Easy Dubai Chocolate Cups Recipe with Pistachio & Kataifi
Make easy Dubai chocolate cups with pistachio butter, crunchy kataifi & chocolate. Just 4 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep. Get the recipe!
These easy Dubai chocolate cups are my bite-sized answer to the viral Dubai chocolate bar, without the hefty price tag. Each little 2-bite cup has a crunchy pistachio kataifi filling suspended in creamy, semi-sweet chocolate. They taste a bit like a crispy Reese’s peanut butter cup, with pistachio butter instead of the peanut butter. You only need 4 ingredients and about 10 minutes of hands-on time.
Dubai Chocolate Recipe: What You Need to Know
The original Dubai chocolate bar is a chocolate shell filled with pistachio cream and crispy kataifi (finely shredded phyllo dough). This Dubai chocolate recipe keeps that flavor and texture but puts it in easy silicone cups. No tempering and no special molds are needed, and you can make a batch in an afternoon.
What you need for these pistachio chocolate cups
- Pistachio butter: 3 tbsp
- Kataifi: 3 tbsp
- Butter: 2 tsp, to toast the kataifi
- Semi-sweet chocolate: 1/2 cup chips, or a bar chopped up
Substitutions
Pistachio butter: I used my homemade 2-ingredient pistachio butter, which is sugar-free, gluten-free, and dye-free. Store-bought pistachio butter works just as well. If pistachios are pricey where you shop, Trader Joe’s and Costco are good places to look, and you can also make pistachio milk with them.
Kataifi: It’s finely shredded phyllo dough, sold dried on Amazon and in most Middle Eastern stores. If you can’t find it, shredded wheat works, and so does a small amount of crispy rice cereal (a reader used just enough to add a slight crunch without overwhelming the pistachio butter). If you skip kataifi, you can skip the butter too.
Butter: Salted vegan butter is what I used. Unsalted butter, ghee, or olive oil all work for toasting.
Chocolate: Any good chocolate works. I’ve made these with milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and sugar-free chocolate.
How to make Dubai chocolate cups with kataifi
- Toast the kataifi. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, add the kataifi, and toast until golden brown, stirring often so it doesn’t burn. This takes about a minute or 2, depending on your stove. Move it to a plate to cool.
- Melt the chocolate. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then microwave another 20–30 seconds and stir well. A double boiler works too.
- Make the filling. Once the kataifi has cooled, fold it into the pistachio butter.
- Add the first layer. Spoon melted chocolate into each of 5 silicone cups.
- Assemble. Spoon the pistachio kataifi filling onto the chocolate, then top with more melted chocolate.
- Chill. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 1 hour.
(The full printable recipe card is below.)
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Tips for Dubai Chocolate Cups Recipe
- Toast the kataifi until it’s deeply golden. Pale kataifi turns soft in the filling. Toasted kataifi stays crisp.
- Cool the kataifi before folding it into the pistachio butter. Warm kataifi can make the filling oily and loose.
- Use a bar of chopped chocolate or good chips. Better chocolate means a better snap and a shinier finish.
- Leave a little chocolate for the top. Cover the filling completely so the pistachio layer is sealed in.
- Level up the variations. Add a slice of banana or strawberry after the first layer of chocolate, then top with the pistachio kataifi mix. Or sprinkle chopped pistachios on the final layer.
- Try a different chocolate. Milk chocolate makes them sweeter, and dark chocolate balances the sweet pistachio butter. You could also use a layer of milk chocolate, a layer of dark chocolate, and a white chocolate drizzle on the top.
Key Benefits of this Easy Dubai Chocolate Cups Recipe
Only 4 ingredients. No baking, no tempering, no special equipment beyond silicone cups.
Much cheaper than the bar. As one reader put it, these are a far cheaper option than buying the viral bar.
Portion-controlled. Each cup is about 107 calories, with 3 g protein and 2 g sugar.
Very customizable. You can swap the chocolate, the crunch, or add fruit.
Make-ahead friendly. They keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge, so they work for parties, gifts, and dessert boards.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Burning the kataifi. It goes from golden to bitter quickly. Keep the heat at medium and stir constantly.
Mixing warm kataifi into the pistachio butter. Let it cool completely first.
Overheating the chocolate. Microwave in short bursts and stir between each one. Scorched chocolate turns grainy and can’t be saved.
Getting water into the chocolate. Even a drop can make it seize. If you use a double boiler, keep the bowl dry and make sure the water isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl.
Skimping on the bottom chocolate layer. If it’s too thin, the filling can stick when you unmold. Spoon in enough to fully coat the base.
Not chilling long enough. Give them at least an hour so the chocolate is fully set before you pop them out.
Microwaving frozen cups. Let them thaw on a plate on the counter instead, or you’ll get melting in odd places.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, I recommend it. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Let them sit out for a few minutes before eating if you like a softer bite.
You can, but silicone cups release the chocolate most cleanly. If you use paper liners, use mini foil or paper liners with a good coating of chocolate on the bottom and sides, and peel them off carefully once set.
After you’ve toasted it and let it cool. Fold the cooled, toasted kataifi into the pistachio butter, then spoon it onto the first layer of chocolate.
Yes, for this batch of 5 cups. Kataifi is very light and fluffy, and it compresses once toasted and folded into the pistachio butter. If you want extra crunch, add a little more, but keep the mixture spoonable.
Yes. Use just enough for a slight crunch so the pistachio butter doesn’t get overloaded.
Yes, for about a month. Thaw them on a plate at room temperature rather than in the microwave.
Shredded wheat is the closest swap, and crispy rice cereal works for a lighter crunch.
Not with kataifi or shredded wheat, since both are wheat-based. Crispy rice cereal labeled gluten-free is an option, and homemade pistachio butter and most chocolate are gluten-free, but check labels.
Next Steps
Make a batch of these cups, then keep the pistachio party going:
- Dubai Chocolate Chia Pudding, a breakfast-friendly way to use leftover kataifi
- Easy Homemade 2-Ingredient Pistachio Butter
- Pistachio Flour Pancakes
- 3-Ingredient Mango Passionfruit White Chocolate Cups
- Chocolate Fig Cups
- 3-Ingredient PB&J Cups, if you’re not on board with the Dubai chocolate trend
If you make these easy Dubai chocolate cups, leave a star rating and a comment below. And tag @SavorySpin so I can see your creations!
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp. Pistachio butter
- 3 tbsp. Kataifi
- 2 tsp butter
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate (chocolate chips or a bar chopped up)
Instructions
- Gather all your ingredients.
- Then, place a pan over a stove set to medium heat and add the butter to it. When the butter melts, add the kataifi to the pan. Toast the kataifi until it’s golden brown. Make sure to stir the kataifi often as it toasts so it does not burn. Remove the kataifi from the pan and place it on a plate or saucer to cool.
- Then, melt the chocolate. Add the chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds on high. Then, remove it from the microwave, give it a good stir, and place it back in the microwave for another 20-30 seconds. By now, the chocolate should be melted. Stir it well. Chocolate can also be melted in a double boiler – see more in notes*
- Place a spoonful of the melted chocolate in each of the 5 silicone cups.
- Fold the toasted kataifi into the pistachio butter.
- Then, gently place a spoonful of the pistachio kataifi mixture onto the chocolate.
- Top this with more melted chocolate.
- Then, place the silicone cups on a plate and place these in the fridge for the chocolate to chill and set.
- Once the chocolate has set, these cups are ready to enjoy!
Notes
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Would paper cupcake liners work if I don’t have the silicone cups?
Do these need to stay refrigerated??
is the measurements correct? 3 Tablespoons of the Kataifi?
seems.it should be more
Your recipe doesn’t state when to add the katafi to the pistachio butter but I’m assuming after you’ve toasted it? Thanks!
Thank you for sharing this recipe
I must admit that I’m not familiar with the Dubai Chocolate Bar…but then again, I’ve been living under a rock. 🙂 I’ll gladly take a batch of these cups, though. That flavor profile sounds absolutely fantastic!
Hello, Regina!
I’d like to try this recipe as you did, using rice krispies! So I would just do the recipe the same, except use Rice Krispies instead of the kataifi, correct?
Yes – I used very little rice krispies though. Just enough to add a slight crunch but not make the pistachio butter too inundated.
This turned out great!
I used some pistachio white chocolate butter I had and these turned out incredible!
I keep wondering if Dubai Chocolate bars are worth the hefty price tag. This recipe turned out to be a much cheaper option.
Fun recipe, used some Pistachio butter I had on hand with rice krispies for the middle – turned out great – thanks!