Turkish Gozleme | Vegan Stuffed Flatbread

These Turkish Gozleme are a crispy pan-fried flatbread with a flavorful protein-rich filling of vegan minced meat, feta, and spinach – Learn how to make this incredibly delicious “street food” dish at home with this easy, healthy, and plant-based skillet bread recipe! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or main course.

I’ve always been a fan of Turkish food because it uses a lot of fresh ingredients and it’s so flavorful! Typical spices like garlic, cumin, and parsley add a very special, spicy flavor to the dishes that I really love. Since you shouldn’t skimp on the spices in a vegan diet anyway, it makes the perfect match. If you like my crispy Turkish Borek or Vegan Lahmacun with a good load of dairy-free tzatziki, then you’ll surely love these stuffed flatbreads too! Today I’ll show you how to make vegan Gozleme in no time!

Turkish Gozleme – a popular street food dish from Turkey

If you are looking for a quick and delicious meal on your vacation in Turkey, you will surely find a snack bar that offers freshly baked, savory stuffed flatbreads. Traditionally, Gozleme is made with yufka, a thin puff pastry, that’s filled with feta cheese, minced meat, spinach, or even potatoes. Since the dough for Gozleme in Turkey is often homemade but a bit more complicated to make, many people prepare it with thinly rolled-out flatbread dough. Once the filling is added, the flatbreads are then folded in half to form a pocket and baked in a non-stick pan, skillet, or on a stone until crispy and golden.

Nowadays, you can find Gozleme more and more often in Turkish snack bars and restaurants all over the world. And since you can also easily make them yourself, now I wanted to show you how to make the vegan version of these delicious Turkish stuffed flatbreads!

The best recipe for Vegan Turkish Gozleme!

To make Turkish Gozleme in a quick homemade vegan version, I decided to replace the traditionally used Yufka pastry with my Aloo Paratha flatbread dough. This dough is easy to prepare at home and can be fried in the pan until crispy. For the filling, I use a spicy and hearty mix of sunflower mince granules, spinach, bell peppers, onions, garlic, and vegan feta cheese. Seasoned with the typical Turkish spices, you’ll get an authentic, flavorful filling for your stuffed flatbreads. The Gozleme can be easily prepared and stuffed ahead, then baked until crispy and served straight from the pan!

How can I substitute ingredients from the recipe?

Dough and stuffing (basic ingredients)

• Dough: The dough for these delicious crispy baked Gozleme is made with all-purpose flour, water, oil, and salt. I used the recipe from my Aloo Paratha here, but you could also follow my recipe for homemade tortillas, which can also be made gluten-free. If you don’t want to make your own flatbread dough, you can use store-bought yufka dough or store-bought tortillas from the organic or grocery store.
• Sunflower mince: In this recipe, the Gozleme are stuffed with a soy-free, vegan mince alternative that is particularly suitable for allergy sufferers. Any other minced meat alternative can be used too. Simply prepare it according to the package instructions of the product you use. However, also fresh natural ingredients such as mushrooms, eggplants, chickpeas, or beans make a great vegan meat alternative.
• Bell peppers and spinach: This recipe for Vegan Turkish Gozleme calls for a filling with bell peppers and spinach. However, you can also try other fillings and use any vegetables like zucchini, tomatoes, olives, hot peppers, or whatever you like. Traditionally, the spicy flatbread dumplings are also stuffed with potatoes.
• Vegan Feta: You can easily make it yourself with tofu – you can find my homemade recipe here. Otherwise, you could also buy a vegan feta cheese alternative in a store or omit this ingredient altogether.
• Vegan grated cheese: is optional for a better binding. Since the vegan Gozleme flatbread filling is very low in fat, it also adds a bit more flavor! Here I also have a recipe on how you can make Easy Vegan Cheese yourself. It’s made with a base of potatoes, carrots, and cashews and is similar to my popular Vegan Mac and Cheese Sauce.

Spices

• Olive oil: This kind of oil is healthy and flavorful so it’s ideal for Turkish cuisine. You need it to sauté the ingredients and to bake the stuffed flatbreads until crispy. Alternatively, you can use canola oil.
• Onions & garlic: Onions and garlic are a must for spicy Turkish cuisine. I would not omit them or the Gozleme will taste less flavorful and spicy.
• Tomato paste: is used as a seasoning for the minced vegetable mixture. By sizzling it in some oil it turns brick red and starts to caramelize. If you don’t have tomato paste on hand, you can also use strained tomatoes without juices.
• Cumin: This is a typical spice for Turkish cuisine and therefore ideal for spicy Gozleme. If you don’t have cumin on hand, you can substitute it with caraway or garam masala. To replace one teaspoon of cumin, you will need ½ teaspoon of caraway or garam masala.
• Paprika powder: Paprika powder makes the stuffing for the pan-fried bread very spicy and aromatic. Depending on your taste, you can use sweet or hot paprika powder. If you don’t want to use any, you can leave it out. However, this will make the Gozleme less flavorful. Instead, you can add some paprika paste or chili.
• Parsley: Freshly chopped parsley has a fresh peppery flavor and makes the stuffed flatbread dumplings especially tasty. You can use dried parsley, but it will change the taste of the Gozleme.

How to make Turkish Gozleme

First, check out the recipe video and this step-by-step instruction for a better understanding! Then you can find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Prepare the flatbread dough

First, prepare the dough according to my Aloo Paratha recipe. Then wrap in plastic wrap or place back in the bowl and cover with a damp towel. Set aside until ready to use.

Step 2: Make the filling

Soak sunflower or soy granules in vegetable broth for 5-10 minutes. Then drain well and squeeze out excess liquid. Next, heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions and garlic for a few minutes. Add red bell pepper, tomato paste, cumin, paprika powder, chili, salt, and pepper, and continue sautéing for another minute. Stir in the prepared sunflower mince, parsley, and chopped spinach. Lastly, crumble the vegan feta and mix in. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Note: If using crumbled firm tofu or a store-bought vegan ground beef alternative, fry it along with the onions or according to the package instructions of your product.

Step 3: Fill and fold Gozleme

Divide the dough into 4-8 equal pieces, depending on the desired Gozleme size, and shape them into balls. Work with one ball of dough at a time and cover the remaining pieces of dough to prevent them from drying out. Roll it out on a lightly floured work surface into a thin large circle. Spread ¼ portion of the filling on one half of the circle and top with grated vegan cheese as desired, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Moisten half of the edge with a little water, then fold the opposite end of the dough over the filling, pressing firmly all around the edges to seal. Repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough.

Step 4: Bake the flatbreads

Heat a little oil in a large non-stick frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Place one or two stuffed flatbreads in the pan and fry until golden brown, pressing lightly on the edges with a spatula to ensure even browning. Then flip and bake from the other side as well. Finally, place the Turkish flatbreads on a cooling rack to keep them crisp while you cook the rest.

What to serve with Turkish stuffed flatbreads

Since Gozleme pan bread is very spicy and hearty, it goes especially well with fresh side dishes. As crispy, filled pan-fried bread, it is an ideal accompaniment to a crunchy fresh salad. You can also serve them as a main course along with Turkish Bulgur Salad (Kisir) and delicious dips like vegan tzatziki, cashew aioli, or guacamole.

Tips for preparing and storing Turkish Gozleme

You can easily prepare the dough for your crispy baked Gozleme one or two days in advance. Just be sure to wrap the dough in cling foil tightly and store it in the refrigerator to prevent it from drying out. The dough will become a bit firmer in the refrigerator and will be more difficult to roll out. Therefore, I recommend taking the dough out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes before you want to start making the Gozleme and let it rest at room temperature.

You can also prepare the filling of the spicy pan-fried flatbreads ahead and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to prepare the Gozleme. When the stuffing rests for a while, the flavor will be even more intense. Be sure to stuff the flatbreads just before cooking, otherwise, the stuffing can make the dough soggy.

Furthermore, I highly recommend enjoying the pan bread immediately after frying, as long as it’s warm and crispy! If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, heat the stuffed flatbreads briefly in the pan, skillet, or oven.

This Turkish Gozleme pan bread recipe is:

• Vegan
• Egg-free
• Lactose-free
• Soy-free
• Protein-rich
• Hearty
• Spicy
• Crispy
• Healthy
• Easy to prepare
• Incredibly delicious!

More homemade vegan street food recipes:

• Crunchwrap Supreme – Burrito Wraps XXL
• BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork Burger
• Garlic Mushroom and Spinach Pizza
• Chinese Scallion Pancakes
• Vegan Quesadillas
• Spinach Wraps with Cashew Cheese
• Vegan burrito samosas
• Pan-fried Bao Buns – Vegan Steamed Dumplings
• Vegan Kimchi Pancakes (Korean Kimchijeon Recipe)
• Vegan Empanadas

If you try this easy vegan recipe for Turkish Gozleme, please leave me a comment and a rating because I always love your feedback! And if you take a photo of your quick pan bread and share it on Instagram, please link me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka to make sure I don’t miss your post! Happy baking 🙂

Vegan Gozleme (Turkish Stuffed Flatbread)

Author: Bianca Zapatka

These Turkish Gozleme are crispy pan-fried flatbreads with a flavorful protein-rich filling of vegan minced meat, feta, and spinach - Learn how to make this incredibly delicious "street food" dish at home with this easy, healthy, and plant-based bread recipe! Make 4 large stuffed flatbreads as a main course or 8 small pan breads as a side dish.

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Lunch & Dinner, Pizza, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Turkish

Servings 4 Servings

Calories 462 kcal

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 recipe flatbread dough

Stuffing

• 1 package (76 g) sunflower mince or soy granules 2.7oz (76g), *see notes for substitutes
• 1 cup (240 ml) hot vegetable broth for soaking the vegan mince*
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 2 tbsp (2) tomato paste
• 1 ½ tsp (2 tsp) cumin
• 1 ½ tsp (2 tsp) paprika powder
• ½ tsp (1 tsp) chili optional
• ½ tsp (1 tsp) each salt and pepper or more if you want
• 2 cups (60 g) spinach coarsely chopped
• ½ bunch fresh parsley finely chopped
• 4.2 oz (120 g) vegan feta homemade or store-bought
• ½ cup vegan cheese grated

Instructions 

*Note: Be sure to watch the recipe video + step-by-step photos in the blog post above. Also, I recommend using metric measurements.

Prepare the flatbread dough:

• First, prepare the dough according to my Aloo Paratha recipe. Then wrap in plastic wrap or place back in the bowl and cover with a damp towel. Set aside until ready to use.

Prepare the stuffing:

• Place the sunflower mince in a bowl, pour the vegetable broth over it and leave to soak for 5-10 minutes. Then transfer to a fine-mesh strainer, drain well and squeeze out excess liquid. (If using tofu or a store-bought vegan ground meat alternative, you can skip this step, *see recipe notes).
• Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion for about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Now add red bell pepper, tomato paste, cumin, paprika powder, chili, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and continue sautéing for another minute.
• Stir in the prepared sunflower mince, parsley, and chopped spinach. Cover the pan, remove from heat, and set aside for a couple of minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Lastly, crumble the vegan feta and mix in. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. (The filling tastes even better the next day. If you want to prepare it ahead, you can put it in a bowl and refrigerate, covered, until ready to use).

Stuff your Gozleme (*see step-by-step pictures in my blogpost)

• Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (or more if you want to make smaller Gozleme) and shape them into balls.
• Work with one ball of dough at a time and cover the remaining pieces of dough to prevent them from drying out. Use a rolling pin and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface into a thin large circle. Spread ¼ portion of the filling on one half of the circle and top with grated vegan cheese as desired, leaving a ½-inch border around the sides.
• Moisten half of the sides with a little water, then fold the opposite end of the dough over the filling, pressing firmly all around the edges to seal.
• Repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough.

Bake the flatbreads

• Heat a little oil in a large non-stick frying pan or skillet over medium heat.
• Place one or two stuffed flatbreads in the pan and fry until golden brown, pressing lightly on the edges with a spatula to ensure even browning. Then flip and bake from the other side as well.
• Then place the Gozleme on a cooling rack to keep them crisp while you fry the rest.
• Serve with vegan tzatziki, herb dip, vegan aioli, guacamole, or any other dip you like.
• Enjoy!

Notes

• Dough: For Gozleme, I prefer to prepare the flatbread dough from my Aloo paratha recipe! But you can also opt for my homemade tortilla recipe use yufka pastry or store-bought tortillas and make a kind of Turkish "Quesadillas" with this recipe.
• Vegan Meat: You can substitute the dry sunflower mince or soy granules with 8 oz (200 g) firm tofu (pressed, then crumbled) or any ready-made vegan mince/ ground beef alternative you like. Also, cooked lentils, mashed beans, or other legumes make a great vegan meat alternative - Get creative!
• Please read my blog post for make-ahead, storage + freezing instructions, and further helpful information on this recipe.
• The nutritional information is calculated for 1 Serving as a main course.

Nutritions

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 462kcal | Carbohydrates: 70.1g | Protein: 12.6g | Fat: 9.3g | Saturated Fat: 1.5g | Fiber: 9.7g | Sugar: 4.8g

Nutrition is calculated automatically and should be used as estimate.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @biancazapatka or tag #biancazapatka!

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