Yumurta Kapama (Turkish Boiled Eggs with Spiced Butter)

What Is Yumurta Kapama?

Yumurta Kapama is one of those simple egg dishes from Turkish cuisine.

In Turkish, “yumurta” means egg. “Kapama” is a word used for a way of placing something in a pan.

In this recipe, it describes how the halved boiled eggs are set into the melted butter with paprika, pul biber and dried mint, with the yolk side down.

In Türkiye, yumurta kapama is usually served for breakfast, as part of a big Turkish breakfast table with many small dishes to share.

In our home, it’s one of the recipes we make most often for weekend breakfast. And sometimes, especially on busy weekdays, we make it for dinner too. It’s incredibly yummy!

About the Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients.

• Eggs: We boil the eggs ourselves at home (you’ll find how we do it below). But if you already have hard-boiled eggs in the fridge, or if you bought them ready-boiled, you can absolutely use those. This recipe is perfect for using up extra boiled eggs.
• Butter: Use a butter you really like. The flavor matters here because you will taste it in every bite. 
• Pul Biber (Turkish-Style Red Pepper Flakes): The heat level can change from brand to brand. Some are mild, some are quite spicy. We recommend tasting a little first and then adjusting the amount to your liking. If you can’t find pul biber, you can use Aleppo pepper or regular red chili flakes instead. The dish should have a gentle kick, but if you don’t like spice, you can reduce it or even skip it.
• Dried Mint: This is a must for us. When dried mint meets hot butter, the smell is incredible. 

You can find the full list of ingredients with exact measurements in the recipe card below.

How to Make Hard-Boiled Eggs the Easy Way

This is the method we learned from our families in Türkiye, and it’s the one we always use at home. It gives us firm whites, fully set yolks, and eggs that peel easily. Every single time!

Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil. Once it starts boiling, lower the heat slightly and let the eggs simmer for 5 minutes.

Then turn off the heat and leave the eggs in the hot water for another 5 minutes.

Drain the water and transfer the eggs to a bowl. Let them rest for 2–3 minutes, just until they are cool enough to handle. We don’t put them in cold water to cool down and this method has always worked well for us.

Now your hard-boiled eggs are ready to make this Turkish boiled egg dish with spiced butter.

How to Make Yumurta Kapama

Yumurta Kapama is a very simple Turkish breakfast dish with just two basic steps.

First, boil the eggs until they are hard-boiled. Let them cool, peel them, and cut them in half lengthwise.

Then, in a separate pan, melt the butter and season it with pul biber and dried mint. Place the eggs in the pan with the yolk side down. Spoon some of the hot butter over the eggs and let them cook like this for about 2 minutes.

That’s it. Simple and full of flavor.

You can find the full instructions in the recipe card below.

Serving Suggestions

We love serving Yumurta Kapama as part of our Turkish breakfast on weekends.

Fresh bread is a must to scoop up that buttery sauce. If you’d like to make your own, our Turkish pide bread pairs perfectly with it. It’s soft, fluffy, and ideal for dipping into the pan.

We also add olives, jams, tomatoes, cucumbers, and some white cheese (or feta cheese) on the table too to make it feel like a proper Turkish breakfast.

And if we’re making this for dinner on a busy weekday, we often serve it with a simple salad on the side. Our Turkish lettuce salad works really well here.

However you serve it, don’t forget to spoon a little extra butter over the eggs right before bringing them to the table. That’s our favorite part.

Can I Use Olive Oil Instead?

Traditionally, Yumurta Kapama is made with butter, and we truly believe butter works best here. The rich taste of melted butter mixed with pul biber and dried mint is what gives this dish its signature flavor.

We don’t recommend replacing it fully with olive oil, as the result won’t be the same. However, if you really prefer olive oil, you can use a mix of butter and olive oil. 

Can I Make It Ahead?

You can boil the eggs ahead of time and keep them in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. In fact, this recipe is perfect if you already have hard-boiled eggs ready to use.

However, we recommend making the butter sauce and finishing the dish right before serving. Yumurta Kapama tastes best when the eggs are warm and the butter is freshly melted and spooned over the top.

If needed, you can gently reheat it in a pan for a minute or two, just until warmed through.

Storage and Reheating

Yumurta Kapama is one of those dishes that tastes best right away, while the eggs are warm and the butter is freshly melted.

We usually make it with 6 eggs. In our home, that means about 3 eggs per person because we really love it. But this amount can also serve 4 people if you plan for 2 eggs per person, especially as part of a larger breakfast table.

If you do have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep the eggs together with the butter sauce.

When you’re ready to eat, gently reheat them in a pan over low heat. If needed, you can add a little more butter and a pinch of pul biber or dried mint to refresh the flavor.

More Turkish Egg Recipes

• Turkish Egg Salad
• Menemen (scrambed eggs with tomatoes & peppers)
• Turkish Eggs (poached eggs with spiced butter on garlicky yogurt)
• Spinach with Eggs