Turkish Eggs
on Jan 26, 2025
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Turkish cuisine is having a serious moment on social media right now—and rightfully so 😋! Turkish food is one of my all-time favorite cuisines, and it’s actually very similar to Bulgarian food in terms of taste, texture, and ingredients. That’s because Bulgaria 🇧🇬 was under the Ottoman Empire for 500 years, so our cuisines are closely intertwined. As a Balkan girl, Turkish Eggs are one of my favorite breakfast dishes ever 🍳. The combination of poached eggs and yogurt is just unbeatable, and if you know me, you know yogurt practically courses through my veins 🤣. This is my own little twist on the traditional dish, the way I grew up eating it—topped with a little crumbled feta 🧀 (because feta is life) —while still staying true to those classic Turkish principles to create this insanely delicious, protein-packed breakfast 😍!
The History Behind Turkish Eggs
Turkish Eggs, or Çılbır, is a traditional dish with roots in the Ottoman Empire, where yogurt, eggs 🥚, and spices were commonly used in the royal kitchens. The Ottoman empire encompassed much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa, and the Ottomans were known for their culinaty creations, which combined elements from Persian, Arab, and Balkan cuisines. This blend of cultures influenced many traditional Turkish dishes, including Çılbır. The dish combines poached eggs with a creamy yogurt sauce and is typically topped with a spiced butter sauce made with Aleppo pepper 🌶️. Yogurt plays a big role in Turkish cuisine and is often used as a base for sauces or eaten as a side. Once eaten by sultans, this dish has since evolved into a brunch favorite worldwide, solidifying Turkey’s place on the list of must-try cuisines!
Why You’ll Love Turkish Eggs
I mean, what’s not to love about these Turkish Eggs?! The eggs are poached to perfection, with a soft, runny yolk, while the creamy yogurt adds tanginess to balance the richness of the eggs. The spiced butter sauce adds a smoky, subtle heat 🌶️ that ties everything together and adds a boost of flavor. While not traditional in Turkey, crumbled feta on top is a staple where I’m from 🇧🇬, and gives an extra salty bite and a slight crumbly texture, making this dish the ultimate breakfast. Plus, if you’re looking to boost your protein intake, this recipe has nearly 20 grams of protein, making it a great way to kickstart your day or the perfect post-workout meal — especially if, like me, you could eat breakfast anytime! 😊
How to Prepare
🥣 Yogurt Sauce: Mix plain yogurt with garlic and salt. Taste and adjust the salt if needed and set aside.
🧈 Aleppo Butter Sauce: In a small pot on the stove, melt the butter. Add chili 🌶️ flakes and paprika, and cook for about a minute. Take it off the heat and set aside.
🥚 Poached Eggs: Crack an egg into a fine mesh sieve to separate the loose egg whites. In a pot, add water and bring it to a simmer. Add vinegar to the water, then swirl it with a spoon or whisk. Gently add the eggs (one at a time) and set the timer for 5 minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate with paper towels. Adjust the cooking time for firmer eggs if you prefer a less runny yolk.
🍽️ Assemble: Spread the yogurt sauce in a bowl and arrange the poached eggs on top. Drizzle the paprika butter sauce over the eggs. Sprinkle with crumbled feta 🧀 and garnish with dill or your favorite herbs. Enjoy! 😋
Nonna’s Tip 🍳
The yogurt should be at room temperature, or else the butter will solidify if it’s too cold.
Turkish Eggs Variations and Substitutions
- If you want to up the protein content even further, try making this Turkish Egg recipe with cottage cheese instead of yogurt.
- Instead of the chilli 🌶️ flakes I used, you can use Aleppo pepper flakes which are more traditional.
- If poached eggs are not your thing, you can make this recipe with over-medium eggs instead.
- Use coconut yogurt or cashew yogurt as a substitute for the regular yogurt to make it dairy-free and skip the feta cheese!
- Add fresh herbs 🌿 like parsley, dill, or mint to the yogurt for a burst of flavor.
- For a lighter variation, you could use olive oil instead of butter to create a simpler sauce with a more herbal flavor.
Similar Recipes
Best Served With
- Serve it with crusty sourdough, pita, or my No-Knead Peasant Bread to soak up the yogurt sauce.
- Top with a few slices of creamy avocado for extra richness and healthy fats.
Common Questions
Yes! The yogurt sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Just give it a quick stir before serving.
Absolutely! You can use Coconut, almond, or cashew yogurt as a dairy-free alternative. Just make sure you choose one that’s thick and creamy for the best texture.
For the perfect poached egg, follow my How To Poach Eggs intrustcions.
If poached eggs are not your thing, you can make this recipe with over-medium eggs instead. Another option is to fry the eggs sunny-side-up or over-easy if you prefer a crispy edge.
If you want to up the protein content even further, try making this Turkish Egg recipe with cottage cheese instead of yogurt.
If you can’t find Aleppo pepper, you can use regular red chili flakes or smoked paprika. Aleppo pepper has a mild heat and slightly fruity flavor, so smoked paprika will give a similar depth, while chili flakes will add a bit more heat. I used chili flakes.
Turkish Eggs (Cilbir)
Equipment
Ingredients
Yogurt Spread
- 1.5 cups yogurt , at room temperature
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
Paprika Butter
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon Aleppo chili flakes, or regular chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, any paprika
Poached Eggs
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar, or as needed
- 4 eggs
- 1 pinch salt
Additional Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon feta , measure with your heart
- Dill , or any similar herbs for garnish
Instructions
Yogurt Sauce
- Mix the plain yogurt with garlic and salt. Taste and adjust the salt as needed. Set aside.
Aleppo Butter Sauce
- In a small pot on the stove, add the butter and melt. Add in the chili flakes + paprika and cook for about a minute. Take it off the heat.
Poached Eggs
- Over a bowl crack the egg through a fine mesh sieve. This will allow the loose egg whites to separate. You can save the loose egg whites for another recipe.
- In a pot on the stove add water and let it come to a simmer.
- Add the vinegar, as it simmers give the water a little swirl with a spoon or whisk.
- Gently add the eggs (one at a time) and set the timer for five minutes.
- Remove it with a slotted spoon and set it onto a plate with paper towel. Increase the time accordingly if you like a firm egg and not a runny yolk.
To Assemble
- Spread the yogurt onto a bowl, arrange the poached eggs, add a drizzle of the paprika butter, feta and garnish with dill or any other herbs of choice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My new favorite breakfast 😍
My wife loves Turkish eggs and this recipe is 10/10
This worked exactly as written, thanks! So healthy too!