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Home » Savory » Turkish Sigara Borek Recipe

Published: Jun 29, 2019 · Modified: Dec 18, 2020 by Yusuf

Turkish Sigara Borek Recipe

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Turkish Sigara Borek Rolls are savory, cheesy and crunchy. They make great appetizers, snacks, lunch and finger food for a party! This cheese rolls recipe with phyllo is a life saver and super easy to make!

Turkish sigara borek served with yogurt cucumber dip cacik and cherry tomatoes

Borek is the general name in Turkish cuisine we use for savory pastries made with phyllo sheets and various fillings such as cheese, meat, chicken, potatoes, spinach or eggplants. Sky is the limit when making borek fillings. This Sigara Borek is just another Turkish borek recipe.

Also check out >> Su Borek Recipe!

Unlike our Turkish Borek With Cheese and Herbs, which is layered and then baked, this one is rolled-up and fried in a pan on the stove. These cheese rolls are called “sigara böreği” in Turkish which literally means cigarette borek. Well, I have no idea why we don’t call them cigars, they look more like cigars. Don’t you think so?

Turkish phyllo cigars are one of the most common mezes or appetizers served in a restaurant before a main dish arrives. They are also quite popular at Turkish households as a snack to go with delicious black Turkish Tea or beer.

Turkish borek ingredients photographed on a grey background

Sigara Borek Ingredients

We need only four ingredients to make a classic fried burek recipe:

  • crumbled cheese
  • chopped parsley
  • phyllo sheets
  • oil for deep frying

Although these are the basic ingredients for this borek recipe, you can always make your own creations for the filling. Just keep in mind that you should use tiny pieces of what you are using.

Oh and the cheese I use in this recipe contains nigella seeds. That’s how it is sold at the market. If you like those tiny black seeds, you can add it to your cheese mixture too. But it is completely optional.

How To Make Turkish Fried Burek Rolls

The recipe has four easy parts: Making the filling, cutting the phyllo sheets, rolling them up with the filling and frying.

Cheese and parsley in a white bowl as a borek filling

First, prepare the filling. It’s a super easy step. Just combine cheese with parsley in a bowl.

Woman cutting phyllo sheets to make Turkish sigara borek
Phyllo sheets are cut in triangles for borek making

Second, cut the phyllo sheets into triangles. Place a phyllo sheet on the counter. Cut it into triangles using a knife. Do it just like slicing a pizza. First, cut it into two. Then into four and then into eight.

Woman filling triangle phyllo sheets with cheese and parsley mixture to make sigara borek
Woman making Turkish borek with phyllo sheets and cheese filling

Third, make the rolls. Grab a triangle and put about 1 tablespoon filling on the wide end of the triangle. Remember to leave some room at each side. Fold in both edges first and then fold the wide end.

How to make Turkish borek recipe with phyllo
How to make Turkish burek recipe

And the most fun part is here! Roll the phyllo almost until the top of the triangle. Brush the top edge of the triangle with water so that it sticks when rolled. Roll it up and put it aside. Repeat these steps for the remaining phyllo dough triangles. No rocket science here!

Turkish sigara borek frying in a pan
Turkish sigara borek frying in a pan

Finally, fry the rolls. You’re almost there. Heat oil in a pan and fry the phyllo cheese rolls in batches until they get golden on all sides. It takes about 5-7 minutes. Make sure you transfer them on paper towel because it will absorb the oil and your cheese rolls will be lighter. Now serve them warm. Yummy!

Woman showing the melting cheese inside fried Turkish borek

FAQs About Sigara Borek

Can I change the borek filling?

Sure, you can. You can go experimental and play about with the filling to have your own version of this traditional Turkish cigarette borek recipe. You can have fresh dill instead of parsley or little peas and finely grated carrots or/and onions. Just make sure the size of the filling doesn’t hinder the rolling.

If you are one of those folks who HAS To eat meat, try putting chopped salami, sausage or sujuk and cheese on the phyllo triangle and roll them up!

What Type Of Cheese?

You can use whatever cheese you like. Some of my favorites are Turkish cheeses such as feta, tulum cheese, kasar cheese. Make sure the cheese you are using is not watery or creamy. Cream cheese is likely to get watery and leak out when frying the rolls.

How to Serve Cigarette Borek

I resort to this Turkish cheese rolls recipe quite often since it caters us in many occasions. They make an easy and tasty appetizers, especially when served with Yogurt Cucumber Dip Cacik. It makes a fresh and healthy company to the rolls at lunch too. Sometimes we even have them as a delicious breakfast treat.

My little one loves them, too so I often make some for him as a healthy after school snack to munch on. And they work perfectly as crunchy finger food when you have a crowd coming over for a party or get together. Everyone gobbles them up before long. They are so irresistible! Take a crunchy bite from your warm sigara borek ( they’re way better when they are served warm) and wash it down with a beer. DE-LI-CI-OUS! 

Can I Make Sigara Borek Recipe With Puff Pastry?

Turkish people traditionally use phyllo pastry for this recipe and fry the rolls in a pan. If you prefer, you can use puff pastry and bake them in oven instead. Of course, the texture and the taste will be different but it can be just another alternative to regular ones.

Or you may still go with the phyllo pastry but bake them in the oven if you want them lighter. This works very well too. If you bake them in the oven, just make sure you brush their top with beaten egg yolk no matter you use phyllo or puffy pastry.

Are They Freezer Friendly?

YES! The best part of Turkish cheese rolls is that you can roll up a good batch to freeze while listening to your favorite radio programme.

These boreks are perfect to freeze raw. Place them on a baking sheet so that they don’t touch one another and wait in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Then put them in freezer bags and store for 6-8 months.

You can also freeze the leftovers and heat them up days later but with these delicious cheese rolls, I do not see it happening. They will all disappear in no time.

You can make borek rolls ahead of time and keep them in the fridge for a week. It’s really time saving when you have a party at home. Fry them when your guests are about to arrive and serve them warm. Make sure you keep the uncooked phyllo rolls in an airtight container in the fridge though.

More Phyllo Sheet Recipes

  • Potato Burek Recipe
  • Easy Turkish Baklava Recipe
  • Spinach Artichoke Turnovers
  • Phyllo Swirls With Eggs And Feta
  • Sweet and Savory Halloumi Bundles
Print

Turkish Sigara Borek Recipe

Turkish sigara borek served with yogurt cucumber dip cacik and cherry tomatoes

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Crispy phyllo filled with cheese and parsley. Incredibly tasty snack both for kids and adults.

  • Author: Zerrin
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 14 minutes
  • Total Time: 34 minutes
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Snack
  • Method: Frying
  • Cuisine: Turkish

Ingredients

Scale

For The Filling:

  • 1 and ½ cup crumbled cheese (like feta)
  • ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped

For the phyllo rolls:

  • 2 phyllo sheets
  • ½ cup oil for frying

Instructions

For the filling:

Combine cheese with parsley in a bowl.

To make the phyllo rolls:

  1. Place a phyllo sheet on the counter. Cut it into triangles using a sharp knife. Just like slicing a pizza. First, cut it into two. Then into four and then into eight.
  2. Grab a triangle and place it on the counter. Put about 1 tablespoon filling on the wide end of the triangle. Leave some room at each side.
  3. Fold in both edges first and then fold the wide end. Roll the phyllo until the top edge of the triangle.
  4. Brush the top part of the triangle with water so that it sticks when rolled.
  5. Repeat these for the remaining phyllo dough triangles.

Frying:

Heat oil in a pan. Fry the cheese rolls in batches until golden. Transfer them on paper towel and serve warm.

Keywords: turkish snack, phyllo recipe, phyllo dough, borek, turkish borek

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ted says

    July 17, 2019 at 1:03 am

    I made these today and we ate them ALL! I'm going to make more next time so that I can freeze some for later use. Thank you for the recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. mary-anne durkee says

    January 18, 2012 at 8:29 pm

    Love Sigara Boregi! Our son-in-law's mum was a chef in former Yugoslavia and she even makes her own phyllo dough sheerts. Sometimes she makes the layered types with meat, cheese or potatoes, also the coiled ones.

    She usually uses feta cheese, but I think they sometimes use kajmak cheese. I have even made them with kashkaval!

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      January 25, 2012 at 9:20 pm

      I didn't know that sigara boregi is known in other parts of the world. I'm sure it is even better when you make the phyllo sheets yourself. You're lucky to taste the one made by a chef in this way.

      Reply
  3. Sam from The Second Lunch says

    April 05, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    Zerrin, these look wonderful, I think I might make some soon... usually they last about oh, three hours in my house before they are gone!

    For all of you not in Turkey, white cheese (beyaz peynir) is a type of sheeps milk (usually) cheese similar to feta.

    It's a little bit softer than feta, and a little bit less tangy. You store it in water, like you would tofu, to release some of the salt. In Turkey it is used in dishes like this one, or even eaten plain for breakfast with some cucumber and tomato.

    Some specialty cheese markets, or middle eastern markets will sell it, although if you can't find it, you can get either Bulgarian feta, or French Valbreso, they are fairly similar.

    Reply
  4. Tangled Noodle says

    April 05, 2009 at 2:13 pm

    I definitely prefer eating these with cheese rather than tobacco! What a great snack - they remind me (in their shape) of a Filipino appetizer, Lumpia Shanghai, although it's with meat.

    Reply
  5. Zerrin says

    April 05, 2009 at 9:35 am

    Daily Spud - It was absolutely wonderful with beer.

    Stru - Thanks for this information.

    Sophie- Glad you like it. You can try it with the beer you mentioned in your blog.

    lisaiscooking - It is also perfect for watching movies.

    Reeni - So crispy...This is the keyword for these rolls.

    Mely - You're right, I understand that I should write a post on Turkish cheese. I'm planning to add it soon.

    Sophia- Cinnamon and brown sugar is a wonderful idea! Never thought it, bur I should try. I sometimes eat it dipping into yogurt.

    Reply
  6. Sophia says

    April 05, 2009 at 6:14 am

    yummy! I'd bet this will also be good as a sweet snack sprinkled with cinnamon and brown sugar.

    Reply
  7. melycastaneda says

    April 05, 2009 at 4:32 am

    Hi, Zerrin,

    I would love to see a post on greek or turkish cheese.
    Is this goat cheese?

    Thanks!

    Mely

    Reply
  8. Reeni says

    April 04, 2009 at 4:40 pm

    They look so crispy, flaky and delicious! The perfect snack to munch on!

    Reply
  9. lisaiscooking says

    April 04, 2009 at 5:10 am

    These look delicious! Perfect snacks for watching sports. The filling sounds great.

    Reply
  10. Sophie says

    April 04, 2009 at 2:57 am

    MMMMM...Zerrin!! these rolls look so lovely & yummie: I love it!! Thanks!!

    Reply
  11. stru says

    April 03, 2009 at 5:11 pm

    White cheese is just a milk or butter cheese.

    Reply
  12. Daily Spud says

    April 03, 2009 at 2:06 pm

    Those sound like an excellent beer snack - I must remember to keep some phyllo pastry on hand!

    Reply
  13. Zerrin says

    April 03, 2009 at 9:21 am

    Thank you all for your comments. These cigarette boreks were definitely tasty, they didn't last long that night.

    Lauren- I'm not sure how I can describe white cheese except its color. It's a very common cow cheese here, I really don't know how it's made. But you can use any kind of cheese in these cigarette boreks.

    Reply
  14. vrinda says

    April 02, 2009 at 6:29 pm

    Looks delicious and crispy with few ingredients...

    Reply
  15. Sara says

    April 02, 2009 at 5:53 pm

    These look delicious, I love phyllo - so crispy and tasty!

    Reply
  16. OysterCulture says

    April 02, 2009 at 4:48 pm

    oh, these little beauties would get me in trouble. They look so delicious. I'm bookmarking so may of these for when my hubby comes back.

    Reply
  17. Lauren says

    April 02, 2009 at 3:23 pm

    what is white cheese?
    I like this. reminds me of taquitos but way nicer.

    Reply
  18. Diana says

    April 02, 2009 at 2:56 pm

    These would not last long in my home. A nice treat.

    Reply
  19. Natasha - 5 Star Foodie says

    April 02, 2009 at 12:28 pm

    ooo, perfect snack - crunchy and cheesy! Yum!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Leftover Bread And Cheese Patties - Give Recipe says:
    11/25 at 21:36

    [...] as appetizers. I’m sure they go very well with beer too as they are so appetizing just like our cigarette borek, which are served with beer at [...]

    Reply
  2. A Food Name Change | Give Recipe says:
    09/18 at 00:00

    [...] have a traditional pastry named cigarette borek (sigara boregi in Turkish). It is made of phyllo filled with feta and parsley and then fried. [...]

    Reply
  3. Fluffy Pastry | Give Recipe says:
    01/10 at 08:36

    [...] How is it paid in your country? Now I can talk on this yummy pastry. These are very similar to cigarette borek in shape, but their method is different. I made these at the weekend and stored some in the freezer [...]

    Reply
  4. Zucchini Fritters | Give Recipe says:
    12/03 at 16:48

    [...] of these snacks are a kind of borek, stuffed grapevine leaves, kisir, potato salad, lentil balls, cigarette borek, etc. And zucchini fritters are one of these snacks that is served to guests on a plate with some [...]

    Reply

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