I wish somebody would have told me before what an amazing dish you can get from the combination of herbed Turkish yogurt, spiced butter sauce, and perfectly poached eggs. Turkish Eggs or Cilbir are our new favorite brunch for a lazy Sunday morning.
What are Turkish eggs?
Turkish eggs are one of the most popular recipes in Turkish Cuisine. This recipe is made of poached eggs with a runny yolk, served on a garlicky yoghurt base and drizzled with warm spicy butter.
Cilbir or Turkish eggs is such a great breakfast or brunch meal being really easy and fast to put together and delivering beautiful and spicy flavours from Turkey.
Our Turkish Eggs recipe is:
- A breakfast or brunch
- Vegetarian
- Easy to make
- Middle-eastern style dish
- Made with simple ingredients
- Spicy
- Perfect for weekends
How to make Turkish Eggs
Cilbir is something that is made when you don't have many ingredients in the fridge and you want to prepare something quick, healthy and delicious for your family. It uses staple ingredients that many people have already at home, especially in Middle Eastern or Mediterranean countries.
Ingredients and variations for the best Cilbir
Turkish Yogurt. Choose good quality and creamy Turkish or Greek Yogurt. It needs to be thick in order to act as a base for the dish. If you cannot find Turkish or Greek yogurt, make sure you get any creamy yogurt (unsweetened).
Fresh herbs. We use fresh dill and fresh mint. You can add parsley, oregano, cilantro, or other fresh herbs of your choice.
Garlic. We like garlicky food and we normally add a couple of garlic cloves to our recipes but when served raw, garlic can overpower the rest of the flavors. Make sure to not add too much. A ½ clove should be more than enough.
Eggs. Make sure you are using fresh eggs. They are easier to poach. Normally we make one egg per person. Served with Greek yogurt, spiced butter buttery sauce, and some crusty bread, it should be enough to start the day. If you are thinking of making Turkish eggs for lunch or dinner, maybe two eggs would be better.
Butter. Our favourite butter to use at home is Kerrygold butter. We recommend using room temperature unsalted butter. You can as well use margarine or olive oil.
Spices. Chilli flakes and smoked paprika are the spices we use for this recipe as we always have them at home. If you have Aleppo pepper you will want to use this instead.
Step by Step Method
Cooking Method
- Prepare the yogurt. Turkish eggs or Cilbir are made with Greek yogurt combined with fresh herbs and garlic. We use fresh dill and mint for our yogurt base. Finely chop the dill and mint, add some crushed or grated garlic, and combine the ingredients with the Greek yogurt. Then season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Optionally, you can add a teaspoon of lemon juice.
- Poach the eggs. Poaching eggs can sound simple for some and really challenging for others. If you are in the second group or this is your first time making poached eggs, don't worry, getting a perfect poached egg is easier than you think. Fill a deep pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and create a vortex. Crack the egg and add it to the middle of the boiling water vortex. Cook for 2-3 minutes to get the perfect egg with a runny yolk. Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and leave it aside while you cook the second egg.
- Make the chili-butter sauce. Using a small pan or pot, melt the butter at medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble add the spices and stir using a wooden spoon. Traditionally, Aleppo pepper is used when making Turkish eggs but for our recipe, we use chili flakes and smoked paprika. Stir and the sauce will be ready to serve.
Assembling the Turkish Eggs
- Spread one thick layer of the garlicky yogurt with herbs on a serving plate or small bowl. You can use shallow bowls for this recipe as well as plates.
- Add the poached eggs to the yogurt base.
- Drizzle the spiced butter and add some more fresh mint and dill and black pepper before serving.
Make Turkish Eggs or Cilbir for Kids
Turkish eggs are spicy so they are not the best option for kids. You can slightly change the recipe to make it kid and toddler friendly.
Change the chilli flakes or Aleppo peppers for sweet paprika. As well, we recommend reducing the amount of garlic used. Garlic is healthy but adding too much can be a bit overpowering for your little one.
Dipping some toasted bread on the runny yolk egg it's such a fun way to start a brunch! Our toddler Luca loves it when we make Shakshuka or Turkish eggs, he makes sure he's the first one dipping his bread in the egg. If you want to involve them in the kitchen, they can as well help you prepare the yogurt base.
Serving Suggestions
Turkish eggs can be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. Such a versatile dish, you can combine it with some toasted bread, or pita bread, and some other side dishes such as this Homemade Loaded Hummus or a yummy Baba Ganoush.
Make sure you add enough chilli melted butter on the top of the eggs and yoghurt, I find this to be the best part of this meal.
FAQ and Tips
- Are Turkish Eggs healthy? This breakfast is a protein-packed breakfast. Eggs and yogurt are high protein sources. Butter is saturated fat, but using a small amount makes this breakfast still a healthy choice.
- Can I make this dish mild? Yes, instead of adding chili flakes, add sweet paprika.
- The garlic can overpower the rest of the ingredients, so we suggest adding just ¼ or ½ a garlic clove and adjusting later to taste. We use a Microplane to grate the garlic so it's easily incorporated with the rest of the ingredients.
- Do not add salt to the water as it will help to separate the white part of the egg and always try using fresh eggs.
- Use fresh eggs. The fresher the eggs, the easier it will be to poach them.
- Can I make Turkish Eggs vegan? If you know us a little bit, you will know that we love "veganizing" traditional recipes but Turkish Eggs are a recipe we kept as a vegetarian. To make this recipe vegan, you could use vegan butter and vegan creamy yogurt for this recipe and instead of using poached eggs, you can add silken tofu.
Turkish Eggs (Cilbir)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Greek yoghurt
- Few fronds fresh dill
- 8-10 mint leaves
- ½ garlic clove
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 55 g butter
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Finely chop the dill and mint, crush or grate the garlic clove and combine the ingredients with the Greek yoghurt. Season with salt and pepper and leave aside.
- Fill a deep pot with water and bring it to the boil. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and create a vortex. Crack the egg and add it to the middle of the vortex. Cook for three minutes to get the perfect egg with a runny yolk. Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and leave aside while you cook the next egg.
- Using a pan, melt the butter. When the butter starts to bubble add the spices. Stir until well combined and the sauce will be ready to serve.
- Transfer the Greek yoghurt into the serving bowl. Place the eggs on the top and pour the chili sauce. Sprinkle some extra dill and mint on the top.
Notes
- The garlic can overpower the rest of the ingredients, so we suggest adding just ¼ or ½ a garlic clove and adjusting later to taste. We use a microplane to grate the garlic so it's easily incorporated with the rest of the ingredients.
- Do not add salt to the water as it will help to separate the white part of the egg and always try using fresh eggs.
Newsletter
Nutrition
If you tried our recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on Instagram @Sixhungryfeet. We are always happy to see your creations!
Megan says
Amazing! The entire family enjoyed this for Saturday morning brunch
Laura says
Lovely to hear that Megan!
Lorena says
Deliciosos!
Juliane says
Woah, this is mouth watering!!! I would love to try this!
Andrea says
Oh, wow. This looks amazing. I've never tried this before. We're going to make it this weekend!
Laura says
Let me know how it goes 🙂
Jo says
Amazing recipie and has become a firm favorite. Thank you!
Laura says
Thank you Jo! Really happy to read this 🙂
veenaazmanov says
Looks delicious and definitely need to give this a try. Weekend Breakfast for sure.
Laura says
Thank you 🙂
Sharon says
I agree, why hadn't I learned of this amazing egg dish before? Brunch will never be the same now that I know how to make it.
Laura says
So true Sharon!
Amanda says
These Turkish eggs are divine! The chile butter sauce added the perfect kick, and I love the creaminess from the yogurt. So good!
Laura says
Thank you Amanda !
Heather says
This is new to me but oh my I need to make ASAP!! Definitely going to make sure I have plenty of grilled bread on hand!
Laura says
Thank you Heather! I'm sure you will love it 🙂
Amy Casey says
I'm am adding this to my list of brunch recipes to try. They look absolutely decadent! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Laura says
Thank you Amy!
Daniela says
Made this for an early Mother's Day Brunch and everyone is still raving about these turkish eggs. SO good! Thank you for the detailed instructions
Laura says
Thank you Daniela, glad you liked it!
Jessica says
This was my first time preparing and eating Turkish eggs and I was not disappointed. I was surprised by how easy it was to prepare. My favorite part was definitely the chili butter. It was so darn good I was tempted to just drink it. lol. Thanks for yet another stellar recipe!
Laura says
This chili butter is just too good!
Amanda Mason says
A culinary work of art!! So delicious and not overly difficult to make!
Tristin says
Mmm, my new favorite recipe to make for brunch! Tried this on a whim and so glad I did!
Nicole says
What a great news way to make eggs. Your pictures look great!!!
christy says
Absolutely delicious and easy to follow recipe. It was my first attempt at poaching eggs, I loved it!
Abdelfatah Traichine says
Délicieux
Laura says
Merci 🙂
Marija says
Delicious! I did it twice already, but I still can't figure out how to make poached eggs nicely... I will find a way sometime 😀 Glory to the Turkish cuisine!
Laura says
Thank you Marija, make sure you read all our tips and tricks to make nice poached eggs 🙂
Laura Liberge says
This recipe was recommended to me by one of my best friends. I find that her recommendations are always the best and this one did follow suit! It was simple, quick, filling, and overall delicious! If you are looking for a high protein breakfast that is a bit unique and fresh tasting, try these Turkish eggs!
Renee Rocheleau says
Delicious and easy to make. I suggest serving with boiled or roasted potatoes to sop up any sauce on the plate!
Laura says
Thank you Renee!
Sarah Hibbing says
I made this on a whim for lunch. I just discovered a new favorite thing 🙂
Laura Arteaga says
Thank you Sarah! So glad you loved it!
Elizabeth says
I wish I would have found this recipe earlier. I would have saved so much money by not going out for brunch. This recipe was restaurant quality!
So easy to make and the taste was divine. Will be my go-to recipe.
Laura Arteaga says
Thank you Elizabeth! Glad you enjoyed the recipe! It is really easy to make and tastes fantastic, way better than going out for brunch, I agree!
Marilyn says
Just made this and served it to my husband. He said “Wow” three times. I loved it too. We’ll be making this again.
Laura Arteaga says
Thank you Marilyn, so glad you guys liked it!