VoltraCalories in kunafa: per 100 g and per piece
Kunafa has about 262 to 417 kcal per 100 g in lab analyses from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Jordan [1][2][3]. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority's cheese, cream and melon kunafa, baked with 250 g of ghee a tray and soaked in syrup, came to 359 to 417 [1]; cheese and cream kunafa bought from Lebanese pastry shops came to 279 and 262 [2].
For example, a 100 g piece is about 260–420 kcal (calculated). Most of it is fat and carbs: about 9 to 25 g of fat and 40 to 50 g of carbs per 100 g in the Saudi and Lebanese analyses.
Calories per 100 g
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority's lab analyses [1]:
| Per 100 g | Cheese | Cream | Melon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories (kcal) | 414 | 417 | 359 |
| Protein | 5.5 g | 3.2 g | 3.0 g |
| Fat | 21.6 g | 25.2 g | 17.9 g |
| Carbs | 49.7 g | 44.0 g | 45.3 g |
Each is one recipe, analysed as served: kunafa dough rubbed with 250 g of ghee, filled with 387 g of soft cheese, 500 g of cream or 500 g of thinly sliced melon, baked, then soaked in a syrup made with 250 g of sugar [1]. Carbs are available carbohydrate.
Bought from pastry shops in Lebanon [2], and made at home in Jordan [3]:
| Per 100 g | Cheese, Lebanon | Cream, with kaak, Lebanon | Jordan, calculated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories (kcal) | 279 | 262 | 368 |
| Protein | 6.1 g | 8.1 g | 10.2 g |
| Fat | 13.2 g | 8.7 g | 21.6 g |
| Carbs | 40.4 g | 42.2 g | 33.0 g |
The Lebanese samples came from two pastry shops, one cheaper and one more expensive. The cheese kunafa was made with akkawi or mozzarella cheese and butter, and the cream one comes with kaak bread [2]. The Jordanian knafeh is one home recipe, averaged from five home cooks' recipes; its figures were published for a 50 g piece, and we doubled them. Its carbohydrate includes fibre [3].
A piece of kunafa
A 2025 Qatari meal-planning list, whose portions were weighed and checked against what local shops sell, counts a medium piece of cheese kunafa as 100 g [4]. Weigh yours, or use these examples:
| Amount | Calories (calculated) |
|---|---|
| 50 g | 130–210 kcal |
| 100 g | 260–420 kcal |
| 150 g | 390–630 kcal |
| 200 g | 520–830 kcal |
Calculated from the lowest and highest figures per 100 g above [1][2].
A share of a whole tray is bigger. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority's trays serve about 4 to 6 adults [1]. From its figures, a tray weighs about 1.3 to 1.5 kg, so a share is about 220 to 330 g, or 910 to 1,190 kcal (all calculated).
What changes the number
- Ghee or butter. The Saudi trays had 17.9 to 25.2 g of fat per 100 g [1], the Lebanese shop kunafa 8.7 to 13.2 g [2]. Fat alone accounts for about 150 of the 155 kcal between the lowest and highest figures (calculated).
- Syrup and water. The Saudi kunafa was also drier: 22 to 31 g of water per 100 g, against 42.0 to 42.6 g in the Lebanese samples [1][2]. Less water means more of everything else in each 100 g. Each Saudi tray got a syrup made with 250 g of sugar, and the cheese and cream kunafa came to 18.9 to 19.5 g of sugars per 100 g, 16.6 to 18.9 g of it added [1]. Less syrup, or syrup on the side, means less sugar; see how much sugar a day.
- Cheese or cream. It matters less than you'd think: 414 and 417 kcal per 100 g in the Saudi analyses [1]. Cheese adds a little protein: 5.5 g per 100 g, against 3.2 g with cream [1].
In Voltra
Kunafa is one of about 130 Gulf and Levantine dishes built into Voltra. On the Eat tab, tap Search and type kunafa, or كنافة. You can also tap Scan a meal and photograph it, or tap Describe and type what you had, for example: cheese kunafa, one piece, about 100 g. Check the grams, then tap Log, and you'll see your day against the daily calorie target Voltra sets for you.
Frequently asked
How many calories are in a piece of kunafa?
About 260–420 kcal for a 100 g piece (calculated), the weight a Qatari meal-planning list gives a medium piece. Lab analyses put kunafa at 262 to 417 kcal per 100 g.
Cheese or cream kunafa: which has fewer calories?
In the Saudi Food and Drug Authority's lab analysis they were almost the same: 414 kcal per 100 g for cheese kunafa and 417 for cream. The ghee and syrup in the tray matter more than the filling.
How much sugar is in kunafa?
Between 18.9 and 19.5 g per 100 g in the Saudi Food and Drug Authority's cheese and cream kunafa, most of it added in the syrup: each tray got 250 g of sugar.
Is kunafa healthy?
It's a sweet: 262 to 417 kcal per 100 g in these analyses, much of it from ghee or butter and sugar syrup, with little protein. Oman's 2026 healthy-eating guide lists kunafa among the Arabic sweets to go easy on. If you have some, weigh or estimate the piece and log it.
Sources
- National Nutrition Committee, Saudi Food and Drug Authority (2025). Saudi Food Composition Tables, 1st edition. Melon, cream and cheese kunafah: recipes and lab analyses, pp. 102–107.
- Hoteit M, Zoghbi E; Lebanese University (2021). Lebanon Food Composition Data: Traditional Dishes, Arabic Sweets and Market Foods. With WHO's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. Tables 20 and 21, kounafa bil jiben and kounafa kashta bil kaak; ingredients in Annex 4. Funded by the German Government and the Quadram Institute.
- Bawadi HA, Al-Shwaiyat NM, Tayyem RF, Mekary R, Tuuri G (2009). Developing a food exchange list for Middle Eastern appetizers and desserts commonly consumed in Jordan. Nutrition & Dietetics 66(1):20–26. Table 1, knafeh: a 50 g piece.
- Abdul Majeed S, Tayyem R (2025). Development of a meal-planning exchange list for traditional sweets and appetizers in Gulf Cooperation Council countries: insights from Qatar. Nutrients 18(1):117. Table 4: a medium piece of cheese kunafa, 100 g. Used for the piece weight only.
- Ministry of Health, Sultanate of Oman (2026). The Omani Guide for Healthy Eating 2026. Box 10.1, p. 104.
Sources checked on 30 September 2026.
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