Turkish Rolls with cheese (Sigara Boregi or Cigarette Borek) is a type of pastry made with thin filo pastries called yufka, filled with cheese and then shallow-fried for extra crispness. These delicious pastries have a cylindric shape that looks like cannolis or taquitos but differ in taste.

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Same as Spinach Borek (Ispanakli Borek) and Borek With Meat and Spinach, they are perfect as finger food, snack, breakfast, or as part of a mezze platter. You can make them in advance in big batches and freeze them for later. No need to defrost before frying, take them out of the freezer then fry them in hot oil.
Borek is a general name for savoury Turkish pastries made with a thin, crispy crust and various fillings. The most common way to cook them is in the oven although Turkish Cheese Rolls (Sigara Borek) are best when shallow fried in a pan.
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 fairly easy to put together.
Why This Recipe Works?
- It's a great food for gatherings and entertainment, you can serve them as finger food, as a part of a mezze platter or as a vegetarian appetiser.
- This recipe is very easy to follow with step-by-step pictures, instructions and a short video tutorial.
- They freeze beautifully, you can keep the leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- You can make them ahead for up to 3 days and fry them when needed.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Yufka - These round shape thin dough parcels are easy to find online or from Turkish or Middle Eastern food shops. You can use filo pastries instead which is 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.
- Feta - I prefer feta cheese made with sheep milk with high-fat content with a creamy texture. You can replace it with goat's cheese, cottage cheese 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 favourite cheese of yours.
- 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.
How to Make Turkish Cheese Rolls (Sigara Boregi)?
Making these delicious cheese boreks is very simple and straightforward. However, to achieve the best results you need to follow a few simple steps:
Prepare the Filling
Crumble the feta cheese using a fork and place it in a bowl. Grate halloumi cheese and add it to the feta cheese. Add the chopped parsley, mint, dill, and freshly ground black pepper to the cheese mixture. Mix with a spoon to combine.
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 spread it into a thin line, leaving a small gap on either side.
Fold the flat end over the top of the cheese, fold the outer corners over the filling and roll the borek tightly. Wet the tip on each pastry at the pointed end to seal it. Set aside and continue with the remaining yufka and filling.
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.
Related Recipes
For more scrumptious pastry recipes why not try:
Turkish borek is a savoury pastry made with thin flaky "yufka" dough filled with fillings such as mince, cheese, vegetables, or potatoes.
There are many different ways of preparing and cooking these delicious pastries. Some can be wrapped and baked individually and some can be prepared as a whole in a large tray and cut into portions after baking.
Borek is also popular in the Balkans, Middle East, Central Asia, and some Eastern and Central European countries.
Yes, you can freeze them either before frying or after, and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you freeze them uncooked, you can fry them straight out of the freezer without needing to defrost them.
If you freeze them after frying, wrap them in tin foil and reheat them in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
I hope you enjoy the process of making these crispy and cheesy rolled boreks as much as you enjoy eating them!🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
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.

Turkish Rolls (Sigara Boregi)
Equipment
- 1 Grater
Ingredients
- 3 fresh yufka sheets (or frozen filo pastries)
- 200 g feta cheese
- 125 g halloumi (or kasar,cheddar,mozarella)
- 1 cup parsley (chopped)
- 2 tablespoon mint (chopped)
- 2 tablespoon dill (chopped)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup oil for frying
Instructions
- Crumble the feta cheese using a fork and place it in a bowl.
- Grate halloumi cheese and add it to the feta cheese.
- Add the chopped parsley, mint, dill, and freshly ground black pepper to the cheese mixture. Mix with a spoon to combine.
- 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 spread it into a thin line, leaving a small gap on either side.
- Fold the flat end over the top of the cheese, fold the outer corners over the filling and roll the borek tightly. Wet the tip on each pastry at the pointed end to seal it. Set aside and continue with the remaining yufka and filling.
- Heat ¼ cup 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 paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
Video
Nutrition
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 point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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Ayla
Perfect
Dona
I made this pastries a few times now and never disappointed. Kids love them, husband loves them so I will keep doing them. thanks for the recipe.
Caroline
Perfect party food and great for snacking. I do this regularly now and wanted to say "thank you for the recipe!"
Abbie
I couldn’t find yufka so I used filo pastries. Turned out delicious!
Dan
This is delicious! Thank you for the recipe! This is the best borek recipe I’ve tried to yet.
Carol
Brilliant Recipe, made this in batches and put some in the freezer for later. Thank you for sharing this x
Leila
Delightful and crispy!
Lana
They look amazing and so tempting ! Such a great idea for party food. It is added to my collection!
Cecile
I baked them in the oven and they were still delicious! The family loved them. I will be making these regularly.
Deann
Wonderful recipe and spot on instructions, Thank you!
Ken
Turned out perfect and so delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Nicky
Loved this so much, it was a big hit with friends…..they wanted the recipe. 😂👍
Ruth
This morning we made your cheese rolls for the first time and …WOW….delicious!!!
Kerry
These were delicious!! I took them to a gathering and they were all gone in a matter of minutes. Thank you for a great recipe!
Marti
Wonderful recipe, have made a few times now, last time I added spring onions, delish!!!
Priya
Wonderful instructions. The pictures are so helpful. Thank you for explaining so clearly and simply.
Rubyn
These came out delicious and were a big hit with even my picky eaters.
Ruby
Made this last weekend for our family brunch, they were delicious and crispy. Thank you!