juice, or watermelon bits.

Remove (some) of the seeds

In Greece the watermelons are studded with black seeds. Here in Canada, I don’t know what we do to our watermelon, but the only seeds you usually see are the little white ones that are easily edible. After you grate your watermelon, pick out any of the black seeds (if you have them); the more delicate white seeds can also be removed, but don’t worry if you leave a few behind.

Bake for longer than you think

Those of us who bake cakes know that most are done within 45 minutes to an hour. This karpouzopita however needs a little more time than that. Watermelon is primarily water, so the batter is quite wet. Baking time is at least 1h15min, or more. Your karpouzopita is done when the edges are caramelized and the centre feels solid to the touch.

Cool your dessert, but not for too long

Removing desserts from baking pans can be tricky. Generously greasing the bottom of the pan and sprinkling a good layer of sesame seeds helps prevent the karpouzopita from sticking. Still, you may need to scrape with your spatula as you remove piece by piece.

Allow your karpouzopita to cool for about 5 minutes before removing pieces. If you wait longer than this it will start to cook and the honey in the recipe will start to stick to the bottom.

Parchment paper at a cost

I don’t mean the cost of the actual parchment paper, but the impact it will have on your dessert! Definitely, lining your baking pan with parchment paper will prevent it from sticking and will make serving your pieces a breeze. It will also cause the bottom of your karpouzopita to cook, but not brown. If you like the crispy texture of caramelization, take your chances and forego the parchment paper.

Recipe substitutions

If you prefer not to use honey in your karpouzopita, you can sweeten it with sugar. Use 1/3 cup sugar and no honey and watch the cooking time; you may not need to bake your karpouzopita for as long.

You can use toasted sesame seeds instead of un-toasted sesame seeds for a different flavour.

In most recipes, including this one, you can substitute different oils for the olive oil. This will take away from the flavour however (I love the flavour of olive oil) but the texture and bake time should remain the same.

Recipe variations

I had karpouzopita from two different bakeries in Milos, and both were amazing. The other karpouzopita I had was in Plaka, Milos from a beautiful place called O Palaios. There, they did not grate the watermelon, but instead cut it into chunks. Lo and behold, I have realized that my online friend Christine had visited Milos several years ago, and posted the recipe from this bakery! You can find the recipe for Vasiliki’s Karpouzopita on her website called Kali Orexi.

How to store

Keep karpouzopita for several days in the refrigerator. I like to eat it cold or at room temperature. When I want it warmed up I usually use either the microwave (when I am in a hurry) or the oven (which I prefer because it prevents the watermelon pie from getting soggy).

Related recipes

If you love the idea of this watermelon pie, maybe you will also like these other recipes that use watermelon.

Strawberry and watermelon frozen ouzo cocktail What an amazing summer cocktail! This drink is refreshing and so delicious. It looks beautiful too!

Grilled watermelon and feta salad This is an vamped up version of the watermelon and feta combo. The watermelon gets grilled before being tossed in the salad. Sounds odd? Trust me, it is worth the effort!

Watermelon and feta bites The same dynamic duo come together, but this time in bite size. With a drizzle of balsamic glaze, this really is a great appetizer during the summer.

Thanks for sharing!