Künefe
Buttered kadayıf around a layer of unsalted stretchy cheese, cooked crisp on both sides in a pan, soaked in syrup and covered in pistachio. Served hot.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Künefe is a hot dessert of shredded pastry and melting cheese, cooked in a shallow round pan until both sides are crisp and gold, then soaked with syrup and covered in pistachio. This is the Hatay way: fine kadayıf rubbed with clarified butter, a layer of mild unsalted cheese that stretches when hot, cooked on the stove and flipped, not baked. The syrup goes on cool, onto the künefe straight from the heat, so the pastry stays crisp. Eat it at once, while the cheese pulls in strings; five minutes later it is a lesser thing. Lebanese knafeh is the near relative.
What you'll need
7 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Syrup
- Künefe
- To finish
Ingredients
Syrup
- Sugar200 g
- Water150 ml
- Lemon juice4.9 ml
Künefe
- Kataifi, fresh or thawed kadayıf250 g
- Ghee, or clarified butter, melted100 g
- Mozzarella, unsalted künefe cheese, or low-moisture mozzarella, grated250 g
To finish
- Unsalted pistachio, finely ground40 g
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Make the syrup first. Boil the sugar and water for 8 minutes, add the lemon juice, boil one minute more and leave it to cool to room temperature.
10 min
Tip: Hot künefe, cool syrup. If both are hot the pastry goes soggy.
Step 2
Pull the kadayıf apart with your fingers, then chop it into 1 to 2 cm lengths with a knife. Pour over most of the melted ghee and rub it through with your hands until every strand is coated.
8 min
Step 3
Brush a 22 cm frying pan with the remaining ghee. Press half the kadayıf over the base in a firm, even layer. Scatter the cheese over it, leaving a 1 cm border, then cover with the rest of the kadayıf and press down hard with your palms.
5 min
Tip: Pat mozzarella dry before grating. Wet cheese steams the pastry instead of letting it crisp.
Step 4
Cook over low to medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, moving the pan around on the burner so the edges colour too, until the base is deep gold. Slide it onto a plate, invert the pan over it and flip it back in, then cook the second side for 6 to 8 minutes until gold and the cheese has melted.
18 min
Step 5
Slide the künefe onto a serving plate and pour over most of the syrup at once; it should sizzle and soak in. Scatter thickly with ground pistachio and serve hot, cut into wedges.
2 min
Watch: The melted cheese is very hot. Give it a minute before the first bite.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 841 kcal
- Protein
- 20.3 g
- Carbs
- 90.4 g
- Fat
- 45.5 g
- Saturated fat
- 27.6 g
- Fibre
- 1.3 g
- Sugar
- 51.1 g
- Sodium
- 4558 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Milk
- Tree nuts
- Vegetarian
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Künefe cheese → Low-moisture mozzarella with a few spoons of ricotta
The ricotta softens the chew and makes it closer to fresh Hatay cheese.
Ghee → Unsalted butter, melted and the milky solids left behind
Whole butter burns in the pan before the pastry is crisp.
Tips
- Small pans make better künefe. Two 15 cm pans give more crust per bite than one large one.
- Fresh kadayıf from a Turkish or Middle Eastern grocer is easier to work than frozen. Thaw frozen packs overnight in the fridge.
- Akkawi or Nabulsi cheese both work if soaked in cold water for a few hours, changing it twice, to draw out the salt. Halloumi does not: it softens but never melts.
History & culture
In Antakya, Adana and Mersin, künefe is what you eat after kebab, often at a künefe shop rather than the kebab house, made to order in small copper pans over a flame. People eat it with a spoon of kaymak or a scoop of ice cream and a glass of tea to cut the sweetness. Elsewhere in Turkey it is the standard kebab-house finish.
Shredded-pastry sweets are old in Arabic cooking. Kunafa appears in medieval Cairo and Damascus, and the story goes that it was first made to sustain a caliph through the Ramadan fast. Hatay, part of French-mandate Syria until it joined Turkey in 1939, sits between the Turkish and Levantine traditions, and its künefe shows both.
Traditional — Hatay künefe cheese is a fresh, unsalted, stretchy cheese that is hard to find abroad. Low-moisture mozzarella is the usual stand-in; it melts and stretches well but is a little saltier and chewier. A frying pan stands in for the small copper künefe tray.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Künefe take?
50 min all in — 20 min prep, 30 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Milk, Tree nuts. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian.
9 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Chef's knife, Mixing bowl, Frying pan.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list a salt amount. We will not invent one.
How much sugar?
200 g of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Künefe cheese → Low-moisture mozzarella with a few spoons of ricotta. The ricotta softens the chew and makes it closer to fresh Hatay cheese. Ghee → Unsalted butter, melted and the milky solids left behind. Whole butter burns in the pan before the pastry is crisp.
What should I watch for?
The melted cheese is very hot. Give it a minute before the first bite.
Any tips from this recipe?
Small pans make better künefe. Two 15 cm pans give more crust per bite than one large one. Fresh kadayıf from a Turkish or Middle Eastern grocer is easier to work than frozen. Thaw frozen packs overnight in the fridge. Akkawi or Nabulsi cheese both work if soaked in cold water for a few hours, changing it twice, to draw out the salt. Halloumi does not: it softens but never melts.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Fresh kadayıf from a Turkish or Middle Eastern grocer is easier to work than frozen. Thaw frozen packs overnight in the fridge.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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