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August 26, 2016 Dessert

Vegan Kunafa (Knafeh) | Shredded Phyllo and Sweet Cheese Dessert

vegan kunafa knafeh kanafeh kanafa arabic mediterranean dessert sweet cheese phyllo baklava recipe food blog zena zaatar zenanzaatar

Kunafa (also spelled Knafeh or Kanafeh) is a decadent, traditional Middle-Eastern dessert consisting of sweet, gooey, melted cheese sandwiched between two layers of shredded phyllo dough and soaked in an orange blossom syrup. This vegan kunafa is almost indistinguishable to the traditional dairy version, and many have reported it is even better!

vegan kunafa knafeh kanafeh kanafa arabic mediterranean dessert sweet cheese phyllo baklava recipe food blog zena zaatar zenanzaatar

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Almost like a sweet cheese-stuffed baklava, it is easy to see from the pictures why this dessert is a favorite among many different Middle-Eastern countries! There is never a large gathering, party, or special event that is missing a large tray of kunafa, with its sweet orange blossom aroma traveling through the air.

You can choose to bake it in a round or rectangular cake pan; both are equally aesthetically pleasing but I prefer the rectangular sheet for large gatherings. If you use a smaller cake pan you may be tempted to finish it all by yourself!

vegan kunafa knafeh kanafeh kanafa arabic mediterranean dessert sweet cheese phyllo baklava recipe food blog zena zaatar zenanzaatar

I made this vegan kunafa for the first time for a large family gathering, where there were many dedicated kunafa fans as well as ones who had never tried it before. Everyone said it was indistinguishable from the traditional version and some liked it even more! The cheesy filling had the perfect gooey texture and the syrup soaked through the dessert wonderfully. Those who had never tried it before were pleasantly surprised.

vegan kunafa knafeh kanafeh kanafa arabic mediterranean dessert sweet cheese phyllo baklava recipe food blog zena zaatar zenanzaatar

The traditional recipe uses at least twice the amount of (vegan) butter that I used, but this slightly healthier version was not lacking at all in flavor and still gained a perfectly golden brown crust. I also loved using coconut sugar for the syrup as it gave the syrup a beautiful caramel color!

vegan kunafa knafeh kanafeh kanafa arabic mediterranean dessert sweet cheese phyllo baklava recipe food blog zena zaatar zenanzaatar

I hope you enjoy this irresistibleย dessert as much as I do!

vegan kunafa knafeh kanafeh kanafa arabic mediterranean dessert sweet cheese phyllo baklava recipe food blog zena zaatar zenanzaatar

Don’t forget to let me know in the comments below if you try it or pin it for later! And I would love to see your recreations on Instagram @zenanzaatar #zenanzaatar!

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5.0 from 3 reviews
Vegan Kunafa (Knafeh) | Shredded Phyllo and Sweet Cheese Dessert
 
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Prep time
25 mins
Cook time
35 mins
Total time
1 hour
 
The vegan version of kunafa (knafeh), a traditional Middle-Eastern shredded phyllo dough and sweet cheese dessert, soaked in orange blossom syrup and topped with pistachios!
Author: Zena
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Serves: about 20 slices
Ingredients
Kunafa Dough:
  • 1 lb kataifi (shredded phyllo dough)
  • 1 cup vegan butter
Sweet Cheese Filling:*
  • 1¼ cup cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours if you don't have a high speed blender)
  • 5 cups warm water
  • ¾ cup tapioca starch
  • 1.5 tbsp olive oil
  • 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1.5 tsp salt
Orange Blossom Syrup:
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups coconut or raw sugar (normal sugar will work fine as well, but brown sugars give it the caramel color)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp orange blossom water**
Toppings:
  • Crushed pistachios
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Chop the kataifi into segments to fit inside the food processor. Process until the dough is shredded into small, crumbly strands instead of clumped together.
  3. Melt butter in the microwave or over a saucepan. Place the shredded dough into a large bowl. Pour melted butter over the dough and mix together until the dough is completely coated with butter. This works best if you use your hands.
  4. Lightly grease the sides of a 9x13in baking dish or 12 in round baking pan. Divide the dough in half. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with half of the dough, and press with your hands to pack it down. Press some of it up the sides of the pan as well.
  5. Put all ingredients for sweet cheese filling in a high speed blender. You may need to separate it into 2 batches so it will fit in the blender. Blend until completely smooth, 1-2 minutes.
  6. Once it has all been blended, pour the filling into a pot or large saucepan, over medium high heat. Constantly stir. After a few minutes, the mixture will begin to separate. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes an even, stretchy, melted mozzarella-like consistency. This will take about 5 minutes. Once the stretchy cheese consistency has been achieved, pour this filling over the layer of dough in the baking pan.
  7. Wait about 5 minutes for the cheese to begin to cool. Then, sprinkle the other half of dough evenly over the cheese layer. Press it down softly to even the layer out.
  8. Leave out for 5 more minutes before putting it into the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the top of the dough is visibly browned.
  9. While the kunafa bakes, prepare the orange blossom syrup. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, and stir constantly. Bring to a boil. Once it boils, add lemon juice and simmer for 3-5 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange blossom water. Set the syrup aside.
  10. Remove kunafa from the oven, and let cool for at least 5 minutes before attempting to flip the dessert. Flipping it is optional, but will make the finished dessert more visually appealing. First, loosen the kunafa from the edges of the dish with a knife. Cover the top of the baking dish with a large, flat baking sheet or other large, rectangular serving dish. Flip the baking dish while it is covered by the sheet, so it will end up on the baking sheet.
  11. Top the kunafa with crushed pistachios. Pour ¼-1/3 of the orange blossom syrup evenly over the dessert (depending on how sweet you would like it.) Serve immediately while still hot, with extra syrup on the side. Slice, drizzle with extra syrup, and enjoy!
Notes
**Available from international grocery stores or online!
3.5.3226

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Related

Categories: Dessert Tags: arabic, baklava, dessert, kanafeh, knafeh, kunafa

Previous Post: « Mediterranean Chickpea Salad Sandwich (Vegan)
Next Post: Sticky Red Curry Tofu with Cashews (Vegan, GF) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maya Chaoui says

    August 27, 2016 at 6:30 am

    I KNEW it was going to have tapioca starch!! Ha!

    I have literally all of these ingredients. I can’t tell you how excited I am to try it. I’ll let you know once my ankle heals and I can cook again lol.

    This looks amazing!

    Reply
    • Zena | Zena 'n Zaatar says

      August 27, 2016 at 9:07 am

      Aww yay I’m so excited for you to try it!! Can’t wait to see how it goes for you! ๐Ÿ™‚ thanks for your enthusiasm hehe <33

      Reply
    • Fazal says

      May 30, 2019 at 12:37 pm

      Woow amazing and superb creativity…

      Reply
  2. Gwen says

    August 27, 2016 at 12:31 pm

    Do you make the orange blossom water, or is that something you buy (or can buy)? This looks amazing!

    Reply
    • Zena | Zena 'n Zaatar says

      August 27, 2016 at 12:50 pm

      Thank you!! <3 I buy it at international grocery stores! It is available online as well

      Reply
  3. Zehra says

    September 10, 2016 at 8:04 am

    Hello, my mother and i are very excited to try this! I wonder, can i substitute tapioca starch with any other starch like corn/ wheat? Much thanks! Love from Cyprus x

    Reply
    • Zena | Zena 'n Zaatar says

      September 11, 2016 at 3:50 pm

      Hi Zehra! Yes, you can use cornstarch! The cheese just won’t stretch, but texture should be fine. Let me know how it works for you! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  4. Hannah says

    July 3, 2017 at 9:52 am

    This looks amazing!! Can I use coconut oil instead of vegan butter?

    Reply
    • Zena | Zena 'n Zaatar says

      July 5, 2017 at 11:54 am

      yes, that would work just as well! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  5. cakespy says

    March 14, 2018 at 6:47 am

    This looks incredible!! I love the texture and the flavors in this recipe. Never heard of knafeh before!

    Reply
    • Zena | Zena 'n Zaatar says

      March 17, 2018 at 10:59 am

      Thank you so much for stopping by and showing love! The sweet cheese and crispy phyllo dough are amazing together ๐Ÿ™‚ Cheers!

      Reply
  6. Vivian says

    March 28, 2018 at 6:24 am

    I was wondering if you could substitute orange blossom water with rose water?

    Reply
    • Zena | Zena 'n Zaatar says

      March 28, 2018 at 7:06 am

      Yes, that would be fine as well! Cheers ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  7. Sarah says

    June 5, 2018 at 4:12 pm

    as an Arab who is deathly allergic to milk products (to the extent I have an epi-pen and go to the ER), its amazing to have finally found a vegan kunafa recipe! I can’t wait to try this out.

    Reply
  8. Alisa says

    August 20, 2018 at 9:47 am

    Looks amazing! When you say vegan butter, do you mean some kind of margarine?

    Reply
  9. Fazal says

    May 30, 2019 at 12:39 pm

    Woow amazing and superb creativity…can I know your Instagram page dear .

    Reply
  10. Fazal says

    May 30, 2019 at 12:41 pm

    Asewome creativity dear ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ’“๐Ÿ’“ can I know your Instagram page if you don’t mind dear

    Reply
  11. Morgan Farani says

    July 10, 2019 at 9:51 am

    I have everything except the shredded phyllo I wasnโ€™t thinking and bought regular sheets. We only go to the international store once or twice a year. Is there any way I could grate the blocks frozen? Or food processor then?

    Reply
    • Zena | Zen and Zaatar says

      July 22, 2019 at 4:23 pm

      I’m so sorry but unfortunately, I don’t think that could work. ๐Ÿ™ This “shredded phyllo dough,” or Kataifi, is one that has been spun into very thin strands on a hot metal wheel. You can try but I would strongly advise to just buy or order online instead!

      Reply

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Thanks for stopping by! I'm Zena, and I'm passionate about creating simple, healthy, and Mediterranean-inspired vegan recipes that anyone could fall in love with. I want to revolutionize the way people think of vegan food (as boring, difficult to prepare, or not possibly as tasty as non-vegan food...) one recipe at a time. Want to know more?

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