Dubai Chocolate Bar (Homemade “Can’t Get Knafeh of It”)

The famous Dubai Chocolate Bar is milk chocolate mixed with kataifi (shredded phyllo dough) and pistachios. This decadent treat is a mix of classic chocolate with Middle Eastern flair. Ready in about 30 minutes.

I generally approach TikTok recipes with caution. In my opinion, many of them have a tendency to overpromise but underdeliver. Thankfully, that’s not the case with the famous Dubai Chocolate Bar. 

Having lived in Dubai, and being a huge fan of kunafa, I knew had to try this. I’m happy to report, it was delicious, and now I’m going to show you how to make it at home. (After all, flying all the way to Dubai is a bit much just for a bar of chocolate.)

this recipe

What is the Dubai Chocolate Bar

The famous Dubai Chocolate Bar is a confectionary made up of milk chocolate combined with crispy kataifi (shredded phyllo dough) and pistachio cream.

The viral recipe became TikTok famous in 2024, which is where the “Dubai Chocolate Bar” name also came from. The original chocolate bar from Dubai (in the United Arab Emirates) is called “Can’t Get Knafeh Of It”, and was made by Sarah Hamouda, the owner of Fix Dessert Chocolatier. 

The recipe was so popular on TikTok that it is credited to have led to a brief nationwide pistachio cream shortage in the United States. (Honestly, there were actually several factors involved, but it’s more fun to think that a viral food and persistent TikTok users caused it.)

The names pays homage to the use of kataifi, which is one of the primary components of knafeh recipes.

And while the fancy chocolate recipe is imported into some stores in the United States, and while there are a few local copycat versions (with fairly large price tags attached to them), this candy bar is something that’s still not widely available.

If you’d like to try Dubai Chocolate, making it at home is likely the easiest way to do so.

Ingredients

• Milk chocolate
• Kataifi dough
• Butter
• Pistachio paste
• Tahini
• White chocolate
• Food coloring

How to make the Dubai Chocolate Bar

Making the viral Dubai knafeh pistachio chocolate bar is easier than you’d think. Begin by cutting the shredded kataifi dough – this allows for shorter kataifi strands to fill the chocolate bar. 

Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, coat the pan, and then add the shortened kataifi pastry threads, stirring it occasionally until it becomes golden brown, five to ten minutes. If your kataifi hasn’t started to get crispy, cook it a little longer over a slightly higher heat – the crispiness adds a lot to the texture of this recipe.

Remove the toasted kataifi from the pan and, using a large bowl, mix it with pistachio paste, and tahini to create a kataifi-covered pistachio cream. Set it aside while you prepare the chocolate. 

Melt some good quality milk chocolate (I recommend using a double boiler to do this) as well as the white chocolate (separately). Add a few drops of food coloring to the melted white chocolate, and mix to obtain the color you want. Food color doesn’t have any flavor so you can use whatever color you want (I recommend something bright to contrast the brown of the hefty-size chocolate bar we’ll be making).

Drizzle the colored milk chocolate to the inside of a chocolate bar mold, followed by enough melted milk chocolate to comfortably cover the bottom layer of the mold. (You can tilt the mold around to make sure that the melted chocolate reaches the entire inner surface of the mold.) 

Freeze for ten minutes before spooning in the pistachio cream (mixed with kataifi). You can use a palette knife to push the pistachio filling around and to the sides of the mold. (If you don’t have a palette knife, the back of a spoon works too.) Make sure to flatten and level the filling, and then gently add a top layer of milk chocolate. 

Freeze for another ten minutes, or until the chocolate is completely set. Remove the mold carefully, and enjoy!

Tips

Where to find kataifi

Kataifi can be found in most Middle Eastern grocery stores, or in the Middle Eastern section of large supermarkets. Alternatively, you can just order kataifi online.

Quality ingredients

As this milk chocolate bar is very dependent on the chocolate you use, I recommend using the best quality chocolates available to you. Ideally, you’re looking to use a super creamy chocolate with an almost velvet-like quality. Likewise, opt for some fresh pistachios (you can use organic pistachios if you want, but I don’t notice a difference there).

Likewise, I recommend getting a good quality tahini from your local Middle Eastern store. Good quality tahini is one of those things that’s easy to find in the Middle East, but in North America the quality can be a little all over the place.

What kind of mold to use

The original Dubai Chocolate Bar is made using a simple rectangular chocolate mold. However, you can use whatever shape is available to you. I do recommend using a silicone mold like this chocolate mold as it’s easier to remove the chocolate bar once made.

Chocolate melts easily

Something worth knowing is that, unless you’re using tempered chocolate, it’s easy for chocolate to melt. That means you can use a microwave to melt your chocolate, but in this case, I recommend using a double boiler to gently melt your chocolate while still maintaining the lovely chocolatey texture once it resets.

Extra safe chocolate work

If you’re worried about the coloured white chocolate and milk chocolate mixing, add the colored chocolate to the mold, and pop it into the freezer for ten minutes to let it set before adding the melted milk chocolate. This applies to adding melted chocolate after adding the kataifi-pistachio cream filling too.

Don’t get lost in the hype

While these viral chocolate bars are truly tasty, I want to take a quick second to remind you that social media influencers are often paid marketers whose careers are based on mining attention and promoting food trends through outlandish statements. 

While researching this recipe, I found videos claiming an “honest review of Dubai knafeh pistachio chocolate bar”, ending with “worth flying to Dubai for”. That’s just not true. No chocolate is worth a transatlantic flight.

The official “Can’t Get Knafeh of It” bar is fairly expensive and may not be worth it to you even if you are already in Dubai (though, I’d suggest giving it a shot if you find yourself nearby…despite the USD 25-ish price tag per bar). 

This is a delicious pistachio-knafeh chocolate bar. It’s a good chocolate bar. Is it worth you travelling to Dubai for? No, probably not. (But if you do go, could you please pick some more up for me?)

Variation ideas

Different type of chocolate

You can easily swap out the milk or white chocolate with dark chocolate or even ruby chocolate. Alternatively, you can even use a mixture of dark chocolate and white chocolate.

Add more textures

If you’re looking for a bit more texture, add some dried fruits or crushed peanuts or pistachio nuts to the bottom chocolate layer. 

All the colors

I only use one color in this recipe, but you can use as many as you want following the same process.

Go bold, make it cold. 

If you’re feeling adventurous, consider making Dubai chocolate ice cream bars, by mixing the crispy kataifi with some pistachio ice cream.