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This easy kunafa recipe with simple ingredients is a great way to add some Middle Eastern diversity to your kitchen. Made with a perfect balance of flavors and cheesy textures, this impressive dessert will satisfy everyone’s taste buds no matter where they’re from.
If you’ve never had kunafa before, get ready to fall in love with the homemade version. This delicious Middle Eastern dessert is the ultimate sweet-and-savory combo. For the base, you start with tiny strands of dough toasted in ghee (butter on steroids), the same crunchy kataifi that’s in my Dubai chocolate date bark. Next, to create a textural contrast, you layer the toasted dough around a filling of melted stretchy cheese for a crunchy-gooey-crunchy effect. Finally, you envelope the whole thing in a floral syrup that cuts through the fattiness of the butter and cheese to create a gastronomical masterpiece.
If this sounds intimidating, it’s not! The great thing about this recipe, in particular, is that we substitute the foreign ingredients for easy-to-find ingredients that should be available most places in the country. It’s not just a dessert that feels super indulgent but is actually pretty easy to make with simple grocery store ingredients! And if the viral Dubai pistachio chocolate bar is what got you curious, this is the dessert that inspired that crunchy filling.
Key Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this knafeh recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the detailed ingredient measurements.
- Kunafa Dough: also known as kataifi dough, forms the golden base of the dessert. It’s also what gives my Dubai chocolate cups their crunch.
- Clarified Butter (Ghee): coats and crisps up the kunafa dough layers.
- Granulated Sugar: sweetens and balances the savory cheese filling with a hint of sweetness.
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese: is similar to the halloumi-style akawi cheese used in traditional kunafa.
- Fresh Mozzarella Cheese in Water: is combined with the shredded version to create the gooey cheese effect.
- Simple Sugar Syrup (Sugar and Water): sweetens the dessert overall and moistens the kunafa layers.
- Orange Blossom Water: is an iconic flavor of the Middle East and infuses a delicate floral aroma into the syrup. If you love that flavor, orange blossom honey is my favorite pick for my chewy honey cookies too.
- Chopped Pistachios: are sprinkled on top as a garnish to add texture, flavor, and a visual pop. Mine are extra vibrant because I purchased them from the UAE and they add a little green food coloring to really make them pop. Any chopped up pistachios would work here!
How to Make Easy Kunafa
- Loosen and coat the dough. Preheat the oven. In a large bowl, separate the strands of kunafa dough to loosen them (don’t worry about ripping them, they’ll be delicious regardless). Drizzle with the melted ghee, sprinkle with the sugar, and pull handfuls apart over and over until every strand is coated.
- Press in the base. Press half of the buttered kunafa firmly into the bottom of a 10.5-inch round baking pan in an even layer.
- Add the cheese. Evenly spread the shredded mozzarella and chopped fresh mozzarella over the dough layer.
- Add the top layer. Cover the cheese with the remaining kataifi dough and press it down firmly with the back of a measuring cup or glass.
- Pack it tight. Make sure the top is even and packed all the way to the edges, so everything stays in place and holds together when you flip it later.
- Bake and make the syrup. Bake until the kunafa is crisp and deep golden brown. While it bakes, bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan, then simmer for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Take it off the heat, stir in the orange blossom water, and let it cool slightly.
- Syrup and flip. As soon as the kunafa comes out of the oven, pour the syrup evenly over the hot pastry. Let it cool slightly, then flip it onto a serving platter.
- Garnish and serve. Sprinkle the top with chopped pistachios, slice, and serve warm while the cheese is still stretchy. Enjoy!
Easy Kunafa Recipe Tips and Tricks
- If possible, get fresh kataifi or shredded filo dough from a Middle Eastern grocery store rather than frozen. Any leftover dough is perfect for toasting into the filling of my Dubai chocolate brownies.
- Don’t skimp on the butter/ghee. Make sure every strand of dough is well-coated to avoid dry spots.
- Bake until it has a deep golden brown color and don’t pull the kunafa out too early.
- Let the hot kunafa soak up the fragrant syrup immediately after baking to help the pastry layers absorb the liquid without making them soggy.
- Use a spatula to loosen the kunafa from the baking pan if needed so it is easier to flip it onto the serving plate.
Why do you need to make this cheese kunafa recipe?
- This buttery dessert is the easiest way to try a foreign recipe for the first time.
- It’s a popular Middle-Eastern dessert that’s impressive enough to make for special occasions. Serve it with a pistachio latte made with my homemade pistachio syrup and you’ve got a full dessert spread.
- It’s a simplified version of a classic dessert that helps you substitute difficult-to-find ingredients like the akkawi cheese.
- You can customize it to make it fit your specific taste or for the ingredients you have available to you.
Easy Kunafa FAQs
Kunafa dough or kataifi pastry is essentially just shredded phyllo dough, and it should be available in every Middle Eastern store, the bakery freezer section of American stores, or online from Amazon.
Yes, you can use regular butter instead of clarified butter in kunafa, but it won’t have as good of a flavor. If you do use regular butter, try to get the best quality you can find, and skim the top of the melted butter to remove the milk solids.
Instead of mozzarella, you can use ricotta cheese in your kunafa for extra creaminess. Instead of orange blossom water, you can use rose water for a softer, more subtle floral flavor. And instead of pistachios, garnish with whatever variety of chopped nuts you want.
Once your kunafa has cooled to room temperature, place it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap before putting it in the airtight container and freeze it for a month or two. To reheat, microwave it for 30 seconds to melt the cheese, then crisp up the outer layers in a pan for 3 to 5 minutes on each side.
It could be because you didn’t bake your kunafa long enough. Make sure it’s deep golden brown before removing it from the oven.
Yes! You can assemble kunafa and refrigerate it (unbaked) for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, let it sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes first. You can also bake it and reheat it in the oven to crisp it up again. Serve it warm, and if you want to go all out, add a scoop of my pistachio ice cream on the side.
More Kataifi and Pistachio Desserts
If you made this easy kunafa, show me that cheese pull! Leave a ⭐ star rating and a comment below, and tell me if you went with orange blossom or rose water. I love hearing from you!!
Middle Eastern Kunafah (with Simple Ingredients)
Ingredients
- 8 oz kunafa dough thawed
- 1/2 cup ghee/clarified butter melted
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 & 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 & 1/4 cup soft mozzarella cheese in water roughly chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
- Chopped pistachios for garnish
Instructions
Make the Kunafa
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, separate the kunafa dough strands to loosen them. don't worry about pulling on them too much, smeller pieces of shredded phyllo dough crisps up even better.8 oz kunafa dough
- Pour the melted clarified butter over the dough and sprinkle with the granulated sugar then mix well to ensure all strands are coated. You can do this by repeating that pulling motion that you did in the previous step.1/2 cup ghee/clarified butter, 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Press half of the buttered dough into the bottom of a 10.5-inch round pan, spreading it evenly and pressing it down firmly.
- Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella and soft mozzarella cheese over the dough, spreading it evenly.1 & 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 & 1/4 cup soft mozzarella cheese in water
- Top with the remaining half of the buttered dough, spreading it evenly and pressing it down firmly using the back of a measuring cup or a regular drinking glass.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 50-55 minutes, or until the kunafa is golden brown and crispy.
Make the Syrup
- While the kunafa is baking, prepare the sugar syrup. In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the rose water then allow it to cool down while the kunafa is still baking. .1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
- Remove the kunafa from the oven and immediately pour the sugar syrup evenly over the hot kunafa. Allow the kunafa to cool for a few minutes, then invert it onto a serving plate.
- Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve warm. Enjoy your delicious kunafa!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this for a small gathering and it disappeared fast, that cheese pull when you cut into it gets people every time.
Pouring the syrup on while it’s still hot straight out of the oven is the move, you can actually hear it soaking in. Garnished with pistachios and it looked just like the versions I’ve had at Middle Eastern restaurants!!