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Dubai chocolate has been everywhere for the last year, and for good reason! This Dubai chocolate strawberry dessert combines the flavours of the famed Dubai chocolate with fresh, juicy strawberries to create the ultimate, easy dessert. It’s so good and so simple to make.
If you aren’t sure what I mean by ‘Dubai chocolate’, it’s a chocolate bar that went viral on Tiktok in 2024 and has since been everywhere: recipes, shops, social media. I’ve seen so many videos of people spending £30 on this singular bar of chocolate. It’s a milk chocolate bar, filled with pistachio cream and kataifi. Kataifi is shredded filo pastry, which you toast in some butter until golden and crisp, which gives the middle of the chocolate bar an addictive, crisp bite. For this recipe, you simply mix the toasted kataifi with pistachio cream, add melted chocolate and fresh strawberries, and that’s all there is to it!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- It’s an easier way to try all the flavours of Dubai chocolate without making a chocolate bar or spending £30 buying one!
- It’s a great summer dessert option that makes the most of strawberries.
- The components can be prepped ahead of time for easy assembly.
Ingredients:
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Kataifi – also spelt Kadaif, kadayif, kadaifi, katayef, kataifi is shredded filo pastry. You can get it at specialist shops or Middle Eastern supermarkets – it’s a key part of this recipe. You can find kataifi online too, if you’d rather order it.
Pistachio cream – since the explosion of Dubai chocolate, it’s far easier to find. I have an easy pistachio cream recipe if you want to make it yourself, but you can now find it at most big supermarkets or buy it online. Buy the cream, not the butter (pistachio butter is like peanut butter; we want the sweetened cream version).
Substitutions and Variations:
Kataifi – if you can’t find kataifi, you could use crushed Shredded wheat cereal. It’s definitely not the same but it will replicate the crisp shredded texture.
Strawberries – you could also use other berries in this recipe such as raspberries or cherries.
Pistachio cream – some recipes include a few spoons of tahini, which is mixed with the pistachio cream for a nutty note. I like to add a little (50g) melted white chocolate to the pistachio cream – it sweetens it a bit and adds a subtle vanilla note.
Milk chocolate – you could swap for white or dark chocolate here if that’s your preference.
Here’s how to make a Dubai chocolate strawberry dessert:
Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.
ONE: Wash then remove the tops of the strawberries. Slice in half. Set aside.
TWO: Slice the kataifi into 3cm pieces and then add the butter to a medium pan over medium heat.
THREE: Add the kataifi to the pan and toast until golden and crisp. This takes about 10 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Transfer to a bowl when done.
FOUR: Add pistachio cream to the toasted kataifi and mix until combined.
FIVE: Melt the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave at low power or over a double boiler until smooth and melted.
SIX: Take your glasses and add strawberries. Layer up with the pistachio kataifi mixture and drizzle with melted chocolate. Repeat these layers again. Top with slivered pistachios.
Cooking Tips:
How to avoid chocolate seizing – ensure that when you add the strawberries to the cups, they are dry. If they are wet, you can seize the chocolate when it hits that moisture. When melting the chocolate, just go slowly and avoid any water in the mixture. If using the microwave, melt at very low power in small bursts, stirring between each addition.
Drain the kataifi – if you added a little too much butter when frying the kataifi, just tip it out on a paper towel and drain off the excess butter if needed, before adding the pistachio cream.
Easy mixing – if it’s a cold day, the pistachio cream may be very firm. If this is the case, melt it briefly in the microwave so it softens. This will ensure easy mixing with the kataifi without crushing it all.
Slivered pistachios – for the bright green colour to top each cup, buy Persian pistachios.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can toast the kaitafi up to 3 days in advance. Store in an cool, dry place in an airtight container. You can mix with the pistachio cream a day in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge. It will firm up but will loosen once brought back to room temp (the microwave can speed this along). The strawberries can be prepped a day ahead, just make sure they are nice and dry before storing in an airtight container in the fridge.
Yes! You can use whatever fruit you like.
You could try with hazelnut cream or even Nutella. If using nutella, I would use less melted chocolate as it will be very chocolate-y otherwise.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
Anything pistachio, I adore. Try my pistachio tiramisu, pistachio croissants or my raspberry and pistachio cake. For more berries, my easy berry cake is a summer must.
Breakfast & Brunch
Pistachio Cream Brioche French Toast
Easy Pasta Recipes
Pistachio Pesto Pasta (Pasta Al Pesto Pistacchio)
Easy Dessert Recipes
Frozen Berries With Hot White Chocolate Sauce
Easy Baking Recipes
Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate Brownies
If you tried this recipe for Dubai chocolate strawberries or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a rating or comment and let us know how it went!
Dubai Chocolate & Strawberry
Ingredients
- 600 g fresh strawberries
- 150 g milk chocolate
- 200 g pistachio cream
- 100 g kataifi
- 30 g butter
- Slivered pistachios, for topping
Instructions
- Wash then remove the tops of the strawberries. Slice in half. Set aside.
- Slice the kataifi into 3cm pieces and then add the butter to a medium pan over medium heat.
- Add the kataifi to the pan and toast until golden and crisp. This takes about 10 minutes and stir constantly to avoid burning. Transfer to a bowl when done.
- Add pistachio cream to the toasted kataifi and mix until combined.
- Break the chocolate into squares and add to a heatproof bowl. Melt in short bursts in the microwave at low power or over a double boiler until smooth and melted.
- Take 4 medium glasses and add strawberries. Layer up with the pistachio kataifi mixture and drizzle with melted chocolate. Repeat these layers again. Top with slivered pistachios.
- The video below will help with this recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was SO good I can’t even tell you. It was easy to do and I will honestly re make all summer – thanks Margie! Xx