This gluten-free Dubai chocolate bar is just as crunchy and decadent as the original, but without the gluten! It features pistachio butter instead of sugar-laden pistachio cream. If you’ve been experiencing FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) while the whole world eats and obsesses over the Viral Dubai Chocolate, I’ve got you!
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Table of Contents
- What is the Viral Dubai Chocolate?
- Gluten-free Dubai Chocolate Ingredients Notes
- How To Make Gluten-Free Dubai Chocolate
- Variations
- Some helpful tips
- Common questions
- More easy chocolate recipes to try
What is the Viral Dubai Chocolate?
Created by FIX Dessert Chocolatier, based in Dubai, UAE, this chocolate bar went viral on TikTok last summer, and its obsession has yet to end!
The original recipe features pistachio- and tahini-coated kataifi (kadayif) filling in a milk chocolate shell. A beautiful fusion of Eastern and Western flavors, much like in these goat cheese-stuffed dates.
Hounded by the endless remakes on my Instagram feed, I even grabbed a copycat at Dubai Airport last month while on a trip overseas. The $18 price tag made it hard to swallow and although it wasn’t bad, but, to be honest, I won’t be rebuying it! The milk chocolate made it too sweet for my taste! And why pay so much when you can make your own Dubai chocolate at home for much less?
And so, the exhaustive testing started, mainly to find an alternative to Kataifi, the wheat-based phyllo dough pastry that adds crunch to the filling.
I tried everything from rice vermicelli noodles to blanched almonds, but the winner was….read on to find out!
Gluten-free Dubai Chocolate Ingredients Notes
Dark chocolate: I switch between 60% dark chocolate and Lily’s stevia-sweetened chocolate chips. You can use milk chocolate if you prefer.
Rice Chex mix: This is the crunch in the chocolate. Puffed rice may work, but this chex cereal comes pre-toasted and is flatter, so I feel it is more suitable here.
Note:
Do not use rice crispies as the brand contains malt which is made with gluten.
Rice vermacelli was a fail as the noodles still remain raw and chewy despite toasting them in butter. Trust me, I got the perfect toast too, but it didn’t work!
Pistachio butter: While other recipes online call for pistachio cream, mine uses pistachio butter. Store-bought pistachio cream has added sugar and other additives.
I make pistachio butter at home because it is so easy and cheaper than store-bought (and by the way, pistachio butter is hard to find in stores!), but if you don’t want to go through the hassle, I’ve heard this brand is clean and good.
Note:
The color of your pistachio butter will vary on a number of factors. Whether your pistachios are roasted, raw, blanched or skinned. You can read this very thorough blog post by Love & Olive Oil.
I tested with both unsalted & raw pistachios and salted & roasted pistachios and found the raw unsalted to give a more vibrant green color. So, if the vibrant color matters to you, use raw pistachios. There is no need to skin or blanch them.
Tahini: Optional but recommended for achieving the Middle Eastern flavor profile.
How To Make Gluten-Free Dubai Chocolate
Melt chocolate: In a small bowl, add the chocolate chips and oil, then microwave in 30-second increments until the chips have melted. This usually takes a minute in my microwave. Next, line your molds with one layer of melted chocolate. Use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon. Freeze while you prepare the filling.
Make the filling– Crush the chex cereal into smaller pieces (not too fine). I usually add them to a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin or my hands. Then, add the crushed chex, pistachio butter, maple syrup, and tahini to a small bowl and mix until combined. You can optionally pan-fry the chex cereal in butter, but I didn’t find much difference, so I don’t do it. The chex cereal comes toasted, saving us a step and adding calories. Yay!
Allow to set– Add the filling to the chocolate-lined molds, then pour more melted chocolate over the top. Use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to spread and smooth the chocolate evenly. Place them back in the freezer for 20 minutes to set.
Remove from the mold, add sea salt or crushed pistachios, and enjoy!
Variations
The original Dubai chocolate is made with milk chocolate, so use milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips/bar instead.
Control the sugar and make it with stevia-sweetened chocolate chips instead. My personal favorite!
Add more Middle Eastern flair by adding rose water and crushed cardamom to the filling.
Some helpful tips
The success of this chocolate bar depends heavily on the quality of the chocolate you use, so make sure it’s the best available.
Don’t skip the freezer time. You want the chocolate to set completely before unmolding it.
Use a silicone mold for best results. It comes off much cleaner than plastic molds. If you can’t find a silicone mold, use a parchment-lined loaf pan to get a similar shape.
Common questions
Store this Dubai chocolate at room temperature for 2 days and in the fridge for a week. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let the chocolate rest on the countertop for 5-10 minutes before digging in!
The ingredients, shelled pistachios, are more expensive than other nuts. Also, the labor-intensive processes make Dubai chocolate more expensive than other chocolate bars.
More easy chocolate recipes to try
If you try this recipe, I’d appreciate it so much if you could leave a review and rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ in the comments below! I love hearing feedback, and the recipe rating helps others decide if they want to make this recipe. You can also share your creations and tag me on Instagram @eatdrinkpure
Gluten Free Dubai Chocolate Bar
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 ounces dark chocolate chips 60% cocoa.
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 1/2 cup Rice Chex cereal crushed. See note 1.
- 2 cups shelled pistachios raw and unsalted. See note 2.
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
Melt the chocolate
- In a small bowl, add the chocolate chips and oil and microwave in 30-second increments until the chips have melted. This usually takes a minute in my microwave. Next, line your molds with one layer of melted chocolate. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the melted chocolate into the mold and spread it out. Use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon. Freeze while you prepare the filling.
Prepare the filling
- Make the pistachio butter by adding 2 cups of raw, unsalted, and shelled pistachios to a food processor, grinding till you have a smooth and runny butter. This can take 10-15 minutes. Please note that you may need to stop in between as the food processor can heat up. Set aside.Crush the rice chex into smaller pieces. I usually add them to a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin or my hands. Then, add the chex, pistachio butter, maple syrup, and tahini to a small bowl and mix until combined.
- Take the molds out of the freezer and divide the filling between the two. Using the back of a spoon or an icing spatula, pack it in tightly and then pour more melted chocolate over the top. Use a pastry brush, icing spatula, or the back of a spoon to spread and smooth the chocolate evenly. Place them back in the freezer for 10-20 minutes to set completely.
- Unmold the chocolate, sprinkle with sea salt if using, and give it 2-5 minutes to rest before biting in!
Video
Notes
- Make sure your Rice chex is gluten-free. Rice crispies were my first choice, but they have malt as an ingredient. Malt is made with wheat.
- Pistachio butter can be made at home or buy-one ingredient pistachio butter from the store. The original recipe uses pistachio cream that contains sugar and other additives so I prefer to use pistachio butter. To make pistachio butter at home, add 2 cups of unsalted, unroasted, shelled pistachios into a food processor and grind till you get a runny butter. This usually takes 10-15 minutes. If using store-bought pistachio butter, add 7-8 ounces.
- The success of this chocolate bar depends heavily on the chocolate, so make sure to use the best quality chocolate available.
- Don’t skip the freezer time. You want the chocolate to set completely before unmolding it.
- Use a silicone mold for best results. It comes off much cleaner than plastic molds. If you can’t find a silicone mold, use a parchment-lined loaf pan to get a similar shape.
Erin Meddaugh says
so… I read rice vermicelli(sp) noodles work in place of the kataifi noodles in the Dubai bar so I plan to try it. So I will let you all know how that is. but I will also try it with chex like yours to see which I like better because I can’t do added sugar or maple. so I will be using liquid Stevia and again will let you know how it works for those who need a variant of this to make sure it won’t spike their blood sugar and yes even the chocolate will be sugar free. 🙂
Chantel says
My daughter has been asking about dubai chocolate and came across this simple recipe. It was was a hit for the entire family. We made it for mothers day. Delicious! We did use milk chocolate. But the filling makes a lot. So I will try dark chocolate next.
Zeeshan says
So good to hear Chantel! Dark chocolate will not disappoint either:) Thank you for leaving a review and rating!
Victoria says
Where is a brand recommended? I can’t find note two to save my life.
Zeeshan says
Hi Victoria, If you scroll to the INGREDIENTS in the body of the post, you’ll find the brand hyperlink under pistachio butter. As for note 2, it is under notes marked #2 in the recipe card right near the bottom above nutrition.
Shelly says
This turned out great! I used dark chocolate.
Also, I bought the suggested pistachio butter. Two questions,
1. How much jarred pistachio butter do I use if not making my own? I used half the jar, but probably could have used more.
2. How do you suggest storing the chocolate?
thanks for sharing the recipe!
Zeeshan says
So happy it worked out for you! Thanks for leaving a review Shelly😊
So I would recommend using about 7-8 ounces of jarred pistachio butter to get that runny filling signature of Dubai chocolate. I’ve shared storage instructions in common questions in the blog post!
Ali says
I don’t normally enjoy dark chocolate but this one’s delicious!
Rabeyya says
This is the best Dubai chocolate I have eaten so far. The rich dark chocolate perfectly complements the delicious pistachio filling. Love it 😍. Mouth watering goodness!
Zeeshan says
This is so wonderful to hear Rabeyya! Thank you so much for your review!
Sami Shah says
The best Dubai chocolate you’ll come across!
Zeeshan says
Wow thanks so much Sami! ❤️