Types of Turkish Börek: A Complete Guide to Turkey's (and Cyprus's) Savoury Pastries

Quick answer: Börek is the family of savoury Turkish pastries made from thin dough (yufka) with fillings such as cheese, spinach, minced meat or potato. The main types are su böreği (boiled layered sheets, baked), sigara böreği (crisp fried cigars), kol böreği (coiled rolls), tepsi böreği (tray-baked layers), çiğ börek (fried half-moons) and paçanga. Cyprus adds its own, including pumpkin-tahini, halloumi and Famagusta meat börek.

Key takeaways

• A börek is defined by thin dough plus a filling. Shape and cooking method create the variety.
• Su böreği is the most prized and most labour-intensive: its sheets are boiled like pasta before baking.
• Most home böreks use a salty white cheese (beyaz peynir) similar to feta.
• Börek, Balkan burek and Greek pita pastries are close relatives.

Börek types at a glance

The classics

Su böreği (water börek)

This is the most prized börek. Thick sheets of egg-rich dough are rolled out, briefly boiled, plunged into cold water, then layered in a buttered tray with cheese between the layers and baked. The result is soft, almost lasagne-like inside, with crisp golden edges. See our su böreği recipe, and learn to handle the sheets without tearing them in our su böreği dough masterclass.

Sigara böreği (cigar börek)

Triangles of yufka are rolled tightly around a line of white cheese and parsley, sealed with water and fried until they crackle. They're the quickest börek and a popular party snack. Make our crispy sigara böreği.

Kol böreği (arm börek)

Filled yufka is rolled into long ropes and either coiled into a spiral or laid side by side, then baked until golden. Here's our minced meat kol böreği.

Tepsi böreği (tray börek)

Sheets of yufka are brushed with a mixture of milk, egg and oil, layered with filling and baked in a tray. It's the easiest way to feed a crowd. Try our lor cheese tray börek, spinach börek or classic Turkish cheese börek.

Çiğ börek

Çiğ börek comes from Crimean Tatar cooking and is closely associated with Eskişehir. Thin dough is filled with raw spiced minced meat and onion, sealed into large half-moons and deep-fried until blistered. The meat steams inside the pastry. See our çiğ börek recipe.

The Cypriot böreks

Cyprus has its own börek tradition, shaped by local ingredients like halloumi, tahini and pumpkin:

• Tahinli kabak böreği: A winter village pastry of sweet pumpkin with stone-ground tahini. See our Cypriot pumpkin and tahini börek and our pumpkin season guide.
• Gazimağusa (Famagusta) böreği: Minced meat and grated fresh halloumi, cooked for weddings and celebrations. Here's our Famagusta börek recipe.
• Hellimli taze börek: A fresh halloumi pastry. Try our halloumi börek.
• Pirohu: Technically a pasta, but made in the same spirit: halloumi-filled dough parcels. Read our pirohu guide.

Börek vs burek vs spanakopita

Börek travelled across the Ottoman world, so its relatives appear from the Balkans to North Africa. In Bosnia and Serbia, burek often means specifically a meat-filled coil, and cheese versions have other names. In Greece, spanakopita (spinach pie) and tiropita (cheese pie) use filo and feta much like a Turkish tepsi böreği. The ideas are the same (thin dough, simple fillings, lots of butter or oil), and each region gives the dish its own texture.

Yufka, filo or homemade?

• Turkish yufka is thicker than Greek filo and more forgiving. It's ideal for sigara, kol and tepsi böreği.
• Filo works as a substitute, but use two sheets for each sheet of yufka and brush generously.
• Homemade yufka is worth learning if you make börek often. See our homemade yufka guide.

Chef's tip: For tepsi böreği, let the assembled tray sit for 30 minutes before baking so the milk-egg wash soaks into the layers. The inside turns tender and custardy while the top still bakes crisp.

Common fillings and how to balance them

• Cheese: Mix salty white cheese with a little lor or ricotta so it isn't too salty. Add plenty of parsley or dill.
• Spinach: Wilt it and squeeze it very dry. Wet spinach is the main cause of soggy börek.
• Minced meat: Cook it with onion until the liquid has evaporated, then let it cool before filling (except for çiğ börek, where the meat goes in raw).
• Potato: Mash it with sautéed onion, pul biber and a little butter.

How to roll sigara böreği, step by step

1. Cut a round sheet of yufka into 8 triangles, like a pizza. Keep the rest covered with a damp towel.
2. Put the triangle with the wide edge nearest you. Spread 1 tablespoon of filling in a line along that edge, leaving 2 cm free on each side.
3. Roll it over once, fold the sides in, then roll tightly towards the point.
4. Brush the tip with water (or a little egg) and press to seal. Place it seam-side down.
5. Fry in 2 cm of oil at about 170 °C (340 °F), turning, until deep golden. Drain on kitchen paper.

Baked or fried?

Traditionally, sigara böreği and çiğ börek are fried, while su böreği, kol böreği and tepsi böreği are baked. If you want less oil, brush sigara böreği with a mixture of egg and oil and bake them at 200 °C (400 °F) for 15 to 20 minutes, or cook them in an air fryer at 180 °C for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once. They won't blister quite like fried ones, but they'll be crisp and golden.

Leftover börek reheats best in the oven or an air fryer, not the microwave, which makes the pastry chewy.

Frequently asked questions

What is börek made of?

Börek is made from thin sheets of dough (yufka or filo) layered or rolled around fillings such as white cheese, spinach, minced meat or potato, then baked or fried.

What is the difference between su böreği and other börek?

For su böreği, the dough sheets are boiled in water before layering and baking. That gives it a soft, pasta-like interior that other böreks don't have.

Can I use filo pastry instead of yufka?

Yes. Filo is thinner, so double the sheets and brush each layer well with butter or an egg-milk wash.

Can you freeze börek?

Yes. Freeze sigara böreği and kol böreği uncooked on a tray, then bag them. Bake or fry them straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes.

What cheese is used in Turkish börek?

Most home böreks use beyaz peynir, a brined white cheese similar to feta, often mixed with lor (a mild whey cheese) and parsley. Some regions use kaşar, and in Cyprus, grated fresh hellim is common.

Sources

• Börek: history and regional varieties
• Chebureki (çiğ börek): Crimean Tatar origins

Written by the House Chef Cyprus editorial team, Cyprus. Last reviewed: September 2026.