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This No Bake Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake is not just dessert, it is an experience. Made with a chocolate crust, a crispy pistachio knafeh layer, silky chocolate ganache and a luscious pistachio cheesecake filling, it has an unreal combination of textures and flavors. It requires no gelatin, and each component is incredibly simple to make with just 10 total ingredients. This is the dessert I’d serve if I want to impress!
Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.
Why you will love this recipe
When it comes to the Dubai Chocolate craze, you’re either tired of it or immune from it. I was on the “tired of it” side of things, and thought it didn’t sound or look appealing, but decided to give it a try and develop this recipe. And let me tell you, it blew me away. So I truly cannot recommend this recipe enough, regardless of where you stand on Dubai Chocolate!
- The flavor combination is out of this world. Pistachio and chocolate are a match made in heaven, and the best thing is that neither flavor is too overpowering in this cheesecake. They’re both beautifully balanced such that the cheesecake still feels light
- The textures are like nothing you’ve experienced before. The pistachio knafeh layer has an unbelievable crunch to it, and pairs incredibly well with the smooth, silky and luscious mouthfeel of the cheesecake itself
- The recipe is really easy. Sure, there are a few different components, but each component is very simple and straightforward with just a few ingredients. That, combined with the fact that no baking is required, makes this cheesecake very easy to make even for people who aren’t too experienced with baking!
Components of this cheesecake
This No Bake Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake is made of 4 main components:
- Chocolate crust. A classic cheesecake crust made with chocolate cream cookies and melted butter
- Pistachio knafeh. Made with toasted kataifi pastry and pistachio cream, this makes the next layer in the cheesecake (and the best part)
- Chocolate ganache. A simple ganache made of semi-sweet chocolate and heavy cream is layered inside the cheesecake and also poured on top to finish it off
- Pistachio cheesecake filling. The cheesecake filling is made with just a handful of ingredients, tastes delicious and holds up incredibly well without any gelatin!
Recommended ingredients
Since this cheesecake is made with just a few ingredients, it is important to use good quality ones, especially for the pistachio knafeh layer. Here are the exact ingredients I use and recommend:
- Alkis Kataifi (shredded phyllo pastry). I get it from Amazon and love it because it is made for Dubai Chocolate, and remains crispy even days later!
- Pisti Pistachio Cream from Amazon (also available at Costco if you get lucky) has the best texture, flavor and color. Keep in mind this is not the same thing as pistachio butter!
I also recommend using semi-sweet or dark chocolate instead of milk to balance out the flavor profile of this cheesecake, but milk will work okay as well.
Step by step photos
The detailed recipe is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let’s go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything.
Grind the chocolate cookies with melted butter, and press tightly in the bottom of a 9″ springform pan to form the crust. Refrigerate:
Toast the shredded kataifi pastry in unsalted butter until it is golden brown and crispy:
Mix in pistachio cream and salt:
Spread the pistachio knafeh layer on top of the crust:
Make a quick ganache and spread it on top of the pistachio knafeh layer. Chill:
For the cheesecake, whisk the cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla until creamy:
Fold in the pistachio cream, then fold in whipped heavy cream:
Spread the cheesecake filling in the pan, and refrigerate overnight:
Once chilled, remove from the pan, and pour over the remaining chocolate ganache. Decorate, serve and enjoy!
Tips to perfect this recipe
Before getting started, here are some tips you should keep in mind:
Use a good quality springform pan as it will make demolding the cheesecake easier. I also recommend adding parchment paper to the bottom and sides!
Press down the crust tightly. This helps ensure it doesn’t crumble and stays crispy in a no-bake recipe.
Make sure to properly toast the kataifi. It should become a golden brown color. This helps ensure it stays crispy!
Adjust the quantity of pistachio cream to your liking in both the pistachio knafeh layer and the cheesecake itself. If you want a stronger pistachio flavor, you can add a bit more, but don’t add too much as it will impact the texture.
Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature. And use Philadelphia!
Scrape the bowl as you go while making the cheesecake mixture. This ensures even mixing and no lumps
Do not overmix the cheesecake mixture! It is important to mix slowly and just enough when adding the pistachio cream and folding in the whipped cream. Otherwise the mixture might split or become grainy.
Frequently asked questions
I recommend using Pisti pistachio cream for the best results. Homemade pistachio cream takes a lot of work and often doesn’t have the same flavor or texture.
Yes, this cheesecake is great to make ahead of time as it stays good in the fridge for 3-5 days! Of course, it is best to serve within 1-2 days of preparing for best results.
No bake dessert lovers are in the right place! Check out these recipes:
Dubai Chocolate Donut Rolls
No Bake Biscoff Salted Caramel Cheesecake
BEST No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
No Bake Mango Cheesecake Cups
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Ingredients
Crust:
- 25 chocolate creme cookies (e.g., Oreos) (285g)
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (70g)
Pistachio knafeh:
- 3 cups shredded kataifi (100g)
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter (56g)
- 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup pistachio cream (140g to 185g)
- Pinch of salt
Chocolate ganache:
- 1 cup heavy cream (240g)
- 200g dark or semi sweet chocolate
Pistachio cheesecake:
- 24oz cream cheese (680g), room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup pistachio cream (140g to 185g)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled (240g)
Instructions
Crust:
- Line a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper
- Grind the chocolate cookies and melted butter in a food processor until they form a fine crumb
- Press the crumb tightly and evenly in the bottom of the pan to create the crust. Freeze for 10 minutes
Pistachio knafeh:
- Toast the shredded kataifi in the unsalted butter in a nonstick pan for ~10 minutes on medium-low heat until the kataifi becomes golden brown and very crispy. Break clumps along the way and make sure it doesn’t burn
- Mix in the pistachio cream and salt to taste
- Spread the mixture on top of the cheesecake crust evenly. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes until it cools down
Chocolate ganache:
- Microwave the cream and chocolate together in a microwave-safe bowl in 20 second increments, stirring in between, until a smooth and shiny ganache forms
- Pour half of the ganache on top of the pistachio knafeh layer in the cheesecake pan. Tilt the pan to spread it evenly. Place in the freezer until it firms up. Reserve the remaining ganache for the top of the cheesecake
Pistachio cheesecake:
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Use the paddle attachment to whisk for 3-5 minutes on medium speed until the mixture looks creamy, scraping the bowl along the way
- Add the pistachio cream and whisk on low speed just until combined. Be careful not to overmix as it can split easily
- In a separate bowl, whisk the heavy cream until it reaches stiff peaks (holds shape). Do not overmix
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the rest of the cheesecake batter very slowly and gently with a rubber spatula, taking care not to knock out the air. A smooth and silky cheesecake batter will form
- Spread the cheesecake batter on top of the ganache layer and even it out with an offset spatula
- Refrigerate overnight (or at least 6 hours)
Decoration:
- When the cheesecake is thoroughly chilled, carefully remove from the pan and transfer to a serving stand
- Warm up the remaining ganache in the microwave until it becomes runny again. Pour it on top of the cold cheesecake and spread it out, letting some drip down the edges
- If desired, decorate by drizzling over some melted white chocolate and melted pistachio cream, and add some chopped pistachio
- Serve & enjoy!
Comments
Asmaa
This recipe was PERFECT.
It was such a huge hit on Eid, was the perfect cheesecake in that crunchy kunafa layer and the ganache added the right amount of sweetness. I had no issues with the recipe and I will definitely be remaking this!💚
Zoha Malik
Thank you so much, Asmaa! I am glad this worked perfectly for you
Mama Siiil
The best cheesecake I’ve ever made! Everyone loved it. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe 🤍
Zoha Malik
Thank you so much!
Noor Akhtar
pure 10/10. easy to make and easy recipe to follow
Asma @ Bake with Zoha
Totally agree Noor, the simplicity is the key to this superb outcome. Big thanks for trying and liking it. 😊
Albina Z
I made this cheesecake twice. My family and friends looooved it how delicious this was. Also, it is the most easiest, not complicated recipe for a cheesecake.
Zoha
I completely agree! it’s so easy , so creamy and so yummy.
Catherine
Hi – I made this exactly as the recipe states and I think it came out great but am I the only person who gets an aftertaste from the pistachio cream? Some of my guests did too. Others didn’t say they did and loved the cake. I used the exact brand in the recipe. thx!
Zoha
Hi Catherine, it might have been a bad batch of the cream? What kind of aftertaste was it? I’ve never had that personally.
Tubussum Abdallah
This turned out so perfect. The actual picture I took after was like something out of a book. Everyone loved it. Thanks Zoha for such perfect recipes!! You are my favourite!!
Zoha
YOU are my favorite! Thank you!
Sally
I used a 9-inch springform pan and followed your directions with 24 oz cream cheese and ended up with way too much cream cheese filling for the pan. Are you sure it’s that much cream cheese and only 1 cup of whipped cream? I had enough leftover to make an 8-inch (lemon) cheesecake. The Dubai cheesecake could have used more pistachio cream for the flavor when I went with 1/2 cup for each layer as you suggested and that’s the size I bought and had on hand. It’s a great concept cheesecake and I will tweak it next time I make it.
Zoha
Hi Sally! That is very strange – the quantities I shared make the exact cheesecake you can see in the images, and shouldn’t overflow the pan at all. Are you sure everything was measured correctly? Can you share the link of the springform pan you used? I am curious what happened here.
Sam
This was incredibly delicious! My family couldn’t stop raving about it. I don’t care for Oreos so I made a pistachio crust instead, but I left everything else the same. I will change one step in the process next time, and there WILL be a next time! Instead of making the entire ganache recipe and reheating 1/2 of it for the topping, I’ll make it in two batches. When I reheated the ganache the next day, it split and didn’t go on smoothly. Since it’s
easy to throw together, I’ll just whip up the topping the next day. Thanks for a great recipe! It was awesome!
Zoha
Thank you so much for the helpful review, Sam! Ganache can definitely be a bit finicky; I recommend reheating in just 15 second bursts, lighly stirring in between 🙂
Ruba Tanveer
HI Zoya,
Can you please share how many people will this serve?
Zoha
Should easily serve 12 people!
Nida
Salaam Zoha,
The cake looks super delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Can I make this cake two days in advance for a party ? How can I store it to keep it fresh?
Thank you.
Zoha
Yes, should be ok! Keep in the fridge covered with cling wrap 🙂
Halima Azeem
Love all your recipes and I am one of your biggest fans. Thanku for sharing the recipe.
Zoha
Love and hugs to you! 🙂
Farwa Zaidi
This sounds delicious! I am excited to try it! Can you tell me what is the difference between heavy cream and heavy whipping cream? Are they the same thing?
Zoha
They’re the same thing, yes 🙂
Hasanah
I made this and the cheesecake layer didn’t even set. Usually used to adding gelatine to no bake cheesecakes perhaps that would have helped
Zoha
Hi Hasanah, when made properly the cheesecake layer should set perfectly without gelatine, as you can see in the pics and video. You may have underwhipped the cream or used a brand of pistachio cream that’s runnier.
Insha
Salam Zoya,
Thank you for sharing the recipe. I have made it twice , the first time everyone loved it, second time didn’t come out as first one even though I followed the recipe
1. The crust becomes too hard to cut through to stay intact or was all
Falling apart.
2. The cream cheese part was too soft and wasn’t holding up shape while cutting it
I had it in the fridge for more than 13 hours
Please let me know what could have been a problem.
Thank you so much!
Zoha
Hi Insha. Did you use different ingredients or equipment by any chance? you would know better what you did differently than i would 🙂
Insha
It was exactly the same thing I did. I guess my question rather should have been how to not get the crust break apart and become crumbly? Thank you for taking the time time to respond.
Zoha
Hi Insha, I am sorry but I am struggling to understand your question. Was the crust too hard or too crumbly? It’s usually one or the other :’)
Lee
If I can’t find shredded kataifi, can I use the crunchy pistachio spread?
Kristel
Brought this to the Thanksgiving party and it didn’t even survive five minutes. I turned around and poof — gone! It’s creamy, decadent, and full of deep chocolate flavor without being overly sweet. Truly a show-stopper!
Zoha
This literally made my day! Thank you so so much
Kristel
Brought this to the party and it didn’t even survive five minutes. I turned around and poof—Dubai chocolate magic. It’s creamy, decadent, and full of deep chocolate flavor without being overly sweet. Truly a show-stopper!
Dave Ellis
Please send me Dubal chocolate cheesecake recipe
Thank you
Dave Ellis
Zoha
Hi Dave! The recipe is in the brown recipe card if you scroll up
Rahma
Hello !!
Which pan do you use in this recipe ?
Zoha
Hi! It was a nordic ware 9″ springform pan
Rowena
Wow! So delicious!!!