Kunefe (Turkish Crispy Cheese Pastry with Syrup)
Crunchy shredded pastry hiding a layer of hot, stretchy cheese, soaked in lemony syrup and finished with pistachios.
- Time1 hr
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £0.58 a head
- Oven200°C (180°C fan)
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Make the syrup first. Boil the sugar and water for 8 minutes, stir in the lemon juice and leave to cool completely.
8 min - 2
Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Brush a 22 cm round tin with a little of the butter.
- 3
Pull the kataifi into loose strands and snip into short lengths with scissors. Rub in the melted butter until every strand is coated.
- 4
Press half the pastry firmly into the tin. Spread over the grated mozzarella, leaving a 1 cm border. Cover with the remaining pastry and press down hard.
- 5
Bake for 25 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden and crisp.
25 min - 6
Rest in the tin for 2 minutes. Turn out onto a plate, pour over the cold syrup and top with pistachios. Cut into wedges and eat while the cheese is still stretchy.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.