Beyaz Peynir substitute

Best substitute

Bulgarian Feta

Use the same amount as the beyaz peynir you are replacing

Best for Turkish breakfast plate

Close match

Use feta, and choose the right one: Bulgarian feta is the closest match for a sharp, creamy beyaz peynir, and French feta is closest to a young, mild one. Soak whichever you buy in cold water or milk for 20-30 minutes to bring the salt down to Turkish levels, because Greek feta is usually saltier and more pungent. Ricotta salata is a good drier alternative for borek, and mild queso fresco works for a breakfast plate if you salt it and add a squeeze of lemon.

Other beyaz peynir substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2French Feta
Close match
Use the same amount
The mildest and creamiest of the commonly sold fetas, usually sheep milk from Corsica or the Basque region, which makes it the best stand-in for a young, delicate beyaz peynir.
What changes
Best for
Turkish breakfast, spreading on bread with honey or pekmez, salads, gentle fillings
Less tangy and less salty than Greek or Bulgarian feta, which is right for breakfast but can taste flat inside a borek where you want the cheese to push back against the pastry. If you are using it as a filling, add a quarter teaspoon of salt per cup of crumbled cheese and a spoonful of chopped dill or parsley.
3Greek Feta, soaked
Different taste
Use the same amount
The most available feta everywhere, and perfectly usable once you take the edge off it.
What changes
Greek feta is made from sheep milk with up to 30 percent goat, which gives it a firmer crumble and a stronger flavour.
Best for
salads, borek and pastry fillings, baked dishes, menemen
Straight from the packet it is noticeably saltier and more goaty-pungent than beyaz peynir, so a breakfast plate made with it tastes sharp rather than mellow. Soak cubes in cold water for 30 minutes, changing the water once, then drain well. It also crumbles more and creams less, so in a filling it stays in visible chunks rather than melting into a soft layer.
4Ricotta Salata
Different taste
Use the same amount
A pressed, salted, lightly aged Italian sheep milk cheese that is firm, milky and mildly salty, which puts it very close to the drier styles of beyaz peynir used for cooking.
What changes
Best for
borek and pastry fillings, grating over vegetables, salads, baked dishes
Drier and firmer than beyaz peynir with much less tang, so it reads as clean and milky rather than sour. That dryness is an advantage in borek, where a wet cheese makes the layers soggy, and a disadvantage on a breakfast plate where you want something soft to spread. It also holds its shape completely in the oven and will not go stringy.
5Queso Fresco or Farmer's Cheese, salted
Different taste
Use the same amount plus ¼ tsp salt and a squeeze of lemon per cup
The right texture from a completely different tradition.
What changes
Both are fresh, white, mildly milky and crumbly in exactly the way beyaz peynir is, and both are cheap and widely stocked.
Best for
borek fillings, breakfast plates, crumbling over vegetables, stuffed pastries
The gap is seasoning, not structure: these cheeses are barely salted and have no brine tang at all, so on their own they taste bland and slightly sweet. Crumble, then toss with a quarter teaspoon of fine salt and a teaspoon of lemon juice per cup and leave 10 minutes. After that they are surprisingly convincing. They release a little water in the oven, so drain in a sieve first for fillings.
6Paneer or Firm Tofu, seasoned
Different taste
Use the same amount plus ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp lemon juice per cup
The option for anyone who needs a cheese that holds its shape absolutely, or a dairy-free filling.
What changes
Both are neutral white blocks that crumble and refuse to melt.
Best for
borek fillings, baked pastries, dairy-free cooking, stuffed vegetables
Neither has any tang or salt, so seasoning is mandatory, and even then the flavour is plainer than real cheese. Paneer is faintly squeaky; press firm tofu under a weight for 20 minutes first, then crumble and season. Add a tablespoon of yogurt or, for a dairy-free version, a teaspoon of nutritional yeast per cup to give the filling some savoury depth. In a borek with plenty of herbs and butter this works well; on a breakfast plate it does not.
7Halloumi, grated
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount
Listed with a caveat, because it is often the only Mediterranean brined cheese in a small supermarket.
What changes
Grated, it can fill a borek and it brings the right level of salt.
Best for
borek at a push, grilling or frying, salty savoury fillings
Halloumi is rubbery and squeaky by design and does not crumble or soften, so it stays as distinct springy shreds inside the pastry instead of forming a creamy layer. It is also considerably saltier, so soak it and skip the added salt. This is the weakest option here for anything resembling beyaz peynir's texture, and a poor choice for a breakfast plate or a spread.

What is Beyaz Peynir?

Beyaz Peynir is Beyaz peynir, meaning Turkish white cheese and often labelled Turkish feta or ezine cheese, is a fresh brined cheese made from sheep, goat or cow milk that is salty, mildly tangy, creamy and firm enough to crumble but too fresh to melt smoothly.

Cooking tips

Beyaz peynir's job is salt and gentle acidity, plus a soft creamy-crumbly body. It is not a melting cheese: in the oven it softens and browns at the edges but never flows. If your recipe wants stretch, such as a pide or a toasted sandwich, you want kasar rather than beyaz peynir, and substituting mozzarella for beyaz peynir in a borek will give you a stringy, bland filling.
Salt is the variable you must control. Turkish beyaz peynir is usually less salty than Greek feta, so taste your substitute first and soak it in cold water or milk for 20-30 minutes if it makes you wince. Milk soaking also softens the texture, which brings feta closer to a fresh Turkish cheese.
For borek and pastry fillings, drain the cheese well and mash it with chopped parsley or dill and one beaten egg per two cups of cheese. The egg binds the filling so it does not slide out of the layers, and it is standard practice in Turkish kitchens.
Buy blocks in brine, never pre-crumbled tubs. Crumbled feta is coated to stop it clumping and has lost most of its moisture, which makes it dry, gritty and much saltier per spoonful than the block it came from.
Keep whatever you buy submerged in its own brine, or in lightly salted water if you have thrown the brine away. An unwrapped block dries out and turns hard and sharp within a couple of days in the fridge.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave beyaz peynir out?

On a Turkish breakfast plate, no, because it is one of the main components alongside olives, tomatoes and bread. In a menemen or a salad, you can leave it out and simply have a lighter dish. In a cheese borek, the cheese is the entire filling, so instead of omitting it, use any feta on this list, or a seasoned fresh cheese such as queso fresco or farmer's cheese, and add plenty of herbs.

Is beyaz peynir the same as feta?

They are the same family of brined white cheese, but not identical. Feta is a protected Greek name made from sheep milk with some goat, and it tends to be saltier, tangier and firmer. Beyaz peynir covers a wide range of Turkish white cheeses, including cow milk versions, and is generally milder, creamier and less salty. Feta is the correct substitute, but expect to soak it and to taste a stronger, sharper cheese.

Which feta is closest to Turkish white cheese?

Bulgarian feta if you want the creamy, slightly sharp character of a good ezine-style cheese, and French feta if you want the mild, soft, mellow version most Turkish families eat at breakfast. Both are closer than standard Greek feta. If your shop only carries Greek feta, soak it in cold water for half an hour, changing the water once, and it becomes a fair match.

Does beyaz peynir melt?

Not really. It is a fresh acid-and-rennet cheese with a high moisture and salt content, so heat makes it soften, weep a little liquid and brown at the edges rather than flow into strings. That is exactly what you want in a borek, where flowing cheese would leak out and burn. If a recipe describes cheese pulling or stretching, it means kasar, kashkaval or mozzarella, not beyaz peynir.

How do I make a substitute less salty for children or a bland dish?

Cut the cheese into slices or cubes rather than leaving it whole, then soak it in cold milk in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour, changing the milk once if it is very salty. Milk pulls out salt while adding back a little creaminess, which is gentler than water. Drain and pat dry before using. Cubes soak faster than a whole block, and anything pre-crumbled will turn to mush, so use a block.

Related substitutes

More cheese substitutes

Beyaz Peynir substitute

Other beyaz peynir substitutes

2French Feta

3Greek Feta, soaked

4Ricotta Salata

5Queso Fresco or Farmer's Cheese, salted

6Paneer or Firm Tofu, seasoned

7Halloumi, grated