Rice Paper Burek

By The Modern Nonna

on Jul 19, 2025, Updated Sep 16, 2025

5 from 10 votes
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This Rice Paper Burek is the shortcut your feta-loving heart’s been waiting for 🧀💥. It’s inspired by all the flaky legends — Burek (Balkan + Turkish), Banitsa (Bulgarian), and Tiropita (Greek) — but this version skips the phyllo therapy session and gets straight to the good stuff. We’re using rice paper instead of phyllo, which means it’s gluten-free, lighter, and cooks in 10 minutes flat ⏱️. No layering, no buttering, no oven. Just a crispy outside and a cheesy middle. Oh, and it’s only 400 calories per roll, which feels fake but isn’t. I’ve checked, multiple times, for science 🧪🫠.

Table of Contents

Golden, flaky bread topped with sesame seeds and cheese sits on a newspaper-lined plate with two gold forks, illuminated by warm sunlight.

Why You’ll Love Rice Paper Burek

The outside is golden and crispy ✨, the inside is warm, chewy, and stuffed with creamy feta and gooey, melty cheese 🧀🔥. It’s got all the salty, savory flavor of the traditional versions, but it’s totally gluten-free. It’s a lighter, healthier burek that still brings the same golden-brown, cheese-pulling satisfaction. And once you hear that first crunch? Game over 🎯. You’re going to want to roll up an entire army of them.

Ingredients

Rice Paper: Once soaked, it becomes pliable and perfect for rolling and it crisps up beautifully in the air fryer.

Egg: Helps bind the filling and gives the top that golden, shiny finish if you use it as an egg wash instead of oil.

Feta: The salty MVP 🧀. It’s crumbly, creamy, and packed with flavor. Use a good-quality block if you can.

Mozzarella: For that gooey, melty 🫠 moment we all live for. Adds richness and helps balance out the tangy feta.

Sesame Seeds: Adds a nutty crunch and makes your rice paper burek look extra cute ✨.

Nonna’s Tip

If you want the Burek (Tiropita) to have color, make sure you brush it with egg wash instead of oil.

A golden, spiral-shaped pastry topped with flax seeds sits on a white plate lined with newspaper print, next to a gold fork and knife, in bright natural sunlight.

Variations and Substitutions for Rice Paper Burek

  1. Instead of feta, use any creamy white cheese you have on hand — Macedonian-style, Greek, Bulgarian, or whatever’s living in your fridge. Ricotta also works if you want something a little softer and milder.
  2. If you’re out of mozzarella, any melty cheese will do the trick. Just avoid pre-shredded as it doesn’t melt as nicely and has weird anti-caking vibes.
  3. Brush with egg wash for that glossy, golden finish, or go with olive oil or melted butter for a rich, crispy crust.

Best Served With

  • A cold glass 🥛 of Ayran (salty yogurt drink we basically grow up on in the Balkans), or enjoy with plain yogurt or kefir for that tangy balance.
  • Sparkling water, coffee ☕, or tea — whatever you’re sipping, this burek can hang.
  • A simple tomato salad 🍅 for something fresh and juicy on the side.
  • A big spoonful of Ajvar — the roasted red pepper spread of your dreams. Any roasted veggie dip will do, but Balkan-style hits different.

More Rice Paper Recipes

Common Questions

My rice paper ripped while rolling — what do I do?

Don’t panic! It happens. Just patch with a damp piece of another rice paper sheet like edible tape. No one will know.

IS this recipe gluten-free?

Yes! Rice paper is naturally gluten-free. Just double-check your brand to be sure there’s no sneaky wheat added in the ingredients.

Can I use pre-shredded cheese?

You can but it won’t melt as nicely. Pre-shredded cheese often has anti-caking agents that mess with the texture.

Can I use vegan cheese?

Totally! Use your favorite plant-based feta and melty cheese.

Is rice paper supposed to be this sticky before cooking?

Yes, totally normal! Once dipped in water, it becomes soft and tacky — that’s what helps it roll tight and stay sealed. It won’t stay sticky once it’s cooked.

A golden, spiral-shaped pastry topped with sesame seeds sits on a plate lined with newspaper-style paper, with a fork beside it. Sunlight highlights the flaky texture of the pastry.

Rice Paper Burek

This Rice Paper Burek is the shortcut your feta-loving heart's been waiting for. It's inspired by all the flaky legends — Burek (Balkan + Turkish), Banitsa (Bulgarian), and Tiropita (Greek). It's gluten-free, lighter, and cooks in 10 minutes flat and only 400 calories per roll.
5 from 10 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: European
Makes: 1 burek
Author: The Modern Nonna
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Video

Equipment

Air Fryer
Food Scale
rice paper
Measuring Cups + Spoons

Ingredients 

  • 3 sheets rice paper
  • 75 grams feta
  • 1 egg
  • 30 grams mozzarella cheese, to taste
  • oil, or egg wash for brushing on top
  • sesame seeds, optional

Instructions 

  • In a bowl, mix the feta, egg, and cheese.
    A hand holding a fork is mixing shredded cheese and crumbled white cheese in a white bowl on a wooden table, with a bakery display blurred in the background.
  • Next, take a sheet of rice paper, dip it in room temperature water and repeat this step for all three sheets.
    A hand places a sheet of translucent rice paper onto a white plate, with sunlight casting shadows across the scene and baked goods visible in the background.
  • Place the wet sheets onto your work surface making sure to slightly overlap each one. Add the filling making sure to spread it evenly. 
    A hand rolls a translucent rice paper sheet filled with scrambled eggs on a wooden surface, in bright sunlight with visible shadows.
  • Take the end of the rice paper that's facing you and begin to roll it over the feta filing. Fold over the sides and continue to roll until it looks like a rope.
    Hands are twisting a long piece of yellow dough on a wooden surface. One hand wears a smartwatch with a black band. Sunlight casts shadows across the scene.
  • Now, take one end of the rope and roll it onto itself into a coil. Brush all over with a little bit of oil (or egg wash for colour) and sprinkle on sesame seeds on the top and bottom.
    A person shapes a piece of yellow dough on a wooden surface, using both hands. Sunlight casts shadows on the table and hands.
  • Air fry at 400F for 10 minutes or until golden and crispy! Enjoy!
    A hand places a round, sesame-seeded dough into a black air fryer basket, ready for baking. The surface beneath the air fryer is wooden, and sunlight casts soft shadows over the scene.

Notes

  • Cheese: Use any creamy white cheese you love — Macedonian, Bulgarian, Greek, or ricotta all work great.
  • Melty Factor: Avoid pre-shredded cheese — it doesn’t melt well and the texture gets weird.
  • Rice Paper: Don’t soak too long! 5 seconds in room temp water is perfect. 
  • Rolling: Roll tightly and tuck the ends as you go. If it rips, patch it with another soaked sheet.
  • Surface: Use a damp cutting board or kitchen towel so your rice paper doesn’t stick and self-destruct.
  • Topping: For max crunch and color, brush with egg wash instead of oil and sprinkle sesame seeds on both sides.
  • Cooking: Don’t overcook — 10 minutes in the air fryer at 400°F gets it golden and crisp without drying out the filling.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 roll, Calories: 402kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 94mg, Sodium: 1266mg, Potassium: 101mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.3g, Vitamin A: 525IU, Calcium: 540mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: European
COOKED IT? SLAYED IT? 💅
Tag @themodernnonna so I can hype you up 👏 and don’t forget to rate ⭐, drop a comment 💬, and show some love right here on the recipe!

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Hi! I'm Sneji. Nice to meet you!

I am more commonly known as “The Modern Nonna” on social media where I create easy home cooked meals with a modern twist. I was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria and learned how to cook at the best culinary school in the world – my grandma’s kitchen. I lived in Greece on the Island of Crete with my parents for a while and then moved to Toronto, Canada when I was in grade 5. I started to really cook and experiment with food 11 years ago when I was 21 years old. Everything I currently know is a reflection of some part of my life…

More about me

Keep up to date with me on social media! Follow @themodernnonna

5 from 10 votes

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29 Comments

    1. You can but I’m not sure it will get as crispy unless you have a convection oven. I will have to test it to find out. For now, shallow frying in a pan until crispy on all sides may be a better option.

      Reply

  6. 5 stars
    This was delicious!!! And super easy to put together. I brushed it with oil and it stayed fairly intact. Yum! Will be making this again and again!

    A savory pastry roll topped with melted cheese, black and white sesame seeds, served on a white plate over a granite countertop.

    Reply

  7. 5 stars
    I love finding different ways to use rice paper! This was sooo delicious, and the step-by-step photos were a huge help! Thank you!🙏

    Reply

    1. Hi Meredith, I adjusted the recipe to include the egg yesterday (so sorry) and thank you for noticing.

      Reply

  10. Is it just 1 egg you add to the feta and mozzarella cheese mixture? I only see the egg you use for brushing the rice paper with after you’ve filled it.

    Reply