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5 from 20 votes

Turkish Borek Recipe (Sigara Borek)

Borek is a Turkish savory crunchy pastry filled with different fillings such as cheese or potatoes. Learn how to make Turkish borek recipe by watching our step-by-step video and tutorial. They are perfect as a midday snack or for breakfast and you can make them in advance and freeze them for later. 
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Turkish
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 347kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 package Yufka Dough See note #1

Spinach filling

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 4 cups spinach
  • ½ cup white cheese See note #2
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Potato filling

  • 1 Russet potato
  • ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Cheese filling

  • ½ cup White cheese
  • 2 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

To assemble and fry

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil

Instructions

  • First, know that yufka, like phyllo dough, is delicate and might break. That's completely okay.
  • To make the spinach filling: Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute onion until golden, add spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, mix it with cheese, salt and pepper.
  • To make potato filling: Wash and peel the potato. Cut it into large chunks and boil until fork tender. Mash the potato completely and add Aleppo pepper, salt and black pepper.
  • To make the cheese filling: Mix cheese with parsley, salt and pepper.
  • Place a triangle shaped yufka dough on a clean surface, with the wide side facing you. Wet your finger with water and moisten the edges. This will help the edges to stick while rolling.
  • Add one to two tablespoon of filling one inch away from the wide edge and form it into a thin log.
  • Fold the outer corners over the filling and roll the borek. Dip your index finger in water and wet the edges again and roll tightly. Set aside and continue with the remaining yufka and filling. 
  • Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a non stick pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the boreks in the oil and fry on all sides until crispy and golden. Don't over crowd the pan. Place the boreks on a kitchen paper towel to absorb the excess oil. 
  • Continue with the remaining boreks and add more oil if needed.

Video

Notes

  1. You can find triangle yufka dough in Turkish shops. If you cannot find it, phyllo dough can work as well. Place a sheet of phyllo dough on a clean surface and cover the remaining dough with a damp towel. Cut the phyllo dough into 4 stripes and fill and roll them as instructed. 
  2. You can use Turkish white cheese (Beyaz Peyniri) or feta. 
  3. These measurements are to make about 24-30 boreks using all the fillings. You can store the leftover fillings in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. 
  4. Double or triple one of the fillings if you would like to make only one of them instead of all three. 
  5. Borek makes the perfect appetizer for parties and gatherings. You can prepare them in advance and just fry them right before the party. 

Nutrition

Serving: 4servings | Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 1531mg | Potassium: 414mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3060IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2mg