Super quick and easy vegan Rice Paper Börek with spinach and tofu is a cheat version of the Turkish classic. Rice paper works as an instant dough here, giving you a deliciously crispy pastry filled with a savory and creamy spinach-tofu mixture. It’s golden and crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and it’s simply perfect for breakfast, or as a snack, or a quick meal.
This recipe is my vegan take on the viral rice paper börek, which is usually made with eggs. Instead, a simple chickpea flour and plant milk mix helps soften and bind the rice paper, giving it a deliciously crispy finish without any eggs.
I really love traditional börek, but yufka dough can sometimes be tricky to work with and it isn’t always easy to find. That’s what makes this rice paper version so cool! It’s quick and easy to prepare, and skips all the fuss of working with delicate pastry sheets. Plus, it’s a lighter alternative to many traditional börek recipes.
But don’t worry, you’ll still get the same crispy and savory börek! Just with less work.
And of course, just with any other börek, you can totally customize it. The filling and topping options are basically endless!
Quick Rice Paper Börek is….
- vegan and fully plant-based
- quick and easy
- crispy outside
- soft inside
- savory and delicious
- lower calorie than traditional börel
- easy to customize
What is Börek?
Börek is a popular savory pastry from Turkey and many other regions of the Balkans. It’s traditionally made with thin yufka dough, layered or rolled around fillings such as spinach, potatoes, or minced meat. Börek can be baked in a large tray, rolled into sticks, or shaped into individual pastries. The result is usually a deliciously crispy pastry with a savory filling.
This rice paper version tastes very similar to the traditional versions, but skips the yufka dough for a quicker and simpler alternative.
How to make Rice Paper Börek
In a shallow bowl, large enough to dip the rice papers into, whisk together chickpea flour and plant milk. Set aside for 5 minutes while you prepare the filling.
Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the thawed spinach, and chop it roughly if the leaves are large. Add spinach to a bowl with crumbled tofu, minced garlic, dried dill, vegan cheese, and salt and pepper. Mix everything well.
Dip two rice papers into the chickpea flour mixture for about 30 seconds, until softened and coated all over. Place them next to each other on a work surface, slightly overlapping.
Spread some of the spinach-tofu filling in the middle of the rice papers. Fold them over the filling and roll into a log, then coil the log around itself to form a spiral. Repeat with the remaining rice papers and filling to make 4 börek.
Place the börek in your air fryer and lightly spray with oil for extra crispiness. Bake at 400°F / 200°C for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
Alternatively, bake the börek in a preheated oven at 400°F / 200°C for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crispy. Serve fresh and piping hot!
How to serve Rice Paper Börek
Rice Paper Börek makes a lovely pastry for breakfast or brunch, especially when served fresh and hot, straight from the air fryer. That’s when the outside is the crispiest and the filling is warm. It’s also great as a quick snack anytime of the day.
For lunch or dinner, serve your börek with a dipping sauce and a green salad on the side. Garlick soy yogurt, hummus, or a spicy tomato dip work especially well here.
You can keep leftovers for the next day too. The börek will still taste delicious, although the rice paper won’t stay as crispy. However you can always reheat it in the air fryer or oven to bring back some of that crunch.
Customize it the way you like it!
- Play around with the filling. This version below is a 5-minute and 5-ingredient filling for an extra speedy breakfast or snack, but you can totally make it more exciting. Mix in caramelized onions, add some vegan feta or cream cheese to the mix, and use fresh baby spinach, if you prefer
- You can try a completely different filling as well! Fried crumbled tofu or vegan mince mixed with tomato sauce, pumpkin puree with toasted walnuts and sage, or a mix of cashew cream cheese, shredded vegan cheese and lots of tofu feta
- Top your Rice Paper Börek with sesame seeds, nigella seeds, everything bagel seasoning, or fried onions for even more texture and flavor
- And shape your börek however you like! Keep it a long stick (best when only using one rice paper) to make sigara börek. Or fold the rice paper into triangles making small bags
More delicious savory vegan breakfast recipes to try:
- Vegan Fried Egg
- Pesto Beans on Toast
- 6 Amazing Savory Oats Recipes
- High-Protein Red Lentil Bread
- Potato Waffles (Savory Hash Brown Waffles)
- Vegan Salmon Bagel
- Vegan Omelette (Mung Bean Egg)
- Polish Sauerkraut Pancakes (Vegan Fuczki)
Quick Rice Paper Börek
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 börek 1x
Ingredients
- 8 rice papers (8.5 inch / 22 cm)
- 1 oz / 30 g chickpea flour
- 1 cup / 250 ml unsweetened plant milk
Spinach-Tofu Filling
- 1.1 lbs / 500 g frozen spinach, defrosted
- 7 oz / 200 g tofu, crumbled
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tsp dried dill
- 2 oz / 60 g shredded vegan cheese
- salt, pepper
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl (large enough to dip in the rice papers), whisk together chickpea flour and milk. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes until you prepare the filling.
- For the filling squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the thawed spinach. You can roughly chop spinach, if the leaves are too large.
- Add spinach to a bowl with crumbled tofu, minced garlic, dill, vegan cheese, and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Mix everything well together.
- Dip a rice paper into the chickpea flour-milk mixture for about 30 seconds, so that it’s covered everywhere and is softened. Repeat with a second rice paper.
- Place rice papers next to each other onto a work surface, making sure they are slightly overlapping each other.
- Add 1/4 of the spinach-tofu filling, and spread in evenly in the middle.
- Roll the rice papers over the filling, then continue rolling until it’s fully rolled up as a log.
- Take one end of the log, and roll it onto itself into a spiral.
- Add börek to your air-fryer, and spray with a little bit of oil for extra crispiness. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 400°F / 200°C, or until crispy. You can turn them once halfway through baking time for even baking (though they will look a little flat then).
- Repeat with the rest of the rice paper and filling.
- Alternatively you can also bake your berets in the oven at 400°F / 200°C for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
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