Vegan Keto Dubai Chocolate (sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free)

If your social media algorithm is like mine, you’ve been flooded with posts about Dubai chocolate over the past few months. First, it was just people trying out bars they’ve purchased, then it was people recreating the recipe on their own. That was months ago, and I should have been working on a recipe for it then, but I was super busy working on my newest cookbook and missed the boat. Now that my cookbook is done and released, though, I’m back in recipe development mode and the first thing on the docket was this vegan keto version of Dubai chocolate, which just happens to be sugar-free, dairy-free and gluten-free!

What is Dubai Chocolate?

Dubai Chocolate is a viral Middle Eastern-inspired treat that combines crispy, caramelized layers with rich, velvety chocolate for an irresistible contrast of textures. Traditionally, it features a crunchy base made from knafeh (shredded phyllo dough) or vermicelli, which is toasted with butter and sweetened condensed milk to create a golden, crispy layer. This is then coated in smooth milk or dark chocolate, resulting in a decadent, melt-in-your-mouth dessert with a satisfying crunch.

A few bits of this recipe make it incompatible with vegan keto diets – namely the knafeh and the sugary pistachio filling. I worked around the extra carbs in the pistachio filling by simply making my own pistachio butter and using a minimal amount of stevia as a sweetener, but the knafeh was a more difficult proposition. How can you achieve a buttery, toasted crispy interior without gluten, butter or sugar? The solution to this was all too easy and came to me when I was making granola one day: toasted coconut flakes would be a perfect keto substitute for the knafeh in the pistachio filling.

Toasted coconut is super low in carbs, naturally buttery tasting, crunchy and toasted. In this low carb, dairy-free Dubai chocolate variation, the toasted coconut is incredible. Most of the time in recipes, I’ll provide alternatives to certain ingredients, but unfortunately the toasted coconut doesn’t really have a replacement option.

Ingredients for Vegan Keto Dubai Chocolate

In the interest of keeping this recipe easy to make, I tried to reduce the recipe down to its core components. There’s the chocolate shell, the pistachio butter filling and the crispy knafeh replacement for crunch. In the notes, I’ve included some ways to make these sugar-free, dairy-free chocolates a little fancier, but they’re totally not necessary to enjoy the basic version of this delicious recipe!

The ingredients for vegan keto Dubai chocolate are as follows:

• Sugar-free chocolate
• Coconut oil
• Pistachios
• Toasted coconut
• Stevia, or sweetener of choice
• Vanilla extract

You can also optionally add…

• Dairy-free white chocolate (optional, see notes below)
• Tahini or cashew butter (optional, see notes below)

The sugar-free chocolate I use is by Guittard and it contains just 1g of net carbohydrates per tablespoon serving, but whatever keto-friendly chocolate you use should work just fine. I also use this white chocolate from Evolved to make the shell of these look fancier, but it’s totally not necessary if you want to leave them plain. You can also make your own vegan keto white chocolate pretty easily (just omit the chocolate cereal from that recipe)!

Notes on Making Vegan Keto Dubai Chocolate

• Normally, I can provide substitutions to make a recipe coconut-free, but the coconut oil and toasted coconut flakes are too important to the texture of this recipe to replace easily.
• I couldn’t find any sort of pistachio butter that wasn’t loaded with sugar, so I just made my own by blending roasted pistachios with coconut oil, vanilla extract and stevia.
• The mold I use to make these chocolates all pretty is this silicone geometric heart mold, but you could use silicone muffin cups, too.
• The sugar-free chocolate I use is by Guittard and it contains just 1g of net carbohydrates per tablespoon serving, but whatever keto-friendly chocolate you use should work just fine
• I also use this white chocolate from Evolved to make the shell of these look fancier, but it’s totally not necessary if you want to leave them plain. You can also make your own vegan keto white chocolate pretty easily (just omit the chocolate cereal from that recipe)!
• If you want to make these fancier, you can blend 2 tablespoons of tahini or cashew butter in with the pistachios to make a richer filling like most of the Dubai chocolate fillings out there.
• To calculate net carbs – subtract the grams of fiber from the total grams of carbohydrates in the recipe. For this recipe, the calculation is: 14.2g total carbs – 8.6g fiber for a total of 5.6g of net carbs per serving.
• While I strive to provide accurate nutrition information, variations of ingredients will have differing nutritional values, so your calculations may vary.

Why This Dubai Chocolate Is Keto-Friendly

Traditional Dubai chocolate usually contains sugar, sweetened pistachio cream, and knafeh or shredded phyllo. This version keeps the crunch and pistachio flavor while reducing the carbs by using sugar-free chocolate, homemade pistachio butter, stevia, and toasted coconut flakes instead of knafeh.

Vegan Keto Dubai Chocolate

Print Recipe

This sugar-free, dairy-free and gluten-free version of the viral Dubai chocolate recipe is sure to satisfy any craving!

Course Dessert

Cuisine raw vegan

Keyword dairy free, gluten free keto, gluten-free, gluten-free vegan, sugar free

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Chill Time 1 hour hr

Servings 8 chocolate hearts

Calories 358

Author Liz

Equipment

• food processor
• heart silicone chocolate mold

Ingredients

• 3.5 oz sugar-free chocolate (100g)
• 5 tbsp coconut oil divided
• 6 oz pistachios, roasted & salted (170g)
• 3.5 oz dried coconut
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• liquid stevia to taste

Instructions

• In the top part of a double boiler, or a small mixing bowl set over a pot of heated water, melt together the sugar-free chocolate and 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil.
  3.5 oz sugar-free chocolate, 5 tbsp coconut oil
• Distribute half the melted chocolate into the wells of the silicone chocolate mold and either swirl the molds or use a silicone pastry brush to make sure the sides and bottom of the mold are completely covered. Transfer the mold to the freezer to let the chocolate set.
• While the chocolate is setting, make the pistachio butter by blending the pistachios, remaining coconut oil, vanilla extract and stevia (or sweetener of choice) in a food processor. Once smooth, stir in the coconut flakes.
  5 tbsp coconut oil, 6 oz pistachios, roasted & salted, 1 tsp vanilla extract, liquid stevia, 3.5 oz dried coconut
• Once the chocolate has set in the molds, distribute the pistachio filling equally amongst the hearts and cover with the remaining chocolate. Chill until set and enjoy!

Notes

If you want to make the white chocolate swirls on top, like I did in the pictures melt together 1 tablespoon of vegan white chocolate with 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil and drizzle it in the mold before adding in the chocolate in step 1. 

To calculate net carbs – subtract the grams of fiber from the total grams of carbohydrates in the recipe. For this recipe, the calculation is: 14.2g total carbs – 8.6g fiber for a total of 5.6g of net carbs per serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1heart | Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.2g | Protein: 6.3g | Fat: 32.9g | Potassium: 350mg | Fiber: 8.6g | Iron: 3mg

Vegan Keto Dubai Chocolate FAQ

Is Dubai chocolate keto-friendly?

Traditional Dubai chocolate is usually not keto-friendly because it contains sugar and a high-carb crispy filling. This version uses sugar-free chocolate and toasted coconut to keep the net carbs lower.

What can I use instead of knafeh in keto Dubai chocolate?

Toasted coconut flakes work well as a low-carb substitute for the crispy knafeh layer.

Can I make Dubai chocolate dairy-free?

Yes. Use dairy-free sugar-free chocolate and coconut oil to make a vegan and dairy-free version.

How many net carbs are in this vegan keto Dubai chocolate?

This recipe has approximately 5.6g net carbs per serving, depending on the brands of chocolate and pistachios used.

Want more vegan keto treats and everyday recipes?

Get the free Vegan Keto Quick-Start Mini Guide.

For more recipe variety and a more structured plan, explore the Vegan Keto meal plans and ebooks.

Helpful next reads: the complete shopping list and the beginner’s guide.