starter
Turkish Stuffed Grape Leaves – Zeytinyağlı Yaprak Sarma
Tender grape leaves rolled with herbed rice, pine nuts and currants — a classic Turkish meze served cold.
⏱ 110 min🔥 220 kcalHard
★4.8(11,200)
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Turkish Rice Recipes
28 recipes using rice — Kebabs, mezze, baklava and the richness of Anatolian cooking.
These 28 turkish rice recipes are ready in about 83 minutes on average, with 180–560 kcal per serving, and 25% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
28
recipes
83 min
average time
337 kcal
avg per serving
25%
easy recipes
How Turkish cuisine cooks with rice
Turkish cooking spans smoky grilled kebabs and meze to gentle olive-oil vegetable dishes, balancing richness with yoghurt, lemon and herbs. When Turkish cooks work with rice, they reach for olive oil, cumin, pul biber (pepper flakes), garlic, yoghurt and fresh mint, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are simmering, boiling, sautéing and caramelising.
The everyday grain for half the planet — a neutral base that soaks up the flavours around it, from pilafs to fried rice. In this collection it's most often cooked with onion, pine nuts, olive oil, fresh dill, garlic and tomato paste. The dishes here span turkish classics ready in as little as 35 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Reader favourite: Zeytinyağlı Yaprak Sarma (Stuffed Grape Leaves in Olive Oil) is the highest-rated dish in this collection at 4.9★ from 1,083 ratings.
28 Turkish Rice Recipes
dessert
Turkish Sütlaç – Creamy Baked Rice Pudding
Silky baked rice pudding with a caramelised golden skin — Turkey's most beloved everyday dessert.
⏱ 60 min🔥 260 kcalEasy
★4.7(9,800)
snack
Chakli (Crispy Spiraled Rice Flour Snack)
Crunchy, spiced spiraled snacks made from rice flour and sesame seeds — a beloved South Asian festival treat that has found a home in multicultural Turkish snack culture.
⏱ 60 min🔥 210 kcalMedium
★4.6(1,188)
starter
Kalamar Tava (Turkish Fried Calamari)
Crispy golden calamari rings coated in seasoned semolina and cornflour, fried in clean hot oil, and served with tarator sauce — the essential Aegean seafood meze.
⏱ 35 min🔥 340 kcalMedium
★4.3(1,392)
lunch
Zeytinyağlı Yaprak Sarma (Stuffed Grape Leaves in Olive Oil)
Delicate vine leaves stuffed with herb-scented rice, pine nuts, and currants, cooked in olive oil and lemon — the jewel of the Turkish zeytinyağlı (olive-oil) tradition.
⏱ 105 min🔥 290 kcalHard
★4.9(1,083)
dinner
Kabuli Palaw (Afghan Lamb and Rice with Carrots and Raisins)
Afghanistan's national dish: long-grain rice steamed over spiced braised lamb, crowned with caramelized carrots and raisins — a jewel of Central Asian pilaf tradition.
⏱ 130 min🔥 520 kcalHard
★4.6(1,072)
✨ Newstarter
Dolma — Turkish Stuffed Grape Leaves with Rice
Tender grape leaves stuffed with herbed rice, pine nuts and currants, braised in olive oil and lemon juice. A jewel of Turkish meze culture.
⏱ 120 min🔥 210 kcalHard
★4.7(870)
✨ Newdessert
Sütlaç (Turkish Baked Rice Pudding)
Silky Turkish rice pudding baked until the top caramelises into a golden-brown crust — one of the most beloved desserts in Turkish cuisine.
⏱ 60 min🔥 265 kcalEasy
★4.8(1,000)
dessert
Kazandibi
Turkey's extraordinary burnt milk pudding — a silky, rose-scented rice flour custard with a signature caramelised, almost charred underside.
⏱ 50 min🔥 230 kcalMedium
★4.7(1,198)
✨ Newstarter
Yaprak Sarma
Turkey's beloved stuffed vine leaves — tender grape leaves packed with herbed rice, currants, and pine nuts, steamed in olive oil and lemon.
⏱ 120 min🔥 240 kcalHard
★4.8(1,321)
✨ Newdinner
Hamsili Pilav
A Black Sea treasure — fresh anchovies layered around a fragrant herbed rice pilaf and baked until the fish crust is golden and crispy.
⏱ 80 min🔥 480 kcalMedium
★4.8(654)
🔥 Trending✨ Newstarter
Midye Dolma
Istanbul's iconic stuffed mussels — plump mussels filled with spiced rice, pine nuts, and currants, eaten standing up with a squeeze of lemon.
⏱ 90 min🔥 280 kcalHard
★4.8(1,132)
✨ Newdinner
Lahana Sarması
Turkish stuffed cabbage rolls — tender cabbage leaves wrapped around a spiced lamb and rice filling, braised in tomato sauce until meltingly soft.
⏱ 105 min🔥 380 kcalMedium
★4.7(987)
✨ Newsoup
Beyran
Gaziantep's extraordinary lamb and rice soup — a fiery, red-tinged broth of pulled lamb, rice, and garlic, eaten for breakfast in the bazaar.
⏱ 200 min🔥 340 kcalMedium
★4.9(876)
soup
Turkish Meatball Soup
Turkish soup with tiny spiced meatballs and vegetables — light, aromatic, comforting.
⏱ 65 min🔥 320 kcalMedium
★4.8(1,240)
✨ Newsoup
Ezogelin Soup with Bulgur and Mint
A hearty Turkish lentil, rice, and bulgur soup seasoned with tomato, mint, and pepper paste.
⏱ 45 min🔥 260 kcalEasy
★4.7(831)
✨ Newstarter
Turkish Meze Platter (Zeytinyağlı Appetisers and Dips)
A curated Turkish meze spread featuring haydari yogurt dip, patlıcan salatası (smoked aubergine), stuffed vine leaves, and marinated olives — the essential Turkish start to any feast.
⏱ 105 min🔥 380 kcalMedium
★4.8(1,100)
✨ Newdinner
Turkish Harbor Charred Pepper Noodles
Turkish Harbor Charred Pepper Noodles brings turkish flavor to a practical noodle dish built with rice noodles, yogurt, tomato paste, pul biber and mint, and a fresh parsley finish.
⏱ 77 min🔥 448 kcalMedium
★4.8(3,187)
✨ Newlunch
Ic Pilav (Turkish Rice Pilaf with Currants and Pine Nuts)
Fragrant Turkish rice pilaf studded with currants, pine nuts, and dill, traditionally stuffed inside whole chickens but delicious on its own.
⏱ 45 min🔥 340 kcalEasy
★4.5(44)
✨ Newsoup
Domates Corbasi (Turkish Tomato Soup)
A silky Turkish tomato soup finished with a swirl of butter and mint, simple enough for a weeknight but deeply savory.
⏱ 40 min🔥 180 kcalEasy
★4.4(38)
✨ Newdinner
Kuru Fasulye (Turkish White Bean Stew)
A hearty Turkish white bean stew simmered in a smoky tomato and pepper paste base, traditionally served over rice pilaf.
⏱ 105 min🔥 340 kcalEasy
★4.5(49)
✨ Newstarter
Zeytinyagli Biber Dolmasi (Olive Oil Stuffed Peppers)
Sweet peppers stuffed with a rice, currant and pine nut filling, simmered in olive oil and served cold as a Turkish meze.
⏱ 70 min🔥 230 kcalMedium
★4.4(33)
✨ Newdinner
Firinda Pirinc Pilavi (Turkish Baked Rice Pilaf with Chicken)
A one-pot Turkish rice pilaf baked with chicken thighs, tomato and green pepper until the rice turns tender and slightly crisp on top.
⏱ 60 min🔥 520 kcalEasy
★4.3(28)
✨ Newdinner
Kuru Fasulye (Turkish White Bean Stew)
A rich, tomato-based Turkish white bean stew simmered with onion and a touch of pepper paste, Turkey's unofficial national dish.
⏱ 110 min🔥 340 kcalMedium
★4.6(29)
✨ Newdinner
Firinda Tavuk (Turkish Roast Chicken)
A whole chicken marinated in yogurt, garlic, and paprika, then roasted until the skin is deeply golden and the meat stays juicy.
⏱ 100 min🔥 460 kcalMedium
★4.5(58)
✨ Newdinner
Turkish Midye Dolma-Style Shrimp Rice
A spiced rice pilaf with shrimp, pine nuts and currants, inspired by Istanbul's stuffed mussel street food.
⏱ 45 min🔥 480 kcalMedium
★4.5(39)
✨ Newdinner
Turkish Biber Dolma (Stuffed Peppers) with Rice and Herbs
Classic Turkish stuffed peppers filled with rice, tomato, herbs and warm spices, simmered until tender.
⏱ 80 min🔥 310 kcalMedium
★4.6(46)
✨ Newdinner
Turkish Holiday Platter: Lamb Pilaf with Herbs and Yogurt
A festive Turkish lamb and rice pilaf platter with toasted nuts, herbs and a side of garlic yogurt.
⏱ 60 min🔥 560 kcalMedium
★4.7(49)
Choosing & preparing rice
How to choose
Choose by use: long-grain (basmati, jasmine) for fluffy, separate grains; short-grain for risotto and sushi where stickiness is wanted. Aged basmati cooks longer and fluffier.
Prep & storage
Rinse until the water runs clear to wash off surface starch and prevent clumping. The absorption method — a fixed water ratio, lid on, then a 10-minute steam off the heat — gives reliable results.
Nutrition
A gluten-free carbohydrate staple; brown and wild varieties keep the bran for extra fibre, B vitamins and minerals.
Classic flavour partners: onion, garlic, saffron, peas, soy sauce, cumin
Turkish Rice Recipes — FAQ
How long do Turkish rice recipes take to make?
Most of these 28 Turkish rice recipes are ready in around 83 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Kalamar Tava (Turkish Fried Calamari), takes about 35 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 200 minutes.
How many calories are in Turkish rice dishes?
Across this collection they range from about 180 to 560 kcal per serving, averaging 337 kcal — Domates Corbasi (Turkish Tomato Soup) is the lightest option at 180 kcal.
What is the easiest Turkish rice recipe for beginners?
Turkish Sütlaç – Creamy Baked Rice Pudding is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 60 minutes. 25% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
What goes well with rice in Turkish cooking?
In these recipes, rice is most often paired with onion, pine nuts, olive oil, fresh dill, garlic and tomato paste. Turkish kitchens also lean on olive oil, cumin, pul biber (pepper flakes), garlic, yoghurt and fresh mint.
More Turkish Recipes by Ingredient
Rice Recipes from Other Cuisines
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