This Cheese Kunafa recipe (also called kunefe) is a wonderful Middle Eastern dessert with a crispy and buttery kataifi dough exterior and a gooey, creamy, and cheesy center. Similar to baklawa, it's drenched in delicious rich syrup.
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Like many Middle Eastern desserts, Kunefe is spelled in a variety of ways, including kanafa and knafeh. It's very popular in the Middle East/Levant region. So whether you're traveling to Turkey, Iraq, Palestine, or Egypt, you're sure to find it on the menu!
The most authentic Kunafa recipes have a cheese filling made with Akkawi (Nabulsi) cheese. This slightly salty and stretchy cheese is named after the city of Akka (Acre, present-day Israel).
Kunafa is especially popular during Ramadan and makes a beautiful dessert for iftar gatherings. Explore my full collection of Ramadan recipes for more festive dishes.
Since Akawi cheese is hard to find, mozzarella cheese is often substituted in cheese kunafa recipes. Mozzarella has a similar texture and stretchy cheese pull.
Some kunafa recipes are prepared with clotted cream (ashta). In this cheese kunafa recipe, I used a mixture of fresh mozzarella cheese and geymar (clotted cream).
Finally, the baked dessert is garnished with ground pistachios and drizzled with rose-scented sugar syrup. Trust me when I say, it's amazing! Serve with chai or Qamar Al-Din.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This impressive dessert is not only tasty but also easy to prepare!
- My recipe makes 10-12 servings, so it's a great dessert option when you have company over.
- It can be prepared ahead of time and baked when you're ready to serve it.
- Kunafa leftovers can be reheated in the microwave, air-fryer, or toaster oven.
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Kataifi: Also called shredded phyllo dough, this pastry can usually be located in the freezer section. If your local grocery store doesn't carry it, try a Middle Eastern market, or better yet, make your own with my katiafi pastry recipe.
- Ghee: It's best to use ghee or clarified butter so that you can get the kataifi as crispy as possible.
- Kunafa Pastry Coloring: Think of kunafa pastry coloring as food coloring that is mixed with melted butter and kataifi to give kunafa an orange tint. I don't add it, but you can if you'd like.
- Cheese: As mentioned above, Akkawi is the traditional cheese used in the filling. However, you can use mozzarella cheese. Fresh mozzarella makes for the stretchiest cheese. Some recipes even use ricotta cheese or cream cheese, but you won't have the stretchy cheese that kunafa is known for.
- Cream: A creamy milk pudding, known as asht, can be purchased from Middle Eastern markets. You can also find clotted cream online. Finally, you can make clotted cream. All you need is heavy cream and cornstarch.
- Syrup: You'll need to make a rich simple syrup and flavor it with rose water, orange blossom water, or vanilla extract.
- Garnish: Kunafa is usually garnished with ground pistachios.
🔪 Helpful Tools
- A small saucepan to make the syrup.
- Shallow pan, a kunafa plate, or a muffin pan to make mini individual kunafa.
- A food processor, sharp knife, or kitchen shears to chop the kataifi pastry.
🥮 How To Make Cheese Kunafa
Kunafa isn't hard to prepare as long as you work in logical steps. Start by preparing the syrup. While the syrup is on the stove, shred and butter the katiafi. All that's left after that is to assemble the kunafa and bake it. You got this!
Prepare the Syrup
Step 1: Whisk water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Stir lemon juice and rose water into the syrup. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Pro Tip: The difference between simple syrup and rich simple syrup is the sugar-to-water ratio. Simple syrup has a 1 to 1 ratio, while rich simple syrup has a 2 (sugar) to 1 (water) ratio.
Melt Butter & Prepare Pan
Step 2: Melt the ghee in a small saucepan or microwave. Brush the bottom of a 9" cake pan with melted ghee or butter.
Pro Tip: If you prefer to use butter, add it to a measuring cup and cover it with a napkin. Microwave for 30 seconds, then 15-second intervals until completely melted. Skim the white foamy surface to remove the water and milk solids. If you freeze it first, it's even easier to separate!
Shred, Butter Kataifi & Preheat oven to 375°F
Step 3: Defrost kataifi according to package instructions, then shred kataifi dough into smaller pieces using a food processor, a sharp knife, or a pair of kitchen shears.
Pro Tip: It is recommended that you defrost frozen kataifi dough in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
Step 4: Add kataifi to a large bowl and pour ghee over it. Work the ghee into all the strands. Add half of the buttered pastry into the prepared pan. Press firmly with your hands or the bottom of a glass to compact it. Work some of it up the sides of the tray.
Assemble the Kunafa
Step 5: Blot each round of mozzarella cheese between paper towels to remove excess moisture, then arrange it in the tray. Spoon clotted cream over it and cover it with the remaining kataifi. Press lightly to compact.
Bake Kunafa in the Oven
Step 6: Bake kunafa in the oven for 45-60 minutes or until golden brown. Pour half of the cooled syrup over the hot kunafa and serve the extra syrup on the side.
Pro Tip: If you are not serving the kunafa all at once, don't add the syrup; instead, drizzle approximately 2 tablespoons over each slice before serving. This will keep the kunafa crunchy.
Drizzle with Syrup and Serve
Step 7: Cool for 10 minutes. Place a platter over the pan, then flip it or serve it straight out of the pan. Decorate with ground pistachio, slice into wedges, and serve while the cheese is warm and stretchy.
Looking for other delicious Middle Eastern dessert recipes? Make sure you try my new puff pastry baklava recipe!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Kunafa is crispy on the outside, cheesy and gooey on the inside, and sweetened with a rose or orange-flavored syrup. It's warm, crunchy, creamy, and sweet!
Kunafa shouldn't be served hot or cold. The best way to enjoy kunafa is warm so that the cheese is melty and stretchy, and the kataifi pastry is still crispy.
Traditionally, Kunafa is made with Akawi cheese; however, there are also some great substitutes, for example, mozzarella. Sometimes ricotta or cream cheese is used.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Serve with a cup of karak chai!
- Although kataifi is often referred to as shredded phyllo dough, don't attempt to make some by shredding phyllo dough. Unlike phyllo dough, katiafi is spun and is made of fine strands, not strips of phyllo.
- You can prepare kunefe ahead of time and freeze it until you're ready to bake it. Bring it to room temperature before baking it.
- The top of kunefe is usually darker and crispier than the bottom. For this reason, you may choose NOT to flip it.
- Another option is to flip the kunefe onto another metal tray. If the bottom needs browning, you can slip it back into the oven for a few more minutes.
- Edible roses can be used to garnish kunefe.
- Store kunafa leftovers in an air-tight container for approximately 3 days.
🍮 More Middle Eastern Desserts
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Whisk water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Stir lemon juice and rose water into the syrup. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Melt the ghee in a small saucepan or microwave. Brush the bottom of a 9" cake pan with melted ghee or butter.
- Defrost kataifi according to package instructions, then shred kataifi dough into smaller pieces using a food processor, a sharp knife, or a pair of kitchen shears.
- Add kataifi to a large bowl and pour ghee over it. Work the ghee into all the strands. Add half of the buttered pastry into the prepared pan. Press firmly with your hands or the bottom of a glass to compact it. Work some of it up the sides of the tray.
- Blot each round of mozzarella cheese between paper towels to remove excess moisture, then arrange in the tray. Spoon clotted cream over it and cover with the remaining kataifi. Press lightly to compact.
- Bake kunafa in the oven for 45-60 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately pour at least half of the cooled syrup over the hot kunafa. Serve the extra syrup on the side.
- Cool for 10 minutes. Place a platter over the pan then flip it or serve it straight out of the pan. Decorate with ground pistachio, slice into wedges, and serve while the cheese is warm and stretchy.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Although kataifi is often referred to as shredded phyllo dough, don't attempt to make some by shredding phyllo dough. Unlike phyllo dough, katiafi is spun and is made of fine strands, not strips of phyllo.
- It is recommended that you defrost frozen kataifi dough in the fridge until it's ready to use.
- You can prepare kunefe ahead of time and freeze it until you're ready to bake it. Bring it to room temperature before baking it.
- The top of kunefe is usually darker and crispier than the bottom. For this reason, you may choose NOT to flip it.
- Another option is to flip the kunefe onto another metal tray. If the bottom needs browning, you can slip it back into the oven for a few more minutes.
- If you are not serving the kunafa all at once, don't add the syrup; instead, drizzle approximately 2 tablespoons over each slice before serving. This will keep the kunafa crunchy.
- Edible roses can be used to garnish kunefe.
- Store kunafa leftovers in an air-tight container for approximately 3 days.
Beni says
This kunafa recipe was so delicious. I’ve tried many recipes, but by far this one was the best, it’s a keeper!
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Amit Khurana says
Hi, looks so delicious!
What size cake pan should I use- 9" or 10"?
For baking time 45 minutes to 1 hour- do I just look for a golden colour or do I need to look for anything else to know it is properly baked?
Thanks so much!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Amit, I used a 9" cake pan but a 10" pan would also work. And yes, you want to bake it until it golden in color and looks crispy. Since oven temperatures vary, I'm estimating anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes. Good luck!
Kathy says
Hi Hilda,
I'm looking forward to trying this and bringing it to family before Feb. 20. Just wondering how wide is the shallow pan to bake it in; would a 9 in pie plate or cake pan work?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Kathy, I actually used a 9 1/2" cake pan so a pie plate should be fine!
Hungry4Hucks says
Ahhhhhh! A new favorite dessert and super easy! Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you! Enjoy.