Turkish Eggs (Cilbir)

These Turkish Eggs, also called Cilbir or Çılbır, are the best high-protein, low-carb breakfast ever packed with 25 grams of protein. It’s an ultra-creamy garlic yogurt topped with warm poached eggs and spicy Aleppo butter.

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If you’ve never had Turkish eggs for breakfast, you are missing something! This is the most flavorsome, protein-packed, and low-carb breakfast ever. I make this all the time on the weekend, and this is so comforting and fulfilling.

Turkish eggs are a classic Middle Eastern breakfast made with fresh, creamy Greek yogurt flavored with garlic and herbs. It’s topped with warm poached eggs, and spicy olive oil butter drizzle called Aleppo butter as it’s flavored with Aleppo pepper, a variety of spices.

Ingredients and Substitutions

This Cilbir recipe is made in three steps. You first need to prepare the yogurt base, for which you need the following ingredients:

• Plain Greek Yogurt – Full-fat yogurt provides the best creamy texture.
• Fresh Garlic – Or garlic powder.
• Lemon Juice – Fresh or bottled.
• Salt and Pepper – to taste.
• Fresh Parsley – Or cilantro if you prefer.

For the poached eggs, you need:

• Large Fresh Eggs – I use free-range eggs.
• Pinch of Salt – to taste.
• Boiling Water – To cook the eggs.

For the Aleppo butter, you need:

• Butter – I like to use grass-fed butter.
• Olive Oil – I use extra-virgin olive oil.
• Aleppo Pepper – That’s the magic ingredient that provides the best light spicy flavor to the butter and vibrant red colors.
• Paprika and Cumin – for perfect flavors.

How To Make Turkish Eggs

It’s super easy to make this Turkish breakfast as soon as you follow the few steps below. This Turkish breakfast is pretty simple to make, especially if you know how to make poached eggs. That’s probably the only technical cooking step in this recipe, apart from that, the recipe is pretty simple.

Since it’s a three-step recipe, I prefer to make Cilbir on the weekend when I don’t have the pressure of serving a quick breakfast.

1. First, prepare garlic yogurt by stirring Greek yogurt, lemon juice, salt, pepper, fresh garlic, and freshly chopped parsley in a bowl.
2. Spread the yogurt evenly into two small plates or shallow bowls.
3. I use the back of a tablespoon to create a nice swirl on top of the yogurt.
4. Place the plates in the fridge while you poach eggs.
5. Poaching eggs is the tricky part of this breakfast. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to poach eggs, so let me guide you through this easily. First, fill a large pot with water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil.
6. Meanwhile, place a towel onto a plate or chopping board. This is where you will rest the cooked poached eggs before serving.
7. While the water is boiling, crack each egg one at a time above a small sieve placed above the sink. Some of the egg white will go through the sieve, and that’s ok. Let it go into the sink. This is the unattached part of the egg whites, and if you poach this part, the egg looks messy so it’s better to discard it.
8. Pour the egg yolk and egg whites left in the sieve into a ramekin, or small bowl, as seen in the picture below.
9. Repeat this step for each egg, keeping one egg per ramekin, not all in the same bowl.
10. Reduce the heat to medium-low to keep a low boil in the pot. Use a fork to swirl the water and create a vortex and pour one egg.
11. Cook the egg for 45 seconds before adding another egg to the pot. Cook each egg for 3 minutes or until the egg whites are set.
12. Use a slotted spoon to remove the poached eggs from the pot and place them on the prepared towel to absorb excess water.
13. Keep the eggs at room temperature while making the spicy butter.
14. In a non-stick pan over medium heat, add the butter with olive oil, Aleppo pepper, paprika, and cumin.
15. Melt the butter in the pan, stirring gently to combine with the other ingredients.
16. Cook until warm and a vibrant red butter forms. It takes 1 to 2 minutes.

Serving Turkish Eggs

Take the plate filled with garlicky yogurt out of the fridge. Add two poached eggs on top of each plate filled with yogurt mixture and drizzle the warm Aleppo butter on top.

You can add some of the below ingredients for a boost of flavor on top of the eggs.

• Sesame seeds
• Red pepper flakes
• Ground black pepper
• Freshly chopped parsley
• Fresh dill

Sides For Poached Eggs

You can eat these creamy eggs and yogurt themself, but honestly, they taste way better with some bread. Pick some of the bread ideas below to dig in, some are low-carb, some are not, pick what’s right for you.

• Low-carb pita bread
• Homemade pita chips
• Almond crackers
• Almond flour bread
• Whole meal bread
• Moroccan bread
• Keto focaccia
• Crusty bread like baguette
• Greek Fries

Some vegetables go very well with yogurt and eggs like:

• Brussels Sprout Chips
• Roasted Cauliflower
• Roasted Rutabagas

Allergy Swaps

If you are allergic to some of this recipe’s ingredients, you can try the following substitutions.

• Aleppo Pepper – If you can’t find this ingredient in your local store, you can use a pinch of chili flakes or French Espelette pepper.
• Dairy-Free – Pick high-protein or creamy dairy-free plain yogurt like coconut yogurt or soy yogurt. Then, swap the butter for dairy-free butter or more olive oil.
• Low-FODMAP – Don’t add garlic for a low-FODMAP option.
• Gluten-Free – Serve with gluten-free bread. The recipe itself is already gluten-free.
• Low-Carb – The recipe is low-carb. Pick the lowest carb yogurt to keep it to the lowest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below I answered your most common questions about this Turkish recipe.

More Egg Recipes

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