Surging demand for Dubai chocolate leads to global pistachio shortage

After Dubai chocolate went viral on social media, the price of pistachios soared — rising from $7.65 to $10.30 per 450 grams. According to Financial Times, this has caused a global shortage of pistachios, which are primarily grown in the U.S. and Iran.

The U.S. was already experiencing a pistachio shortage due to a weak harvest last year. However, because the quality of that limited crop was high, the pistachios were mostly sold in-shell. This reduced the availability of shelled pistachios — the type used in chocolate production — even further.

From October 2024 to March 2025, Iranian exporters shipped over 40% more pistachios to the UAE compared to the same period the year before.

Swiss chocolate giants like Läderach and Lindt — who hadn’t previously produced this style of chocolate — have recently begun making their own versions of Dubai chocolate, following the success of UAE-based brand Fix. Now, these companies are struggling to keep up with skyrocketing global demand.

Charles Jauneau, CEO of the Prestat Group, which oversees several premium British chocolate brands, said this unexpected trend caught the entire industry off guard.

“It really came out of nowhere. Suddenly, it’s on the shelves of every store,” he said.

Dubai chocolate is a sweet filled with a mixture of pistachios and kadaif (thin shredded pastry). It’s produced in the UAE and first appeared in 2021. It quickly became popular among tourists. The first TikTok video featuring Dubai chocolate was posted in 2023 and has since garnered over 120 million views.