Dubai Chocolate Bar (Create the Viral Sensation at Home!)
, Updated Sep 29, 2025
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Make the viral Dubai Chocolate at home! This luxuriously decadent chocolate bar, filled with creamy pistachio cream, crunchy toasted kataifi and tahini, is worth the hype. Let’s take a look at how you can recreate this amazing treat at home with just five ingredients!
Love this? Check out my Dubai Chocolate Brownies (spoiler: they are incredible!)
If you’re a fan of chocolate bars that are decadent, glamorous, and just a little bit extra — the Dubai Chocolate Bar is about to become your signature treat.
We’re talking luscious chocolate encasing a creamy pistachio and crunchy kataifi filling with just a hint of tahini. These pistachio chocolate bars are actually easy to make and almost too good to share (but you’ll want to anyway, just for the compliments).
What is Dubai Chocolate Bar?
The Dubai Chocolate Bar is a luxe, no-bake dessert that’s gone delulu viral thanks to its irresistible combination of rich chocolate, creamy pistachio, tahini and the crunchy-crispy texture from the kataifi pastry. It is glam, indulgent and highly photogenic 🙂
It was created 2021 by Sarah Hamouda, a British-Egyptian entrepreneur living in Dubai. To satisfy her pregnancy cravings, she came up with a chocolate bar that’s filled with pistachio cream and crispy kataifi pastry, taking inspiration from Middle Eastern desserts like knafeh. She introduced this tasty treat under her brand, FIX Dessert Chocolatier, and named it “Can’t Get Knafeh of It.”
The Dubai Chocolate Bar really took off in late 2023 when influencer Maria Vehera’s TikTok video went viral, racking up over 100 million views. The insane social media buzz created a huge demand, and before you knew it, thousands of orders were pouring in, causing the product to sell out super fast.
These days there are TONS of copycat versions of the original bar, with popular chocolate brands creating their own Dubai-style pistachio chocolate bars. I have tried a few and the quality, and price, varies wildly.
Can You Make Dubai Chocolate Bar at Home?
Absolutely! You don’t need to fly to Dubai or scour the shops to enjoy this decadent treat. You just need a handful of ingredients — good-quality chocolate, pistachio cream, tahini, and kataifi. These pistachio chocolate bars are super fun to make at home, if a little messy 🙂
Dubai Chocolate Bar Ingredients
One of the reasons why these bars are so expensive is that their ingredients themselves are quite pricy. Luckily they are easy to source on Amazon, a true testament to just how viral this chocolate bar has become! Let’s take a look at the FOUR key ingredients:
- Pistachio cream is a sweet, spreadable creamy paste made from roasted pistachios blended with sugar, milk powder, oil and emulsifiers. It has a texture similar to Nutella and can be spread on toast or used in desserts (like my dreamy Pistachio Cake). Do not confuse pistachio cream with pistachio paste which is a pure, unsweetened blend of ground pistachios, often used in baking, patisserie and to make gelato. The paste is not sweet enough for this recipe and it will make the chocolate taste bitter.
- Kataifi (pronounced kah-ta-EE-fee) is a type of shredded phyllo dough used in Greek, Turkish, and Middle Eastern cuisine. You can find it under many different spellings such as Kadai, Kadayif and Kadayef. Kataifi is usually available in the frozen section of specialty food stores. For the Dubai chocolate recipe we actually need toasted kataifi pastry that comes ready to use as it is already dried, chopped and toasted to a beautiful golden-brown.
- Tahini paste – this smooth spread is made from roasted sesame seeds is an essential ingredient in hummus and many other dips. Tahini (or tahina) is widely available and can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. I used to spread it on my toast instead of butter and spread honey on top…
- Chocolate – Dubai chocolate bars are usually made with milk chocolate. I prefer to use semi-sweet chocolate chips as they offer a deeper flavor and are a little less sweet. You must buy good quality chocolate for this recipe – steer clear of candy melts or candy chocolate bars!
- Finally you will need a little salt to enhance the flavor and some luster powder if you want to decorate your chocolate bars.
Essential Tools
You will also need to invest in some chocolate bar molds and a candy thermometer. I have a silicone spatula with a thermometer build into the handle – very handy for tempering the chocolate!
A pastry brush is useful for decorating the bars and spreading the chocolate. A bench scraper is useful for tidying the chocolate bars and cleaning up the melted chocolate. You will also need a couple of glass or ceramic mixing bowls and don’t forget to wear an apron 🙂
How to make Dubai Chocolate Bar
Decorate the chocolate molds
- This is optional but creates the pretty pattern that will take your chocolate bars to the next level! All you have to do is combine luster powder with a little water and paint or splatter the mold with it. Leave it to dry while you prep the chocolate.
Make the pistachio-kataifi filling
- Add the pistachio cream, tahini and generous pinch salt to a large bowl and stir to combine. Stir in the golden toasted kataifi pastry until well combined. Set aside for now.
Temper the chocolate
- Place two-thirds of your chocolate into a bowl and set it over a small pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not come into contact with the water. The chocolate will gradually melt over the gentle heat – stir it until it reaches 113°F / 45°C. Take the bowl off the heat.
- Stir in the remaining chocolate until it has melted completely and check the temperature – when it drops to 31°C / 88°F (dark chocolate), 30°C / 86°F (milk chocolate) it is ready to use!
Coat the molds with chocolate
- Pour enough chocolate to coat the bottom and sides of the first mold, using a pastry brush to spread it if needed. Pour any excess chocolate back into the bowl. Gently tap the mold on your worktop to remove air bubbles or pop them using a toothpick.
- Place the mold in the fridge so that it sets. Repeat with the second chocolate mold, gently reheating the chocolate to the right temperature over a double boiler if needed (do not overheat).
Fill the molds
- Fill the molds with the pistachio filling, gently spreading it to the edges and sides and pressing it down so it has no air pockets – do not overfill!
- Top with more chocolate to cover and seal the chocolate bars. Scrape any excess chocolate off using a bench scraper to create a smooth flat surface.
- Pop the bars in the fridge to set (be patient and do not rush this), remove them from the molds and admire your handiwork!
Recipe Notes and FAQs
- Storing Dubai Chocolate: Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. You can also store the bars in the refrigerator, if absolutely necessary, but be aware this may affect the texture, appearence or even flavor.
- The pistachio cream and tahini are easier to mix if slightly warm. You can heat in the microwave for a few seconds until easy to stir. Do not add warm filling into the chocolate molds however as the chocolate will melt.
- Working with chocolate can be tricky – make sure you have all the equipment you need laid out and ready to use and DO NOT splash water into the chocolate when melting – it will seize and become unusable!
- Toasting the kataifi pastry: if your pastry is not ready to use, you can toast in in a pan. Melt about four tablespoons of unsalted butter and stir in the kataifi. Stir over medium heat until it is golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.
Lucy’s Pro Tip
TEMPERING CHOCOLATE
Tempering the chocolate is not 100% necessary but it makes all the difference! Your chocolate bars will have a beautifully finish, glossy shine and crisp “snap” when made with tempered chocolate.
The method I used in the instructions is actually a bit of a shortcut but it works great. You basically melt the chocolate until it reaches a certain temperature then cool it down by “seeding” i.e. stirring in more chocolate.
Technically you are supposed to cool the chocolate to a certain temperature and then warm it up again – I skip the second step and simply melt and cool to the working temperature.
| MELT TO | COOL TO | WARM TO | MAX TEMP | |
| Milk Chocolate | 45°C 113°F | 27°C 80.6°F | 29-30°C 84.2-86°F | 32.5°C 90.5°F |
| Dark Chocolate | 40-50°C 113-122°F | 27°C 80.6°F | 31-32°C / 87.8-89.6°F | 34.5°C 94.1°F |
| White Chocolate | 45°C 113°F | 27°C 80.6°F | 28-29°C 82.4-84.2°F | 31.5°C 88.7°F |
Check the table above when working with different types of chocolate!
Tried This Viral Treat? If you gave this Homemade Dubai Chocolate Bar recipe a try, I’d love to hear what you think!
⭐ Leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how it turned out — it helps others find the recipe, and it seriously makes my day. If you have any urgent queries make sure to send me a DM on Insta and I will try to respond quickly.
📸 If you share your creation on Instagram or TikTok, tag #supergoldenbakes — I need to see your beautiful bars!
📌 Don’t forget to pin this recipe to your dessert board so you can come back to it whenever the chocolate cravings hit.
Dubai Chocolate Bar
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
For the decoration
- ⅓ tsp luster dust (I used gold and silver) *see note 1
- a few drops water
For the filling
- 1 cup (300g) pistachio cream
- 2 tbsp tahini
- large pinch salt
- 2 cups (160g) roasted Kataifi
For the chocolate
- 3 cups (525g) chocolate chips, semi-sweet * see note 2
Instructions
Decorate the chocolate molds (optional)
- Combine luster powder with a few drops of water and paint or splatter the mold with it. Leave it to dry while you prep the chocolate.⅓ tsp luster dust, a few drops water
Make the pistachio kataifi filling
- Add the pistachio cream, tahini and pinch salt to a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the toasted kataifi pastry and stir once again until well combined. Set aside for now.1 cup (300g) pistachio cream, 2 tbsp tahini, large pinch salt, 2 cups (160g) roasted Kataifi
Temper the chocolate
- Place two-thirds (2 cups / 350g) of your chocolate into a bowl and set it over a small pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not come into contact with the water. Stir the chocolate it until it reaches 113°F / 45°C. Take the bowl off the heat.3 cups (525g) chocolate chips, semi-sweet
- Stir in the remaining chocolate (1 cup / 175g) until it has melted completely and check the temperature as you stir – when it drops to 31°C / 88°F (dark chocolate), 30°C / 86°F (milk chocolate) it is ready to use!
Fill the molds
- Pour enough chocolate to coat the bottom and sides of the first mold, using a pastry brush to spread it if needed. Pour any excess chocolate back into the bowl. Gently tap the mold on your worktop to remove air bubbles or pop them using a toothpick.
- Place the mold in the fridge so that it sets. Repeat with the second chocolate mold, gently reheating the chocolate to the right temperature over a double boiler if needed (do not overheat).
- Fill the molds with the pistachio filling, gently spreading it to the edges and pressing it down so it has no air pockets – do not overfill!
- Top with more chocolate to cover and seal the chocolate bars. Scrape any excess chocolate off using a bench scraper to create a smooth flat surface. Pop the bars in the fridge to set (be patient and do not rush this), remove them from the molds and admire your handiwork!
Notes
- Note 1: You can also use luster sprays or edible gold leaf if you really want to impress!
- Note 2: You can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate but keep in mind the tempering temperatures. Milk chocolate is too sweet for Dubai chocolate bars IMHO.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
Amazing and a bit perfect