Dubai Strawberry Cup
on Feb 02, 2025, Updated Feb 13, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Valentine’s Day, we’re going to indulge in the Dubai Strawberry Cup 💖! We’ve all seen the Viral Dubai Chocolate Bar making its rounds on the internet: the famous $20 bar featuring pistachio butter, knafeh, and chocolate. This is my spin on the Viral Dubai Chocolate Bar; layered up in a gorgeous presentation, enjoyed by the spoonful. Freshly chopped strawberries 🍓 are stacked with buttery, crisp shredded filo and rich pistachio butter, and smothered in dark melted chocolate 🍫. One bite and you will be in heaven!

Why You’ll Love Dubai Strawberry Cup
This is a chocolate dessert unlike any you’ve seen before. Get ready to indulge in the ultimate sweet! Whether serving this for Valentine’s Day, girl’s night, fulfilling a sweet tooth, or just PMSing 😜, this is THE dessert to make when you want something delicious, easy, and impressive. Forget tricky truffles, chocolate molds, and soufflés; this is the dish chocolate lovers want 🍫💘! It’s got texture: flaky, buttery shredded filo, juicy strawberries, smooth, melted chocolate sauce, and crunchy pistachio. It’s got flavor: creamy, nutty pistachio butter, tangy, bright fruit, and bold cocoa. Just say no to grocery store chocolate boxes and make this sinfully delicious dessert for your love!
How to Prepare
🧊 Follow the package directions for thawing the filo in the fridge. Once thawed, place it on a cutting board and cut into thin sections across.
👋 With clean hands, separate the filo, making sure there are no clumps and the strands are all separated.
🧈 Heat a pan over medium heat and melt the butter. Once the butter shimmers, add the shredded filo. Cook the filo, stirring the whole time, for 5 to 10 minutes, until crispy and lightly golden.
🥣 Remove the filo from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool.
💧 Melt the pistachio butter for a few seconds in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stove, just until runny. Add it to the filo and mix to combine.
🍫 Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave, until runny.
🫙 Take one larger mason jar (or two small) and start to layer your delicious Dubai Strawberry Cup.
🍓 Begin with strawberries, followed by 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pistachio filo, and lastly a drizzle of chocolate on top. Repeat until the jar is full.
😍 Top it off with any remaining crispy filo and some chopped pistachios! Enjoy!
Nonna’s Tip 🍓
I like to separate the shredded filo with my hands, making sure there are no clumps and the strands are all separated. Cook it in the butter until golden and crispy!
Variations and Substitutions for Dubai Strawberry Cup
- Want mess free layers? Use a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped off to drizzle the chocolate beautifully. You could also use a wide-mouth jar for less mess!
- Gluten-free? Traditional filo has gluten, but you can try crushed gluten-free cookies 🍪, toasted coconut flakes, or even chopped nuts for that perfect crunch!
- Strawberries are definitely the star of the show here, but absolutely feel free to try this recipe with raspberries, blackberries, or even sliced bananas 🍌for a different twist!
- If you don’t have a double boiler, just place a heatproof stainless or glass bowl over a pot of simmering water, or melt the chocolate in the microwave in 20-second bursts.
- If you’re short on time, you can prep ahead 🙌! Make the crispy filo mixture and store it separately, then assemble just before serving so it stays perfectly crunchy.
About the Ingredients
This dessert takes inspiration from the viral Dubai chocolate bar, but let’s talk about what makes it so special—starting with knafeh dough!
- What is Knafeh: Knafeh is a beloved Middle Eastern dessert made with shredded filo dough, a layer of soft cheese, and then baked until crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside. It’s the flaky, buttery magic ✨ of the shredded filo that gives this dessert its irresistible crunch! To top it off, it’s drizzled with syrup and garnished with ground pistachios for irresistible flavor.
- Pistachio Butter: And then there’s pistachio butter—think of it as peanut butter’s sophisticated older cousin💚. Pistachio butter is rich, creamy, and nutty with a naturally sweet, slightly floral taste. It’s an absolute game-changer in desserts, pairing beautifully with dark chocolate and fresh fruit.
More Chocolate Recipes
Dubai Chocolate Bar
1 hr 20 mins
Dubai Chocolate Dates
1 hr 3 mins
Chocolate Covered Dates
40 mins
Healthy Chocolate Turtles
30 mins
Best Served With
- Save room for dessert! Dubai Strawberry Cup is the perfect ending to a mouthwatering 🤤 Ribeye Steak dinner.
- Few things on the planet are more satisfying that pasta 🍝 and chocolate! Pair this dessert with Cherry Tomato Pasta for the ultimate indulgence.
- Need handheld snacks perfect for mingling? Serve this dessert with Shrimp Spring Rolls at your next gathering.
Common Questions
Traditional filo dough contains gluten, but you can try using gluten-free puff pastry or toasted coconut 🥥 flakes for a gluten-free alternative.
No double boiler? No problem! Just pop a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water (make sure it’s not touching!) and stir until silky. Or, take the easy route—microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring in between until smooth!
Yes! If you can’t find pistacio butter or you’re allergic to nuts, you can substitute with another creamy spread like Biscoff for beautiful results.
You can prep all the ingredients in advance, but for the best texture, assemble the dessert just before serving to keep the filo crisp and the strawberries fresh.
Thawed frozen strawberries turn mushy and watery, and trust me, that’s not what we want here! Stick to fresh for the ultimate flavor and texture🙌.
Dubai Strawberry Cup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups shredded filo, or Kataifi
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup pistachio butter, or Biscoff
- 1 bar dark chocolate, or your favorite type of chocolate
- 7 strawberries, sliced or quartered
- chopped toasted pistachios, for garnish
Instructions
- Note: I purchased a 454 gram pack of Krinos Kataifi (shredded filo dough) and used 150 grams from that pack (1/3 of the package). You can find shredded filo in the frozen section of most grocery stores. I like to buy mine from Adonis or Highland Farms.
- Follow the package directions for thawing the filo in the fridge. Once thawed, place it on a cutting board and cut into thin sections across.
- With clean hands, separate the filo, making sure there are no clumps and the strands are all separated.
- Once separated, heat a pan over medium heat and melt the butter.
- Once the butter shimmers, add the shredded filo. Cook the filo, stirring the whole time, for 5 to 10 minutes, until crispy and lightly golden.
- Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool.
- Melt the pistachio butter for a few seconds in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stove, just until runny. Add it to the filo and mix to combine.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave, until runny.
To Assemble
- Take one larger mason jar (or two small) and start to layer your delicious Dubai Strawberry Cup.
- Begin with strawberries, followed by 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pistachio filo, and lastly a drizzle of chocolate on top. Repeat until the jar is full.
- Top it off with any remaining crispy Filo and some chopped pistachios! Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Too good! Made this for V-Day and wow!!
I would eat this every day if I could. Totally worth the small effort of buying some specialty ingredients.
This was DECADENT! 😋
This worked exactly as written, thanks! I mean OMG this is the best dessert I ever had
Aww thanks Monica! Isn’t it incredible ?! 💗
This is AMAZING!!!! So obsessed ☺️❤️