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    Cooking Gorgeous » Traditional Turkish Dishes

    Cheese Borek - Peynirli Borek

    Published: Dec 17, 2021 · Modified: Apr 28, 2022 by Ayla Clulee · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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.

    crispy filo pastries filled with cheese
    Jump to:
    • Why This Recipe Works?
    • Ingredients and Substitutes
    • Step-by-Step Instructions
    • Related Recipes
    • Top Tips From The Chef
    • Cheese Borek - Peynirli Borek

    Turkish cuisine is well known for its countless selection of savoury pastries filled with a variety of 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 for filo pastry but you can use yufka instead and shape them like Kiymali Borek (Meat Borek).

    Why This Recipe Works?

    • These filo pies are crispy, flaky, buttery and filling, the same as my other Turkish borek recipes.
    • You can make them 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.
    • It is very easy to make them with step-by-step pictures and instructions.

    Ingredients and Substitutes

    Ingredients for cheese borek
    • 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.
    • Cheese - I use a mixture of halloumi, Kasar and feta cheese to make these delicious savoury pies. Kasar is a semi-hard yellow cheese that is 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 from Turkish or Middle Eastern shops as well as from Amazon. Alternatively, you can use cheddar, mozzarella, gruyere, gouda or any other cheese you have in hand.
    • Yoghurt - I use plain or natural yoghurt with no sugar & flavour added. Yoghurt gives the borek a fluffy and light texture.
    • Eggs - They give colour as well as flavour to the borek. You can omit and add extra oil and/or yoghurt 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 savoury Turkish bakeries.
    • Herbs - Parsley, mint and dill are my favourite herbs to pair with cheese but you can use basil, oregano, thyme, chervil or chives instead. If you want to use dried herbs, use ⅓ of the amount.

    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

    Grate the halloumi cheese and Kasar cheese in a bowl. Add the crumbled feta, chopped herbs, freshly ground black pepper and chilli flakes (if using) to the bowl. Mix them all using a fork or a spoon, and set them aside.

    Place grated halloumi, Kasar and feta cheese in a bowl along with the herbs
    mix them until nicely combined

    Prepare the Sauce and Build the Borek

    Place the egg in a small bowl and lightly whisk it. Add the yoghurt, oil and vinegar, and whisk well. Preheat the oven to 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 and then drizzle some more sauce, spread it evenly.

    Repeat the same steps until you have three sheets of filo. Cut it into three equal-size strips. It's ok if they are a little uneven. Put one tablespoon of the cheese mixture at the end corner of one strip.

    place a filo sheet on worktop and brush with some sauce
    cut it into 3 equal strips

    Take the opposite corner and fold diagonally over the filling, forming a triangular fold. Fold again along the upper crease of the triangle.

    fold one corner on the top of the cheese filling
    keep folding the triangle until the end of the strip

    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. 

    fold it into a triangle
    brush the end with the sauce to seal the triangle

    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.

    brush the boreks with the sauce and sprinkle on sesame seeds
    bake them until golden and crispy

    Related Recipes

    For more scrumptious Turkish Borek Recipes why not try:

    • Borek with Meat and Spinach
    • Kiymali Borek (Meat Borek)
    • Potato Borek
    • Spinach and Feta Borek
    • Turkish Rolls (Sigara Boregi)
    • Spinach Borek (Ispanakli Borek)
    • Pacanga Boregi
    • Su Boregi - Water Borek
    Where does borek come from?

    Borek was first invented by Central Asian Turks and brought to Anatolia in the middle ages. It is then developed by the Ottomans in Istanbul and now it is very popular in Turkey, the Balkans, and Middle Eastern countries. 

    How many calories are in a borek?

    The calories depend on the filling of the borek but it usually is between 150 and 450 kcal per piece. This cheese borek recipe has 285 kcal per borek.

    What to serve with Cheese Borek?

    Cheese Borek is traditionally served with a cup of Turkish tea 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.

    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.

    I hope you enjoy the process of making this filo pastry recipe as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂

    Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!

    cheese borek parcels

    Cheese Borek - Peynirli Borek

    Ayla Clulee
    This vegetarian cheese borek is a delicious breakfast on the go, a simple lunch or an appetiser for dinner parties.
    5 from 16 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 25 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 45 mins
    Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Main Course, Snack
    Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Turkish
    Servings 20 pieces
    Calories 285 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 baking sheet
    • 1 Pastry Brush
    • 1 kitchen scale
    • 1 6-Piece Plastic Measuring Cups
    • 1 Measuring Spoons
    • 1 Grater

    Ingredients
     
     

    For the Cheese Filling

    • 200 g halloumi cheese (grated)
    • 200 g feta cheese (crumbled)
    • 200 g kasar cheese, mozzarella or cheddar cheese (grated)
    • ⅓ cup chopped parsley
    • ¼ cup chopped dill
    • ¼ cup chopped mint (or 1 teaspoon dried mint)
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)

    For the Sauce

    • ½ cup Greek yoghurt or natural yoghurt
    • ½ cup vegetable or sunflower oil
    • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
    • 1 egg

    For the Borek

    • 2 packs filo pastry (12 sheets and 250 grams each)
    • Sesame seeds or Nigella seeds

    Instructions
     

    Preparing the Cheese Filling

    • Grate the halloumi cheese and Kasar cheese in a bowl.
    • Add the crumbled feta, chopped herbs, freshly ground black pepper and chilli flakes (if using) to the bowl.
    • Mix them all using a fork or a spoon, set them aside.

    Preparing the Sauce

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

    Building the Borek

    • Preheat the oven to 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 and then drizzle some more sauce, spread it evenly. Repeat the same steps until you have three sheets of filo.
    • Cut it into three equal-size strips. It's ok if they are a little uneven.
    • Put one tablespoon of the cheese mixture at the end of one strip. 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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 285kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 10gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 529mgPotassium: 75mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 289IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 218mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cookingorgeous or tag #cookingorgeous!

    FOOD SAFETY

    • Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
    • Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
    • Never leave cooking food unattended
    • Use oils with high smoking points to avoid harmful compounds
    • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

    This post use affiliate links. This means that if you click on them and then buy something, we get a small amount of commission to keep the site running, but it doesn’t cost you anything more.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Brian

      January 04, 2022 at 3:53 pm

      5 stars
      I love this recipe. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    2. Lucia

      February 20, 2022 at 6:57 pm

      5 stars
      Excelente

      Reply
    3. Joyce

      March 28, 2022 at 5:59 am

      5 stars
      This is absolutely delicious! Just made it, mine isn’t as pretty, but this is my first time and very delicious!

      Reply
    4. Mona

      March 31, 2022 at 3:58 am

      5 stars
      Amazing recipe! I enjoyed both making them and eating them. They are so delicious.

      Reply
    5. Sena

      April 04, 2022 at 5:36 am

      5 stars
      Cheesy, crispy deliciousness! Can't wait to try these!

      Reply
    6. Jackie

      April 05, 2022 at 4:33 am

      5 stars
      These are so yummy! My son loves them. Thank you so much.

      Reply
    7. Sandra

      April 08, 2022 at 4:29 am

      5 stars
      Made this for dinner tonight, very easy to put together, came out amazing!

      Reply
      • Ayla Clulee

        April 09, 2022 at 5:20 am

        Awesome, I am so happy you enjoyed it, Sandra!

        Reply
    8. Mosley

      April 09, 2022 at 5:09 am

      5 stars
      This was absolutely yummy! Thanks for a delicious, well thought out recipe!

      Reply
    9. Mariah

      April 12, 2022 at 4:13 am

      5 stars
      I made your “Cheese Borek” for my brother. He loves this. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

      Reply
    10. Nadine

      April 15, 2022 at 4:43 am

      5 stars
      Delicious!! This recipe is wonderful, thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    11. Saima

      April 16, 2022 at 4:55 am

      5 stars
      The flavours sound incredible! Such a great make ahead breakfast or lunch option!

      Reply
    12. Sarah

      April 18, 2022 at 6:12 am

      5 stars
      Perfect crispy pastries for breakfast! Such a wonderful recipe xx

      Reply
    13. Melanie

      April 21, 2022 at 5:23 am

      5 stars
      I first tasted borek in Istanbul. It was also a cheese borek and it was love at first bite! I definitely want to try your recipe!!

      Reply
    14. Daphne

      April 24, 2022 at 5:29 am

      5 stars
      Chose this borek recipe at random and it did not disappoint! So yummy. Instructions were good. Will be my go-to for next time. Def make again.

      Reply
    15. Pat

      May 10, 2022 at 4:37 am

      5 stars
      A recipe that works really well first time. Excellent ! A delicious fun snack; highly recommended.

      Reply
    16. Claire

      June 11, 2022 at 4:21 am

      5 stars
      Have used this recipe before and received lots of lovely comments! Delicious! Thank you!

      Reply

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    Hi! Thank you for visiting Cooking Gorgeous. My name is Ayla, and I’m a professional chef based in the UK. The kitchen is my happy place and cooking is my therapy. To me, food is more than ingredients and nutrition; it is a language of love, a way of expressing compassion.

    More about me →

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