How many calories in kunefe?
Last updated: · Prepared by: QuickCalo Team
Short answer
One serving of kunefe (about 200 g) has about 780 kcal and 15 g of protein; 100 g has about 389 kcal. What changes the calories most is the butter and the syrup. One serving was calculated with shredded pastry, unsalted cheese, butter and syrup, using the closest USDA values for the pastry and cheese.
Kunefe is a hot dessert of shredded pastry layered with soft unsalted cheese, baked in butter until crisp and drenched in syrup. Served straight from the oven, the cheese should stretch; it is a speciality of Hatay in southern Turkey and is known as knafeh in the Arab world.
One serving combines butter, cheese and syrup, which makes it one of the richest Turkish desserts. It is often shared, and topped with ground pistachios.
| Serving | Grams | Calories (kcal) | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 200 | 780 | 15 | 89 | 41 |
| 100 g | 100 | 389 | 7.7 | 44.3 | 20.7 |
What changes the calories in Kunefe (knafeh)?
- Butter: the pastry is cooked in a generous amount of butter.
- Syrup: how much syrup is poured over.
- Portion: restaurant portions are often large enough for two.
How to enjoy Kunefe (knafeh) a little lighter
- Share a portion with someone.
- Ask for less syrup.
How were these values calculated?
No official record matches this dish directly, so the values come from a recipe calculation: the nutrients of each ingredient were taken from USDA FoodData Central, added up and divided by the cooked weight. Raw total 1170 g, cooked weight 1000 g.
5 servings; phyllo dough values stand in for shredded kadayif (same dough), and USDA mozzarella stands in for unsalted künefe cheese; the syrup is assumed to be absorbed.
| Ingredient | Grams | Calories (kcal) | Protein (g) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| phyllo dough | 250 | 748 | 17.8 | USDA FDC 172791 |
| butter | 150 | 1076 | 1.3 | USDA FDC 173410 |
| kashar substitute: whole-milk mozzarella | 250 | 795 | 54 | USDA FDC 170846 |
| sugar | 300 | 1161 | 0 | USDA FDC 169655 |
| water | 200 | under 5 | 0 | USDA FDC 173647 |
| pistachios | 20 | 112 | 4 | USDA FDC 170184 |
Spices (under 5 g in total per recipe) are not counted.
Serving weights:
- 1 serving: one of 5 equal portions of the recipe
Calories per 100 g are rounded to a whole number and macros to one decimal; serving calories to the nearest 5 and protein to a whole gram.
Can you count the calories in Kunefe (knafeh) from a photo?
Yes: in QuickCalo, snap a photo of your plate or type what you ate, and get the calories and protein in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
How much does one serving of kunefe weigh?
On this page, one serving of kunefe is taken as about 200 g (one of 5 equal portions of the recipe). The real weight depends on the recipe, the size and how it is served.
How much protein is in kunefe?
One serving of kunefe has about 15 g of protein; 100 g has 7.7 g.
Is kunefe the same as knafeh?
Yes. Kunefe is the Turkish name for the same family of cheese and shredded pastry desserts.
Similar foods
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy (2018) and FNDDS 2021–2023 datasets; accessed 16 October 2026
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