Lahmacun Turkish Pizza (Armenian Lahmajun)
Easy Lahmacun (Lahmajun) – Tasty Turkish and Armenian-style pizzas are simple to make with flavorful ground beef and spiced tomato base. They’re a great dairy-free option for your next pizza party!
Why We Love This Lahmacun Recipe
Lahmachun – also known as lahmajun or lahmajoun – is a unique Middle eastern street food, popular in both Turkey and Armenia. This cheese-less “pizza” for lack of a better description, is a thin piece of round bread baked with a layer of ground meat and spices spread over the top.
Our easy Turkish Pizza recipe can be made with fresh or frozen (and thawed) pizza dough in just over 30 minutes from start to finish. And it’s perfect to customize with your favorite extra toppings… Lahmajun is a dairy-free snack you can enjoy as-is, or with a fresh chopped middle-eastern salad over the top!
Ingredients You Need
- Frozen and thawed or fresh pizza dough – store-bought or homemade
- Ground beef – or ground lamb
- Bell pepper – seeded and chopped
- Onion – chopped
- Garlic – peeled
- Tomato paste
- Parsley – chopped
- Fresh mint leaves
- Anchovy paste
- Spices – smoked paprika, ground cumin, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Plus traditional garnishes like extra parsley, mint, olive oil, and lemon wedges.
Cheater Hack: Although freshly baked dough tastes best, you can make a quicker version of this traditional Armenian pizza recipe by using large flour tortillas as the base.
How to Make Lahmajun
- Preheat the oven to 475°F. Set out several large baking sheets and a food processor.
- In the food processor, combine the ground beef, bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomato paste, parsley, mint leaves, anchovy paste, paprika, cumin, and salt.
- Purée until very smooth.
- Cut each 1-pound dough ball into 8 equal pieces. Place dough on a floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll each dough ball out into a thin 8 to 9-inch circle or oval, 16 pieces total.
Note: Some people find it’s easier to stretch them out, rather than roll them. Use whichever method you prefer!
- Use a 1/3 measuring cup to portion the meat mixture out onto the thin pizza dough circles. Gently spread the meat mixture out into a thin layer. Then sprinkle with a scant amount of crushed red chilli flakes.
- Move each pizza to a baking sheet and re-stretch if needed. You may be able to place two or three pieces on one baking sheet at a time.
- Bake on the lowest rack for 7 to 9 minutes until the lahmacun edges are golden brown and the center is firm.
- Repeat with the remaining pizzas.
Get the Complete (Printable) Turkish Pizza Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this lahmacun recipe warm or at room temperature with a sprinkling of parsley or mint and a lemon wedge.
You can also serve Turkish pizza as a complete meal on a single edible plate – simply add a Middle Eastern style chopped salad with fresh parsley, onion, and tomato on top!
Recipe Variations
- Vegetarian – Swap the ground meat for a flavorful vegetable mixture. You can use finely chopped mushrooms, eggplant, and zucchini, along with onions, garlic, and the classic spices like cumin, paprika, and sumac. Add a sprinkle of feta or crumbled goat cheese for extra flavor.
- Spicy – For a spicy kick, mix ground beef with harissa paste or a generous amount of red chili flakes. You can also add diced jalapeños or hot Turkish peppers to the topping for added heat.
- Chicken – Use ground chicken instead of lamb or beef. Combine it with Mediterranean spices like oregano, cumin, and coriander. You can also drizzle a bit of garlic yogurt sauce over the cooked pizza for a refreshing touch.
- Cheese – Although traditional lahmacun doesn’t use cheese, adding a layer of mozzarella, feta, or kasseri can give it a more “pizza-like” feel. Top with the cheese after the meat mixture is spread, and bake until bubbly and golden.
- Gluten-free – For a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free flatbread or make a dough using chickpea or almond flour. You can also use cauliflower pizza crust for a healthier option without compromising on flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make an even quicker version by using large flour tortillas as the base. Bake them for 5 to 7 minutes at 475°F.
Absolutely! This lahmajun recipe makes 8 small pizzas for a total of roughly 16 servings; simply halve the recipe for 6-8 generous servings.
You can swap ground beef for ground lamb to make a more traditional lahmajoun.
This recipe is cheese-less, but feel free to add a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella or crumbled feta onto the pizza before baking.
Really, you can include just about any of your favorite ‘za toppings!
Substitute ground beef with your favorite ground meat replacement, like Beyond Beef.
Leftover Armenian pizza will keep well for up to 3 days. Wrap in plastic or store in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator.
Looking for More Fabulous Flatbread Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Perfect Neapolitan Pizza
- Grilled Greek Pizza
- Roasted Vegetable Flatbread
- Caprese Flatbread Recipe
- Steak and Mushroom Pizza with Spicy Mustard
Get the Complete (Printable) Turkish Pizza Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Lahmacun Turkish Pizza (Armenian Lahmajun)
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh pizza dough or frozen dough balls, thawed
- 1 pound ground beef or lamb
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
- 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Crushed red pepper optional
- Garnish: extra parsley mint, and lemon wedges.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475°F. Set out several large baking sheets and a food processor.
- In the food processor, combine the ground beef, bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomato paste, parsley, mint leaves, anchovy paste, paprika, cumin, and salt. Purée until very smooth.
- Cut each 1-pound dough ball into 8 equal pieces. Flour a clean work surface and roll each dough ball out into a thin 8 to 9 inch circle, 16 pieces total. (Some people find it’s easier to stretch them out, rather than roll them.)
- Use a 1/3 measuring cup to portion the meat mixture out onto the thin pizza dough circles. Gently spread the meat mixture out into an even layer. Then sprinkle with a scant amount of crushed red pepper.
- Move each pizza to a baking sheet and re-stretch if needed. You may be able to place two or three pieces on one baking sheet at a time.
- Bake on the lowest rack for 7 to 9 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the center is firm. Repeat with the remaining pizzas.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with a sprinkling of parsley and a lemon wedge. You can also serve as a complete meal with a fresh Middle Eastern style salad on top.
Notes
- Half the recipe if you like.
- In a hurry? You can swap the pizza dough for large flour tortillas. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Leftover Armenian pizza will keep well for up to 3 days. Wrap in plastic or store in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator.
This is a traditional Armenian recipe.. not Turkish.
Hi Tamara,
Sorry for the confusion. We often title things based on how users search for them. This recipe is often “googled” both ways, so that is how we named it.
My vegetarian substitute is to replace the meat with cooked green lentils. Cook one cup of dry lentils. Replace the meat with these when fully cooked.
These flavors sounds amazing and I couldn’t wait to try it. It’s even better than I imagined! SO delicious!
This sounds absolutely delicious- I am drooling!!
I love how flavorful and easy this is!! So delish! Thanks for the recipe!
A very unfamiliar recipe, but tasted amazing! a must try on your next pizza night!