Dubai Chocolate Bar Recipe: The Pistachio Kunafa Bar, Made the Chocolatier Way

MICHELIN STAR SERIES · CHOCOLATE

This Dubai chocolate bar recipe is the one we make in our own pastry kitchen here in Dubai. A thick, glossy milk chocolate shell snaps open to reveal a bright green pistachio cream packed with crisp, buttery kataifi pastry. It is the bar that went viral around the world, and once you understand the three things that make it work — properly toasted kataifi, a balanced pistachio filling and well-tempered chocolate — it is surprisingly achievable at home.

Most copycat versions online are soft, sweet and dull. Ours is built the way a chocolatier would build it: the shell shines and snaps, and the filling stays crunchy for days, not hours.

What Is the Dubai Chocolate Bar?

The Dubai chocolate bar is a filled chocolate bar inspired by knafeh (kunafa), the much-loved Middle Eastern dessert made with shredded filo pastry. First created by a chocolatier in Dubai and made famous on social media, it combines three textures: a snapping chocolate shell, a creamy pistachio filling and the shattering crunch of toasted kataifi.

Kataifi (also spelled kadayif) is filo dough extruded into fine threads. You will find it in the frozen section of Middle Eastern and Turkish grocery stores, and in most supermarkets across the UAE.

Dubai Chocolate Bar Recipe: Ingredients

Makes 2 large bars (about 18 × 9 cm moulds) or 4 standard bars.

For the pistachio kunafa filling

• 150 g kataifi pastry, chopped into 1–2 cm pieces
• 40 g unsalted butter (or ghee)
• 200 g pistachio cream or pure pistachio paste
• 20 g tahini
• 30 g white chocolate, melted
• 1 pinch fine salt

For the chocolate shell

• 500 g good milk chocolate (or half milk, half dark 55–64%)
• 20 g white chocolate + a little green fat-soluble colouring (optional, for the signature splash)

Equipment

• 2 deep polycarbonate or silicone bar moulds
• Digital probe thermometer
• Wide frying pan, palette knife and scraper

Step 1: Toast the Kataifi Until Truly Golden

Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the chopped kataifi and stir constantly for 8–10 minutes, until every strand is deep golden and crisp. Spread it on a tray and let it cool completely.

This is the step most recipes rush. Pale kataifi contains moisture, and inside the bar that moisture turns it soft within a day. Deep golden kataifi stays crunchy for up to a week.

Step 2: Make the Pistachio Filling

Mix the pistachio cream, tahini, melted white chocolate and salt until smooth. Fold in the cold kataifi. The filling should be thick, crunchy and hold together when pressed — not runny.

The tahini is our chef’s secret: its gentle bitterness balances the sweetness of the pistachio cream, and the white chocolate helps the filling set so the bar cuts cleanly.

Step 3: Temper the Chocolate

Tempering is what gives the bar its mirror shine and clean snap. The easiest home method is seeding:

1. Chop the chocolate finely. Melt two-thirds of it to 40–45 °C (milk) or 45–50 °C (dark).
2. Stir in the remaining third until the chocolate cools to 29–30 °C for milk chocolate or 31–32 °C for dark.
3. Test: dip the tip of a knife and leave it at room temperature. It should set glossy and streak-free in about 5 minutes.

For the full method, read our guide to tempering chocolate from bean to gloss, and see Valrhona vs Callebaut for help choosing your chocolate.

Step 4: Build the Bars

1. Decorate (optional): melt the white chocolate, colour it green and flick or brush it into the clean moulds. Let it set.
2. Make the shell: fill the moulds with tempered chocolate, tap to release bubbles, then turn them upside down and let the excess run out, leaving a shell about 3 mm thick. Scrape the top clean and set for 15 minutes.
3. Fill: press the pistachio kunafa filling firmly into each shell, leaving 2 mm at the top.
4. Cap: spread tempered chocolate over the top, scrape level in one stroke and leave to set at 16–18 °C for 1 hour.
5. Unmould: chill for 10 minutes, then turn out with a firm tap.

Common Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

• Soft, chewy filling: the kataifi was not toasted long enough. Go to deep golden.
• Dull, streaky shell: the chocolate was not tempered. Re-melt and temper again.
• Bars stick in the mould: the chocolate was out of temper or the mould was warm. Tempered chocolate contracts and releases by itself.
• Too sweet: use pure pistachio paste instead of sweetened pistachio spread, or switch half the milk chocolate for dark.
• Filling leaks when you cut it: it was too runny. Add more toasted kataifi until it holds together.

Storage

Keep the bars in an airtight box at 15–18 °C, away from humidity, for up to 7 days. In a hot climate like Dubai, store them in the fridge in a sealed container and bring them to room temperature for 15 minutes before eating, so the chocolate does not sweat.

Dubai Chocolate Bar FAQ

Can I make it without tempering the chocolate?

Yes, but the bar will be dull and soft at room temperature and must be kept in the fridge. Compound (coating) chocolate sets without tempering, though its flavour is not as good.

What can I use instead of kataifi?

Crushed toasted filo pastry, feuilletine flakes or crushed cornflakes all work. Kataifi gives the most authentic crunch.

Pistachio cream or pistachio paste?

Pistachio cream is sweetened and spreadable; pistachio paste is pure ground pistachios. Paste gives a deeper, less sweet flavour. If you use paste, add 30–40 g icing sugar to the filling.

Do I need a special mould?

Deep bar moulds give the classic thick shape, but you can also use a small loaf tin lined with acetate and cut the bar into pieces.

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Want to go further? Our Chocolate Mastery ebook covers three tempering methods, painted bonbons, flowing caramel, praliné and the full chocolatier version of this bar.