Price: $4.99 for 12.7 oz (3 flatbreads)
Calories: 400 per flatbread | 17g protein | 21g fat | 34g carbs
Dietary Info: Contains dairy and wheat. Not vegan. Not gluten free. Not kosher.
Best For: Picky eaters, quick melted cheese fixes, air fryer enthusiasts looking for another excuse to use their favorite appliance
Skip If: You want something more interesting than plain cheese (you’re not wrong to want that)
Bottom Line: A solid melted cheese experience that’s being held back by Trader Joe’s decision to give us the most basic version of a food that can be so much more. The air fryer is the move. Don’t bother with the pan.
Trader Joe’s seems to be on a Turkish kick lately. We’ve had several Turkish products drop in recent weeks and I’m here for it, even when I have no idea what the product actually is. And I have to be honest with you. I had never heard of gözlemes (pronounced GUZ-leh-mehs, for those of you who are about to embarrass yourselves at the store like I almost did) before Trader Joe’s put them on the shelf. I had to look them up like a man who has not, in fact, eaten his way around the entire world. I’ve been to about 20 countries and Turkey was clearly a gap in my culinary education.
What Are Gözlemes?
Gözlemes are a popular Turkish street food. Picture thin sheets of unleavened dough wrapped around a filling, then pan fried in a dry pan until the outside is golden and crispy and the inside is melted and wonderful. Street vendors in Turkey sell them stuffed with all kinds of things: feta and spinach, seasoned lamb, potatoes, minced meat with onions. They’re one of those foods that every culture has some version of. Think of it as a Turkish quesadilla, except Turkish people would probably be annoyed that I just said that. (This is becoming a pattern with me and Turkish food comparisons. I apologize to Turkey.)
According to the Trader Joe’s website, gözlemes are “a popular handheld Turkish fast food” and they describe their version as “quesadilla meets stuffed flatbread,” so at least I’m not the only one making that comparison.
What’s in the Box?
You get three individually wrapped flatbreads in a box for $4.99. They’re in the frozen section, which took me a minute to figure out because I was wandering around the store looking in the wrong places. They’re frozen and you cook them from frozen. No thawing required.
The problem, and I’m going to get into this right upfront, is that Trader Joe’s gave us the most basic version possible. Just cheese. No herbs. No meat. No spinach. No spices beyond what’s in the cheese itself. This is level one gözlemes. Street vendors in Turkey would look at these and wonder where the rest of the ingredients went.
Now, to be fair to Trader Joe’s, the cheese situation is actually more interesting than I initially gave it credit for. These aren’t stuffed with generic mozzarella. There are three cheeses in here:
Tulum cheese is a traditional Turkish cheese that’s crumbly, creamy, and has a nice tangy bite to it. It’s made from goat’s or sheep’s milk and aged in animal skin bags (called “tulum”), which gives it a distinctive flavor you won’t find in your average grocery store cheese.
Kashkaval cheese is sometimes called “the Cheddar of the Balkans.” It’s semi firm with a yellow color and a rich buttery flavor. This is the cheese that gives the gözlemes their body and richness.
Mozzarella is the glue that holds everything together. It’s mild, soft, and provides that satisfying melty cheese pull that makes any stuffed bread product worth eating.
So while I wish there were more fillings, the cheese blend itself is actually thoughtful and more complex than a typical quesadilla. Credit where it’s due.
How to Cook Them: Pan vs. Air Fryer Showdown
The package says to cook these in a dry (no oil!) nonstick pan over medium low heat for about five minutes per side. That’s the traditional method and it’s how gözlemes are made on the street in Turkey. Simple enough.
But several of you have asked me whether these work in an air fryer. So I did what any responsible food reviewer would do: I made one each way and compared them side by side.
Pan Fried (the “traditional” method):
I heated up my nonstick pan (my trusty Cuisinart Chef’s Classic) over medium low and put the frozen gözleme directly in the dry pan. The directions say five minutes per side but I found it took closer to 8 minutes per side to get any real golden color on it. One thing that surprised me was how oily the outside got. This is supposed to be a dry pan method with no added oil, but the dough released oil (probably from the sunflower and palm oil in the dough itself) and possibly some from the melting cheese. The result was a somewhat greasy exterior that wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for.
Air Fryer (the “blasphemous” method):
I set the air fryer to 350°F and cooked the frozen gözleme until slightly browned, flipping once. Took about the same total time as the pan. The result was dramatically different. No greasiness on the outside whatsoever. Instead, the exterior had a nice crunch that the pan fried version completely lacked. The cheese inside was just as melted and gooey.
The verdict: Air fryer wins and it’s not close. Is it probably blasphemous in Turkey to air fry a gözleme? Almost certainly. Am I going to lie about which method produced a better result? Absolutely not. The air fryer made a crunchier, less greasy, more enjoyable gözleme. If you have an air fryer, use it. If you don’t, the pan works fine but expect a little grease.
Pro tip from other reviewers I’ve seen online: Some people are air frying at 350°F for 10 minutes per side for extra crispiness. Others are adding toppings like spicy peach honey, a squeeze of lemon, or fresh dill. I tried mine plain with just a little cracked black pepper. Skip the ketchup and mustard that some people suggest. Let the cheese do the work.
Nutrition Breakdown
Each gözleme flatbread is 400 calories. Here’s the full breakdown:
| Per Flatbread | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 400 |
| Total Fat | 21g |
| Protein | 17g |
| Total Carbs | 34g |
| Sodium | Check label |
At 400 calories and 17 grams of protein, one flatbread could work as a light lunch, especially paired with a salad or some sliced cucumbers and tomatoes (which is actually how they serve them in Turkey for breakfast). Two flatbreads and you’re at 800 calories, which is a full meal for most adults. The box has three, so you’re either feeding three people one each, or eating one and saving two, which is reasonable portioning for a frozen product.
The 17 grams of protein is decent for something that’s essentially bread and cheese. That’s partly thanks to the three cheese blend, which brings more protein than a single cheese would.
The Taste Test
So, how did they taste? Honestly, they tasted like a plain cheese quesadilla. A good plain cheese quesadilla with slightly more interesting cheese than your typical Mexican blend, but a plain cheese quesadilla nonetheless. The tulum cheese adds a tanginess you wouldn’t get from cheddar or monterey jack, and the kashkaval brings a butteriness that’s subtle but present. But without any herbs, spices, meat, or vegetables, there’s just not enough going on to make this exciting.
I’ll never turn down melted cheese in any form. That’s a personal policy I’ve maintained for decades and I’m not changing it now. But I feel like Trader Joe’s left a lot on the table here. The dough is good. The cheese blend is thoughtful. The cooking method is easy. All the infrastructure is there for a great product. They just forgot to finish building the house.
If Trader Joe’s releases a version with lamb, or spinach and feta, or even just some herbs mixed into the cheese, this could easily be a 9/10 product. As it stands, it’s a 7/10 because the execution is solid but the ambition is missing.
Who Should Buy These?
These are perfect if you’ve got a picky eater in the house. Any kid (or adult) who will eat anything with melted cheese will demolish these. They’re also great if you want a quick snack or light meal that requires zero thought and minimal cooking time.
They’d also work well as part of a bigger spread. Cut them into triangles and put them on a platter with some dips (Trader Joe’s tzatziki, zhoug, or hummus would all work), sliced vegetables, and olives. Suddenly your boring cheese gözleme is part of a Mediterranean snack board and nobody is complaining about the lack of fillings.
How to Make Them Better
Since Trader Joe’s gave us the plain canvas version, here are some ways to dress them up:
Add Trader Joe’s zhoug (the spicy herb sauce) as a dipping sauce. The heat and herbs add everything the gözleme is missing on its own.
Squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top after cooking. This is a traditional Turkish move and the acid brightens up all that cheese.
Drizzle Trader Joe’s hot honey on them. Several people online are raving about this combination and I can see why. Sweet, spicy, cheesy.
Stuff them yourself before cooking. Open one up carefully, add some baby spinach or leftover shredded chicken, press it back together, and cook as normal. Now you’ve got the gözleme Trader Joe’s should have made.
Final Verdict
Trader Joe’s Gözlemes are a solid 7/10. The three cheese blend is more interesting than it gets credit for. The air fryer method produces a genuinely crispy, satisfying result. And at $4.99 for three, the value is reasonable. But the decision to go with plain cheese only holds this product back from being something special.
If you love melted cheese and you own an air fryer, these are worth trying. If you want something more interesting, honestly, just make quesadillas with whatever cheese and fillings you actually want. You’ll spend about the same amount of money and get exactly the flavors you’re looking for.
But if Trader Joe’s is reading this (they don’t even know who I am), please make a spinach and feta version. Or a lamb version. Give us level two gözlemes. We’re ready.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 7/10
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make Trader Joe’s Gözlemes in the air fryer? Yes, and I’d actually recommend it over the stovetop method. Air fry at 350°F until golden brown, flipping once. They come out crunchier and less greasy than the pan fried version. The package only lists stovetop directions but the air fryer produces a superior result.
How many gözlemes come in a box? Three individually wrapped flatbreads per box at $4.99.
Are Trader Joe’s Gözlemes vegan? No. They contain three types of cheese (tulum, kashkaval, and mozzarella), all made from milk.
Are Trader Joe’s Gözlemes gluten free? No. The dough is made from wheat flour.
How many calories are in Trader Joe’s Gözlemes? Each flatbread is 400 calories with 17 grams of protein, 21 grams of fat, and 34 grams of carbs.
What cheeses are in Trader Joe’s Gözlemes? Three cheeses: tulum (a tangy Turkish cheese), kashkaval (a semi firm Balkan cheese sometimes called “the Cheddar of the Balkans”), and mozzarella.
Where are Trader Joe’s Gözlemes in the store? They’re in the frozen section, not in the bakery or deli area. I wasted several minutes looking in the wrong place, so learn from my mistake.
What is a gözleme? A gözleme (pronounced GUZ-leh-mehs) is a traditional Turkish street food made from thin unleavened dough stuffed with various fillings and cooked in a dry pan. Think of it as a Turkish quesadilla, though purists might object to that comparison.
Have you tried Trader Joe’s Gözlemes? What did you think? Drop a comment below and let me know if you went pan or air fryer. I’m curious if anyone actually preferred the stovetop method.
~Steve, Chief Food Taster at Club Trader Joe’s
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