A global pistachio shortage has been blamed on the Dubai chocolate craze, but how bad are things?
The Dubai chocolate craze reached fever pitch this spring as the TikTok phenomenon from Fix Dessert Chocolatier, which combines pistachio with knafeh, has resulted in many copycats and a run on pistachios.
Prices of the nut have rocketed from €6.65 a pound last year to €8.96 this year, but pistachio growers and wholesalers can’t keep up with demand, mostly due to a 20% supply shortage in the States.
Demand for pistachios up
So rampant is demand for the green nut that exports from the world’s second-largest producer – Iran – rose by 40% to the UAE in the six months to March 2025 when compared to the same period last year.
Even before the Dubai chocolate craze this year, supplies of pistachios have been temperamental.
So extra pressure from chocolatiers worldwide has almost wiped out availability.
New Dubai chocolate bars
But that’s not stopped manufacturers and retailers from pursuing the trend with their own variations of the bar.
Retailers and makers from across the world have jumped on the bandwagon by listing and selling pistachio-filled chocolates in various styles and prices.
The bars have been selling out fast in supermarkets, with some retailers capping the number customers can purchase at one time.
The question now is: will the Dubai chocolate craze persist or, like any other food and drink trend, will it melt away as a novelty from the past?
