Turkish Pizza (Lahmacun)

Add Turkish Pizza (Lahmacun) to your pizza nights as an ethnic pizza with plenty of flavor and spice thanks to ground beef and harissa paste. Lahmacun, also known as Lahmajun, or Lahmajo, can not only be found in Turkey but throughout the Middle East. Often pre-cooked, reheated, topped with fresh vegetables and herbs, and then rolled up into a kebab-style meal, this recipe offers a freshly baked, ready-to-eat Turkish pizza.

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Growing up in Germany where Turkish guest workers introduced Turkish cuisine in the 1960s, my dad brought home Turkish food from a local vendor on Fridays when he finished work early. Lahmacun was a favorite on those days. My whole family loved the meaty flatbread rolled up and filled with coleslaw, yogurt sauce, and fresh herbs.

I got an Ooni pizza oven for Christmas and Lahmacun was on top of the list when thinking about homemade pizzas. We’ve been trying many pizza toppings over the last few weeks, this Turkish pizza was rated the top choice by the whole family – even beating my pesto pizza and sausage pizza. So it’s a must-try if you’re thinking of making restaurant-quality pizza at home.

Ingredients and substitutions

• Beef – Ground beef or lamb – both work well for this recipe. Lahmacun (lahm bi’ajin) translates to “meat with dough” and it can be made with either.
• Pizza dough – I use my cold fermented pizza dough recipe but any fresh pizza dough or thin pre-made pizza crust will work here.
• Harissa – Homemade harissa paste allows you to control the heat level and ingredients used but store-bought harissa works well too. Taste test the paste before using it to gauge the heat level of the paste.
• Cheese – Feta adds saltiness and a freshness to the Turkish pizza but you can omit it as well as Lahmacun traditionally is made without cheese.
• Onion – Red onion adds a milder taste than yellow onion but both work well here. You can also add the onions once the pizza has been baked for a stronger taste.
• Herbs – Fresh Italian parsley works well here but fresh mint is another delicious option when using ground lamb.

Step-by-step photos

1. Add the harissa paste and parsley to the ground beef.

2. Combine well.

3. Start shaping the pizza dough by flattening it with your fingers on a lightly floured surface.

4. Turn and stretch it “dj-style” to further shape it into a thin pizza crust.

5. Distribute the ground beef mixture on top of the shaped dough.

6. Add sliced red onion.

7. Crumble feta on top.

8. Bake the Turkish pizza. Add more parsley as a garnish and drizzle over the yogurt sauce just before serving.