Kunafah is a Middle-Eastern dessert. A cheese-based pastry, made with crispy kataifi dough, salty akawie cheese, and gooey ricotta; all soaked in a rosewater syrup for a sweet and floral finish. It’s popular all over the Middle East, and is a staple dessert at special events (with good reason!).
Happy Ramadan! (…And Eid Mubarak too!)
For those of you not aware, we’re approaching the last few days of the month of Ramadan where Muslims all over the world abstain from food and drink during the daylight hours to better understand piety and humility, purify the soul, refocus attention to God, and practice self-discipline. And if you’re reading this during Eid, Eid Mubarak!
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Can I be honest with you, bestie? There’s something that’s been worrying me for a few years now. I worry that as modern life gets faster and simpler, we’ll forget how to slow down enough to make beautiful foods filled with traditions, history, and flavour.
This Kunafah recipe takes close to 8 hours to make from start to finish (don’t run away! It’s mostly waiting time!). I find that a little daunting, and honestly, I really shouldn’t. And neither should you.
So, let’s make it together.
(That said, this is likely an unfamiliar recipe for many people outside of the Middle East, so I’d recommend having a read of my How to Read a Recipe Post (Properly) post before you start.)
That said, if you want to go all out and prepare a delicious Middle Eastern savoury recipe too, check out this Shakshuka. It’s sure to elicit at least 4 oohs, and 6 ahh’s!
What is Kunafah / Kunafa?
Kunafah (also spelled, kunafa, knafeh, kanafeh) is a Middle Eastern/Arab dessert made with a shredded pastry dough (kataifi), soaked in a sweet syrup (often infused with rose water), and layered upon with cheese and other toppings.
How to pronounce kunafah
The exact pronunciation of kunafah varies from region to region. The most common way to pronounce it is “ko-na-fa”, but you will also often hear “ken-ne-feh”.
Just make sure you never, ever say “kenna-fay”. Because that’s not correct anywhere in the world (except on Tastemade, apparently).
Ingredients
The most challenging part about making kunafah in North America has been getting all the right ingredients. Don’t get me wrong, everything is available, but sometimes it means just having to look a little harder:
- Akawie Soft Cheese
- Kataifi Shredded Dough
- Butter
- Ricotta cheese
- Granulated sugar
- Fresh lemon juice
- Rose Water
- Shelled pistachios
How to make kunafa
This is one of those fun recipes where it’s harder to explain what you need to do than to actually do it. I’ll do my best to give you a brief summary of how to make kunafah here (the more detailed steps are available in the recipe card):
- Prepare the akawie cheese.
- Prepare the kataifi (shredded dough)
- Layer with cheeses and more kataifi
- Bake
- Prepare the sugar syrup, and drizzle over the baked kunafah!
Common kunafah questions
Kataifi is a type of pastry dough commonly used in the Middle East – it is made of shredded strands of phyllo dough. (You can find it in the freezer section of most larger grocery stores/supermarkets.)
Ready to eat Kunafah doesn’t last very long, 2-4 days before it starts to go stale and dry.
Unbaked kanafa can be frozen for up to two months. Allow it to thaw slightly before baking it, and you’ll be golden.
Though it is originally a Middle Eastern dish, the dish has long been a part of Greek, and Balkan food histories.
Akawie (also spelled, akkawi) is a white brine cheese, originating in the Middle East. It has a salty-flavour, which is occasionally watered-down prior to baking.
Typically, this is due to food coloring. If you visit Middle Eastern stores, you’ll find that there are specific dyes available to be used for kunafa – the most popular colors are orange and red.
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Have you ever tried kunafah? Or any Arabian desserts? Comment below, and let me know your favourite!
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📖 Recipe
Kunafah
- Total Time: 8 hours
- Yield: 1 medium-sized kunafah 1x
Description
Kunafah is a cheese-based pastry, made with crispy kataifi dough, akawie cheese, and gooey ricotta; all soaked in a rosewater syrup for a sweet finish.
Ingredients
- 500g Akawie Soft Cheese
- 1 pkg (454 g) Frozen Arz Kataifi Shredded Dough, thawed
- ¾ cup (175 mL) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ½ cup (125 mL) ricotta cheese
- 1–½ cups (375 mL) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp (25 mL) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp (5 mL) Arz Rose Water
- ¼ cup (50 mL) raw unsalted shelled pistachios, chopped
Instructions
- Place akawie cheese in large bowl; add enough cold water to cover. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate 6 to 12 hours, changing water at least once. Drain; rinse well. Pat dry. Finely grate akawie cheese on small holes of box grater; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Place kataifi in separate large bowl; using fingers, separate and loosen strands. Drizzle with butter; toss to coat. Transfer half of the kataifi to greased 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan with 2-inch (5 cm) high sides, pressing gently into bottom of pan.
- Sprinkle akawie cheese over top, spreading evenly. Spread ricotta evenly over top. Add remaining kataifi, spreading evenly and pressing gently into pan. Bake until golden, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool on rack 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring sugar, lemon juice and 1 cup water to a boil in small saucepan. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook until thick and syrupy, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool to room temperature. Stir in rose water. Set aside.
- Run thin knife around edge of pastry to release from pan. Invert serving platter over top of pastry; turn pan upside down onto platter. Carefully lift away pan. Sprinkle pastry with pistachios. Drizzle three-quarters of the sugar mixture over top. Let stand until absorbed, about 15 minutes. Drizzle with remaining sugar mixture. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
Notes
Akawie cheese is brined, so it’s quite salty. Soaking the cheese in water helps to remove some of the salt; the longer you soak it, the less salty the kunafa will be.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keywords: kunafah, kinefeh, kunafa, kunafah recipe, kinefeh recipe, kunafa recipe, middle eastern kunafah, middle eastern dessert
This post was originally a sponsored post for No Frills® and Real Canadian Superstores®. They were even kind enough to provide this Kanafeh recipe! All opinions expressed were my own.
Raya Mahbuba
I’d never heard of kunafah before. It looks so good!
Riz
Thanks Raya! They’re delicious, and really quite a unique dessert!
Mitzie Cribb
I had never heard of this dessert before until my grandson in the USAF wrote me while in the Middle East and said it was THE BEST dessert he has EVER eaten in his life. So I researched it and found this web site. I cannot wait to try baking this yummy looking dish. I love to learn recipes from other nations and cook them. When I locate the ingredients, I’m going to bake this dessert with love and TLC (tender loving care) for family and friends. And will let you know how it turns out. Wish me luck ?
Riz
Hi Mitzie! What a lovely comment! I hope you find the ingredients soon, and get to try this delicious dish. (TLC is always the best ingredient, of course 🙂 )
Good luck!! Looking forward to hearing how it turns out for you!
Riz
Mitzie
Well, I had all the ingredients except for the akawie cheese. In fact, I accidentally ordered a CASE of the kataifi shredded dough. :D. I substituted fresh mozzarella for the akawie cheese. My family LOVED it. It was so rich and tasty. I’ll try the International Market in Decatur Georgia. I’m sure they will have it. I have to go up there for pottery supplies anyway. So I’ll check them out when I go up there in two weeks. Thank you so much for the recipe. Will definitely be checking out other recipes of yours.
Riz
Hi Mitzie!!! I’m so happy you’re back with an update!!! Mozzarella sounds like a great substitute for akawie cheese, I had spoken to a friend about offering it as a suggestion (but ended up not including it because it’s a substitute I’ve never actually tried myself). It’s great to hear that the family loved it! I hope you make it again soon (you do have a whole case kataifi dough to use up after all!).
I hope you enjoy all the other recipes on my blog just as much (if not more!)! Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Corina
What a lovely dessert! It’s a shame if traditional recipes get forgotten about or neglected in favour of what’s fashionable and this sounds yummy. As you say, it takes time to make but the actual hands on time seems quite short and relatively easy too.
Riz
I agree! I think the time put into the cooking adds a special value to the food. It’s like we’ve given more of ourselves to the meal! Thank you for commenting!
Shabnam malik
Good to know about your culinary talents.
Shabnam malik
Saadoun’s mom
Riz
Thank you! It’s very nice to hear from you, I hope you are all well! 🙂
Fiona Maclean
That looks gorgeous and very moreish! A perfect dish for supper!
Riz
Thanks Fiona! Hope you enjoy it!
Anna @ shenANNAgans
I have heard of this recipe but never really known about ingredients let alone the cooking time – 8 hours is quite the commitment but many traditional foods are and so worth learning and carrying on the tradition. I share your thoughts about these types of recipes somehow getting phased out by family cooks and relegated to the ‘special’ baker and then one day it just dissapears… it happens…. and that’s sad. So, all the more fabulous that you’ve shown us how it’s done.
Riz
Aww, thanks for the lovely comment Anna!!
Michele
I I tried something similar in Turkey and you’re right – it’s delicious! The restaurant warned me it was labour intensive so sound similar
★★★★★
Riz
That sounds about right! 🙂
Chef Sous Chef
You had me at cheese! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I had never heard of Kunafah but am so intrigued now. Can’t wait to head to the market to get the ingredients to try this dessert!
Riz
I hope you enjoy it!!
Neda
I was introduced to this lovely dessert by my brother. We have a lovely shop here and they make authentic knafeh from scratch even the dough. I used to think about getting a recipe and making it and I am glad I found one. I will try making it with mozzarella and halloumi cheese. Lets see how I go.
Riz
Hi Neda! So glad you found the recipe! Hopefully you give it a go soon, and really, really, enjoy it!
Riz
C Sridhar
Can kanafe be made early? Thanks
Riz
Hi there! Yes, this can be made the night before. It’ll keep relatively well in an airtight container for 1-3 days in a cool dry location.
Rana hanna
I make this recipe using just mozzarella cheese and I just soak it for like half an hour before. And the family loves it. I make the syrup ahead and Store it in a dry place. As long as 6 months because I do use it for other desserts. The syrup should be cold when Drizzle on the hot kunafah because it well absorbed it better.
Riz
Thanks Rana!!! Those are great tips! 🙂
Carlos Gomez
It’s a great desert mastered by the Palestinians. The kunafa nabulsieh is a stand out.
Valorie Richards
I made this last night. I think I did something wrong. It was MASSIVE. Like huge. I used the 500 g (1 of cheese) and the 454 g of phyllo. Just something seemed off.
Riz
Hi Valorie,
Oh no! I’m not sure what went wrong, but I’d suggest checking out the YouTube video to see if anything there looks different to what you experienced 🙂
Liz H
I saw a photo on the outside of an Arabic/Greek restaurant and just knew I HAD to taste that thing with the lovely web of strings on top. I had no idea if it was savory or sweet. I ordered just that and ate the whole thing (by myself) as my meal. It was meant for 4 people!!! I was not planning to eat the entire thing, but I just kept taking “one more piece” until it was all gone. SO MUCH yummy-ness!!!!!
★★★★★
Riz
I relate to this on so many levels! 🙂
Christine Webb
I’ve only had it from Trader Joe’s which is frozen. It’s so good that I need to lean to make this! TJs discontinued it which is so sad. Thanks for this recipie, gonna make it soon!