Enjoy all the flavor of an everything bagel with a twist! This delicious puff pastry recipe combines Israeli cheese borekas and everyone's favorite seasoning to create something truly special.
Who says everything bagel seasoning is just for bagels? Sprinkle it on this Israeli recipe that is simple to make and absolutely delicious with every bite. Cheese Borekas are always the first to disappear at parties and picnics.
Little pockets of flaky puff pastry dough encased around a combination of feta and mozzarella cheese, brushed with a simple egg wash and sprinkled with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic flakes, and dried onion.
Take this recipe to any gathering for a show-stopping appetizer!
The boreka dough is traditionally made from scratch, but puff pastry is a convenient substitute that simplifies the process. And who doesn't like simple recipes? For a lower-carb version, use fillo pastry.
🛒 Ingredients and Notes
For the borekas, you will need simple ingredients. You can make your own Everything Bagel Seasoning or buy pre-made seasoning.
Puff Pastry: Of course, you can make your own puff pastry, but using store-bought is much easier and faster, and trust me, it's just as good too!
Feta and Mozzarella Cheese: The combination of these two kinds of cheese gives the filling a nice texture and flavor. Feta is salty and briny, while mozzarella is stretchy and mild. Ricotta is a good substitute for feta.
Eggs: Using an egg in the filling helps to bind the ingredients together. You'll also need an additional egg yolk and some milk to create an egg wash to brush over the pastry pockets. This helps to give the pastries a beautiful sheen and acts as a glue for the seasoning.
Everything Bagel Seasoning: Using sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic flakes, and onion flakes, you can whip together your own seasoning in minutes.
🔪 How To Make Cheese Borekas
Step 1 - Make the filling
- In a mixing bowl, combine feta, mozzarella, egg, and salt until well blended. Make sure to break up any large crumbles of feta with the fork.
- In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolk and milk; set aside.
Step 2 - Prep the pastry
- On a lightly floured surface, unfold the puff pastry sheets. With a rolling pin, roll out each sheet to a 12x12-inch square.
- Cut it into thirds lengthwise and crosswise to get nine 4-inch squares for a total of 18 squares.
Step 3 - Fill the pastry
- Place one heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the center of each square, lightly brush the edges of each square with water, and fold the dough over the filling in half diagonally to form triangular pastries.
- Firmly pinch the edges together to seal. With the tines of a fork, crimp the edges well.
Step 4 - Top the pastry
- Brush the tops of the borekas with egg wash and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning.
- Place pastry on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until the pastries are puffed and deeply golden.
👩🍳 Expert Tips for Perfect Cheese Borekas
- Substitute mozzarella with kashkaval or provolone cheese.
- You can use phyllo dough instead of puff pastry for fewer carbs. If you choose to use phyllo dough, you will need to cut the long phyllo dough into three sections. Then use two sheets to fold the borekas into triangles.
- Substitute homemade everything bagel seasoning with store-bought.
- Be sure to use the egg wash on the top. Without the egg wash, everything bagel seasoning will fall off.
- You can use a fork to help pinch the puff pastry together.
- Serve with your other favorite Israeli foods.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve this appetizer at your next party or gathering. Pair it with other Israeli and Mediterranean appetizers such as hummus, stuffed grape leaves, kalamata olives, tabouli, or fatoush salad.
🗄️ Storage Instructions
Refrigerate: This appetizer is best enjoyed fresh out of the oven. However, if you have leftovers, allow them to cool before transferring them to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat: When ready to reheat, warm in the oven or the toaster oven at 350 F for 2-3 minutes to crisp up and get melty inside.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Borekas are savory and delicious hand pies and can be made with various fillings such as spinach, meats, and other vegetables.
Borekas are not exclusively Israeli. This baked pastry of Jewish cuisine is a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern appetizer popular across many countries. Depending on the country, they have slightly different spellings or names, such as borekas, burekas, boreki, börek, Burke, or bourekas. Borekas stuffed with cheese and topped with homemade everything bagel seasoning is custom in Israel.
Khashkavel cheese, a semi-hard cheese popular in Eastern Europe, is often used. However, it can be challenging to find in the United States. Using a combination of feta and mozzarella cheese provides an excellent balance as a replacement for Khashkavel.
📝 Recipe Note:
This recipe is adapted from the An Oddysey of Food, My Journey Back to Israel book. Shaya makes the dough from scratch and shares a great sentiment about baking these with his grandma.
I made a few changes to simplify it, but the taste is still deliciously the same.
Food is the ingredient that binds us together. Borekas are easy to make with your kids or grandkids. Try new foods and build delicious memories. For inspiration, check out this Taste the Globe interactive map.
Other Delicious Pastry Recipes to Try!
🧡 Liked this recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section. Your feedback is always appreciated! 👋 Stay in touch through Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok! 📲
Cheese Borekas With Everything Bagel Seasoning
Ingredients
Cheese Borekas
- 2 sheets puff pastry (1.1 lbs or 490 g)
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg beaten
Egg Wash
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons milk
Everything Bagel Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- ½ teaspoon dried onion flakes
- ½ teaspoons dried garlic flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit; line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine feta, mozzarella, egg, and salt until well blended. Make sure to break up any large crumbles of feta with the fork.
- In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolk and milk; set aside.
- For homemade everything bagel seasoning, combining sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion, and garlic flakes in a small bowl.
- On a lightly floured surface, unfold puff pastry sheets. Then, roll out each sheet to a 12x12-inch square with a rolling pin. Cut it into thirds lengthwise and crosswise to get nine 4-inch big squares (18 squares total).
- Place one heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the center of each square. Brush the edges lightly with water (you can use your finger) and fold the dough over the filling half diagonally to form triangular pastries. Firmly pinch the edges together to seal. With the tines of a fork, crimp the edges well.
- Brush the tops of the borekas with egg wash and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning. Place them onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastries are puffed and deeply golden, and the filling is cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Expert Tips
- Substitute mozzarella with kashkaval or provolone cheese.
- You can use phyllo dough instead of puff pastry for fewer carbs. If you choose to use phyllo dough, you will need to cut the long phyllo sheet into three sections. Then use two sheets to fold the borekas into triangles.
- Substitute homemade everything bagel seasoning with store-bought.
- Be sure to use the egg wash on the top. Without the egg wash, everything bagel seasoning will fall off.
- Cheese borekas are best enjoyed fresh from the oven, but they also taste good at room temperature or cold.
- For the best results, read additional tips in the post above.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in April 2018 and updated in February 2023 with new photos and recipe tips.
Amy says
These look delicious, and I have no doubt they would go quickly at my house. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe at Sweet Inspiration!
Jas says
Thank you so much, Amy!
Shaquail Watkins says
Made these last Sunday but used cream cheese instead of mozzarella and they were great. Perfect for Sunday brunch.
Sheila says
Dropping by to say thank you for sharing this. My friends were so impressed as it was really good. Can't wait to do it again.
Jas says
Yay, Sheila! You made my day! So happy you made it and that everyone liked it. No better testimonial than that 😀
Rhonda says
My grandchildren and I would love the borekas. My daughter doesn't like cheese, so not so much. She does loves everything bagels. They're hard to find in our area, so I'm so glad you posted the ingredients. Thanks for sharing on Sunday's Best.
Jas says
Rhonda, the best part is that you can fill them with whatever you like. Even your daughter can enjoy them with her favorite filling 🙂
Miz Helen says
Congratulations!
Your post is featured on our Top Ten This week at Full Plate Thursday and we are pinning it to our Features Board. Thanks so much for sharing with us and enjoy your new Red Plate.
Miz Helen
Jas says
Nothing makes me happier, Miz Helen! Thank you so much. Hugs
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
These look so tasty AND easy!! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner Party! Hope your week is great.
Jas says
Thank you, Helen. They really are 🙂
frugal hausfrau says
I don’t often eat bagels, but do love that everything seasoning! I can only imagine how good that must be with the puff pastry and the cheese inside! A lovely addition to Fiesta Friday!!
Mollie
Jas says
They're quite tasty and addictive, Mollie. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Jhuls | The Not So Creative Cook says
I love the ingredients in the everything bagel seasoning. It sounds silly, but never heard of the seasoning before. I know, I know! I love that these borekas are simply filled with cheese. I think it goes very well with the seasoning. These would be a huge hit at Fiesta Friday party, Jas! I hope you brought enough. Thanks for sharing!
Jas says
It's not silly, Jhuls. I love everything bagels, but never actually stopped to think if the topping is a seasoning you can make or buy, lol. Until now 😀
Marissa | Squirrels of a Feather says
Looks amazing and it's filled with CHEESE??!! My most beloved of beloveds! Saving to try for breakfast one day, thanks Jas!
Jas says
Haha, Marissa! I'm a big cheese lover myself! Thank you for stopping by!