Kunefe in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it
Quick answer
Künefe is a dessert of shredded pastry layered with unsalted cheese, baked in a shallow tray until crisp, soaked in syrup and served hot with pistachio and often a spoon of kaymak. It comes from Hatay in southern Turkey, and it must be eaten straight from the oven while the cheese still pulls in strings. In the UK it has become the signature dessert of Turkish restaurants and dedicated künefe shops have opened in London and Manchester.
Calories and nutrition
- Calories
- 680
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 38 g
- Salt
- 0.8 g
550–820 kcal
Portion: One portion of künefe, about 200 g, with kaymak.
Meant for sharing after a meal; half a portion is 340 kcal.
Estimates for a typical portion, based on standard UK and USDA food composition data. Actual values depend on the recipe and the restaurant.
What künefe is
Tel kadayıf, pastry shredded into fine threads, is tossed in butter and pressed into a round copper tray, covered with a layer of stretchy unsalted cheese, topped with more kadayıf and baked or cooked on a hob until both sides are golden and crisp. Hot sugar syrup is poured over, it is flipped onto a plate, and it is finished with ground pistachio. The cheese is the key: in Hatay it is a fresh unsalted cheese made for the purpose; in the UK, mozzarella or a mix of mozzarella and unsalted halloumi stands in. The contrast is the point: crisp buttery threads, syrup, and melted cheese that stretches when you lift a forkful.
Künefe versus kadayıf versus baklava
Baklava is layered sheet pastry with nuts. Kadayıf is the shredded pastry, and a plain kadayıf dessert is the threads baked with nuts and syrup, served cold. Künefe is kadayıf with cheese, served hot. People who find baklava too sweet often prefer künefe because the cheese balances the syrup. The three are sold side by side in Turkish patisseries, but künefe is the only one that cannot be sold from a counter: it has to be made to order.
How to judge it
It should arrive within ten minutes of ordering, hot enough that the cheese stretches, with the pastry crisp all the way across and not soggy in the middle. The syrup should be light, not thick, and the pistachio should be green and freshly ground. A dollop of kaymak on top is traditional and worth asking for. Künefe that is lukewarm, with cheese that has set solid, was cooked earlier and reheated, and the whole dish is lost.
Where in the UK it is done well
Restaurants run by families from Hatay and Antep, mostly in North London, make the best künefe, and specialist dessert shops have spread through Harringay, Enfield, Edmonton and central Manchester. The ranking below counts Turkish businesses in our directory whose name signals künefe or dessert.
How to order it
Order it at the end of the meal and ask for it to be made fresh; it takes ten minutes. Ask for kaymak on top. One portion is enough for two after a grill. Turkish tea, not coffee, goes with it. If a restaurant sells it from a display cabinet, choose baklava instead.
Where it's done well
UK councils with the most kunefe specialists, by restaurant name, in our directory.
Restaurants near you
Search by postcode or use your location to find restaurants likely to serve kunefe near you.
Make it at home
Serves 2 · 30 min
Ingredients
- 200 g kadayıf (shredded filo), thawed if frozen
- 80 g unsalted butter, melted
- 150 g low-moisture mozzarella, grated, or half mozzarella and half unsalted halloumi
- 150 g sugar, 120 ml water, a squeeze of lemon for the syrup
- 2 tbsp ground pistachio
- kaymak or clotted cream to serve
Method
- Make the syrup: boil the sugar, water and lemon for eight minutes and keep warm.
- Pull the kadayıf apart into loose threads and toss with the melted butter until every strand is coated.
- Press half into a buttered 20 cm ovenproof frying pan, scatter the cheese evenly, and press the remaining kadayıf on top.
- Cook over medium heat for six to eight minutes until the base is golden, then flip onto a plate and slide back to cook the other side, or finish under a hot grill.
- Pour the warm syrup over the hot künefe, scatter the pistachio and serve immediately with kaymak.
It must be eaten within minutes; the cheese sets as it cools. A non-stick pan makes the flip much easier.