Turkish Eggs

Yumna Jawad

Published Jul 14, 2025

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Turkish Eggs (Cilbir) are made with poached eggs on garlicky yogurt with spicy chili butter sauce for a fun protein-packed brunch idea to try

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 servings
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Two bowls of Turkish eggs served over yogurt, topped with hot chili butter and garnished with fresh dill, crust bread nearby
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A new Way to eat Eggs

Well it’s pretty new to me, but Turkish Eggs, or Cilbir have been around for ages. It’s incredibly high in protein from the eggs served over yogurt, but it’s also incredibly flavorful from the garlic infused yogurt and the butter chili sauce.

My brother, who lives in the Middle East, suggested I try them since he knows how much I love poached eggs, and I was instantly hooked. Now I make them for special brunches on weekends and it’s always so satisfying!

Happy Cooking!
– Yumna

Turkish Eggs Ingredients

Ingredients for recipe: fresh dill, garlic, aleppo pepper, paprika, vinegar, eggs, butter, salt, and yogurt.
  • Greek yogurt: Full-fat tastes richest, but 2 % works. Let it come to room temp so it’s not shock-cold under the eggs.
  • Garlic: One small clove, finely grated or smashed to mix with the yogurt. ¼ tsp garlic powder is fine if you don’t feel like grating garlic.
  • Eggs: Fresh large eggs poach best.
  • Butter: Use unsalted and swap with ghee or olive oil if you like.
  • Seasoning: Aleppo pepper, paprika and salt is all you need. Aleppo pepper is very common for Turkish eggs for cilbir, but you don’t have to go out and buy it, You can use ½ tsp crushed red-pepper flakes or just paprika. I’ve also added
  • Fresh herbs: I use dill, but you can also use parsley and/or mint.

How to Make Turkish Eggs

Yogurt dill mixture in a bowl.
Step 1: In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, grated garlic, salt, and dill until smooth. Divide the mixture between two shallow serving bowls.
Foaming butter in small skillet with pepper and paprika added.
Step 2: Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat until it foams. Stir in the Aleppo pepper and paprika, and cook just until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
One cracked egg in mesh sieve over a small bowl with 3 others already drained in small bowls.
Step 3: Crack each egg into a small fine mesh sieve over a small bowl. Allow the liquidy egg whites to drain. Then transfer each egg to four individual ramekins.
Lifting a poached egg out of water after cooking.
Step 4: Fill a deep skillet with water and bring it just to a gentle simmer. Stir in the vinegar. Swirl the water to create a vortex, gently slide in each egg, and cook to your desired doneness. Lift out with a slotted spoon, letting excess water drain. Then you can assemble the poached eggs with the yogurt and sauce. For more tips, grab my full tutorial on How to Poach Eggs.
Turkish eggs recipe.

Turkish Eggs

Author: Yumna Jawad
No ratings yet
Try Turkish Eggs, also called Cilbir: poached eggs served on garlic yogurt with with Aleppo-pepper butter. It's high-protein and a satisfying brunch!
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Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Servings2 servings
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup Whole Milk Greek yogurt
  • 1 small garlic clove finely grated
  • ½ teaspoon salt divided
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar for poaching water
  • 4 large eggs
  • Warm crusty bread or pita for serving

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, grated garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, and the chopped dill until smooth. Divide the mixture between two shallow serving bowls, spreading it out to create a thick bed for the eggs.
  • Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat until it foams, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the Aleppo pepper and paprika, and cook 20–30 seconds, just until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Crack each egg into a small fine mesh sieve over a small bowl. Allow the liquidy egg whites to drain. Then transfer each egg to four individual ramekins.
  • Fill a deep skillet with 3 inches of water and bring it just to a gentle simmer (small bubbles, not a rolling boil). Stir in the vinegar. Swirl the water to create a vortex, gently slide in each egg, and cook 3 minutes for a runny yolk (3½ to 4 minutes for medium). Lift out with a slotted spoon, letting excess water drain.
  • Nestle two poached eggs onto the yogurt in each bowl. Drizzle the hot chili-butter evenly over the eggs and yogurt and garnish with extra dill. Serve warm with crusty bread or pita for scooping.

Equipment

Nutrition

Serving: 2eggs, Calories: 295kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 362mg, Sodium: 761mg, Potassium: 304mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1387IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 172mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Did You Make This Recipe?
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Recipe Tips

  1. Bring the yogurt to room temp. Cold yogurt cools the eggs too quickly and can really take away from the overall flavor of the Turkish eggs recipe.
  2. Use the freshest eggs you’ve got. Fresh whites cling to the yolk, so that way you can get that icone poached eggs shape.
  3. Swirl, then slide. The key to getting good poached eggs is making sure you swirl right before carefully dropping in the egg. A whirlpool in the pot helps wrap the whites around the yolk instead of feathering out.
  4. Watch the butter color. Once it’s golden-brown and smells nutty, pull it off the heat so it doesn’t burn.
  5. Serve right away. Turkish eggs are all about hot-cold contrast; they’re at their best the moment the butter hits the yogurt.

Serving Ideas

  • Bread: You’ll definitely want to serve these Turkish eggs with some type of bread. Usually crusty bread is the best with it, but you can also try my Pita Bread or Olive Bread which are two great Mediterranean options.
  • Salad: To make it a bigger meal, you try it with a Mediterranean salad like my Chickpea Salad or Fattoush Salad.

FAQs

How do I store and reheat Turkish Eggs?

Cilbir is best eaten fresh, but if you must, keep the yogurt and eggs separate in airtight containers for up to one day. Rewarm the eggs briefly in hot water and whisk the yogurt before serving.

The yogurt curdled when I added the butter. What did I do wrong?

The butter was likely too hot. Pull it off the heat as soon as it turns golden, then give it 10 seconds before drizzling.

Can I make Turkish eggs with fried eggs instead of poached?

Absolutely. Fry them in a little olive oil until the edges crisp, then build the bowls the same way. For easy fried eggs, check out my tutorial on How to Fry an Egg.

Two bowls of Turkish eggs served over yogurt, topped with hot chili butter with crusty bread being dipped into runny yolk.

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