Cheese Borek

My Cheese Borek is a crispy Turkish filo pastry filled with three different cheeses, fresh herbs, and just a hint of chili flakes. While there are many delicious versions of borek out there, this is the one I enjoy making most often.

It's easy to make ahead too. I keep a batch in the freezer and bake them straight from frozen whenever I want a quick breakfast, or a last-minute appetizer when people drop by.

Jump to:

• What Is Borek?
• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredients You'll Need
• How to Make Cheese Borek
• Recipe Tips From the Chef
• Serving Suggestions
• Variations
• Storage and Make-Ahead
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Cheese Borek

What Is Borek?

Turkish cuisine includes a wide range of savory pastries filled with meat, vegetables, or cheese. They're usually made with either yufka (a round, thin, unleavened flatbread) or filo pastry.

If you'd rather watch than read, here's a quick video that walks through the whole process.

My Cheese Borek recipe uses filo pastry, but you can also use yufka instead and shape it like Kiymali Borek (Meat Borek). Here are a few other borek recipes worth trying:

For example, you can try making Chebureki, a savory pastry filled with ground meat, or Su Boregi - Water Borek, a type of borek made with thin layers of handmade dough and a filling of cheese and herbs.

If you're in the mood for something heartier, Potato Borek - Patatesli Borek, is a delicious option that combines potatoes with flavorful spices and cheese.

Cheese Borek is one of the most popular types of borek in Turkey, loved for its flaky, golden layers and rich, salty filling.

Why This Recipe Works

• Three cheeses, halloumi, feta, and kasar, go into the filling instead of just one, so every bite has layers of salty, tangy flavor.

• A quick yogurt, egg, and oil sauce gets brushed between the filo sheets instead of melted butter, so the pastry crisps up without tasting greasy.

• Folding the phyllo into a triangle keeps the filling locked inside, so don't worry if it tears a bit while you're working with it, it'll still turn out fine.

• Baked, not fried, so you get a golden, crisp shell without the mess or extra oil of deep frying.

• A sesame and nigella seed topping over the egg wash gives every triangle a bit of crunch and a nutty finish.

• This recipe makes 20 pieces in one batch, plenty for a party platter or a week of packed lunches.

Ingredients You'll Need

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

Cheese Filling

• Cheese - I use a mix of halloumi, kasar, and feta in the filling. Kasar is a semi-hard yellow cheese that tastes like a milder cheddar and is often made from sheep's milk. It's a staple in Turkish cooking and shows up in many pastries. You can find it at Turkish or Middle Eastern grocery stores. If you can't get kasar, cheddar, mozzarella, gruyere, or gouda work well instead.

• Herbs - Fresh parsley, mint, and dill are my favorite herbs for this Cheese Borek recipe but you can use basil, oregano, thyme, chervil, or chives instead. If you want to use dried herbs, use ⅓ of the amount.

Sauce Ingredients for Cheese Borek

• Yogurt - I use plain or natural yogurt with no sugar & flavor added. Yogurt gives the borek a fluffy and light texture.

• Eggs - They give color as well as flavor to the borek. You can omit and add extra oil and yogurt to the sauce.

• Oil - It adds an extra crispness to the borek. You can substitute it with melted butter, olive oil, sunflower oil, or rapeseed oil.

• Vinegar - A little amount of vinegar will help your borek to be softer inside while it's crispy outside.

• Sesame or nigella seeds - They give extra crunch to borek or pastries. They are commonly used in sweet or savory Turkish bakeries

• Filo Pastry - Filo is a very thin unleavened dough used for making pastries such as baklava and borek in Turkish and Mediterranean cooking. I used 2 packs of filo dough, 20 sheets in total. You can substitute with 3 pieces of Turkish yufka sheets.

How to Make Cheese Borek

Make the Cheese Filling

Place the feta cheese in a large bowl and crumble it with the back of a fork.

Grate the halloumi cheese and Kasar cheese, and add them to the bowl along with chopped herbs, freshly ground black pepper, and chili flakes (if using).

Mix them all using a fork or a spoon, and set them aside.

Make the Sauce

Place the egg and yogurt in a small bowl and lightly whisk it. Add the oil, and vinegar, and whisk well.

Layer the Filo Sheets

Preheat the oven to 360° F (180° C). Place one sheet of filo on your work surface and drizzle 1-1 ½ tablespoon of the sauce, spread it evenly using a brush.

Lay another sheet of filo on top, drizzle some more sauce, and spread it evenly. Repeat the same steps until you have three sheets of filo.

Fold the Triangles

Cut it into three equal-size strips. Put two tablespoons of the cheese mixture at the end corners of the strips.

Take the opposite corner and fold diagonally over the filling, forming a triangular fold.

Fold again along the upper crease of the triangle. Continue folding in this way until you reach the end of the strip. 

Brush the seam with the sauce to seal the end.

Bake the Borek

Place it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet seam side down and repeat the same with the rest of the filo sheets. 

Brush the borek pieces with the rest of the sauce and sprinkle on sesame seeds or nigella seeds (or both).

Place the baking sheet in preheated oven and bake the boreks for 20-25 minutes, until they are golden and crispy.

Recipe Tips From the Chef

• You can keep unbaked boreks in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply bake them in the preheated oven straight from frozen. Add an extra 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time. 

• Don't overfill the pastries as the cheese filling may leak out while baking them.

• Filo pastries are very fragile and dry out quickly if you don't keep them covered with a damp kitchen cloth.

• Taste your feta before adding extra salt to the filling. Some brands are salty enough on their own, so a small pinch is usually all you need.

• Pinch the phyllo edges together firmly when you fold each triangle. A loose seam is the main reason the filling leaks out in the oven.

• Brush the tops generously with the egg wash before baking. This is what gives the borek its deep golden color and helps the sesame seeds stick.

Serving Suggestions

Cheese Borek is traditionally served with a cup of Turkish Tea - Cay or a glass of Ayran if having it for breakfast/brunch.

You can also serve them with a bowl of soup such as Red Pepper and Tomato Soup, Turkish Lentil Soup, or Ezo Gelin Corba for a light and tasty lunch.

Variations

• Add cooked, well-drained spinach to the filling for a classic spinach and cheese borek.

• Swap the halloumi and kasar for mozzarella and cheddar, or use whatever cheese you have on hand.

• Leave out the chili flakes for a milder filling, or add extra for more heat.

• Shape the phyllo into rolls instead of triangles if you prefer a different look.

• Fry the borek briefly in oil instead of baking for a more traditional, bakery-style crunch.

Storage and Make-Ahead

Baked borek keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Reheat in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for 5 to 10 minutes to bring back the crisp, rather than using the microwave.

To make ahead, assemble the triangles and freeze them unbaked on a tray for up to 3 months, then transfer to a bag once solid. Bake straight from frozen, adding an extra 5 to 10 minutes to the cook time. You can also freeze the borek after baking for up to 3 months, then thaw and reheat in the oven when you're ready to eat.

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For more scrumptious Turkish Borek Recipes why not try:

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

I hope you enjoy the process of making these scrumptious Cheese Borek - Peynirli Boreks as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂