Kunafa Recipe | How to make Kunafa | Vermicelli Knafeh

Kunafa Recipe is known as Queen of Arabic dessert. It is most royal and supreme dessert made up of mozzarella cheese and vermicelli, which gives crisp and crunchy finishing. The Kunafa consist of rose and orange blossom scented sugar syrup and cheesy filling inside.

Kunafa, also known as Knafeh, is a beloved Middle Eastern dessert that is enjoyed throughout the region and beyond. Made with crispy vermicelli noodles, sweet cheese filling, and a fragrant sugar syrup, this dessert is a true masterpiece of sweet and savory flavours. The dish’s origins can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire, where it was traditionally served during special occasions and celebrations. Today, kunafa is enjoyed by millions around the world and has become a staple dessert in many Middle Eastern restaurants and households. In this recipe, we’ll show you how to make kunafa from scratch, using simple and easy-to-find ingredients. Get ready to indulge in this decadent and delicious dessert that’s sure to impress your family and friends!

Believe me it is not a pizzzaaa!!.. Yes its dessert . One of the sweet, crisp and crunchy dessert, infused with mozzarella cheese. The crunchness comes with broken vermcelli messed in melted butter. Kunafa is have many different names such as konafa, kanafeh and knafeh.

You will find it similar to cheese cake but wait, its NOT that even! Here you have crisppzz.. This dish is basically from Middle-Eastern/ Mediterranean. Kunafa recipe have all ingredients in one, like you have sweetness, cheese, sourness, chrunchess, buttery and wait! dry fruits too. Lets begin, easy Kunafa Recipe with Vermicelli Noodles, Sweet Cheese Filling, and Sugar Syrup.

Try some Vermicelli recipes...

• Vermicelli Upma 
• Seviyan kheer 
• Falooda

Typically, cheese kunafa consist of Nabulsi and Akkawi  cheese, these are Arabic cheeses. But the reason why people use mozzzrella cheese is because Nabulsi and Akkawi cheese are quiet salty. To get rid off salt, cheese is soak in water for hours. After every next hour the water is change and fill with new water.

Try some of cheesy and buttery recipes

Buttery Pav Bhaji

Homemade pizza dough

Homemade cheese from milk / paneer

Baking Alert:

• The cheese in kunafa becomes leathery, once it starts cooling own. To prevent, the cheese must be mixed with something else.
• So, we can mix another type of soft cheese like ricotta or cottage cheese (paneer). These are soft cheese often mixed with kunafa to prevent it from gettting rubbery.

Try our other cheesy recipes :

• Healthy cheese crepe
• Cheesy bites
• Corn cheese balls

How to make Delicious Arabic Sweet Kunafa Recipe | Traditional Kunafa recipe

• Take two an half cup vermicelli in bowl. The kunafa / kunefe vermicelli is different, these are thin and easily breakable.

Tips for Preparing the Vermicelli Noodles for Kunafa.

Please note here, the vermicelli / seviyaan used for making kunafa / kunefe is not same what we use for making seviyaan kheer.

• Broke them with your finger into smaller pieces.

• Pour melted butter. Melted butter will help the vermicelli to have grip together.

• Mix them well with spoon. And keep it aside.

Steps for making kunafa / kunefe filling:

• Take a separate mixing bowl add milk, cream, sugar and corn starch. Likewise, mix them well. Corn starch helps in making the fillings consistence and thick. Moreover, you can use corn flour as alternative if you don’t have corn starch for kunafa .

• Now turn on the flame, take thick bottom pan add and heat the above mixture on low flame, until it gets thicker. Keep on stirring mixture to prevent it from sticking to the pan.

• Add 1 tablespoon rose water and mix it, after 2 minutes turn off the flame.

• Add mozzarella cheese and cottage cheese to above mixture and mix it well.

• Allow the above mixture to cool before you start filling. Note after cooling, the mixture becomes thick which will be more easy for you to fill the kunefe / kunafa.

How to Make the Sugar Syrup for Kunafa

• Take another pan, add water, sugar and cook it until sugar gets dissolved completely.

• Keep on stirring and cook it until mixture gets thicken.
• When mixture gets ready add lemon juice in it.

Steps for baking kunafa:

• Firstly, take a baking pan, make the base with half vermicelli mixture prepared above, press it to level the dough. Make-sure, it is tightly pressed in order to get grip after it is cooked.

• Now pour the cheese mixture on this base formed and spread it evenly with spoon.

• Afterwards , take remaining vermicelli mixture and form another layer above the cheese layer. Its just like sandwich layer. Take care that it is covered properly with no leaking of fillings.

• Furthermore, Brush the top layer with melted butter, to make it settle properly.

• Moreover, Pre-heat the oven, put the dish in the oven at 200 degree for about half an hour. This will allow the environment to be warm enough to proper start the backing.

• At the end when Kunafa is ready when it turns golden and crunchy in the surface. You can take more time than specified if you found your kunafa / kunefe is not cooked properly.

Garnishing Kunafa:

• Firstly, Pour evenly the pre prepared sugar syrup on the top of kunafa layer as soon as it comes out of the oven.

• Likewise, garnish it with pistachio before you serve. You can use any dry fruits of your choice, traditionally crushed pistachio is used for kunafa / kunefe garnishing. 

• Lastly, cut it like pizza or cake and kunafa is ready to eat..

Note:

• Use kunafa vermicelli for making this recipe, which are thinner than traditional vermicelli.   You can easily find on amazon.
• Moreover, the consistency of filling is not too thick or thin. You can easily adjust the consistency by adding cornflour or corn starch. Please take care of sugar when you add something extra to filling. Taste is after addition of something extra.
• Kunafa is traditionally served hot. After kunafa / kunefe is cool down or at room temperature it becomes hard. You can reheat before serving kunafa.
• You can freeze the kunafa and cook it later while serving to guest. You just have to skip the backing part and freeze it. Before serving you can bake it freshly 🙂 .

Love the post or tried some?

Motivates us to bring something new for you, for latest update connect with us on Facebook and instagram.

Now you can also Join us by submitting your recipe & we will post it for you, simply click on submit recipe on top menu bar. We are waiting……..