Gozleme
Want to try something new and a little exotic? Here’s how to make gozleme, a traditional Turkish stuffed flatbread turned vegan. Give it a try!
Gozleme is a traditional Turkish stuffed flatbread made from hand-rolled dough that is filled, folded, and pan-fried until golden. This vegan version keeps the thin, savory dough and swaps the usual cheese for a seasoned tofu, onion, and dill filling, so you get all the crisp, tender comfort of the original without any dairy. It comes together with simple pantry ingredients and a hot pan, no oven required.
Today I was in the mood for something a little bit exotic. Not desert island and pineapples kind of exotic, just something I wouldn’t eat on a normal basis. I remembered that on my list of you should try this sometime there was a little Turkish gem: something called gozleme! All you need to do is follow my recipe and I promise you will get the original taste.
What Goes Into This Vegan Gozleme
All you need for the dough are some simple ingredients that I bet you already have in your kitchen. Here is what each part does and how to choose it:
- Flour, water, salt — the backbone of the dough. Plain all-purpose flour is all you need for a thin, pliable flatbread.
- Yogurt (vegan or dairy) — a spoonful in the dough adds a little tenderness and tang. Use an unsweetened plant-based yogurt to keep this vegan.
- Olive oil — goes into the dough for softness and into the pan for that golden, crisp finish.
- Tofu, grated — this stands in for the classic cheese filling. For a non-vegan version you can use teleme cheese instead.
- Onion — sauteed until translucent so it turns sweet and soft, never raw and sharp.
- Dill — fresh, finely chopped, for that bright, herby lift that makes the filling taste authentic.
Of course, for our recipe today I made a selection of some of my favorite fillings. I think it’s just a perfectly tasty mix that will work for everybody, you can’t go wrong with it!
How To Roll And Fold Gozleme Right
🙂 I just love getting my hands to do the full work! Follow my instructions and relax, there are few things that can go wrong with this recipe. A few pointers will get you a thin, evenly cooked flatbread:
- Let the dough rest. The 15-minute rest relaxes the gluten so the dough rolls out thin without springing back or tearing.
- Roll it thin. Gozleme is meant to be delicate, so aim for a thin circle. A thinner sheet crisps up better and cooks through evenly.
- Cool the filling first. Letting the tofu mixture cool for a few minutes before stirring in the yogurt keeps it from going watery, so it spreads cleanly and does not soak through the dough.
- Fill only half. Spread the filling over half the circle, leaving a small border, then fold the other half over and pinch the edges shut so nothing leaks in the pan.
- Watch for golden brown. Cook over medium heat until each side is golden and blistered. That color is your doneness cue.
(That being said, I don’t encourage you to go on and throw away all your cooking utensils!)
Why This Method Works
The spoonful of yogurt and the olive oil in the dough do more than add flavor. The fat and the mild acidity soften the crumb and make the dough supple, which is exactly what lets you roll it paper-thin without it tearing. Cooking the folded gozleme in a hot, lightly oiled pan crisps the outside quickly while the thin dough cooks through, giving you that signature contrast of crackly exterior and warm, savory filling. Sauteing the onion before it goes into the filling drives off its raw bite and brings out its natural sweetness, so every bite tastes balanced rather than sharp.
Fillings, Swaps, And Making It Your Own
I think you could actually prepare a version of gozleme every week starting today and not get bored or repeat the combination of ingredients for a reaaaally long time! The tofu-onion-dill filling here is my go-to, but the folded-flatbread format is endlessly flexible. For a non-vegan version, teleme cheese slips right in where the tofu goes. However you choose to make this, I am sure it will turn out great.
What To Serve With Gozleme
Gozleme is hearty enough to stand on its own for lunch, but it also loves company. I like to set it out with something creamy for dipping, like this vegan spinach dip, and treat it as part of a bigger spread of vegan snacks when friends come over. If you want to lean into more hand-held, savory dough recipes, my vegan wraps make a natural companion at the table.
Make-Ahead And Storage
The filling is the easiest part to prep ahead: saute the onion and tofu, stir in the yogurt and dill, and keep it covered in the fridge for a day or two until you are ready to roll and fold. Cooked gozleme is best fresh and warm, but leftovers reheat well in a dry pan over medium heat, which crisps the outside back up far better than a microwave. If you enjoy having simple, portable savory bites on hand, take a look at my wider collection of vegan snack recipes for more ideas along these lines.
I have a hunch that this will become a regular in your kitchen. For me, it will for sure! If you make this vegan gozleme, please come back and rate the recipe, and drop me a comment telling me which filling you tried and how thin you managed to roll your dough. I read every single one!
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Gozleme
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 Tbsp yogurt vegan or dairy
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp salt
For the filling:
- 1 cup tofu grated; or use teleme cheese for non-vegan version
- 1 onion chopped
- ½ cup dill finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp yogurt vegan or dairy
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
- Combine the flour and salt in a bowl.
- Add the yogurt and olive oil, and mix well.
- Pour the water a little bit at a time and mix until the dough is formed and it is not sticking to the bowl.
- Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
- In a pan, heat up 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil and sautee the onion.
- When translucent, add the tofu, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl and let cool for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the yogurt and finely chopped dill, and adjust the seasoning.
- Split the dough into 4-5 pieces.
- Spread the dough and form a thin circle.
- Put 2-3 Tbsp of tofu mixture and spread well on half of the dough.
- Use the remaining half to close the gozleme and pinch it shut with your fingers.
- Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium heat, and cook the gozleme until golden brown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gozleme is a traditional Turkish stuffed flatbread made from thin, hand-rolled dough that is filled, folded in half, and pan-fried until golden. It is savory, crisp on the outside, and soft inside. This version uses a seasoned tofu, onion, and dill filling to keep it fully plant-based.
Swap the two animal ingredients for plant-based ones. Use an unsweetened vegan yogurt in the dough and filling, and grated tofu in place of the traditional cheese. Everything else, the flour, olive oil, onion, and dill, is already vegan, so you keep the authentic taste without any dairy.
Yes. For a non-vegan version, use teleme cheese where the recipe calls for grated tofu. It gives you a more classic, cheese-forward gozleme filling. Everything else in the method stays exactly the same.
Two things usually help. First, let the dough rest for the full 15 minutes so the gluten relaxes and rolls out without springing back. Second, the yogurt and olive oil in the dough make it supple, so mix them in well before resting. Roll on a lightly floured surface and go slowly to reach a thin, even circle.
Cook the onion and tofu first, then let the mixture cool for a few minutes before stirring in the yogurt and dill. Cooling keeps the filling from turning watery. Spread only 2 to 3 tablespoons over half the dough and pinch the edges shut so nothing leaks while it fries.
No. Gozleme is cooked entirely on the stovetop. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the folded flatbread until each side is golden brown and blistered. The color is your doneness cue, no oven required.
Can I bake it instead of frying ?
Will definitely make it again, it’s amazing!