Viral Dubai Chocolate Bar with Strawberry Filling (Vegan).

Chocolatey.

Crunchy.

Decadent.

This berrylicious take on the viral Dubai chocolate is fun to make, but even more fun to eat! Honestly, the hardest part about this Dubai chocolate recipe is finding the ingredients and the equipment! Other than that, it’s pretty straightforward and simple. It’s also quite versatile–the filling can be made with what you like, and the chocolate casing can be whatever chocolate you prefer.

For this recipe, I decided to go with a great vegan white chocolate, together with a pink strawberry filling (I really love pink things…), but you can easily swap in dark chocolate or a vegan milk chocolate for the outside and the traditional pistachio cream for the filling. Whatever you do, you’ll understand why this Dubai chocolate is the internet sensation!

So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links for products I use and love. If you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I may earn a small affiliate commission, perhaps enough to buy some extra gochujang or gochugaru 🙂

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What Is The Viral Dubai Chocolate Bar?

Dubai chocolate, by itself, simply refers to chocolate made in Dubai. They are often known for being high-end, contained in lavish packaging with an assortment of luxurious fillings and designs (some use gold leaf!). But the Dubai chocolate bar, sold by Fix Dessert Chocolatier, is what gained massive international attention when it went viral on TikTok (with hundreds of millions of views). The Dubai chocolate bar’s popularity led to over 30,000 new orders for the chocolatier!

The original viral Dubai chocolate starts with milk chocolate on the outside and is filled with a mixture of kataifi or knafeh (crunchy strands of shredded phyllo dough) mixed with pistachio cream. Thus, when you break open the bar, a creamy green filling oozes out, but when you bite into a Dubai chocolate bar, it’s crunchy from the kataifi.

Key Ingredients and Notes on Substitutions for dubai Chocolate Bar Recipe.

There are only a handful of ingredients for this version of the Dubai chocolate bar, but some of them might be challenging to come by. Let’s discuss each of them in turn:

White Chocolate.

If you’re not vegan, white chocolate is really easy to pick up. If you’re vegan… Totally different story. Not only is it hard to find white chocolate, it’s hard to find good white chocolate. I did a little digging around on the internet and discovered this brand: King David. I used their white chocolate melting bar after reading a bunch of reviews that repeatedly assured me that this vegan white chocolate bar would melt without a fuss. And they were right!

The key appears to be soy lecithin, a natural emulsifier which helps with creating a smooth, melted chocolate. If you cannot find a solid vegan white chocolate that’ll melt well, you can also use a vegan dark chocolate. Just make sure to look for soy lecithin in the ingredients to ensure you’ll get a smooth, lustrous melt from your chocolate.

Kataifi or Knafeh.

The other main ingredient to this Dubai chocolate bar recipe is the kataifi or knafeh. Kataifi is essentially shredded phyllo dough. You can find some at your local middle eastern grocery store; but if you’re like me and don’t live anywhere close to a middle eastern grocery store, you can also pick up a bag of kataifi online.

Kataifi typically comes in two forms: dry and fresh. For this recipe, you’ll want to get your hands on dry kataifi, as the fresh kind is much more difficult to work with for this Dubai chocolate bar recipe.

Freeze Dried Strawberries.

In order to infuse the filling with intense strawberry flavor, we use ground freeze dried strawberries. The ground freeze dried strawberries will also provide a lovely pink color to the filling for this Dubai chocolate bar. If you can’t find freeze dried strawberries at your local grocery store, you can also use freeze dried raspberries.

Strawberry Skyr or Yogurt.

In order to come up with a creamy filling that’s packed with strawberry flavor but is also vegan, I went with my favorite brand of strawberry skyr or yogurt (Icelandic Provisions Oatmilk strawberry flavored skyr). You can go with whatever brand you like, but Icelandic Provisions’ skyr has the added bonus of a little extra plant-based protein!

Vegan Butter.

In order to crisp up the kataifi, the original Dubai chocolate bar recipe calls for some butter. If you don’t want to use vegan butter, you can also use extra virgin olive oil.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Dubai Chocolate Bar.

Step 1.

Make the filling first by adding your vegan butter to a large, deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add your kataifi. Sauté the kataifi until it is golden brown, stirring frequently to ensure an even cook on all the individual strands of dough. This will take anywhere from 7 to 10 minutes. Empty the toasted kataifi into a large bowl and set aside.

Step 2.

Melt the chocolate by using either your microwave or a double boiler. Personally, I prefer the latter, as I always end up scorching my chocolate when I use the microwave. For the double boiler method, simply add about an inch worth of water to a very small pot and bring it to a gentle boil. Place a large bowl over the top of your pot and dump your chocolate pieces into your bowl. Once it begins melting, use a whisk or spatula to keep your chocolate from scorching until it is completely smooth.

Step 3.

Add about 2 tablespoons of your melted chocolate to a small bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of ground freeze dried strawberry and stir until smooth. Using a spoon, splatter a little bit of the pink chocolate onto the bottom of your chocolate bar moulds. Then, add about 1/2 cup of your melted chocolate to each mould.

Keep in mind, you want to make your chocolate layer thick enough so it doesn’t shatter when it comes out of the mould, but thin enough that it doesn’t overpower the filling. You should add enough chocolate that you can no longer see the mould through the chocolate. You also want to make sure your chocolate layer is even, which is why I recommend using a pastry brush to layer it onto your moulds. Using a brush will also help with ensuring you get chocolate on the sides of the moulds. Once you’ve adequately created your first layer of chocolate, place it in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Step 4.

While your chocolate is setting, finish making your filling. First, whisk together your strawberry skyr or yogurt with the remaining strawberry powder. If you want your filling to be extra pink, add a couple drops of food coloring to this mixture as well. What you’re going for is the consistency of a thin, pink paste–thicker than yogurt, but not quite as thick as tomato paste. Pour this mixture over your toasted kataifi. Using either a spoon or your hands (the latter is far easier), mix the paste into your kataifi until well combined.

Step 5.

Once your chocolate has set (like, it isn’t soft at all), take it out of the freezer. Pack kataifi mixture into each of your moulds so they go nearly to the top. Make sure you really pack in the sides and corners. Then, pour the remaining melted chocolate over the tops of each mould, using the back of your spoon or offset spatula to smooth it out. Again, make sure you pay attention to the corners. Place the moulds back in the freezer for 1 hour. When the chocolate has fully set, gently remove from the moulds and enjoy!

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