Dubai Chocolate Ice Cream: What It Is, Where to Buy & More

If you’ve scrolled through TikTok or Instagram lately, you’ve probably spotted a chunky, chocolate-covered dessert that looks almost too good to eat. That’s Dubai chocolate ice cream, and it’s quickly becoming one of the most talked-about frozen treats of 2025. Inspired by the viral knafeh chocolate bars from Dubai, this ice cream combines creamy pistachio, crunchy kataifi pastry, and a milk chocolate coating — a combination that has home cooks and even major kitchen brands racing to share their own versions. Here’s everything you need to know, from what’s in it to how to make it yourself.

Average price: $8–10 per pint · Key ingredients: Pistachio, kataifi pastry, milk chocolate · First popularized by: Sarah Hamouda (knafeh chocolate) · Available at: Tesco UK, Millbrook Market Ireland · Viral trend peak: 2025

Here is a concise reference of key facts about Dubai chocolate ice cream.

What is Dubai chocolate ice cream?

At its simplest, Dubai chocolate ice cream is a pistachio-forward frozen dessert studded with crispy kataifi pastry and encased in a milk chocolate shell. It takes direct inspiration from the Dubai knafeh chocolate bars that went viral in 2024 — themselves a riff on the Middle Eastern pastry knafeh — and translates that pistachio-kataifi-chocolate combo into ice cream form. The result is a dessert that’s creamy, crunchy, and intensely nutty, with a sweetness balanced by dark or milk chocolate.

Origin of the trend

• ET Food Voyage (food blog) notes that the earliest popular recipes emerged in late 2024, driven by social media creators adapting the knafeh chocolate bar concept.
• Jeni Unlimited (food writer newsletter) calls it “one of the best dessert trends of the last 30 years,” crediting the original knafeh chocolate bar for inspiring the flavor combination.
• YouTube food creator demonstrates the adaptation using a 56% cacao chocolate bar, highlighting how home cooks have driven the trend.

Key flavor profile

• The base is pistachio-flavored ice cream or mousse, often enriched with pistachio butter, pistachio paste, or homemade pistachio cream (Cooking Therapy (recipe blog)).
• Kataifi (shredded phyllo dough) is baked until golden and crispy, then folded into the ice cream or layered as a topping (Jeni Unlimited (food writer newsletter)).
• A milk chocolate coating or glaze covers the finished dessert, though some versions use dark chocolate or a chocolate shell with olive oil (Cooking Therapy (recipe blog)).

Who sells Dubai chocolate ice cream?

As of early 2025, several major UK and Irish supermarkets have launched Dubai-style chocolate ice cream products. Here’s what’s available:

Tesco

• Tesco sells a Dubai-style pistachio iced cream dessert (500ml) under its Finest range, priced around £5–6 (Instant Pot (appliance brand recipe hub) mentions the trend has spurred retail versions).

Aldi (chocolate bar, not ice cream)

• Aldi launched a Dubai-style chocolate bar but has not released an ice cream version (ET Food Voyage (food blog) compares price points).

M&S (chocolate bar)

• Marks & Spencer released a viral Dubai-style pistachio chocolate bar expected to sell out quickly (Lizzy Loves Food (recipe blog) notes the chocolate bar trend).

Specialty stores

• Millbrook Market in Ireland sells a Dubai chocolate style ice cream 6-pack for €8.50 (ET Food Voyage (food blog)).

The pattern: supermarkets are acting fast to ride the viral wave, but most are focusing on chocolate bars first; full ice cream products remain rare outside Tesco and Millbrook.

How much does Dubai chocolate ice cream cost?

Prices vary by format and retailer, but here are the typical ranges:

Homemade versions cost roughly $8–12 for ingredients (pistachio cream and kataifi are the pricey items), making DIY a cheaper alternative for frequent enjoyers.

What this means: retail products are priced at a premium for the novelty, but the ingredients markup — especially pistachio — drives costs up even in homemade versions.

What ingredients are in Dubai chocolate ice cream?

While there is no single official formula, most recipes share a core set of ingredients. The table below shows the common ingredient categories and typical amounts used across popular recipe sources.

The catch: the high cost of pistachio cream means both store-bought and homemade versions command a premium compared to standard ice cream.

How is Dubai chocolate ice cream made?

Most home recipes follow a four-stage approach: prepare the kataifi, make the ice cream base, layer or swirl the components, and freeze. Below is a generic process based on the most cited recipe sources.

Basic recipe approach

1. Prepare kataifi: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread shredded kataifi on a baking sheet, toss with melted butter, and bake 8–10 minutes until golden and crisp. Crumble into small pieces (Jeni Unlimited (food writer newsletter)).
2. Make pistachio ice cream base: Whisk together heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, and pistachio cream. For a custard base, temper egg yolks and cook until thickened. Chill thoroughly (2–24 hours depending on method) (Cooking Therapy (recipe blog)).
3. Churn (if using ice cream maker): Process the chilled base in an ice cream maker until soft-serve consistency. Transfer to a freezer-safe container (Lizzy Loves Food (recipe blog)).
4. Layer with kataifi and chocolate: Fold half the crumbled kataifi into the ice cream. Pour into a loaf pan, top with remaining kataifi, then drizzle melted milk chocolate over the surface. Freeze at least 4 hours (or overnight) until firm (ET Food Voyage (food blog)).
5. Optional Ninja Creami method: Freeze the chocolate base in a Creami pint for 24 hours, then process on the “ice cream” setting. Fold in pistachio-kataifi mix and re-spin if needed (ET Food Voyage (food blog)).

“This is creamy, decadent, and tastes exactly like the viral chocolate bar in frozen form.” — Cooking Therapy blog, describing their no-churn version

Cooking Therapy (recipe blog)

The implication: the method can be adapted to different kitchen equipment, making the trend accessible to a wide range of home cooks.

What makes Dubai chocolate ice cream unique?

Unlike most ice cream trends that simply add a new flavor (ube, matcha, etc.), Dubai chocolate ice cream introduces a textural contrast rarely found in Western frozen desserts: the crunchy, butter-rich kataifi pastry. Combined with the nutty depth of pistachio and the snap of a chocolate shell, it creates a multi-sensory experience that feels more like a deconstructed pastry than a scoop of ice cream.

The lack of standardization is itself a feature — every recipe source offers a different ratio of pistachio to chocolate, different base styles (custard vs. no-churn vs. Ninja Creami), and optional extras like tahini or olive oil. This freedom has fueled the viral spread, as home cooks tweak and share their versions.

“One of the best dessert trends of the last 30 years.” — Jeni, Substack writer and food enthusiast, on the Dubai chocolate ice cream phenomenon

Jeni Unlimited (food writer newsletter)

For the home cook in the UK or Ireland, the choice is clear: spend £5–6 on a Tesco pint for convenience, or invest £10–12 in ingredients and make a batch that lasts twice as long. The real winner of this trend isn’t any single brand — it’s the pistachio-kataifi combination itself, which proves that the most viral desserts are often the ones that borrow bravely from other culinary traditions.

For those curious about the viral confection that inspired this frozen treat, our guide explains exactly what Dubai chocolate is and where to find it.

Frequently asked questions