We're still not over Dubai chocolate, and it seems the rest of the world isn't either, with more supermarkets in the UK jumping on the trend. Brands such as LIDL and Lindt are bringing out their own versions of the viral chocolate bar.
Its popularity means it's really hard to get hold of a bar right now. LIDL revealed they sell 72 bars of the stuff per minute. Waitrose even imposed a two-bar limit for anyone purchasing the Lindt version. And Aldi has just announced they're bringing out a Dubai chocolate ice cream. The world really is going nuts for pistachios.
What is Dubai chocolate made of?
Dubai chocolate is a milk chocolate bar, filled with a mixture of pistachio (either finely ground or as a paste) and Kataifi pastry (a pastry made from shredded filo dough, and is common in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean desserts). Kataifi is the main ingredient used in Knafeh, the Middle Eastern dessert with its crispy, stringy pastry, and sweet and savoury cheese filling in the centre.
Some variations of Dubai chocolate use tahini or white chocolate in their recipes for added sweetness.
What is the green stuff in Dubai chocolate?
Dubai chocolate gets its green colour from the pistachios, which gives it a lovely nutty and moreish taste.
What is the crunch in Dubai chocolate?
It gets its crunch primarily from the Kataifi pastry (which has typically been dry-roasted in the oven until golden). In our recipe further down, we've used shredded wheat instead of Kataifi pastry, as it's much more readily available in the supermarkets.
Is Dubai chocolate any good?
Yes, we really love it here at Good Housekeeping, and totally think it's worth the hype but who sells the best brand? Our food team tell us below..
Who makes the best Dubai chocolate?
So far, we've tried five very popular brands of Dubai chocolate, all of which are relatively easy to get your hands on here in the UK. Let's break it down by each one (and keep checking back regularly as we'll be updating this once more are released and we've tried them):
LIDL (£3.99 for 122g) - currently sold out
We loved the affordability of the LIDL bar, but if you don't live near a LIDL, you'll struggle to get your hands on it - especially as they don't have an online store. The taste was quite sweet - and a touch sickly towards the last mouthful, but it definitely satisfied with its crisp kadayif middle. We also loved how thick and generously filled the bar was, meaning you get more with every bite.
Lindt (£10 for 145g) - in stock!
The chocolate tasted exactly like the creamy sweet chocolate you'd expect from Lindt. The filling and bar itself was a little on the thinner side than we would have liked, but the middle was crisp and had a delicious pistachio taste.
Farhi (£20 for 192g) - in stock!
We've tried both the bar (currently sold out) and the truffles, and they both have a beautiful snap when bitten into. The aroma was fresh and nutty from the pistachios. The bar itself was on the thinner end, but the flavour was great. The truffles feel a bit more generous and bigger (more substance per bite). Nice classic taste of pistachios, crisp pastry and sweet milk chocolate. We would have liked a slightly thicker filling though, as it got a bit lost.
Rifai (£21 for 190g) - in stock!
This might seem like a big upfront cost for a chocolate bar, but it was the most generous and thickest bar we tried from the line up (and is 50p cheaper per 100g compared to Farhi above). It had a beautifully fudgy texture and the flavour was sensational. Very well balanced pistachio flavour mixed with crispy golden pastry, coupled with a sweet and creamy chocolate. It felt very high quality, with a great ratio of pistachio to pastry in the middle.
Melt London (£14.99 for 60g) - currently sold out
Beautifully designed and very delicate, these Dubai-chocolate bars from Notting Hill chocolatier do not disappoint in flavour. They have a beautifully vibrant middle that tastes very strongly of pistachio, and the chocolate coating is lovely and sweet, giving it a well balanced taste. We would have liked a bit more textural crunch in the middle - and the middle of these bars are a little more liquid than the others we've tried!
Søstrene Grene (£6.58 for 200g) - in stores only!
Danish homewares store Søstrene Grene has released their own versions and last I checked there were loads of stock in their Argyll store (right next to Oxford Circus tube station) and this is definitely worth picking up a bar. The price point is super affordable and this is the thickest bar i've tried so far. The flavour is really nice - sweet, creamy and perfectly nutty. But it isn't as crispy as I would have liked (due to the fact they haven't used Kataifi pastry in their recipe).
Pierre Marcolini (£102.60 for 432g) - online and in stores
This price point will likely make your eyes water, but we did really enjoy the taste on these little morsels from Pierre Marcolini. Having them individually wrapped made it easy to portion control and not overdo it on the richness of the treat. There's a lovely crispy texture and a very strong pistachio taste, but it has an interesting twist that we weren't expecting! It has been infused with black sesame and kinako (roasted soybean flour), combined with crispy kataïfi and crushed pistachios. Coated in a thin layer of white chocolate.
The clear winner? Well, it's between LIDL and Rifai. Yes Rifai might be five times more expensive, but the quality in this bar is very clear. They haven't skimped on anything. So this is perfect if you're wanting a truly authentic Dubai chocolate bar taste. But for a snippet of the taste on a budget? LIDL is the clear winner here.
If you're fed up with limited stock you can create your own version, plus our easy, at-home recipe is cheaper than some brands.
Mel is the Senior Food & Drink Writer for Good Housekeeping UK, covering all the delicious new product launches that come her way, writing about food and drink topics, and curating gift guides for the best foodie products to buy. Alongside that, she can be found developing and creating cocktails for GH and holds her WSET Level 2 in Wine and Spirits. She was part of the Good Housekeeping Institute food testing team for over four years before moving over to the digital side, so knows a thing or two about great food products. You'll find her scouring the supermarket shelves in her spare time for new and exciting ingredients to experiment with in her kitchen.
