Crunchy on the outside and packed with a creamy cheese filling, these Turkish cheese rolls aka Sigara Boregi or Sigara Borek make for a fun and interesting snack or appetizer.
A mixture of white cheese and herbs is packed in thin rolls of phyllo dough or pastry sheets, much like a spring roll, and are baked or fried to crispy perfection.
Everything from the customizable herby cheese filling to the crispy and golden outside, makes this Turkish Borek an absolute must try! It truly is a highlight of Turkish cuisine.
You can also play around with the fillings for these crispy cheese rolls.
While I’m partial to the feta cheese and mozzarella fillings, sometimes, I also mix the cheese with some potatoes and make Potato Borek.
These work perfectly with a nice creamy Turkish yogurt dip or a tangy Turkish salsa and can be served as an appetizer or a snack when you’re hosting a party, or a part of a Turkish mezze too!
Jump to:
- What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Ingredients For the Sigara Borek Recipe
- How to Make Sigara Boregi
- Substitutions & Variations
- 💭Top Tip
- Equipment
- How to Store the Leftover Turkish Cheese Rolls
- Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- How to Serve the Turkish Cheese Cigars
- FAQs
- Related Recipes
- Turkish Cheese Rolls | Sigara Boregi
What's So Great About the Recipe?
I’m always up for meals and snacks that I can prep ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze, and these savory Turkish cheese rolls totally ticked those boxes.
On weekends, I love batch making these and freezing them for later.
Then, when I want to enjoy these Turkish pastries, all I need to do is get them out and fry or bake them.
Ingredients For the Sigara Borek Recipe
To make these crispy Turkish cheese rolls, you’ll need just a few simple ingredients.
Phyllo pastry: Traditionally, Sigara Borek is made using Yufka pastry, which, in my opinion, is what makes the perfect pastry rolls. That said, they’re not easy to find, and that’s when phyllo pastry can work in a pinch.
Feta cheese: Feta cheese lends a nice salty deliciousness to the filling. You can also use Turkish white cheese if you want to.
Mozzarella cheese: I also added a bit of mozzarella cheese for that stretchy, cheesy goodness.
Fresh herbs: I added some chopped fresh chives and dill into the cheese mixture.
Lemon zest: Just a sprinkle of lemon zest really added some vibrant freshness to the Sigara Boregi filling.
Seasonings: I seasoned the filling for the cheese rolls with just some salt and pepper to keep it simple and let the flavors of the cheese and herbs shine through.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Sigara Boregi
Ready to make this Borek recipe? Here’s the step by step process to follow to make these phyllo cheese rolls.
Start by preparing the filling for the cheese rolls. Combine everything in a mixing bowl until you get a uniform mixture.
Work with one pastry sheet at a time and add the cheese filling as shown.
Pull one corner of the pastry sheet on top of the cheese and fold the sides over it.
Roll the Borek tightly and set aside in a plate or a baking sheet. You can also brush some olive oil over the cheese Borek if you’re planning to make this recipe in the oven.
Fry or bake until golden brown. Serve hot with your favorite dips or other Turkish appetizers and snacks.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you don’t have fresh dill or chives, you can totally settle for using the dried versions for the filling too.
- Fresh parsley can be another great addition to the cheese filling- the combination of cheese and parsley is actually a total hit!
- Dried mint is another great option to choose if you like that minty aroma.
💭Top Tip
Remember that the mixture should come to a rolling boil- it should keep boiling even when you're stirring it. This will ensure that the peppers cook well, and the jelly reaches the right consistency.
Equipment
How to Store the Leftover Turkish Cheese Rolls
If you have any leftovers of the cooked cheese rolls, you can refrigerate them in an airtight container for 1-2 days. These can then be reheated in the oven or the Air Fryer.
You can also batch make these delicious Turkish cheese rolls and freeze them for up to 3 months.
To do this, you’ll need to layer out the uncooked Sigara on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze them for 2-3 hours until they’re solid.
Then, you can transfer the frozen Sigara into a freezer safe container or a freezer bag, label it and freeze it again for months.
How to Cook Frozen Sigara Boregi
The simplest way to cook the Sigara Böreği is to first let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and then bake them in the oven.
If you’re planning on frying them, you can just drop them in the hot oil and fry them on medium heat- no defrosting or thawing needed!
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Kasar cheese is a traditional Turkish cheese that is commonly used in Turkish or Middle Eastern recipes. If you can find it, I would highly recommend using it for the Börek cheese filling.
- I used a mixture of feta and mozzarella cheese, but you can totally use other kinds of cheese and experiment with the fillings.
- Cottage cheese and Halloumi cheese are both great options, but since they have a slightly harder, crumbly texture, I would recommend teaming them up with a softer cheese like cream cheese or labneh to get the perfect soft and spreadable consistency.
- You can also make a nice spinach Borek by combining the spinach with some cheese or potatoes.
- Remember to roll the Sigara Boregi tightly. This will help keep the ‘roll’ from unraveling and spilling out all the filling when you’re frying it.
- Also make sure you cover the phyllo pastry, spring roll pastry or wrappers - whatever it is that you’re using for this recipe- with a damp cloth. Doing this will help keep the pastry moist and easy to roll.
- Whether you choose to fry or bake the Sigara Borek, do it in smaller, manageable batches. This will help them get nice and golden brown on all sides, and cook all the way through.
- When frying your Sigara, make sure to keep your movements gentle, as these rolls are filled with feta cheese, which can splutter if it hits the hot oil. Use a slotted spoon to move the cheese rolls easily.
How to Serve the Turkish Cheese Cigars
The classic flavors of this savory Turkish Borek make it a delicious appetizer or a party snack food.
You can enjoy it on its own, or team it up with other Turkish foods.
I love serving this with my favorite creamy Haydari dip or alongside some Zeytoon Parvardeh (marinated olives), a Turkish sumac onion salad or even a Fatoosh salad as a part of a nice Middle Eastern mezze.
Mind you- all of these recipes come together in under 20 minutes each, and are absolute flavor bombs.
FAQs
While you can use puff pastry as a swap for phyllo pastry in a lot of recipes, I would not recommend using it for this one. Puff pastry dough tends to have many layers, which can expand and puff up when baked or fried, which can drastically change the appearance of the cigar Borek.
Yes, you can use spring roll pastries to make these Turkish cheese rolls. Just remember to work with one pastry sheet at a time, and keep the rest of them covered in the wrapper to keep them moist and soft.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Turkish Cheese Rolls | Sigara Boregi
Ingredients
- 10 phyllo pastry sheets
- ½ cup feta crumbled
- ½ cup mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon chives chopped
- 1 tablespoon dill chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup oil for frying
Instructions
- Start by preparing the filling for the cheese rolls. Combine everything in a mixing bowl until you get a uniform mixture.
- Work with one pastry sheet at a time and add the cheese filling as shown.
- Pull one corner of the pastry sheet on top of the cheese and fold the sides over it.
- Roll the borek tightly and set aside in a plate or a baking sheet. You can also brush some olive oil over the cheese borek if you’re planning to make this recipe in the oven.
- Fry or bake until golden brown. Serve hot with your favorite dips or other Turkish appetizers and snacks.