Turkish recipes
Easy Turkish Recipes to Cook at Home
Turkish cooking leans on thick yogurt, butter, gentle red pepper and plenty of fresh herbs, with grilled meat, eggs and syrup-soaked pastries all part of everyday eating. Our Turkish recipes start with three favourites: çılbır for breakfast, grill-house köfte for dinner and pistachio baklava for dessert.
They are written for home kitchens anywhere, using supermarket ingredients with easy swaps for specialist ones such as Aleppo pepper, plus exact quantities, timings and doneness checks. Where we take a shortcut, such as store-bought phyllo for the baklava, we say so.
3 recipes · Updated
Quick answer
Savour has three Turkish recipes. The quickest is Turkish eggs (çılbır), poached eggs on garlic yogurt with chili butter, ready in 15 minutes. Turkish köfte, grilled spiced beef meatballs, take 65 minutes including a 30-minute chill. Pistachio baklava needs 90 minutes of prep and baking, plus at least 4 hours for the syrup to soak in.
- Recipes
- 3
- Average total time
- 2 hrs 17 mins
- Quickest
- Turkish Eggs (Çılbır) (15 mins)
- Rated Easy
- 2 of 3
- Average calories
- 323 per serving
- Newest
- Turkish Eggs (Çılbır)
All Turkish Recipes (3)
Frequently Asked Questions
What pantry staples do I need for Turkish cooking?
Keep Aleppo pepper (pul biber), sweet paprika, ground cumin, garlic, lemons and thick full-fat yogurt on hand, along with unsalted butter and fresh parsley, dill or mint. For baklava you also need phyllo pastry and shelled unsalted pistachios.
What can I use instead of Aleppo pepper?
Aleppo pepper is mild and fruity with gentle heat. Mix 3 parts sweet paprika with 1 part red chili flakes as a close substitute, or use about half the amount of plain chili flakes.
Which Turkish recipe should I start with?
Start with Turkish eggs: they take 15 minutes and show off the classic Turkish pairing of garlic yogurt and spiced butter. Try köfte next, and save baklava for when you have time, since it is best made the day before serving.
Are any of the Turkish recipes vegetarian or gluten-free?
Turkish eggs are vegetarian and gluten-free, as long as you serve them with gluten-free bread. Baklava is vegetarian but contains wheat in the phyllo. Köfte are made with beef and breadcrumbs.