Turkish eggs aka cilbir, is a super healthy and flavor packed breakfast to make when you’re in the mood to spend a few extra minutes in the kitchen and whip up a wholesome, filling dish.
The dish may look super fancy, but it is actually pretty easy to put together.
Classic Turkish eggs are made using poached eggs, but here, we’ll be pan-frying the eggs instead.
Ready to give the recipe a try? Here’s all you need to know about making it.
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Ingredients For the Recipe
You’ll need a few simple pantry staples to make the Turkish eggs from scratch.
For the yogurt mixture
- Thick yogurt: ½ cup
- Paprika powder: ¼ tsp
- Red chili flakes: ¼ tsp
- Black pepper powder: ¼ tsp
- Garlic (minced); ¼ tsp
- Salt: ½ tsp
For the green chili oil
- Olive oil: 2 tbsp
- Coriander leaves (finely chopped): 1 tbsp
- Green chiles (minced): ½ tbsp
For the red oil
- Butter: 2 tbsp
- Red chili flakes: 1 tbsp
- Paprika powder: ½ tsp
For the eggs
- Oil
- Eggs: 2
- Salt Pepper Seasoning: ¼ tsp
How to Make the Turkish Eggs
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here’s what you’ll need to do to put the dish together from scratch.
Take a small mixing bowl. Add the yogurt, paprika powder, red chili flakes, black pepper, garlic, and salt. Mix them together. Keep aside.
For the green chili oil, add the coriander leaves and green chilies to the oil and mix them.
For the red oil, heat butter in a pan. As soon as the butter starts to bubble, turn off the heat and add the red chili flakes and paprika powder. Stir and mix. Keep aside.
Take a non-stick pan and heat oil. Break the eggs into the pan and half fry the eggs.
Sprinkle it with salt and pepper seasoning. Cook the eggs for 2-3 minutes on one side.
To assemble, make a layer with the yogurt.
Then top it with half the green oil and half the red oil.
Next, put the eggs on top.
Top it again with the remaining green and red chili oils.
Enjoy with bread of your choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
While these Turkish eggs taste great on their own, thanks to all the different elements, you could totally use any other toppings of your choice to take them to the next level too.
Pickled red onions, Harissa paste, microgreens, olives and jalapenos are all great choices.
I also like to sprinkle some fresh herbs over the eggs right before I serve. Dill, basil and cilantro are some good options. 
This is one dish I would recommend putting together only as much as needed, and when you plan to serve it. Eggs tend to spoil pretty quick, and when teamed up with the yogurt, it can be tricky to store for later.
That said, you can prep both the infused oils in advance and simply drizzle them over when you need to. 
Tips & Tricks to Make the Turkish Eggs
Ready to give this simple and hearty recipe a try? Here are a few tips and tricks to note before you go ahead.
- I used thick yogurt as the base for the Turkish eggs, but you could also simply use Greek yogurt. Just remember to use unflavored, unsweetened yogurt.
- If you’re using regular yogurt like me, you might want to drain away the excess liquid and use a thicker yogurt instead.
- Don’t have fresh garlic? Just use some garlic powder instead.
- I used paprika to make the red oil, but you could also use some smoked paprika instead to lend the flavored oil a nice smoky aroma.
- While you could totally use regular cooking oil to cook the eggs and make the flavored oils, I would highly recommend using extra virgin oil to get those beautiful flavors.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Turkish eggs are typically paired with a crusty bread on the side. You can use any kind of bread you prefer, season it with some olive oil and herbs, and toast it until it is nice and golden on both sides.
While these eggs are typically served as a breakfast item, you can enjoy them as a hearty dinner too if you’re a breakfast for dinner kind of a person.
Enjoyed this unique egg recipe? Inspired to try some more fun and interesting ways to use eggs? Here are a few good options to choose from.
📖 Recipe
Turkish Eggs
Ingredients
Ingredients for the yogurt mixture
- ½ cup Thick yogurt
- ¼ teaspoon Paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon Red chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Ingredients for the green chili oil
- 2 tbsps Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Coriander leaves, finely chopped
- ½ tablespoon Green chiles, minced
Ingredients for the red oil
- 2 tbsps Butter
- 1 tablespoon Red chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon Paprika powder
Ingredients for the eggs
- Oil
- 2 Eggs
- ¼ teaspoon Salt Pepper Seasoning
Instructions
- Take a small mixing bowl. Add the yogurt, paprika powder, red chili flakes, black pepper, garlic, and salt. Mix them together. Keep aside.
- For the green chili oil, add the coriander leaves and green chilies to the oil and mix them.
- For the red oil, heat butter in a pan. As soon as the butter starts to bubble, turn off the heat and add the red chili flakes and paprika powder. Stir and mix. Keep aside.
- Take a non-stick pan and heat oil. Break the eggs into the pan and half fry the eggs. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper seasoning. Cook the eggs for 2-3 minutes on one side.
- To assemble, make a layer with the yogurt. Then top it with half the green oil and half the red oil.
- Next, put the eggs on top. Top it again with the remaining green and red chili oils.
- Enjoy with bread of your choice.
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