25 Easy and Delicious Turkish Side Dishes to serve with kebabs, grilled meat, or fish, all from my own kitchen. Turkish meals rarely arrive as a single plate. Alongside the main dish there is always a pilaf, a salad, a bowl of yogurt, or warm bread.
Many of these sides are quick to make, and quite a few taste even better the next day. Each dish here has its own tested recipe on the blog.
If you are planning a whole kebab night, my The Side Dishes That Make Kebabs So Much Better list goes deeper into those pairings.
Bulgur Pilaf
Bulgur Pilavi or Turkish Bulgur Pilaf is a healthy side dish that pairs perfectly with grilled meat or chicken, kebabs, casserole dishes and hearty stews. This Turkish cuisine staple is very easy to make with only a few ingredients. Bulgur wheat is widely used in Turkey for salad, soup, kofte and pilafs. It is delicious as well as being nutritious. It is available in a variety of grinds such as fine, medium, coarse and extra coarse. The coarse and extra coarse are perfect for making pilaf, and fine / medium is good for soup, salad and koftes.
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Green Beans Recipe
Mediterranean Green Beans (Zeytinyagli Taze Fasulye in Turkish) is a popular vegetarian/vegan dish that is cooked quite often in most Turkish homes during the summer. This simple yet delicious dish can be made beforehand and usually served warm or at room temperature. All you need is green beans, ripen summer tomatoes, onions, and good quality olive oil to cook this summer dish.
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Bazlama
Bazlama is a soft and fluffy Turkish Flatbread that has become more popular over the last few decades. It is one of the oldest Turkish bread recipes, and probably the favorite of many as well. This delicious bread is traditionally cooked on outdoor stoves over a wood fire in the villages of Anatolia, but you can easily cook them at home on a good quality heavy-based pan or skillet.
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Turkish Rice
Turkish Rice Pilaf with orzo (Sehriyeli Pirinc Pilavi in Turkish) has been a staple food and has always enjoyed a special status in Turkey for centuries. This basic rice dish is an important part of Turkish cuisine that plays a significant role in everyday cooking. You can enjoy it in every possible kind of eatery, from the local cafeteria to a posh Istanbul restaurant.
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Fellah Koftesi
Fellah Koftesi is a delicious vegetarian bulgur dish made with simple ingredients such as bulgur, semolina, onion, tomato&pepper paste and spices. You can serve this traditional Turkish recipe as a vegetarian main, an appetiser or as a side dish. Fellah Köfte is very easy to prepare but needs a bit of labor shaping the tiny cute dumplings. However, the end result is definitely worth the effort! I find it quite therapeutic so I usually do this budget-friendly dish in batches and freeze some to serve later.
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Turkish Pide Bread - Ramazan Pidesi
Delicious, fluffy and slightly chewy Turkish Pide Bread (or Ramazan Pidesi) is a no-knead flatbread traditionally eaten during holy Ramadan. This authentic Turkish Bread is best when served warm, fresh out of the oven. In Turkey, bakeries make this Ramadan Bread a couple of hours before iftar (the evening meal during Ramazan).
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Imam Bayildi
Imam Bayildi (Turkish Stuffed Eggplant) is a classic Ottoman dish that is widely popular in the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East. Same as Yaprak Sarma-Dolma (Stuffed Grape Leaves) and Barbunya (Turkish Style Borlotti Beans), it is a part of the "Zeytinyagli" (Braised in Olive Oil) category in Turkish Cuisine. It is made with eggplants cooked in a generous amount of olive oil and then stuffed with a mixture of onions, tomatoes, and garlic.
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Barbunya Pilaki (Turkish Borlotti Beans)
Barbunya Pilaki (Turkish Style Borlotti Beans) is a classic Turkish dish braised in olive oil with onions, garlic, and tomato (paste). This delicious vegan dish is perfect to serve as a light lunch, a part of a mezze spread, or a side dish to grilled&roasted meat, fish, and vegetables.
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Zeytinyağlı Pırasa Yemeği (Turkish Braised Leeks)
Zeytinyağlı Pırasa Yemeği (Turkish Braised Leeks) is a simple, unique, and delicious dish made with fresh and wholesome ingredients such as leeks, carrots, bulgur, and olive oil. The slight sweetness of the carrots and leeks pairs perfectly with the nice tangy punch coming from lemon juice. You can serve this Turkish Zeytinyagli Pirasa Yemegi as a side dish, or as a vegetarian main meal along with some crusty bread such as Black Pepper Sourdough Focaccia.
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White Bean Salad Recipe
Piyaz (Turkish Bean Salad) is a healthy and nutritious side dish and a perfect accompaniment to your meals. It is made of beans, onions, tomatoes, and parsley then dressed with tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. This cold Turkish salad is very easy to make and is ready in 15 minutes.
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Mercimek Köftesi
Mercimek Kofte (Lentil Balls) is a healthy and flavorful Turkish dish made with fine bulgur, red lentils, onions, tomato & red pepper paste, and spices. These aromatic vegetarian meatballs are inexpensive and very easy to make. They are usually served as an appetizer, side dish, a healthy snack, or a part of a mezze platter.
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Mucver - Crispy Zucchini Fritters
Mucver (Courgette / Zucchini Fritters) are small vegetable pancakes that contain courgettes, egg, flour, spring onion and fresh herbs. You can serve these tasty and crispy fritters as an appetiser, side dish, finger food or even as a light lunch.
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Çoban Salatası Recipe
Turkish Shepherd Salad (Coban Salatasi or Choban Salad ) is a light, easy to make, and incredibly refreshing side dish made with juicy summer tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers. It is one of the most popular Turkish salads and is usually served alongside grilled meat, kebabs, or seafood dishes.
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Vegan Stuffed Bell Peppers - Turkish Biber Dolmasi
These delicious vegetarian Turkish Stuffed Peppers (Biber Dolmasi) are filled with aromatic stuffing made of rice, onions, pine nuts, currants, and various herbs/spices. You can serve them as a side dish as well as the main meal or an appetizer. The leftovers are great for boxed lunch the next day or a picnic.
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Pita Bread Recipe
Homemade Pita bread is a type of Middle Eastern flatbread made of flour, yeast, salt and sugar. This simple recipe is the key to making your own delicious homemade flatbreads with only a few ingredients you have in your kitchen. It is very easy to make, vegan friendly and taste much better than shop-bought ones.
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Cacik
Cacik is a delicious and refreshing Turkish Yogurt dish made with cucumbers & herbs, a very similar dip to its Greek cousin known as "tzatziki". This wonderful dip is very easy to prepare, ready in just 10 minutes, and only needs a few fridge ingredients.
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Saksuka (Turkish Eggplant Meze)
Saksuka (Turkish Vegetable Meze) is a very much loved vegetarian/vegan dish made of shallow-fried vegetables and a simple tomato sauce. The star ingredient for this traditional Turkish dish is the eggplants and the rest of the vegetables added to the dish vary from region to region.
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Vegan Lebanese Eggplant Moussaka (Maghmour)
This simple yet delicious Vegan Moussaka dish is made with roasted eggplant slices and a delicious chickpea & tomato filling. My version of this traditional moussaka dish is much healthier and is packed with Mediterranean flavors. It is not one of these quick&easy weekday meals but the finished product is definitely worth the effort.
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Yaprak Sarma - Stuffed Grape Leaves
Yaprak Sarma (or Dolma) is an authentic Turkish dish made from Grape Leaves Stuffed with aromatic rice, fresh Mediterranean herbs, and spices. It is the most popular dish in Turkey that is prepared especially for special occasions or guests. Same as my Biber Dolmasi |Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers, you can serve these delicious bite-sized appetizers as a part of a mezze platter, as a side dish or warm as a main meal.Â
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Potato Salad without Mayonnaise
This Potato Salad without Mayonnaise is the Turkish classic, Patates Salatası. It is quick to make, easy to prep ahead, and perfect next to anything grilled.
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Haydari
Haydari is a thick and creamy Turkish meze made with strained yogurt, feta cheese, garlic, fresh dill, walnuts, and mint butter. Serve it cold with bread, kebabs, grilled meat, vegetables, or a Turkish meze spread.
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Havuç Tarator - Turkish Carrot Dip with Yogurt
Havuç Tarator (or Carrot Tarator) is a traditional Turkish dip made with grated carrots, thick yogurt, and garlic. Serve it cold with bread, or spoon it next to grilled meat and kebabs.
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Sumac Onions
Sumac Onions are a Turkish red onion salad made with thinly sliced red onions, sumac, parsley, chili flakes, and salt. They are quick to prepare and perfect with kebabs, grilled meat, lahmacun, wraps, and mezze.
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Traditional Kisir Recipe (Spicy Turkish Bulgur Salad)
Kisir is a flavorful and healthy Turkish whole-grain salad made with bulgur wheat, fresh herbs, veggies, and a tangy dressing. Serve it cold as a side dish or a light lunch.
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Gavurdagi Salatasi (Turkish Tomato Walnut Salad)
Gavurdagi Salatasi (Tomato and Walnut Salad) is a healthy yet delicious Mediterranean dish made with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and walnuts. Serve it chilled next to kebabs and grilled meat.
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Related Recipes
For more delicious Turkish recipes, why not try:
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I hope you enjoy checking out these delicious Turkish Side Dish Recipes as much as you enjoy eating them!🙂
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