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Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cups Recipe

Name: Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cups Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 300g (10 oz) Dark chocolate, 60 to 70 percent cocoa, finely chopped; 1 tbsp Coconut oil or neutral oil (makes the chocolate glossier and easier to work with); 8 Silicone cupcake moulds or disposable aluminium cups; 120g (4 oz) Kataifi pastry, thawed completely if frozen, pulled apart into loose strands; 30g (2 tbsp) Unsalted butter, for toasting kataifi; 200g (3/4 cup) Pistachio cream, smooth and sweetened (not pistachio butter); 2 tbsp Tahini (adds depth and prevents the filling from being one-dimensionally sweet); Pinch Fine sea salt; 250g (9 oz) Fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced into 3 to 4mm rounds; 1 tsp White granulated sugar (optional, to macerate and draw out juices); 1/2 tsp Fresh lemon juice (brightens the strawberry flavour); 80g (3 oz) White chocolate, finely chopped, melted for drizzling; 2 tbsp Roasted pistachios, roughly crushed; 1 tbsp Freeze-dried strawberry pieces, for color and extra fruit intensity(Optional); pinch Edible gold dust or flaky sea salt, for finishing(Optional)

Total 50m

Prep 30m

Chill 20m

Serves 8

Level easy

AI Flavor Insights

Dubai chocolate strawberry cups are no-bake desserts: dark chocolate shells filled with toasted kataifi, pistachio cream, and fresh strawberries.
Toast the kataifi in butter until deeply golden and cool it completely, or it softens inside the cups.
Assemble no more than 2 hours before serving, for the crispiest kataifi texture.

Dubai chocolate strawberry cups are no bake desserts made by layering fresh strawberries with toasted kataifi, pistachio cream, and melted chocolate. They take 30 minutes to assemble and 50 minutes in total, and the recipe makes 8 cups. Chill for 20 minutes to set before serving.

Dubai chocolate strawberry cups take the two elements that made the Dubai chocolate bar a global phenomenon, toasted kataifi pastry and pistachio cream, and layer them inside dark chocolate cups with fresh strawberries and a drizzle of white chocolate. The result is a no-bake dessert that looks like something from a patisserie counter and takes about 30 minutes to assemble.

What are Dubai chocolate strawberry cups?

They’re individual dessert cups made from a dark chocolate shell, filled with a layer of toasted kataifi and pistachio cream, topped with fresh strawberry slices, and finished with white chocolate and crushed pistachios. The concept borrows directly from the viral Dessert Chocolatier bar that broke the internet, translating the same flavour combination into a more accessible, shareable, no-bake format that works for home entertaining.

What makes the Dubai chocolate combination work so well with strawberries?

The pistachio cream is sweet, slightly nutty, and rich. The kataifi is buttery, crispy, and savory-adjacent in the way toasted pastry always is. The dark chocolate shell is bitter and snappy. Fresh strawberries bring acidity, freshness, and a natural sweetness that cuts through all three layers and prevents the dessert from collapsing into one-dimensional richness. The strawberry isn’t decoration. It’s the balance element.

What is kataifi pastry and where do you find it?

Kataifi is shredded wheat pastry, the same product used in the Greek and Middle Eastern pastry of the same name. It looks like a nest of very fine shredded wheat threads. When toasted in butter, it turns golden, crunchy, and nutty with a distinctly buttery, almost caramelised flavour. Find it in the freezer section of Middle Eastern grocery stores, Greek or Turkish specialty shops, and increasingly in mainstream supermarkets following the Dubai chocolate trend. Thaw completely before toasting.

What does pistachio cream mean in this context?

Pistachio cream is a sweetened, smooth, spreadable pistachio paste similar in texture to Nutella but made from pistachios. It’s not the same as pistachio butter, which is unsweetened and dry. Pistachio cream is available at Middle Eastern grocery stores, specialty food retailers, and online. It’s the ingredient that gives the filling its vivid green color and distinctive flavour.

Why does the kataifi need to be toasted before going into the cups?

Raw kataifi is soft, white, and flavourless. Toasting it in butter for 5 to 8 minutes until deeply golden transforms it into something crispy, nutty, and aromatic. Once it’s mixed with the pistachio cream and enclosed in the chocolate cup, it retains its crunch for several hours. Untoasted kataifi mixed into pistachio cream goes soft within minutes and loses the textural contrast that makes this dessert worth making.

Ingredients

15 Items

Instructions

6 Steps

Make the chocolate cups

Melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil together in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring until completely smooth and glossy. Don't let the bowl touch the water and don't let the chocolate get too hot. Overheated chocolate loses its temper and won't set with a proper snap. Alternatively, melt in a microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of melted chocolate into each silicone or aluminium mould. Use a pastry brush or the back of a small spoon to paint the chocolate up the sides of each mould, creating an even shell. The chocolate layer should be thick enough to hold its shape when unmoulded, roughly 3 to 4mm. Place the coated moulds in the freezer for 10 minutes until fully set. Apply a second coat of chocolate over the first for a stronger shell, then freeze for another 10 minutes.

Toast the kataifi

Separate and loosen the kataifi strands with your fingers before cooking. They clump when thawed and need to be pulled apart into loose threads for even toasting. Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat until foaming. Add the kataifi and spread it across the pan. Toast for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the strands are uniformly deep golden brown and smell buttery and nutty. Watch closely after the 5-minute mark. Kataifi goes from golden to burnt within 60 seconds once it starts coloring. Tip onto a plate and spread out to cool completely. Warm kataifi mixed into pistachio cream makes the cream soft and slightly oily. It must be at room temperature before combining.

Make the pistachio kataifi filling

In a bowl, combine the pistachio cream, tahini, and a pinch of sea salt. Stir until smooth and uniform. The tahini loosens the pistachio cream slightly and adds a savory, nutty depth that prevents the filling from tasting cloyingly sweet. Fold the cooled toasted kataifi into the pistachio tahini mixture. Stir until every strand is evenly coated and the filling holds together when pressed. It should be thick, slightly sticky, and hold its shape without spreading.

Prep the strawberries

Hull the strawberries and slice into thin rounds, about 3 to 4mm thick. Place in a small bowl. Add the sugar and lemon juice if using, toss gently, and leave for 5 minutes. The sugar draws out a small amount of juice and the lemon brightens the flavour. Pat the slices gently with a paper towel before layering into the cups. Excess moisture from the strawberries will soften the kataifi filling if left wet, so this step matters for keeping the textural contrast intact.

Unmould and fill the chocolate cups

Remove the set chocolate cups from the freezer. Peel the silicone moulds back gently to release each cup. If using aluminium cups, leave the cup in place as the shell. Handle the chocolate cups with clean, cool hands. Warm hands melt the chocolate immediately and leave fingerprints. Spoon a generous layer of the kataifi pistachio filling into each cup, pressing it down gently to fill the base and sides to about two-thirds full. Layer sliced strawberries over the filling, overlapping slightly for visual effect. Leave a small border of the chocolate rim visible above the strawberry layer.

Finish and serve

Drizzle the melted white chocolate over the strawberry layer in thin, irregular lines. Scatter crushed roasted pistachios generously over the top. Add freeze-dried strawberry pieces and a pinch of flaky sea salt or edible gold dust if using. Serve immediately for the crispiest kataifi texture, or refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving. Beyond 2 hours, the kataifi begins to absorb moisture from the pistachio cream and loses its crunch. These are a same-day dessert.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving

487.8kcal Calories approx.

protein 12%

sodium 4%

95.3mg

cholesterol 1%

4.4mg

Calcium 4%

36.8mg

Iron 17%

3mg

Potassium 7%

326mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

What every cook needs to know about Dubai chocolate strawberry cups

Why do the chocolate cups need two coats?

A single coat of melted chocolate is rarely thick enough to survive unmoulding without cracking or breaking. The first coat sets the shape. The second coat reinforces it and fills any thin spots left by the first application. Two coats produce a shell that’s sturdy enough to hold filling and be picked up without collapsing. For an even sturdier shell, a third coat is fine. Each coat goes on after the previous one has set completely in the freezer, which takes about 10 minutes.

Does the chocolate need to be tempered?

Tempering chocolate produces a shell with a higher gloss, a sharper snap, and better stability at room temperature. It involves carefully heating and cooling the chocolate to specific temperatures to align the cocoa butter crystals in the most stable form. For a home dessert served cold from the fridge, tempering is not essential. The cups set fine in the freezer without tempered chocolate and will hold their shape in the fridge for several hours. If you’re serving at room temperature for more than 30 minutes or want the professional glossy finish, tempering is worth the effort.

What is tahini’s role in the pistachio filling?

Pistachio cream on its own is very sweet, slightly one-dimensional, and can feel cloying after a few bites when combined with sweet chocolate and sweet strawberries. Tahini, which is pure ground sesame paste, is savory, slightly bitter, and nutty. It loosens the pistachio cream to a more spreadable consistency and introduces a savory counterpoint that makes the filling taste more complex and less sugary. The flavour difference in the finished cup between a tahini version and a plain pistachio cream version is noticeable and significant.

How do you stop the kataifi from going soft inside the cups?

Two things. Toast it until deeply golden, not just lightly colored. Pale kataifi has less flavour and softens significantly faster than properly toasted golden kataifi. And let it cool completely before combining with the pistachio cream. Warm kataifi mixed with any fat-based filling softens within minutes. Cool kataifi mixed with a relatively thick filling holds its crunch for several hours. Assemble the cups as close to serving as possible for maximum texture.

Can you make these ahead of time?

The chocolate cups can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge or freezer. The toasted kataifi keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours. The pistachio tahini cream keeps refrigerated for up to a week. Assemble the cups no more than 2 hours before serving. The strawberries should be sliced and added within 30 minutes of serving for the best appearance and texture.

For Christmas baking, see our Easy Christmas Cake Recipe and Air Fryer Mince Pies With Homemade Mincemeat Recipe.

For another no-bake dessert, try Mango Sticky Rice Recipe (Khao Niao Mamuang).

Dubai chocolate strawberry cups are individual no-bake desserts made from a dark chocolate shell filled with toasted kataifi pastry mixed into pistachio cream, layered with fresh strawberries, and finished with a white chocolate drizzle and crushed pistachios. The recipe is inspired by the viral Dubai chocolate bar created by Fix Dessert Chocolatier, which became a global food trend in 2024 for its combination of toasted kataifi and pistachio cream inside a chocolate shell.

Kataifi is shredded wheat pastry that looks like fine threads or a nest of thin strands. It's used in Middle Eastern and Greek pastries including the dessert of the same name. When toasted in butter, it turns golden, crispy, and nutty. Find it fresh or frozen at Middle Eastern grocery stores, Greek or Turkish specialty shops, and many well-stocked international supermarkets. It became significantly easier to find globally following the Dubai chocolate trend. Thaw completely before toasting if using frozen.

Pistachio cream is a sweetened, smooth, spreadable paste made from pistachios, similar in texture to Nutella but green and pistachio-flavoured. It's not the same as pistachio butter, which is unsweetened, dry, and much harder to find. Pistachio cream is available at Middle Eastern grocery stores, specialty food stores, and online. If unavailable, blend 200g of unsalted roasted pistachios with 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of neutral oil, and a pinch of salt in a food processor until smooth as a substitute.

The assembled cups are best eaten within 2 hours of assembly. Beyond that, the moisture from the fresh strawberries migrates into the kataifi filling and softens it. The chocolate shells last up to 3 days refrigerated on their own. The toasted kataifi keeps in an airtight container for 24 hours at room temperature. For the best texture and appearance, assemble the cups as close to serving as possible and keep refrigerated until ready to eat.

Yes. Milk chocolate produces a sweeter, milder shell that works well with the filling. The trade-off is that the bitterness of dark chocolate provides a contrast to the sweet pistachio cream and strawberries that milk chocolate doesn't. With milk chocolate, the overall dessert trends sweeter and can feel slightly cloying after the first few bites. If using milk chocolate, the tahini in the filling becomes even more important as the bitter, savory counterpoint.

Yes with straightforward substitutions. Use dairy-free dark chocolate for the cups. Substitute the butter for toasting the kataifi with coconut oil. Check that the pistachio cream brand you're using is dairy-free, as some contain added milk powder. The tahini, kataifi, strawberries, and pistachios are all naturally dairy-free. The white chocolate drizzle can be replaced with a dairy-free white chocolate alternative or omitted entirely without significantly affecting the finished dessert.

Recipe By

Elena Marchetti

Elena Marchetti is a recipe editor at RoamFeast, developing and editing recipes from around the world for home cooks. She focuses on accurate quantities, clear step-by-step methods and dishes that work in a normal home kitchen, with details checked before publication.