KitchgrowKitchen growth, made calmer
Start planning free
Turkish

Künefe (Turkish Cheese and Kadayif Dessert)

A Turkish Hatay-style cheese dessert with crisp kataifi pastry, stretchy unsalted cheese, lemon syrup, and pistachios.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 7 September 2026Updated

Jump to recipe ↓
Künefe (Turkish Cheese and Kadayif Dessert)

1 hrtotal

50 min hands-on10 min hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 30 min

Serves
4
Difficulty
Medium
Spice
None
Add to your week

Ingredients

Quantities are for 4 servings.

You'll need: Oven, Stovetop.

Includes 10 minutes of resting time before serving.

Method

  1. Make the syrup first by simmering sugar and water until slightly thick, then stir in lemon juice and cool.

  2. Preheat the oven and grease a small baking dish or kunefe pan with some melted butter.

  3. Rub the kataifi pastry with melted butter until the strands are evenly coated.

  4. Press half the pastry into the dish as an even base.

  5. Spread the unsalted kunefe cheese over the pastry, keeping it away from the edges.

  6. Cover with the remaining pastry and press gently to compact the layers.

  7. Bake until the top is deeply golden and crisp.

  8. Pour the cooled syrup over the hot kunefe, rest briefly, then garnish with pistachios.

  9. Serve warm while the cheese is still stretchy.

How to tell it's done

The kunefe should be crisp and golden outside, syrupy but not soggy, with warm stretchy cheese inside.

Getting it right

Tip

Keep the cheese away from the edges so it does not leak and burn during baking.

What to serve it with

Serve warm with pistachios and Turkish tea or coffee.

Common mistakes

The syrup makes it soggy.
Cool syrup onto hot künefe, never the reverse, and pour it the moment the pan leaves the oven. Hot syrup on hot pastry soaks straight through; cool syrup on hot pastry hisses, sets, and leaves the kataifi crisp.
The cheese is rubbery rather than stretchy.
Serve it warm and quickly. Künefe cheese pulls beautifully for a few minutes and then tightens as it cools — this is a dessert taken to the table the moment it is ready.

Substitutions

  • Mozzarella cheese can be used only as a fallback if unsalted kunefe cheese is unavailable.
  • Do not replace kataifi pastry with regular phyllo sheets; the shredded texture is essential.
  • Use cooled syrup on hot kunefe so the pastry stays crisp while absorbing sweetness.

Storing and reheating

Meant to be eaten within minutes. It keeps two days in the fridge but the pastry softens and the cheese sets firm; a hot oven brings back some of the crispness, though not the pull. The syrup keeps two weeks.