Kunafa: Calories, Nutrition and Health Benefits

Summarize with:

ChatGPT

Claude

AI Mode

Perplexity

A 120 g piece of cheese kunafa (also spelled knafeh, kanafeh or kunafeh) has about 426 calories, 55g carbs, 39g sugar, 21g fat and 7g protein. Most of the sugar is the syrup, and slices from bakeries and recipes range from about 350 to 520 kcal.

Quick Nutrition Facts

Per 1 piece (about 120 g) cheese kunafa

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	426 kcal
Protein	7.4g
Carbohydrates	54.9g
Fiber	1.2g
Sugars	38.8g
Fat	20.5g
Sodium	192 mg

Macronutrient Breakdown

Start NutriScan onboarding to personalize your plan

NUTRITIONIST'S INSIGHT

Kunafa is a dessert built from refined shredded dough, butter, cheese and sugar syrup, so one piece lands near 430 kcal with about 39g of sugar. That is more than the American Heart Association's daily added-sugar limit of 36g for men and 25g for women. The cheese adds some protein, but 7g does not offset the refined carbs. Portions matter: bakery slices are often larger than 120 g. Share a piece, ask for less syrup on the side, and eat it after a meal with protein and vegetables instead of on its own.

Myth Busters

MYTH #1: Kunafa is mostly cheese, so it is a high-protein dessert.

TRUTH: A 120 g piece has only about 7g of protein against 55g of carbs. The cheese layer is thin compared with the dough and syrup. NutritionValue: Kunafa (1 piece, 120 g) nutrition facts

MYTH #2: The syrup is just a light drizzle.

TRUTH: The syrup supplies most of the roughly 39g of sugar in a piece. Asking for the syrup on the side and adding less is the simplest way to cut sugar. NutritionValue: Kunafa (1 piece, 120 g) nutrition facts; American Heart Association: Added Sugars

MYTH #3: All kunafa has the same calories.

TRUTH: Estimates run from about 350 to 520 kcal a slice depending on the cheese, the butter or ghee in the dough, the syrup and the slice size. Treat 426 kcal for 120 g as a middle estimate. NutritionValue: Kunafa (1 piece, 120 g) nutrition facts; FatSecret: Kanafeh (generic) calories and nutrition

MYTH #4: Kunafa is only a Ramadan sweet.

TRUTH: It is served at Ramadan iftar, but it is also a year-round breakfast and dessert in the Levant and Egypt, and the Nabulsi version is tied to the city of Nablus. Knafeh (Wikipedia); SBS Food: This Middle Eastern dessert is still being made like it was 300 years ago

NutriScore by Health Goals

Health Goal	NutriScore	Why This Score?
Weight Loss		About 426 kcal in a 120 g piece with 39g of sugar and little fiber, so it is easy to overeat and does not fill you up. NutritionValue: Kunafa (1 piece, 120 g) nutrition facts
Muscle Gain		7g of protein for 426 kcal. The carbs can refuel after training, but the protein is too low to count as a recovery food. NutritionValue: Kunafa (1 piece, 120 g) nutrition facts
Diabetes Management		55g of carbs with 39g of sugar and only 1g of fiber gives a fast, high glucose rise. NutritionValue: Kunafa (1 piece, 120 g) nutrition facts; American Heart Association: Added Sugars
Heart Health		About 8.5g of saturated fat and 39g of sugar in one piece, both of which the AHA advises limiting. American Heart Association: Saturated Fat; American Heart Association: Added Sugars

PERSONALIZED NUTRITION

Track your meals with NutriScan for personalized NutriScores based on your specific health goals!

Blood Sugar Response to Kunafa

A piece of kunafa has about 55g of carbs, 39g of them as sugar from the syrup, on top of refined shredded dough. Glucose rises within 30 minutes and peaks around the 60 minute mark. The fat and cheese slow absorption slightly, so the peak is later and broader than for a sugary drink, and levels return near baseline after about 3 hours. American Heart Association: Added Sugars; NutritionValue: Kunafa (1 piece, 120 g) nutrition facts

Estimated Blood Sugar Response (1 piece, 120 g)

Modeled estimate for a person without diabetes, not a measured trace. Individual responses vary.

How to flatten the spike

Share one piece or eat half, and ask for the syrup on the side.
Eat it after a meal with protein and vegetables, not on an empty stomach.
Take a 10 to 15 minute walk afterwards to bring glucose down faster.
If you count carbs, log about 55g for a 120 g piece and adjust for a larger slice.

Cultural Significance

Kunafa (knafeh, kanafeh, kunafeh) is a Levantine and Egyptian dessert of shredded or semolina dough layered with cheese and soaked in sugar syrup. Its origin is disputed: stories place it in Umayyad Damascus or Fatimid Egypt, and Nablus in the West Bank is widely cited as the home of the Nabulsi version made with Nabulsi cheese. It is a Ramadan iftar favorite, and also a festive and street-food sweet across Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey, where it is called kunefe.

Compare & Substitute

Kunafa vs Similar Foods

Nutrient	Half piece of kunafa (60 g) with syrup on the side	Baklava, 1 small piece (about 40 g)	Greek yogurt with honey and pistachios (150 g)	Fresh dates stuffed with soft cheese (2 dates)
Calories	213 kcal	170 kcal	190 kcal	150 kcal
Protein	3.7g	2.5g	14g	3g
Carbohydrates	27g	17g	20g	30g
Fat	10.3g	11g	6g	3g

Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories are in a piece of kunafa?

A 120 g piece of cheese kunafa has about 426 calories. Homemade and bakery slices range from about 350 to 520 calories depending on size, cheese, butter and syrup.

How much sugar is in kunafa?

About 39g of sugar in a 120 g piece, mostly from the syrup. The AHA recommends no more than 36g of added sugar a day for men and 25g for women.

Is kunafa the same as knafeh or kanafeh?

Yes. Kunafa, knafeh, kanafeh, kunafeh and kunefe are different spellings of the same cheese and syrup pastry. Regional versions differ in the dough (fine, coarse or semolina) and the cheese.