08 Apr 2025 The Dubai Chocolate craze
Has there ever been such a sensational confectionery fad? You’ve been living off the planet if you’ve not heard about Dubai Chocolate….
From TikTok videos to Instagram reels, ‘Dubai chocolate’ is trending – becoming a social media sensation and amassing millions of views, likes and reposts.
So what is Dubai Chocolate? It is milk chocolate stuffed with pistachio creme and pastry, a filling inspired by the Middle Eastern desert knafeh.
What is Knafeh? It’s an Arabic cheesecake with a crispy top of vermicelli-like fried dough known as kataifi, glossy with a syrup called attar (the same used on baklava) and sprinkled with pistachios. It can be found front and centre at any sort of social gathering in the Middle East.
Dubai Chocolate entombs the ingredients and is, by all accounts, quite awesomely delicious!
“The chocolate is sweet and smooth, but the real star is that pistachio-knafeh filling that is crispy, nutty, and decadent. It’s so creamy yet crunchy, and after one bite I totally understood how it went viral in the first place.” Ali Domrongchai, writing in The Kitchn.com
The genesis of this fad is attributed to Dubai-based chocolatier Sarah Hamouda, 38, as a side project, reportedly driven by her pregnancy cravings. The British Egyptian entrepreneur set out to create something more than just the “typical” chocolate fix, with the launch of her business Fix Dessert Chocolatier, and branded her new choc bar as Can’t Get Knafeh of It.
A viral social media sensation
The Dubai chocolate trend owes much of its fame to social media platforms where influencers and foodies have showcased its unique texture and sound. TikTok alone has generated millions of views for videos featuring the satisfying crackle and nutty creaminess of this chocolate.
Notably, it was Ukrainian influencer Maria Vehera who originally created the ASMR viral stir, thanks to a video she posted on TikTok in 2023 showing her eating one of Fix’s giant Can’t Get Knafeh of It bars – stuffed with knafeh pastry, pistachio and tahini – in her car and which has garnered millions of views.
ASMR is the acronym for autonomous sensory meridian response – is used to describe the physical sensations people get while watching stimulating videos.
@mariavehera257 @fixdessertchocolatier WOW, JUST WOW!!! Can’t explain how good these are! When a chocolate, a dessert and a piece of art meet this is what you get! 🍫 “Can’t Get Knafeh of it,” “Mind Your Own Busicoff,” and “Crazy Over Caramel.” Order on Instagram Chatfood or Deliveroo and let me know what’s your FIX? Instagram : fixdessertchocolatier #asmr #foodsounds #dubai #dubaidessert ♬ оригинальный звук – mariavehera257
“It’s insane what’s been happening,” Hamouda has been quoted as saying in reaction to the overwhelming response she’s received from fans worldwide. “To be honest, not at any point did I think this was going to become global,” she said in an interview.
Dubai Chocolate is now trending around the globe
Today, Hamouda’s daily $20 Deliveroo drops in Dubai sell out in minutes, and copycats cashing in on the trend across the globe are selling their own Dubai chocolate for as much as £27.99, plus postage, on Amazon, according to a report in The Grocer.
Around the world, interest is being driven by curiosity, novelty, scarcity and Dubai’s connotations of opulence, say various commentators.
Lindt was the first major brand to capitalise on the trend, launching a limited run of Dubai Style Chocolate (rsp: £10/145g) in December in the UK and elsewhere, ahead of a nationwide rollout in Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Ocado. Waitrose reportedly had to impose a two-bar limit on shoppers. There’s nothing like scarcity to boost a product sensation.
Morrisons, notes The Grocer, listed Flair Pistachio Kunafa Dubai Chocolate Cake Bar (rsp: £4/55g) in January and Home Bargains rolled out Wasi’s DuBites (rsp 3.99/100g) in March.
Other takes have seen the famed British store Harrods launching a knafeh croissant that’s topped with a nest of knafeh pastry, drizzled with syrup and oozing melted cheese. Starbucks also created the Dubai chocolate drink, consisting of a matcha latte with two pumps of pistachio sauce and chocolate cold foam.
Baskin-Robbins has started selling Dubai chocolate ice cream bars in many of its franchises. You can get Dubai chocolate waffles in Milwaukee, Dubai chocolate cupcakes in Houston, Dubai chocolate pound cake in Paterson, NJ, Dubai chocolate milkshakes in Chicago and Dubai chocolate croissants in San Francisco.
What started as a fad now seems to be sticking around.
Sources: Multiple