What Is Dubai Kunafa Chocolate, and Why Did Everyone Suddenly Want It?

Posted by

October 20, 2026

On October 19, 2026

Quick answer: Kunafa, also spelt knafeh or kanafeh, is a Middle Eastern dessert made from fine shredded pastry called kataifi, baked until crisp and soaked in sweet syrup. In Dubai chocolate, toasted kataifi is folded into pistachio cream and sealed inside a chocolate bar, which gives it that famous crunch.

If you spent any time on social media in 2024, you probably saw someone snap a chocolate bar in half to show a thick green filling inside, followed by a very loud crunch. That was Dubai chocolate, and the crunch came from kunafa, a dessert that has been loved across the Middle East for centuries and was suddenly being searched for all over the world.

This guide explains what kunafa is, what kataifi pastry is, why pistachio is the other half of the story, and how the two ended up inside a bar of chocolate. We make our own kunafa chocolate here in Singapore, so we will also tell you what goes into ours.

Table of Contents

What Is Kunafa?

What Is Kunafa Kunafa is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made from shredded pastry or a fine semolina dough, layered with a soft white cheese or cream, baked until the top is golden and crisp, and then soaked in a fragrant sugar syrup. It is usually finished with a scattering of crushed pistachios. The result is a dessert that is crunchy on the outside, soft and stretchy in the middle, and sweet all the way through.

You will see the name spelt several ways, including knafeh, kanafeh and kunafah, and the Turkish version is called kunefe. The dessert is especially associated with the city of Nablus in Palestine, but it is made and loved across the Levant, Egypt, Turkey and the Gulf, often for celebrations and during Ramadan. Each region has its own way of making it, from the cheese used to the shape of the tray.

The kunafa meaning most people are looking for today, though, is the crunchy pastry rather than the whole dessert. When people talk about kunafa chocolate, they mean the toasted pastry strands inside the bar, not the baked cheese dessert itself.

What Is Kataifi Pastry?

Kataifi pastry is the shredded dough that gives kunafa its texture. It looks like a nest of very fine golden threads, and it is made by drizzling a thin flour batter onto a hot spinning plate, where it sets into long, delicate strands. It is sold fresh or frozen, and it is used across the Middle East and Greece for crisp, nest-shaped pastries as well as for kunafa.

Because the strands are so fine, kataifi is often mistaken for vermicelli. They do look alike, but vermicelli is a noodle that is boiled, while kataifi is a pastry that is toasted or baked until it turns crisp. When it is toasted until golden and then folded into a soft filling, it keeps a satisfying crunch, and that crunch is exactly what made Dubai chocolate so memorable on video.

What Is Dubai Chocolate, and Who Invented It?

Dubai chocolate is a thick chocolate bar filled with a blend of pistachio cream and toasted kataifi pastry. It was first made in Dubai in 2021 by a small local chocolate company. For a couple of years it was a local favourite. Then, at the end of 2023, a food video of someone breaking a bar open and biting into it was watched by millions of people, and within months the Dubai chocolate trend had travelled around the world.

So why is Dubai chocolate so popular? Part of it is simply that it is very good to eat, with smooth chocolate, a nutty sweet filling and plenty of crunch. Part of it is that it looks and sounds wonderful on camera: the snap of the bar, the vivid green inside and the crackle of the pastry made it ideal for short videos. And part of it is the novelty of a flavour combination that most people had never tasted before.

If you are wondering what is inside Dubai chocolate, it comes down to three parts.

Part of the bar	What it is	What it brings
Chocolate shell	A thick outer layer of chocolate	Smoothness, and the satisfying snap
Kataifi pastry	Fine shredded pastry, toasted until golden	The crunch
Pistachio cream	Ground pistachios blended until smooth	Nutty sweetness and the green colour

Pistachio, the Other Half of the Bar

Pistachio, the Other Half of the Bar If kunafa gives Dubai chocolate its crunch, pistachio gives it its flavour and its colour. The pistachio is the seed of the pistachio tree, which grows best where summers are long, hot and dry and winters are cold. The trees originally come from Central Asia and the region around Iran, and today most of the world’s pistachios are grown in the United States, Iran and Turkey.

Not all pistachios taste the same. Turkish pistachios, especially those from the region around Gaziantep, tend to be smaller, greener and more intensely flavoured, which is why they are prized for desserts. Iranian pistachios are often larger and richer. The green pistachio colour comes from natural chlorophyll in the nut, and the deepest greens usually come from nuts that are harvested earlier.

As for what pistachio tastes like, it is sweet, buttery and gently savoury, with a slightly floral finish that sets it apart from almonds or cashews. That is why it works so well with chocolate. Pistachios are also among the more expensive nuts, because the trees take several years to produce a good crop, often bear heavily one year and lightly the next, and need careful harvesting and processing.

Our Kunafa Chocolate, Made in Singapore

We make our kunafa chocolate at our own facility here in Singapore. Each bar is a thick shell of chocolate filled with toasted kunafa pastry and a smooth, rich filling, so you get the snap, the creamy centre and the crunch in every bite. The Pistachio Kunafa bar is the closest to the original Dubai chocolate, with rich pistachio and a luxurious nutty crunch.

If you would like something a little different, the Peanut Butter Kunafa bar pairs creamy peanut butter with the same crisp pastry and rich chocolate. Other flavours join the range from time to time, and you can see everything we currently make in our Dubai chocolate collection.

Our kunafa bars are made with milk chocolate and contain milk, wheat and soya, and the pistachio and peanut butter bars also contain nuts. They are made in a facility that handles nuts and dairy, so they are not suitable for anyone with those allergies. Keep them sealed in the original zip bag provided and stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sun, which keeps the chocolate glossy and the pastry crisp.

If you enjoy chocolate built around a much-loved dessert, you may also like our local flavours, which start from Singapore favourites such as kaya and durian.

Trying Dubai Kunafa Chocolate for Yourself

Kunafa is a centuries-old Middle Eastern dessert, kataifi is the fine shredded pastry that gives it its crunch, and Dubai chocolate is what happened when that crunch met pistachio cream inside a chocolate bar. Once you know the three parts, it is easy to see why the combination caught on. If you have a question about our bars, or would like them for a gift or an event, send us a message and we will be happy to help.

CHOCOELF has been crafting artisanal chocolate in Singapore from 2005, and our kunafa bars sit alongside the local flavours we are known for. You can explore the rest of our range on the CHOCOELF website.

Explore our Dubai chocolate and kunafa bars.

Frequently Asked Questions About Kunafa

What does kunafa taste like?

Kunafa is sweet, buttery and crunchy, with a soft and slightly stretchy cheese or cream centre in the traditional dessert. The syrup gives it a fragrant sweetness, and pistachios on top add a nutty finish.

Is kunafa made from vermicelli?

No. Kunafa is made from kataifi, a fine shredded pastry that looks like vermicelli but is made from a thin flour batter and toasted or baked until crisp. Vermicelli is a noodle that is boiled.