Sigara Boregi (Turkish Cheese Rolls)

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Sigara Boregi (Turkish Cheese Rolls) are crispy Turkish appetizers/snacks made with thin and flaky filo sheets called "yufka", filled with feta cheese, and then shallow-fried for extra crispness.

It is a versatile pastry that can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

Sigara Böreği, also known as Turkish Cigar Borek or Cigarette Borek, gets its name from its cylindrical shape, which resembles cannolis or taquitos.

These delicious cheese rolls are a popular Turkish pastry.

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What is Sigara Boregi?
Why This Recipe Works?
What Pastry to Use for Sigara Boregi?
How to Make Yufka Triangles?
Ingredients You'll Need
How to Make Sigara Boregi?
Serving Suggestions
Top Tips From the Chef
How to Freeze Sigara Boregi?
Recipe FAQs
Related Recipes
Sigara Boregi (Turkish Cheese Rolls)

This Sigara Boregi recipe is easy to prepare ahead (watch the attached video to see how simple it is), freezes beautifully, and can be cooked without needing to thaw it first!

These savory Turkish boreks are the perfect "make ahead" finger food for parties.

I also often serve them as an appetizer along with a bowl of Cacik (Turkish Yogurt with Cucumbers), as a part of a mezze spread, or Turkish Breakfast selection.

What is Sigara Boregi?

Sigara Boregi, also known as Sigara Borek or Cigarette Borek, is a type of Turkish savory pastry called "Borek".

These super popular crispy pastries are made using yufka dough, which is a thin and flaky pastry similar to phyllo dough.

It's perfect as a snack or an appetizer, and it's typically served with a side of yogurt dip or some side salad.

The filling for sigara borek is a delicious mix of feta cheese, parsley, and sometimes spinach, which gets rolled up into a cylinder shape.

Once it's all rolled up, the pastry is fried until it's nice and crispy and has a beautiful golden brown color.

While some recipes call for baking the pastry in the oven, Sigara Boreks taste best when they're shallow-fried in a pan.

Same as the Pacanga Boregi, you can make different variations by changing the fillings, but the cheese and herb filling is the most popular one.

They're not the quickest to prepare but they are easy to put together.

Why This Recipe Works?

Sigara Boregi is a great food for gatherings and entertainment, you can serve them as finger food, as a part of a mezze platter, as a Turkish breakfast item, or as a vegetarian appetizer.

This borek recipe is very easy to follow with step-by-step pictures, instructions, and a short video tutorial.

Turkish Cheese Rolls freeze beautifully, you can keep the leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months.

They are also perfect for making ahead. You can make Sigara Boregi ahead for up to 3 days and fry them when needed.

What Pastry to Use for Sigara Boregi?

Traditionally, Turkish boreks such as Sigara Böreği and Spinach and Feta Pie - Ispanakli Peynirli Borek, are made with Yufka pastry dough, which is a bit thicker than phyllo pastries.

These round-shaped thin dough parcels are easy to find online or from Turkish or Middle Eastern food shops.

You can also use filo pastries instead which are similar but thinner than yufka, and they come in rectangular shapes.

Filo (or phyllo) pastries are available in most supermarkets and shops, and you can buy them fresh or frozen.

Another alternative is to use spring roll pastry or wrappers, which might be more convenient to use as they often come in small square-shaped sheets.

They are available in some grocery stores in the freezer/fridge sections, or Asian grocery shops.

Make sure to use the type made of wheat and not rice for this Sigara Boregi recipe.

How to Make Yufka Triangles?

First, place the round yufka pastry on a clean, flat surface. Make sure the pastry is evenly shaped and not wrinkled.

Next, take a sharp knife and cut the pastry in half horizontally, dividing it into two semicircles.

Then, cut each semicircle in half again, this time vertically. You should now have four equal quarters.

Finally, cut each quarter in half diagonally, creating eight equal triangles.

Make sure to cut the pastry carefully and accurately to ensure that each triangle is equal in size.

This will help ensure that the pastry bakes evenly and looks visually appealing.

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.

Labelled picture of ingredients for sigara Borek

Yufka - Yufka is a type of thin, unleavened Turkish flatbread commonly used in Turkish cuisine. These round-shaped thin dough parcels are easy to find online or from Turkish or Middle Eastern food shops. You can use filo pastries instead which are similar but thinner than yufka, and they come in rectangular shapes.

Feta - I prefer feta cheese made with sheep milk with a high-fat content with a creamy texture. You can replace it with goat's cheese, cottage cheese, halloumi, or Kasar cheese.

Halloumi - It's a great-tasting semi-hard cheese and I love adding it to my cheese fillings for pastries. You can omit it and add any other favorite cheese of yours.

Herbs - Parsley, mint, and dill are my favorite 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.

How to Make Sigara Boregi?

Making these delicious Turkish cheese rolls is very simple and straightforward.

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

Prepare the Cheese Filling

Crumble the feta cheese using a fork and place it in a bowl.

Grate halloumi cheese and add it to the bowl along with the chopped parsley, mint, dill, and freshly ground black pepper.

chopped herbs and grated halloumi are added to the bowl

Mix well until all combined with a spoon or a fork.

all the ingredients are mixed until all is combined with a fork

Roll the Pastries

Cut the filo pastries into 8 equal triangles. That would give you 24 triangles.

Place a triangle of yufka on a large, flat surface, pointed end away from you.

Add a tablespoonful of cheese filling to the wide end and then spread it into a thin line, leaving a small gap on either side.

a spoonful of filling is placed on the long side of the triangle

Fold the flat end over the top of the cheese, fold the outer corners over the filling, and then roll the borek tightly.

rolling the yufka triangle into a log shape

Wet the tip on each pastry at the pointed end to seal it.

a piece of yufka triangle rolled into a cigarette borek

Set aside and continue with the remaining yufka and filling.

last couple of pieces of yufka triangles are being rolled

Shallow Fry the Boreks

Heat ¼ cup of 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 overcrowd the pan.

When cooked, place the boreks on a paper kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.

sigara borek-Turkish cheese rolls served with cucumbers and tomatoes

Serving Suggestions

Sigara Borek is best served hot and crispy right out of the fryer.

Same as Su Boregi - Water Borek and Spinach and Feta Pie - Ispanakli Peynirli Borek, they are perfect as finger food, appetizer, snack, breakfast, or as part of a mezze platter.

To serve Sigara Boregi as a finger food or a snack, pair them with a dipping sauce such as Thai Style Tomato Chili Jam, Tirokafteri (Spicy Whipped Feta Dip), or Haydari-Turkish Yoghurt Dip.

If you want to serve these deliciously crispy pastries as a part of a mezze platter, serve them along with Arnavut Cigeri - Turkish Liver, Falafel, Icli Kofte (Turkish Kibbeh), and Fasulye Piyaz (Turkish Bean Salad).

Sigara Boregi is one of our favorite breakfast items and I love serving these crispy pastries along with Muhammara - Acuka (Red Pepper Dip), Spinach with Eggs, Strawberry Mille Feuille, or Kaygana (Turkish Omelette).

Top Tips From the Chef

You can make these delicious boreks in advance in big batches and freeze them for later. No need to defrost them before frying, take them out of the freezer then fry them in hot oil.

While wrapping the pastry, you should be careful not to wrap it too tightly. Pastry that is wrapped too tightly will burst during the frying process.

You can make different variations by changing the fillings but the cheese and herb filling is the most popular one.

When frying your Sigara Boreks, make sure you heat the oil to 185° C (365° F). If your oil is not hot enough, the pastries will get soggy and the cheese will start melting before the pastries get crispy.

How to Freeze Sigara Boregi?

By following these simple steps, you can freeze cooked or uncooked sigara borek and have them ready to cook whenever you want.

This is a great way to save time and always have a delicious snack on hand.

Place the fried or unfried sigara boreks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, ensuring they don't touch each other.

Put the baking sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours or until the sigara borek is frozen solid.

Once the sigara borek is frozen, transfer them into a freezer-safe container or freezer bag.

Put the container or freezer bag in the freezer and store them for up to 3 months.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make Sigara Boreks ahead?

Sigara Boreks are an easy make-ahead appetizer. You can prepare them a couple of days in advance and cook them just before your guests arrive. Simply fill and roll the sigara boregi, arrange them (uncooked) on a sheet pan in one single layer, cover with cling film, and keep them refrigerated until ready to serve them.

Can I bake Sigara Borek instead of frying it?

While the traditional way to make sigara borek is to fry it, you can also bake it in the oven. Just brush the sigara borek with some egg wash and bake them in a preheated oven at 180° C (350° F) for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

What is Borek?

Borek is the general name for savory Turkish pastries made with a thin, crispy crust and various fillings.
You can stuff boreks with cheese (Cheese Borek), potato (Potato Borek), spinach (Spinach Borek), and meat (Meat Borek).

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 crispy Turkish Cheese Rolls "Sigara Boregi" as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂

Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

This recipe is featured in Twinkl Picnic in the Park Blog.

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