Middle Eastern Kunafa or Knafeh

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy for more details.

Here is the best healthy recipe for kunafa. A quick and easy recipe done with simple ingredients that you can easily find in your fridge!

If you have visited any of the middle eastern countries, then you must have heard about the supreme Middle Eastern Kunafa or Knafeh. With its variety of spellings from kunafa to knafeh, kanafeh, kunafeh, or even konafi, etc, this middle eastern knafeh is the top-notch of all Arabic sweets and for that is, a must-try.

Where is kunafa originally from? Kunafa is a famous pastry dessert in the levant that combines in its traditional form, kataifi pastry, the shredded phyllo dough, or fine semolina dough. It is stuffed with a cheese filling and soaked in sweet sugar syrup. The syrup is usually scented with rose water or in a few areas with orange blossom water to upscale the taste.

If you think that making Middle Eastern kunafa at home is a hassle you need to think twice. If you want to learn how to make kunafa at home in an easy manner or even how to make kunafa without knafeh dough, then reading this article till the end is a must. The reason is that I saved you a healthier version of this delicious Arabic dessert. Yes, you will never need to count your calories when you opt for this delicious homemade light cheese knafeh. A quick and easy recipe done with simple ingredients that you can easily find in your fridge!

What are the types of Kunafa?

– Cheese kunafa na’ameh or knafeh bil jibn is made with semolina dough and filled with cheese, mainly Nabulsi cheese or Akkawi cheese.

– Cheese kunafa or knafeh bil jibn made with kataifi dough and filled as well with Nabulsi or Akawi cheese

– Kunafa Nabulsiyah is similar to the kataifi dough cheese kunafa, yet it comes in an orange shade of color.

– Kunafa with ashta, a thick cream cooked with milk, sugar, and semolina.

What are the ingredients for kunafa?

• The dough: depending on the type of kunafa you would like to prepare. If you desire to prepare the kunafa with kataifi dough, then you will have to purchase it from Middle Eastern stores. You can either use it as strands and end up with a crispy kunafa or process it and end up with fine kunafa or known as knafeh na’ameh. You can’t find kataifi dough in the market? No worries, keep reading to learn how you can use toast bread to make your dough.
• Butter: You can use either ghee or unsalted butter.
• Sugar syrup: You can prepare it at home. I have listed the details below.
• Cheese: You will have to choose a sweet cheese for this kind of dessert.

What is the best cheese for knafeh?

In the Middle East, kunafa is made with specific kunafa cheeses, mainly Nabulsi or Akkawi cheese. However, these two types of cheese of known for being salty. Hence, if you want to use one of them, then make sure to desalt them. The process of desalting cheese involves keeping the cheese in the water for a couple of hours then changing the water and repeating the process until the cheese is not salty.

However, if you cannot find either of them in the market, then you can use mozzarella instead. Pat to dry the fresh mozzarella and get rid of excess liquid then add it to the pastry tray. To prevent the cheese from hardening after it cools, you can either add ricotta cheese as a fast option or add my quick homemade cream as detailed below.

How to make easy knafeh without knafeh dough?

First, prepare the sugar syrup and put it aside to cool.

In a food processor, process the sliced bread along with the butter or ghee. Once done, bring the mixture to a pan and press them with the palm of your hand, then add your mozzarella.

Next, prepare the creamy milk. In a cooking pot, combine milk and sugar in a pan and stir well to make sure that the sugar is dissolved. Then add semolina and continue stirring. Once the milk starts to thicken, add rose water and stop stirring.

Add a layer of the creamy milk above the mozzarella and enter the tray into the oven.

Serve it hot with sugar syrup.

Bon Appetit.

FAQs about making this easy homemade kunafa

Can I make it ahead?

Sure. Prepare the sugar syrup and kunafa tray in advance and bake the tray 30 minutes before serving. You can store the unbaked knafeh in the fridge and remove it 30 minutes before baking.

How to store this delicious Arabic dessert?

Like many other Arabic sweets, you can store knafeh in the fridge in an air-tight container and keep it for 3 to 4 days.

Can I freeze kunafa?

Yes, you can freeze it unbaked. Wrap it with cling film and put it in the freezer. Just make sure to thaw it in the fridge for a day before baking.

How to reheat kunafa?

I like to reheat kunafa in the oven at a low temperature. However, you can always use your microwave to reheat a slice for 15 to 20 seconds or depending on the power of your microwave.

Do you like Arabic sweets? Check out these recipes:

• Lebanese maamoul cookies
• The best Lebanese atayef
• Healthy molasses sponge cake

Let’s connect on social media. You can find me on Pinterest, Tiktok, Instagram, and YouTube. Please follow & subscribe to keep track of the new posts and videos! I appreciate your support!