Creamy & Cheesy Kunafa Recipe
“Creamy and cheesy kunafa recipe with a crunchy kunafa dough baked in a layer of cream and cheese then poured with sweet syrup. It’s simple to make but tastes so great.”
I love kunafa! I love the salty and creamy cheese inside that sweet and crunchy dough. This kunafa recipe is a favorite dessert in the Middle East. Made with kadaif/kataifi/kunafa dough filled with the combination of milk, heavy cream, cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese. This Arabic sweet is a superb combination of a crispy crust, creamy filling and aromatic syrup.
In every celebration here in UAE, you will always this in the table. Ibsais, our favorite brand for this dessert, is very good in making this sweet treat. Now, if my cravings kicks in, I can always make kunafa at the comfort of my own home as it is easy to put together. This recipe is stunning to serve for any celebrations that your family and friends will surely love.
What is Kunafa?
The Kunafa is also known as Kunafeh, Kunafah, Kanafeh, Kenafeh, Knafeh, Konafi or Konafa in different countries. It is a traditional dessert in the Middle East and commonly eaten in the Arab world especially among Palestinians. It’s made with shredded filo pastry, sometimes fine semolina dough or kadaif or kataifi dough (depending on countries) and usually layered with cheese, baked and then soaked in a sweet syrup.
This dessert is best served hot. And just like pizzas, it is often prepared in big round pans and then cut into sizes so everyone can have a bite. Like any other dessert, this sweet treat have different variations in each countries.
One of the most renowned preparations of kunafa is knafeh nabulsiyeh, which originated from Nablus city, Palestine. It uses a white-brine cheese called Nabulsi. It is prepared in a large round shallow dish, colored with orange food coloring (for aesthetic purpose), and sometimes topped with crushed pistachio nuts.
Ingredients & tips in making kunafa
Kunafa or kataifi dough. The texture of this dough is fine and smooth. You can use fresh or frozen. I also saw and taste kunafa using semolina dough. Although they taste almost the same, I like the crunchiness of using kunafa or kataifi dough. If this item is unavailable in your place, you can use vermicelli instead. Just crushed them with your hands before using.
Ghee. Ghee is a type of clarified butter made by gently heating cow’s milk butter until water evaporates and milk solids are strained away, leaving behind pure butterfat. You need to melt the ghee using a microwave oven or stove-top before using. You can also use butter in making this recipe. When the butter melted, I recommend not to use the white portion (milk) that settled at the bottom to ensure a crunchy, evenly browned crust
Food coloring. This item is optional but recommended. Orange color is the signature color of kunafa, making it more attractive. You can use annato powder (achuete powder) like I did and it turns out good. If you can find a kunafa dye in a Middle Eastern grocery, it will be great. But you can use any food coloring that is available or just omit it.
Pistachio. Used as garnishing. It also adds flavor and color to the kunafa. You have to crush or chopped the pistachio before garnishing.
Making your filling & syrup
Milk. You can use fresh milk, full-fat or low-fat. To make your kunafa thicker and creamier, use full fat milk.
Cream. I used heavy cream, but you may use whipping cream, fresh cream or thick cream.
Cheese. This recipe uses 2 types of cheese, cottage and mozzarella. The mozzarella cheese becomes leathery, once it starts to cool. To avoid this, we mix another type of soft cheese like cottage or ricotta cheese. These cheeses are mixed together to prevent kunafa from getting rubbery.
Corn flour. This is use as a thickener. You can add more to make your kunafa cream thicker.
Rose water. Used in syrup and cream. I was hesitant to use this as I don’t want my kunafa to taste like a flower (hahaha). But I opted in trying it since it is available and affordable. Thank goodness, my kunafa do have a hint of aroma of rose water but doesn’t overpower the sweet (plus it doesn’t tastes like a flower).
Orange blossom water. This is used to flavor the cream, although optional but it is recommended. You can skip this ingredients if is not available.
Sugar. Used to make the syrup.
Lemon juice. You will need a teaspoon so the syrup will not crystalized after it is cooled down.
How do you warm it up
As mentioned earlier, kunafa is best serve when hot. If in case you have leftovers, you can always reheat it in the oven or stove-top. But do not microwave it as it be soft and losses all the crispiness. This dessert stays crispy and delicious even if it is chilled from the refrigerator.
Try making this kunafa recipe in your next snack and you will be absolutely addicted to it. Happy tummy!
Creamy and Cheesy Kunafa Recipe
Equipment
- Sauce/ cooking pan
- Wooden spoon or whisk
- Oven
- 9"x3" round baking pan
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Silicone brush
Ingredients
Kunafa Ingredients:
- 350 grams kunafa dough, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 200 grams ghee or butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon annato (achuete) powder or any orange food color – optional but recommended
- ¼ cup pistachio, crushed – for garnish
Sugar syrup:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon rose water
Kunafa filling:
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons corn flour
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon rose water
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water
- ¾ cup mozzarella cheese, more for extra cheesy kunafa
- ½ cup cottage cheese
Instructions
Prepare the dough:
- Combine orange food color with melted ghee or butter. Mix well until fully incorporated.
- In a medium mixing bowl, pour the melted ghee or butter over the kunafa dough. Mix with your hands to distribute evenly on the dough. Use hand gloves so that color will not stick to hands.
- Brush a 9-inch baking pan with ghee or butter and place ⅔ of the dough mixture.
- Flatten dough using the bottom of a measuring cup or glass by gently pressing it. Flatten the sides as well and set aside.
Prepare the aromatic syrup:
- In a sauce/ cooking pan, add water and sugar. Mix slightly to dissolve sugar. Simmer until mixture gets thicker, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and cook for another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and pour the rose water. Stir to dissolve and transfer to a sauce/ gravy boat.
Prepare the cream & cheese filling:
- In the same sauce/ cooking pan, combine milk, heavy cream, sugar and cornstarch. Mix well to combine.
- Turn on heat to low and cook the mixture until it gets thicker. Stir constantly with a whisk to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pan.
- Once it thickens, add rose water and orange blossom water and mix to blend.
- Turn off the heat and add mozzarella cheese and cottage cheese. Mix well until blended.
Assemble the kunafa:
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C / 390 °F.
- Pour the cream and cheese filling over the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with more mozzarella cheese on top (optional).
- Place the remaining dough mixture on top of the cream and cheese filling. Make sure to cover the whole cheese filling.
- Brush top with some melted ghee or butter using a silicon brush to settle it properly.
- Put the baking pan in the preheated oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until it turns golden and crunchy in the surface.
- As soon as it gets out of the oven, pour ½-¾ cup of the syrup evenly over the whole kunafa. Wait for 5-7 minutes for the syrup to seep in. Reserve leftover syrup for drizzling over individual servings.
- Place a large plate over the baking pan then flip it to transfer the kunafa onto the plate.
- Garnish with crushed pistachio. Cut the kunafa like a pizza or cake and serve with more syrup and crushed pistachio.
- Share and enjoy!
Video
If you make something with Happy Tummy Recipes, please share it with me, and don’t forget to rate and comment on this recipe below!
For more recipe inspiration, please subscribe to our recipe newsletter and follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Tumblr, and YouTube!
This post contains affiliate links. I make a commission from sales. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, read my disclosure policy.
