Cheese Borek - Peynirli Borek

Cheese Borek (Peynirli Borek in Turkish) is a crispy, light, and delicious Turkish filo pie filled with tangy cheeses and aromatic herbs.

You can serve these baked pastries as an appetizer for Christmas or as a light meal for dinner with a bowl of Turkish Lentil Soup (Mercimek Corbasi).

Turkish cuisine is well known for its countless selection of savory pastries filled with various fillings such as meat, vegetables, or cheese.

They are usually made with either yufka (round-shaped, thin, unleavened flatbread) or filo pastries.

My Cheese Borek recipe recalls filo pastry but you can use yufka instead and shape them like Kiymali Borek (Meat Borek).

A Brief History of Cheese Borek

Cheese Borek has a long and rich history in Turkish cuisine.

The dish can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire, where it was served in the palaces and homes of the sultans.

Borek was originally a simple pastry made with a basic dough and filled with cheese and other ingredients, such as spinach or meat.

As time passed, borek grew in popularity and became a staple dish in Turkish cuisine.

Today, there are countless regional variations of borek, each with its own unique twist on the classic recipe.

For example, you can try making Cig Borek - 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 definitely one of the most popular types of borek in Turkey and is enjoyed by people of all ages.

It is often served as a breakfast or brunch dish, but can also be eaten as a snack or appetizer.

Why This Recipe Works?

• These filo pies are crispy, flaky, buttery, and filling, the same as my other Turkish borek recipes.

• You can make these pastries a couple of days ahead and bake them when you need them!

• It is a classic vegetarian Turkish dish that is ready in just 45 minutes.

• Cheese Borek - Peynirli Borek is very easy to make with step-by-step pictures and instructions.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Cheese Filling

• Cheese - I use a mixture of halloumi, Kasar, and feta cheese to make these delicious savory pies. Kasar is a semi-hard yellow cheese similar to cheddar but much milder and is made from sheep milk. It is widely used in Turkey for pastries and general cooking. You can find Kasar cheese in Turkish or Middle Eastern shops and on Amazon. Other alternative cheeses are cheddar, mozzarella, gruyere, or gouda.

• 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.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Making these scrumptious Turkish cheese boreks is very easy and straightforward.

However, to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:

Prepare 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.

Prepare the Sauce and Build the Borek

Place the egg and yogurt in a small bowl and lightly whisk it.

Add the oil, and vinegar, and whisk well.

Preheat the oven to 180° C (360° F).

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.

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.

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.

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

Top 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.

What to Serve with Cheese Borek?

Cheese Borek is traditionally served with a cup of Turkish tea or a glass of Ayran (Turkish Yogurt Drink) 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.

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! 🙂 

Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

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