Fatayer Recipe

My Fatayer Recipe is made with a soft homemade dough and two savory fillings: cheese with fresh herbs and spinach with ground beef. These small Middle Eastern pies bake until golden, are easy to shape, and make a great breakfast, snack, lunchbox filler, picnic food, or mezze dish.

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Work?
• Ingredients You'll Need
• How to Make Homemade Lebanese Pies
• How to Keep Fatayer from Opening in the Oven
• Top Tips From the Chef
• Filling Variations
• How to Serve Fatayer
• Make Ahead Tips
• Storage Instructions
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Fatayer Recipe

This recipe gives you everything you need in one place: a soft fatayer dough, two filling options, both shaping methods, and the small details that help the pies bake neatly. The filling should be cool and not too wet, the dough needs a short rest before rolling, and the edges should be pinched well so the fatayer stay closed in the oven.

The dough is simple to make with all-purpose flour, yeast, olive oil, and water. Once it has risen, you can roll it into small rounds or ovals and shape the fatayer into sealed triangles or open boats. I use the boat shape for the cheese filling and the triangle shape for the spinach and meat filling, so they are easy to tell apart on the tray.

Why This Recipe Work?

• The homemade fatayer dough is soft, easy to roll, and sturdy enough to hold the filling without tearing.

• You get two filling options and different shaping methods in one recipe, so you can make a mixed tray of cheese fatayer and spinach fatayer.

• One batch gives you 12 small savory pies, which is enough for snacks, breakfast, mezze, or a light meal with salad and dips.

• These Lebanese style pies are great for making ahead, packing into lunchboxes, serving as part of a mezze spread, or freezing for later.

• The recipe uses everyday ingredients, with easy swaps for the cheeses and greens.

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.

Fatayer Dough

• All-purpose flour - It is also called plain flour, and works well for fatayer dough. It gives a soft dough that is easy to roll without becoming too chewy.

• Yeast - Use one packet of dried yeast. Fresh yeast can also be used, but you will need double the amount.

• Olive oil - Olive oil keeps the dough soft and gives it a better flavor. You can use vegetable oil if that is what you have.

Ingredients for Cheese Filling

These ingredients for cheese filling are sufficient for 6 fatayer pies.

• Feta cheese - Use a good quality block of feta and crumble it finely. Feta gives the filling a salty, tangy flavor.

• Kasar cheese - Kasar is a mild Turkish cheese that melts nicely. Mozzarella, cheddar, gouda, or another semi hard cheese also works.

• Labneh - It adds creaminess to the filling. You can replace it with ricotta cheese or cottage cheese, or omit it and add extra feta or kasar cheese.

• Herbs - Fresh herbs make the filling taste lighter. You can use just parsley, just dill, or a mix of both.

Ingredients for Spinach Filling

These ingredients for spinach filling are enough for 6 fatayer pies.

• Spinach - Baby spinach cooks quickly and works well in this filling. Cook it until the liquid evaporates so the fatayer do not turn soggy. Frozen spinach also works, but it must be thawed fully and squeezed very well.

• Ground meat - Use ground beef or ground lamb with at least 15% fat for a juicier, more flavorful filling. The fat helps cook the onion and keeps the filling from tasting dry. If your ground meat is very lean, add the tablespoon of olive oil listed in the recipe.

• Onion - It adds sweetness and flavor to the meat and spinach filling. Dice it finely so it softens quickly and mixes evenly through the filling.

• Garlic - Fresh garlic works best. Finely chop, grate, or crush it before adding it to the pan.

How to Make Homemade Lebanese Pies

Prepare the Dough

Place the flour, salt, sugar, olive oil, and dried yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add the warm water and mix until a dough forms.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until it feels smooth, soft, and elastic.

The dough should not feel dry or hard. If it is sticky, add a small sprinkle of flour as you knead, but avoid adding too much. Place the dough back into the bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel.

Leave it to rise until doubled in size. This usually takes about 1 hour, but it can take longer in a cold kitchen. Prepare the fillings while the dough is rising.

Prepare the Cheese Filling

Crumble the feta cheese into a bowl and grate the kasar cheese. Wash, dry, and finely chop the parsley and dill. Add the feta, labneh, grated kasar cheese, Aleppo pepper, parsley, and dill to a bowl. Mix until everything is combined. Keep it in the fridge until you are ready to shape the fatayer.

Prepare the Spinach Filling

Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the ground beef or ground lamb. Cook until browned, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. If the meat releases enough fat, you may not need extra oil. If the pan looks dry, add the olive oil. Add the diced onion and garlic, then cook until the onion softens.

Stir in the salt, black pepper, and paprika, and cook for another minute. Add the spinach and cook until it wilts and the liquid in the pan evaporates. This step is important. A wet filling can make the dough soggy and cause the edges to open while baking.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the filling cool before using it. Warm filling makes the dough soft and harder to seal.

Shape the Fatayer

Once the dough has doubled in size, divide it into 12 equal pieces. Shape the pieces into balls, cover them with a clean kitchen towel, and let them rest for 15 minutes. This short rest helps the dough relax, so it rolls out more easily and does not shrink back.

Preheat the oven to 390°F 200°C. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

For boat-shaped fatayer, take one dough ball and roll it into a small oval, about 6 inches (15 cm) long. Place 1 ½ tablespoons of filling in the center, leaving a small border around the edges.

Fold the long sides slightly over the filling, leaving the middle open, then pinch both ends firmly to make a boat shape. Place the shaped fatayer on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

For triangle fatayer, roll one dough ball into a thin circle, about 6 inches (15 cm) wide. Place about 1 ½ tablespoons of filling in the center. Lift the left and right sides of the dough and bring them together above the filling. Pinch the two sides together from the bottom down toward the center, leaving the top side open.

Lift the top side of the dough up toward the center to form a triangle. Pinch all three seams firmly to seal the filling inside. Make sure the corners are closed well so the filling does not leak while baking.

Place the shaped fatayer on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space between each one.

Bake the Fatayer Pies

Mix the egg yolk with a small splash of water and brush it lightly over the dough.

Bake the fatayer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving, as the filling will be very hot straight from the oven.

How to Keep Fatayer from Opening in the Oven

Fatayer usually open in the oven when the filling is too wet, the dough is overfilled, or the edges are not sealed firmly enough.

The filling should be cool before shaping. Hot or warm filling softens the dough and makes it harder to pinch closed.

Use about 1 ½ tablespoons of filling for each piece of dough. It may look like a small amount, but overfilling makes the fatayer much harder to seal.

Pinch the edges firmly, especially when making triangle fatayer. If the dough feels dry and does not stick, lightly dampen the edges with a tiny bit of water, then pinch again.

Top Tips From the Chef

• Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until it feels smooth, soft, and elastic.

• Let the dough rise until doubled in size. In a cold kitchen, this can take longer than 1 hour.

• Rest the dough balls for 15 minutes before rolling. This makes the dough easier to shape.

• Use ground beef or ground lamb with at least 15% fat for a juicier spinach and meat filling.

• Cool the filling before shaping the fatayer. Warm filling softens the dough and makes sealing harder.

• Do not overfill the fatayer. About 1 ½ tablespoons of filling is enough for each piece of dough.

• Pinch the edges firmly, especially when making triangle fatayer.

• Brush lightly with egg wash for a golden finish.

Filling Variations

You can make a simple spinach fatayer filling without meat by using spinach, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, salt, and black pepper. This gives you a lighter vegetarian version with a sharper flavor.

For meat fatayer, use ground beef or ground lamb with onion, garlic, spices, and a little tomato paste or pomegranate molasses. Cook the filling first and let it cool before shaping.

For cheese fatayer, use feta, kasar, mozzarella, akkawi, ricotta, labneh, or a mix of cheeses. A salty cheese mixed with a melting cheese gives the best texture.

You can also make za’atar fatayer by mixing za’atar with olive oil and spreading it over the dough before shaping it into small open pies.

How to Serve Fatayer

Fatayer are best served warm, but they are also good at room temperature. Serve them with Turkish tea, mint tea, plain yogurt, labneh, Cacik (Turkish Yogurt Dip), Beet Hummus, Muhammara (Red Pepper Dip), Zeytoon Parvardeh - Persian Marinated Olives, cucumber, tomatoes, Pickled Cucumber - Salatalik Tursusu, or a simple salad.

They work well for breakfast, lunchboxes, picnics, mezze platters, and snacks. You can also serve them with Acma - Turkish Soft Bread Rings, Turkish Boyoz Pastry, Kuymak, Cilbir - Turkish Poached Eggs, Strawberry and Rhubarb Jam, or a fresh salad for a larger breakfast or brunch spread.

Make Ahead Tips

You can make the dough and fillings ahead of time, but keep them separate until you are ready to shape the fatayer.

The fillings can be prepared a day ahead and kept in the fridge. This works especially well for the spinach filling because it needs to cool fully before use.

The dough can be made ahead and kept covered in the fridge after rising. Let it come back to room temperature before dividing and shaping.

You can also shape the fatayer a few hours ahead, cover them loosely, and keep them in the fridge until baking.

Storage Instructions

Store baked fatayer in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day if your kitchen is cool.

For longer storage, keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat them in the oven or air fryer until warm.

Fatayer freeze well for up to 3 months. Arrange them on a tray and freeze until firm, then transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container.

Reheat from frozen in the oven until hot all the way through. You can also thaw them in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For more delicious traditional Middle Eastern pastry 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 delicious fatayers - Homemade Lebanese Pies as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂