Turrón itself can take on a variety of consistencies and appearances, however, they traditionally consisted of the same ingredients; the final product may be either hard and crunchy, or soft and chewy. Thirty years ago almost all
turrón recipes followed the same specifications, but since the diversification of products there are currently dozens of varieties: chocolate with puffed rice or whole almonds; all kinds of chocolate
pralines, with or without liquor, candied fruits or whole nuts; fruit pralines; and even sugarless variations (sweetened with
fructose or artificial
sweeteners).
Spanish turrón Traditional Spanish
turrón may be classified as: • Hard /
duro (the
Alicante or
Alacant variety, named after the city of
Alacant): a compact block of whole almonds in a mass of eggs, honey and sugar; 60% almonds. Depending on the thickness, one may find it difficult to break pieces of
turrón duro as it is so rigid. • Soft /
blando (the
Jijona or
Xixona variety, named after the city of
Xixona): the almonds are reduced to a paste. The addition of oil makes the matrix bond better; 64% almonds.
Turrón blando has a much more mushy and crumbly consistency. This variation in ingredients and resulting dryness reflects a continuum that exists also in amaretti (almond-flavored) cookies, from a
meringue to a
macaroon. Other varieties include ''torró d'
Agramunt from near Lleida, torró de
Xerta from near Tortosa and torró de
Casinos''. The
Canary Islands have their own distinctive
turrón tradition, incorporating local ingredients such as
gofio (toasted Canarian flour), honey, and bananas. In December 2025, the municipality of
Santiago del Teide in
Tenerife achieved a
Guinness World Record for creating the world's longest
turrón, measuring 1,151.15 metres in length and utilizing over 1,280 kilos of local ingredients. The event involved collaboration between local pastry chefs, the Canary Islands Association of Chefs and Pastry Chefs, and volunteers. The resulting confection was distributed to local NGOs and community organizations. In modern times, the name
turrón has widened its meaning in Spain to include many other sweet preparations that, in common with traditional
turrón, are sold in bars of around 20 x 10 x 3 cm. These bars can have chocolate, marzipan, coconut, caramel, candied fruit, etc.
Italian torrone Torrone is a traditional winter and
Christmas confection in Italy and many varieties exist. It differs from the Spanish version in that a lower proportion of nuts is used in the confection. Traditional versions from
Cremona, Lombardy, range widely in flavor (with various citrus flavorings,
vanilla, etc., added to the nougat); as well as in texture, from
morbido () to
duro () or brittle), and may contain whole hazelnuts, almonds, or pistachios or only have nut meal added to the nougat. Some commercial versions are dipped in chocolate. The popular recipes have varied with time and differ from one region to the next.
Torrone di Benevento from
Benevento, Campania, sometimes goes by the historic name
Cupedia, which signifies the crumbly version made with hazelnuts. The softer version is made with almonds. The
torrone di Benevento is considered to be the oldest of its kind since it predates Roman times and was widely known in the territories of Samnium. Although originally resembling sticky paste, it now differs only marginally from the varieties of
torrone di Cremona.
Abruzzo,
Sicily and
Sardinia also have local versions that may be slightly distinct from the two main denominations from Lombardy and Campania. The co-founders of
Toblerone were also inspired by
torrone when choosing the name for their chocolate. •
Torrone di mandorle (usually eaten around Christmas): blocks of chopped almonds in a brittle mass of honey and sugar. •
Torrone di Bagnara Calabra is a well-known
torrone given the designation IGP. The recipe, which dates from at least 1700, includes orange blossom honey (from
Calabria), almonds (from Sicily), egg whites, sugar, cocoa, and essential oil. There are two variations:
Martiniana, dusted in confectioners sugar;
Torrefatto, dusted in cocoa powder.
Peruvian turrón In
Peruvian cuisine turrón generally is soft and may be flavored with
anise. The original Spanish recipe, which contained ingredients that were rare or expensive in Peru (such as almonds, rose water, orange blossom water, honey), was modified in a variety of ways. One common variety found in Lima is
turrón de Doña Pepa, an anise and honey nougat that is traditionally prepared for the Señor de los Milagros (or
Lord of Miracles) religious procession, during October.
Philippine turrón masareal, a confection made from ground peanuts and syrup
(turón'') made of ground peanuts in a
spring roll wrapper
Cashew turrón (
Philippine Spanish:
turrones de casúy;
Spanish:
turrones de anacardo) from
Pampanga Province is a derivative. It is a bar of
marzipan made with cashew nuts, and wrapped in a white wafer. Unlike in the rest of
Hispanidad, this candy is not associated with the holiday season. Another derivative is the
turrones de pili, made using the native
pili nut. A similar delicacy is the
masareal of
Mandaue,
Cebu which is made from finely-ground boiled peanuts, sugar or syrup (
latik), and water. It is typically not as dry as the
turrón, however. A derivative but very different
street food is the
turón, which is a dessert version of the Filipino
lumpia. The most common is the
turón na saging, which are sliced banana or
plantain dipped in
brown sugar, wrapped in
spring roll wrappers, and deep-fried. However, there are numerous other fillings of
turón, including
ube,
sweet potato, and even peanuts, like the
turón de mani.
Puerto Rican turrón In Puerto Rico,
turrón is called
turrón de ajonjolí (sesame
turrón). Puerto Rican
turrón is made with toasted black and white sesame seeds, ground cinnamon, lemon juice, bound together by caramelized brown sugar and honey. Other varieties include almonds, lime zest, sunflower seeds with flax seeds, orange zest, and toasted coconut flakes.
Cuban turrón In Cuba,
turrón de maní (peanut nougat) is a traditional sweet treat. Snack-sized bars are usually peddled across bus stops and crowds, though family loaves of up to two pounds are also available. They run in two variants:
blando, ground peanuts pressed into bars with brown sugar; and
duro, coarsely chopped roasted peanuts bound together with caramelized sugar and honey. ==Protected status==