17 Turkish recipes

Learn about Turkish coffee culture with our expert barista Celeste Wong's guide, including traditional rituals, how to order it and the perfect recipe for at-home brewing.

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Easy Turkish recipes

Turkish ice cream (dondurma)

Try Turkish ice cream this summer, made with goat's milk and vanilla. Finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Fistikli un kurabiyesi (pistachio shortbread cookies)

These crumbly, buttery biscuits are a Turkish national favourite – this version features pistachios in the dough for extra flavour and texture.

Turkish-style eggs

Try these quick and easy Turkish-style eggs with crunchy sourdough for your next brunch. Traditionally you’d use pul biber (Turkish chilli flakes) but smoked paprika gives a smoky kick and a beautiful red colour.

Classic manti

When it comes to comfort food, dumplings always fit the bill. The Polish have pierogi, Italians have ravioli, the Chinese have dim sum – and in Turkey they have manti. Try Hus Vedat's recipe for a delicious starter.

Istanbul’s mackerel sandwiches (balik ekmek)

Yasmin Khan’s balikekmek, a Turkish street-food favourite, is a riot of fried mackerel, salad and a glossy pomegranate molasses dressing. It makes for an easy lunch that's ready in just 20 minutes.

Çılbır (Turkish-style poached eggs in garlicky yogurt)

Soft poached eggs on a bed of garlicky yogurt topped with herbs and red pepper flakes, çılbır is a versatile dish generally enjoyed as a hot meze.

Occe (spring onion fritters)

Dunk these pan-fried, herby spring onion fritters into a garlicky yogurt dip and enjoy alongside a Turkish meze-style spread.

Hot pepper caponata baked eggs

Biber salçasi is a Turkish red pepper paste that skyrockets the flavour of this baked egg dish with roasted aubergines, peppers, feta, capers and olives.

Keşkek with aleppo pepper butter and gözleme with caçik

At the heart of this Turkish-inspired feast is keşkek – a rich, spiced lamb stew that’s thickened with bulgar wheat. To accompany the stew are soft Turkish gözleme (flatbreads stuffed with leeks, halloumi and aromatic spices), and caçik, a cooling yogurt and cucumber dip.

Adana kebabs

These Turkish-style kebabs are named after the city of Adana and flavoured with chilli and sumac. Make them to feed a crowd at your next barbecue.

Turkish-style ratatouille with yogurt sauce

Try this recipe for a quick, easy and simple meal. Low-fat, low-calorie and packed with veggies, it's a great option for a healthy vegetarian dinner.

Pide with cheese and peppers

This recipe for Turkish-style flatbread with cheese and peppers is vegetarian and feeds four in under an hour. Plus, it's under 500 calories.

Full Turkish breakfast – menemen

Chef Sabrina Ghayour treats us to her version of the classic Turkish breakfast dish, menemen. A delicious combination of eggs, onions and red peppers, this bold, full-of-flavour recipe makes a great weekend treat.

Aubergine and chilli pide

Pide can be topped like pizza for a quick, easy meal. Make your dough, then top with aubergine, chilli and spices for a vegetarian lunch or supper.

Turkish-style lamb pies

Use individual pie tins or a large six-hole muffin tin to make these pies. Match with a juicy shiraz to offset the spicy saucing of the pie. More easy pie recipes here.

Honey baklava

How do you make the classic Middle Eastern dessert baklava even better? Drench it in salted honey sauce, of course! This sweet 'n' sticky treat comes packed with four types of nut, cardamom and cinnamon.

Turkish delight jellies

These individual desserts make a pretty finish to a Turkish-style dinner. You can adjust the amount of rose flavouring to your own liking.

Turkish delight brownies

Not a traditional Turkish recipe, but we've used the sweet treat to take brownies to the next level. Spoon these melting, turkish-delight-spiked brownies straight from the pan and serve with generous dollops of ice cream.