What is Dubai chocolate, exactly?
Dubai chocolate is a thick milk chocolate bar filled with pistachio- tahini cream and toasted kunafa. Its pleasure lies almost entirely in texture: a firm chocolate shell, a soft and nutty centre, and then a crisp, buttery crunch where you least expect one. That single contrast is the whole idea, and it is the reason a bar invented only a few years ago has become one of the most sought-after confections in the world.
At Bateel, our story has always been about exceptional dates, fine chocolates and the craftsmanship that brings them together. When Dubai chocolate became a global phenomenon, our Master Chocolatiers embraced the inspiration and created a Bateel interpretation of the trend. Crafted with single-origin chocolate, premium pistachios and delicate kunafa, the result reflects the flavours at the heart of Dubai chocolate, elevated through Bateel’s distinctive approach to quality and craftsmanship.
Who invented Dubai chocolate?
Dubai chocolate was created in 2021 by Fix Dessert Chocolatier, a small company founded in the United Arab Emirates by Sarah Hamouda. The original bar is named “Can’t Get Knafeh Of It,” and for its first two years it was known only to a devoted few, sold in limited daily batches through a local delivery service.
Its rise was almost accidental. In late 2023 a short, unpolished video of someone eating the bar in a parked car travelled across social media and gathered tens of millions of views. By the middle of 2024, Dubai chocolate had become a search term in dozens of countries and a genuine global phenomenon. We think it only right to credit Fix as the originator. What has grown around the idea since is a larger story, and part of it is ours.
What is kunafa, and why does it matter so much?
Kunafa, also written knafeh or kataifi, is a Middle Eastern pastry made from fine, hair-like threads of dough. In its traditional form it is layered with soft cheese, baked, and steeped in sugar syrup while still warm, a beloved dessert from Nablus to Damascus. In a chocolate bar the same threads are used differently: toasted in butter until dry and brittle, then folded through pistachio cream, without syrup or cheese, so that the crunch survives.
This is the ingredient that separates a fine Dubai chocolate from a poor one. Kunafa softens the moment it meets moisture, so a loose filling, or a long and warm journey to the shelf, will quietly ruin it. Getting it right at scale is a matter of craft, which is why the finest versions come from makers who understood kunafa long before it became fashionable.
How to tell real Dubai chocolate from a bad copy?
Six things to check, in order of usefulness.
- Look at the ingredients list for kataifi or kunafa. If it says “wafer,” “crisped rice,” “biscuit pieces” or “crunchy filling,” it is not Dubai chocolate. It is a chocolate bar with something crunchy in it. There are a lot of these.
- Check the pistachio percentage. Real pistachio cream is expensive. Cheap versions bulk it out with sunflower oil, palm oil, sugar and green colouring. If pistachio is not in the top three ingredients, be suspicious. If the filling is a bright, uniform, almost neon green, be more suspicious. Real pistachio paste is a dull, slightly grey olive colour.
- Weigh it in your hand. A proper bar is heavy and thick, usually 100g and up, because the filling layer is generous. Thin bars cannot hold enough kunafa to matter.
- Listen to it. Snap it near your ear. You should hear two distinct sounds, the chocolate cracking and then the pastry. One sound means the kunafa is gone.
- Check where it was made. This is not snobbery. Kunafa degrades in transit and in heat. A bar made in the UAE and sold in the UAE has a much shorter, cooler journey than one made in a European factory in March and shipped to a Gulf supermarket in July.
- Ignore the word “original” on the packaging. Roughly every brand uses it. It means nothing.
Where Bateel fits into this
We have been growing dates and making chocolate in the region since 1936, which means we were working with kunafa, pistachio and single origin chocolate a very long time before any of this was a hashtag.
Our approach to the format was less about copying the viral bar and more about asking what else it could do. The kunafa and pistachio combination is a genuinely good idea. It is also not the only good idea.
So the range grew sideways. There is the classic Pistachio Kunafa Bar at 40g, which is the one to start with. There is a 130g Dubai Chocolate Bar with pistachio kunafa for people who found the 40g insulting. There is a hazelnut version, a matcha and strawberry version, and a qahwa version built around Arabic coffee, which sounds like a stretch until you try it and realise cardamom and dark chocolate were always going to work.
Then it left the bar format ehttps://bateel.com/en_us/premium-chocolates/pistachio-kunafa-bar-40g.htmlntirely. There are pistachio kunafa truffles, a kunafa gelato, and kunafa folded into our dates, which is the one nobody expects and the one that tends to convert people.
You can see the full Dubai chocolate collection or browse everything in premium chocolates.
Why Bateel’s Dubai chocolate is different?
Bateel’s Dubai chocolate brings together the traditional Middle Eastern flavours of kunafa with high-quality, single-origin chocolate, crafted by our Master Chocolatiers.
Craft and experience: Our Kunafa chocolate bars combine traditional Middle Eastern kunafa with single-origin chocolate, crafted by our Master chocolatiers. The collection brings together a distinctive range of flavour experiences, from classic Pistachio and Hazelnut Kunafa to contemporary Matcha Strawberry and Qahwa Kunafa, alongside our Riyadh-style interpretation.
Quality & Provenance: At Bateel, quality is never compromised. Our chocolate is made using single-origin cocoa sourced from the Dominican Republic, giving each creation its distinctive character. The collection also draws on Bateel’s organic dates, cultivated on our own farms in Saudi Arabia, bringing together two of our defining credentials: exceptional chocolate and premium dates. For optimal freshness, the chocolate should be stored between 15–18°C, with a shelf life of six months.
Range: The collection features Bateel’s Dubai chocolate Bars in Pistachio, Hazelnut, Matcha Strawberry, Qahwa Kunafa and Riyadh-style chocolate. The concept extends into our signature Date Chocolate category, pairing our organic dates with indulgent kunafa-inspired fillings. This includes our exclusive Wanan date filled with creamy Pistachio Kunafa and Hazelnut Praline Kunafa, alongside Qahwa Kunafa Date Chocolate in both Milk and Dark Chocolate, and the latest addition, Sokari Rose Milk Date Chocolate.
Continuing to innovate across formats, Bateel has introduced the Mini Kunafa Collection, offering bite-sized indulgence in Hazelnut, Pistachio, Pecan Praline and Sesame Praline. The collection is further elevated through a selection of luxury Kunafa Truffles, including Pistachio Kunafa and Hazelnut Kunafa. The Kunafa experience is also expressed through individually wrapped single-origin chocolate, available in Matcha Strawberry, Qahwa, Pistachio and Rose kunafa chocolate.
Beyond confectionery, the Kunafa-inspired experience extends into our F&B offering with an artisanal Dubai Chocolate Gelato collection. Handcrafted with a focus on purity, provenance and refinement, the selection brings together rich chocolate, delicate vanilla and distinctive regional flavours. Highlights include the intense 75% Dark Chocolate, delicate Madagascan Vanilla, Crisp Kunafa with Fragrant Pistachios, Sun-Ripened Strawberry, Golden Honey with Cinnamon-Spiced Walnuts and Delicate Phyllo, creamy Fior di Latte, and the rich, distinctive flavour of Bronte Pistachio.
Where to buy Dubai chocolate in the UAE?
Three routes, in order of speed.
Online with same day delivery. Order from the Bateel UAE store before the daily cut off and it arrives the same day across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. This is the only route that guarantees the bar has been stored properly the entire time.
In our boutiques. Bateel stores across the UAE stock the full kunafa range, including the seasonal flavours that sell out online. If you want to buy several bars to compare, this is the better option.
In our cafés. Café Bateel serves the kunafa gelato and the plated desserts, which is the version to have if you want it warm rather than in a bar.
For gifting, the 6 piece Dubai chocolate gift pack is the standard corporate choice, and the 24 piece set covers a full office.
Where to buy Dubai chocolate in the US
This is the question we get most from outside the region, usually phrased with some exasperation, because for a long time the honest answer was that you could not.
You can now. Bateel ships across the United States from the US store. The chocolate is shipped in protective packaging designed for the kunafa specifically, because a bar that arrives with soft pastry is a bar that failed.
Start with the Pistachio Kunafa Bar if you are trying it for the first time. Go straight to the 6 piece gift pack if you are buying for someone else, because they will want to try more than one flavour and everyone does. The full range sits in premium chocolates.
A warning that will save you money. A lot of what is sold as Dubai chocolate on US marketplaces is unbranded, made in bulk, and has been in a container for months. Go back to the six checks above before you buy from anywhere you do not recognise.
How much does Dubai chocolate cost?
It is more expensive than a normal chocolate bar and it should be.
The cost is driven almost entirely by pistachio. Pistachio prices have climbed steeply since 2024, in large part because of this exact product, and a bar with real pistachio cream simply cannot be made cheaply. Add hand assembly, kunafa that has to be toasted in small batches, and a filling that cannot be pumped through standard machinery, and the price makes sense.
If you find a bar that costs the same as a supermarket own brand, the pistachio content is the thing that got cut.
Bateel bars start at the 40g size for a first try and move up through the 130g bars to gift sets. Current pricing for each market is on the UAE and US product pages.
Is Dubai chocolate still worth it in 2026?
Yes, perhaps even more so now that the initial frenzy has settled. What began as a viral sensation revealed a combination that has genuine staying power: rich chocolate, roasted pistachio and delicate, crisp kunafa. Beyond the queues and social media hype, the appeal ultimately comes down to the quality of the ingredients and the craftsmanship behind the bar. At Bateel, our Master Chocolatiers bring that same attention to detail to our interpretation, using single-origin chocolate, premium pistachios and carefully prepared kunafa to create a refined take on the Dubai chocolate phenomenon.
Dubai chocolate FAQ
Does Dubai chocolate have kunafa in it?
Yes. Toasted kunafa pastry, also called kataifi, is the defining ingredient. If a bar does not contain kunafa, it is not Dubai chocolate regardless of what the label says.
Does Dubai chocolate contain pistachio?
Yes, in the classic version. The filling is pistachio cream mixed with toasted kunafa. Hazelnut, matcha and qahwa variations also exist, but pistachio is the original.
Who invented Dubai chocolate?
Fix Dessert Chocolatier, founded in the UAE in 2021 by Sarah Hamouda. The original bar is called “Can’t Get Knafeh Of It.” It went viral globally after a TikTok video in late 2023.
Can you buy Dubai chocolate in the US?
Yes. Bateel ships across the United States, with packaging designed to protect the kunafa in transit.
Why is Dubai chocolate so expensive?
Real pistachio cream is costly and pistachio prices have risen sharply since 2024. The bars are also assembled by hand and the kunafa has to be toasted in small batches.
What does kunafa taste like?
On its own, toasted kunafa is mild, buttery and mostly texture rather than flavour. Its job in the bar is the crunch. The flavour comes from the pistachio and the chocolate.
