Unless you've been living on Mars, you'll undoubtedly have heard about the latest craze sweeping the confectionery world- Dubai chocolate.
The original bar, deemed the best Dubai chocolate, is called Can't Get Knafeh of It, and was first created by FIX Dessert Chocolatier in 2022. This decadent bar features a thick milk chocolate shell, filled with rich pistachio-tahini cream and kadaif (also spelt kataifi), which is shredded filo pastry threads, giving it a crunchy and creamy texture. It was inspired by the Middle Eastern dessert knafeh.
The FIX Dubai chocolate bar has become so popular on social media that it's only on sale for two hours daily in the UAE store and often sells out within minutes. Prices can vary from £15 up to a whopping £50!
How to make homemade Dubai chocolate
So when I found this Dubai Making Chocolate kit, I jumped at the chance to try and make the best Dubai chocolate bar at home myself. After all, I always find that homemade treats taste so much better than shop-bought. Another reason I wanted to try this kit was that I thought with the festive season coming up, it would make a great Christmas gift for foodies, and a fab Christmas gift for grandkids or kids.
This Dubai Chocolate-Making Kit is perfect for fans of the viral bar. It contains a large chocolate bar mould, a 600g jar of pistachio cream, a 500g bag of pre-cooked, toasted, and chopped kataifi, and a handy recipe for creating creamy and crunchy Dubai chocolate at home. The only other ingredients you'll need are chocolate and tahini (if using).
The kit has enough ingredients to make 3-4 bars, and the mould can be used numerous times.
This is a great activity to do with kids, as it's super easy to make. The bars you make could be given as presents, and the kits themselves also make a great gift.
Pros
- Makes 3-4 bars
- Easy to make (no cooking required)
- Mould well made and will last
- Makes perfect Dubai chocolate bars
Cons
- Chocolate not included
Easy Homemade Dubai Chocolate Recipe
This Amazon Dubai Chocolate kit honestly couldn't be easier to use. If you want to add some decoration to your bar, melt a small amount of white chocolate (we used a small Milky Bar) and dribble it over the mould. Leave to harden for 10 mins. Next, melt an even mix of milk and dark chocolate (we used 50g of milk and 50g of dark), then pour a thin layer into the mould, swirling it around, making sure you coat the sides. Pop it into the freezer for 15-20 mins.
Next, pour your kataifi into a mixing bowl. I found the measurement on the recipe in the pack to be way too much, so I'd suggest using three cups per bar. If you want to add tahini, mix in one tablespoon, but it's optional. Next, start adding tablespoons of the pistachio cream at a time. You want the kataifi to be fully covered and nice and creamy. I found three tablespoons were enough for me.
Remove the mould from the freezer and spoon the mixture into the mould, making sure it's pushed thoroughly into the corners.
Again, melt an even mixture of dark and milk chocolate and pour over the bar. Once fully covered, lift the mould slightly off the table and drop it to help create an even surface.
Pop in the freezer again for 20 mins to harden. Then turn over and gently peel off the mould off.
The results were absolutely perfect as you can see below. Not only did it look amazing, but it also had that trademark snap when broken in two. The taste was equally fantastic, the thick chocolate combined with the crunchy and creamy filling was just perfect! I was honestly amazed at how well this kit worked.
How we tested the best Dubai Chocolate bars
I was absolutely blown away at how delicious our homemade Dubai chocolate bar was but was it as good as the luxury versions? We decided to do our own taste test of some of the best shop-bought Dubai chocolate bars to compare.
We lined up small squares of all the chocolate bars on a wooden board and sampled each one, noting things like the thickness of the chocolate, the amount of filling, the creaminess, the level of sweetness and the strength of pistachio flavour.
Here's how these bars fared against each other and our homemade version...
Best Dubai Chocolate bars
Inspired by a family trip to Dubai, Danny's Dubai Style bar features rich golden knafeh pastry and creamy flavoursome pistachio cream, all wrapped in Danny's signature Colombian chocolate.
I absolutely loved this bar, it was definitely one of my favourite shop-bought Dubal Chocolate bars. Firstly, it's a decent size, weighing in at 190g, so you feel like you're getting a lot of chocolate for your money.
Secondly, it features a lovely gold swirl design on the bar, which gives it a real luxurious feel.
Thirdly, it has a generous filling of creamy and crunchy pistachio cream. What I particularly loved what that it had a really strong flavour of pistachio. The Colombian chocolate is high quality, meaning it's got a nice crunch to it and the flavour really complements the pistachio cream.
This bar would make a great gift as it feels very special and expensive.
Pros
- Attractive gold swirl design on bar
- Thick layer of pistachio filling
- Great pistachio flavour
- Coated in high quality Colombian chocolate
Cons
- Can be a little messy to eat (but this is probably true of all Dubai Chocolate bars)
Now this bar looks remarkably like the original Fix Dubai chocolate bar with its orange and green drip patterns on the top. It's also loaded with a thick layer of creamy filling that has a really strong taste of pistachio. The chocolate isn't too thick and has a nice flavour to it. I can confirm that this bar has the satisfying trademark 'snap' when broken in two.
If I had to fault this bar, it would be that the chocolate looks a little dull; it's not quite as shiny as you'd like, but that doesn't affect the taste, which I found to be perfect!
I also really liked the packaging, which felt very high-end, and the gold foil wrap added a touch of luxury.
For £12 you get a really nice tasting, authentic Dubau chocolate bar that feels luxurious and looks the part too!
Pros
- Authentic Dubai-chocolate
- Thick layer of filling
- Strong pistachio flavour
Cons
- Chocolate not as shiny as others
This authentic Dubai Chocolate is filled with pistachio and kunafa and coated in Belgian Chocolate.
The first thing to note about this is its deceptively small size. In the packet, it looks like a fairly substantial bar. When you pull it out, you realise it's encased in more packaging and is actually about the size of a small Dairy Milk bar. This is reflective of the price, though, as it's half the price of the other bars in this list.
Thankfully, the taste doesn't disappoint. The chocolate is thick and creamy and the pistachio filling is crunchy, sweet and flavoursome. You do get strong notes of pistachio, and it's not as sweet as some other Dubai chocolate bars.
If you're keen to taste Dubai-style chocolate, this is a good way to try it without shelling out on a more expensive bar. However, I wouldn't recommend this as a gift, as I think the unexpectedly small size would be a bit disappointing.
Pros
- Delicous flavour, strong notes of pistachio and creamy chocolate
- Cheapest bar on the list
Cons
- Unexpected small size
- Doesn't feel luxury enough to give as a gift
Lindt has brought out three Dubai-style chocolate bars, in dark, milk and white chocolate. The first batch of Lindt Dubai Style Chocolate sold out in just five days when it launched in December 2024, and some shops even had to limit 2 bars per person.
I was really excited to try to these bars, but was a little disappointed when I did. The chocolate tastes delicious and creamy but it doesn't have the trademark snap of other Dubai chocolates and the filling is pretty thin. Unfortunately, that means that the overriding taste is of chocolate and not the pistachio-flavoured kataifi. Because the filling layer is so thin you don't get the crunchy sensation either.
However, it did enjoy the dark chocolate version as the slight element of bitterness from the chocolate meant that the overall taste wasn't as sweet.
If you're not a big fan of lots of creamy filling and prefer a subtle taste of pistachio, then these bars could be for you. Compared to the other Dubai chocolates tested, they're much less messy to eat.
However, if you're looking for a traditional Dubai chocolate, this won't hit the mark.
Pros
- Avaliable in milk, white and dark chocolate
- Not messy to eat
Cons
- Thin layer of filling
- Lacking the trademark snap
FAQs about the Best Dubai Chocolate Bar
What is the viral Dubai chocolate bar?
It’s a chocolate bar that became a social media sensation. It features a crunchy shredded pastry (kataifi or knafeh), a creamy pistachio + tahini filling, and is coated in chocolate (usually milk chocolate). The textures—crispy, creamy, nutty—make it very popular
Who invented the bar and where did it come from?
It was created in 2022 by Sarah Hamouda from Fix Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai
What are the main ingredients?
The bar typically contains:
Kataifi (also spelt kadayif, which is shredded or spun pastry/dough).
Pistachio cream or paste, for the nutty flavour.
Tahini (sesame paste) to add depth and balance the sweetness.
Chocolate shell, often milk chocolate but there are variants
Why is it called “kataifi / knafeh” chocolate or pastry?
Kataifi (spun, shredded phyllo dough) is used similarly to how knafeh dessert is made: the pastry is crisped up and mixed with sweet and nutty elements (like pistachio, syrup, or, in this case, filling). So, it borrows from the knafeh tradition.
What makes it so viral/popular?
A few reasons:
The texture contrast: crunchy pastry + creamy pistachio + smooth chocolate.
The flavour combination (nuts, sesame via tahini, pastry) which is somewhat nostalgic/novel depending on your background.
Social media (especially TikTok) boosted it heavily — many people posted videos of themselves trying the bar, showing the filling, the crunch, etc.
Are there different versions/variations of it?
Yes. Some variations change:
The type of chocolate shell (milk, dark, sometimes white). T
The amount of tahini or pistachio cream. Some are sweeter, others more balanced.
Some people make gluten-free versions, or remove certain ingredients depending on allergens.
What are some tips for making my own at home?
1. Toast the kataifi (in butter or a fat of choice) until golden and crisp. That ensures it stays crunchy.
2. Mix pistachio cream + tahini well, but don’t over-moisten — too much moisture can make the pastry soggy.
3. Temper the chocolate (or at least melt and cool properly) so the shell sets nicely.
4. Work with good-quality ingredients (fresh kataifi, good pistachio paste) for flavour.
Claire Tapley is a digital editor for Yours.co.uk. She is a journalist with over 18 years' experience writing for women over 50. Before moving to Yours.co.uk, she was deputy editor of Yours magazine for nine years. She is extremely passionate about all things health-related, specifically fitness and healthy eating. She has a huge amount of knowledge on all areas that interest women over 50, including health, well-being, finance, food, tech, beauty, and fashion.