How to make the viral Dubai style chocolate cheaply at home

The original Dubai chocolate, known as 'Can't Get Knafeh of It' from Fix Chocolatier, will set you back about 68 dirham for 200g, which is roughly £15 (£7.50 per 100g). There's also the small issue of needing a £400-ish flight to Dubai, as the bars are sold exclusively in the United Arab Emirates.

As you would expect, other choc manufacturers and UK retailers have rushed to release 'dupes'. Here are a few we've spotted:

• Alyan Dubai Style Chocolate - £5 for 100g at Tesco

• Lindt Dubai Style Chocolate - £10 for 145g (£7 per 100g) at Ocado

• Danny's Chocolates Dubai Style Chocolate Pistachio Knafeh - £12 for 190g (£6 per 100g) at John Lewis

While these are slightly cheaper than the real deal, I’m still wondering when it became acceptable to spend a tenner or more on a single chocolate bar. So, with enough creativity to fill the Burj Khalifa and a dash of MoneySaving knowledge, MSE Sam and I were confident we could make it ourselves for cheaper. Here's how:

The ingredients we used (makes one bar)

• 300g cooking chocolate (£3.30 for two bars at Tesco)

• 4-5 tablespoons pistachio spread (£7.89 for 600g at Costco, so about £1.20 per 100g)

• 60g kadayif shredded filo pastry (£1.99 for 220g at a local Turkish supermarket, so about £1 per 60g)

• 1 teaspoon tahini (£2.90 for 300g at Sainsbury's, so £1 per 100g)

• Knob of butter

• Silicone mould for the chocolate bar (£3.30 for 25cm x 13.5cm mould at eBay)

Optional: 7-10 crushed pistachio nuts

How much it cost us

We used about £5-worth of ingredients to make our bar – 66% cheaper than the original Dubai chocolate. And while you can buy a 100g version for £5 at Tesco, we made more choc for the money. We've not included the price of the butter in our cost, as it's an everyday item most already have in the fridge. We've also excluded the price of the mould as once bought, it can be used again and again. The ingredients cost £16 upfront, and we'll use the leftovers to make other things, or likely more Dubai style choc!

We chose ingredients available from nearby supermarkets for both ease and the most cost-effective option for us. Of course, if you try this yourself then your overall cost may differ depending on where you buy ingredients from – you can use shopping comparison site Trolley.co.uk to see which supermarkets have the cheapest ingredients.

Method

1. Melt 200g of cooking chocolate in the microwave, then pour a thin layer into the mould so that it’s coating all four sides. This will be the shell where you add the pistachio filling to later on. Put in the fridge to set.

2. Melt a knob of salted butter over a medium hot pan, add your kadayif, and toast until golden. Then move to a bowl to cool.

3. In your bowl of kadayif, add one heaped teaspoon of tahini and four to five tablespoons of pistachio spread – this is your filling for the chocolate. We also like to add crushed pistachios for an extra crunch, but this isn’t necessary. Mix well until combined.

4. Remove the chocolate mould from the fridge and spoon in the pistachio filling. Put back in the fridge to set.

5. Re-melt the remaining cooking chocolate if needed, then cover the pistachio filling and leave to set for 30 minutes in the fridge again.

6. Remove from mould and enjoy!

Here's how ours turned out...

We think our recipe not only makes for a convincing dupe based on looks and size, but also offers you a more affordable way of trying the pistachio treat. Compared to the cheapest dupe which is the Alyan bar (£5 for 100g), our version is double the size, giving you more bang choc for your buck. Our version also looks very similar to the original with 10 squares while the Alyan bar is smaller with only three segments. We also think the taste and texture of ours rivals the original version thanks to the crispy texture of the kadayif and crushed pistachios. Plus with our overall spend, we've leftover ingredients to make more sweet treats with.

Have you made your own Dubai style chocolate? Let us know on Facebook or @MoneySavingExp on X.

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