This Cheese Burek Recipe is fantastic! Cheese Börek have a light and crunchy exterior and a hot-cheesy filling. Whether you serve them with a salad, or on their own as an appetizer, you're sure to get rave reviews!
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Traditional Turkish Burek, also spelled borek, are prepared using fillo dough and comes with a variety of fillings. The two most popular Burek fillings include cheese mixed with various herbs and a filling made with ground meat, spices, onion, and parsley.
Armenian Burek are usually triangle-shaped and prepared with Fillo Dough. Often they are sprinkled with sesame seeds or black cumin seeds. Instead of being fried, they're brushed with butter and baked.
Many other cultures prepare Börek, including a Bosnian version that is formed into a coil-shaped pie.
This cheese borek recipe, however, is a lot easier to prepare than most. That's because we will be using egg roll wrappers instead of Fillo Dough.
Ingredient & Substitutions
- Cheese: Feta cheese can be a bit overpowering and salty. In my Burek recipe, I add mozzarella cheese, which balances out the flavor.
- Fresh herbs: Fresh herbs are not only delicious but also good for you! We pack plenty of parsley, dill, and chives into the filling.
- Black Olives and Serrano Pepper: Although black olives and serrano peppers are not traditional cheese Burek ingredients, they complement the other flavors and add a little zip.
- Egg: The egg in this recipe is used to bind the filling ingredients, making the Burek easier to mold and roll.
- Egg Roll Wrappers: Egg roll wrappers are a lot easier to work with than Fillo Dough, which makes rolling the Burek a breeze!
How to Make Burek
Step 1: Stir crumbled feta cheese and shredded mozzarella into a medium-sized bowl. Add parsley, dill, chives, and Serrano pepper. Mix to combine.
Step 2: Add chopped black olives and a beaten egg to bind everything together.
Step 3: Place egg roll wrapper on a flat working surface. Add approximately 1-½ tablespoons of filling towards the bottom of the wrapper and mold into a log.
Step 4: Dab the corners of the wrapper with water (or a beaten egg), then fold the sides over the filling. Roll the bottom portion of the wrapper over the filling. Continue rolling tightly upwards until the Burek is completely sealed.
Step 5: Place seal-down on a platter and continue until all the filling is used up.
How to Fry Burek
Step 1: Heat vegetable oil in a small pan until it reaches 350 degrees F. Using tongs, carefully place a few Burek into the hot oil and fry on all sides until brown.
Pro Tip: The oil should start bubbling immediately once the Burek are added to the pan. If the oil is not hot enough, they will absorb too much oil and end up greasy. If the oil is too hot, it will burn the wrappers before fully cooking the filling.
Step 2: Drain excess oil into the pan and place them on a napkin-covered plate. Repeat with the remaining Burek. Serve Burek while still hot!
Recipe FAQs
Cheese Burek obviously have cheese, but what else can you mix in to take them over the top? Here are just a few possibilities:
Fresh garlic
Scallions
Mint
Basil
Crushed red pepper
Although you can freeze Burek, I recommend eating them while still fresh. If you have to freeze them, I recommend cooking them first, then reheating them in the oven.
To reheat the Burek, place in a 350-degree F oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until crispy on the outside and heated all the way through.
Pro Tips
- Cheese Borek can be made ahead of time. Make sure to place them on a floured tray and sprinkle them with additional flour. They tend to get soggy when stored uncooked in the fridge.
- Make sure the Burek don't touch each other. They have a tendency to release moisture and stick to one another, making it impossible to separate them.
- To freeze cheese Borek, fry them first. Cool completely, then wrap in foil and store in a sealed Ziploc bag.
- Reheat frozen Burek in a toaster oven, a few at a time, as needed.
- Avoid using a microwave to reheat the Burek. It will make them soft and limp.
More Middle Eastern Recipes
If you enjoy this burek recipe, please check out these other yummy recipes!
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Ingredients
Method
- Stir crumbled feta cheese and shredded mozzarella into a medium-sized bowl. Add parsley, dill, chives, and Serrano pepper. Mix to combine.
- Add chopped black olives and a beaten egg to bind everything together.
- Place egg roll wrapper on a flat working surface. Add approximately 1½ tablespoons of filling towards the bottom of the wrapper and mold it into a log.
- Dab the corners of the wrapper with water (or a beaten egg), then fold the sides over the filling. Roll the bottom portion of the wrapper over the filling.
- Continue rolling tightly upwards until the Burek is completely sealed.
- Place seal-down on a platter and continue until all the filling is used up.
- Heat vegetable oil in a small skillet until it reaches 350℉
- Using tongs, carefully place a few Burek into the hot oil and fry on all sides until brown.
- Drain excess oil into the pan and place them on a napkin-covered plate. Repeat with the remaining Burek.
Nutrition
Notes
- Burek can be made ahead of time. Make sure to place them on a floured tray and sprinkle them with additional flour. They tend to get soggy when stored uncooked in the fridge.
- Make sure they don't touch. They have a tendency to release moisture and stick to each other, making it impossible to separate them.
- To freeze Burek, fry them first. Cool completely and wrap in foil, then store in a sealed Ziploc bag.
- Reheat frozen Burek in a toaster oven, a few at a time, as needed.
- Avoid using a microwave to reheat the Burek. It will make them soft and limp.
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