Warning over surge in price of viral ‘Dubai-style’ chocolate as fans clearing shop shelves spark worldwide shortage
PISTACHIO prices have skyrocketed after the global “Dubai-style” chocolate phenomenon which has taken the world by storm.
Sweet-toothed fans have gone nuts for the viral snack – which has caused an international pistachio crunch and a stark warning from experts.
Dubai chocolate contains a filling of the traditional Arab dessert Knafeh and pistachio.
First created in 2021, the flavour has proven popular since its TikTok boom – with UK stores such as M&S, Lidl, and Morrisons jumping on the bandwagon and releasing versions.
Waitrose was the most recent retailer to join the frenzy, adding Lindt Dubai Style Chocolate to select stores on March 23.
The chocolate craze has caused pistachio kernel prices to surge from $7.65 a pound to $10.30 in the space of a year, according to a nut trading expert.
Giles Hacking, of nut trader GC Hacking, said: “The pistachio world is basically tapped out at the moment.”
Waitrose even imposed a strict two bar per person limit on the sensational snack after chocolate fans cleared their shelves.
The demand was first sparked by Dubai chocolatier FIX Dessert’s Can’t Get Knafeh of It bar.
The recent boom comes after pistachio stocks were slowly dwindling after a disappointing harvest in the U.S. last year.
The U.S. – which is the world’s top exporter of the green nut – also produced better quality kernels last than usual last year.
This however left fewer of the poorer quality, cheaper kernels which are generally sold as ingredient for chocolate and other pistachio flavoured foods, according to Hacking.
The expert said that the viral craze left chocalatiers scrambling to buy pistachios, which in turn “leaves the rest of the world short”.
Iran, who follow behind the U.S. as the world’s second biggest exporter pistachios, exported 40 per cent more of them to the UAE in the six months to March 2025 than it did over 12 months before that.
Spokesperson for Iran‘s pistachio association Behrooz Agah said that the shortage marked a reversal from 2023 when global supply for the sweet savoury nut exceeded demand.
Due to this drop in demand, a swathe of pistachio-flavoured products came out during this time according to Agah.
He said: “A variety of byproducts became available such as pistachio butter, oil and paste, which could be used in a wide range of pistachio-based foods.
“That was around the same time Dubai Chocolate was launched and gradually went viral worldwide.”
General manager for Prestat Group, Charles Jandreau, which owns luxury UK chocolate brands, said that the craze “came out of nowhere”.
He added that “no one’s ready for this” when describing his struggle to produce kataifi, the shredded Middle Eastern pastry which is used in the green cream.
Chocolate had already been suffering from a cocoa supply, which caused prices to almost triple in 2024 as extreme weather and disease ravaged harvests.
FIX said it was “incredible” to see how they had inspired “a movement in chocolate”, but claimed that they were concerened about how others may be exploiting their brand.
The company only sells its bars in the UAE and only for two hours a day, despite many shops recreating the snack.
Marks and Spencer is launching it’s own version of the viral Dubai-style chocolate, but there’s a huge twist.
The scrumptious treat will land on shelves on April 23, so shoppers better set their alarms to avoid missing out.
The cheapest places to buy Dubai-style chocolate were also revealed in April, with prices starting at just £1.25.