Kumpir toppings are the fresh ingredients you pile onto a Turkish XXL baked potato, on top of a creamy base of mashed potato with butter and cheese. The classics are corn, red cabbage, olives, pickles, carrot, bulgur salad (kisir) and couscous, finished with sauces and a protein like chicken or tuna. You choose the mix.
Kumpir comes from Istanbul and is Turkey's answer to the jacket potato. The real fun happens at the salad bar: a row of bowls full of colourful toppings you load onto your potato yourself. Below we line up every option, plus the smartest combinations by diet and the order to build them in.
What are the classic Turkish kumpir toppings?
The classic Turkish kumpir toppings are corn, red cabbage, black and green olives, pickles, grated carrot and bulgur salad. In Istanbul you will also find Russian salad (Amerikan salatası), kisir, couscous, peas, tomato and cucumber. These fresh vegetables and salads form the heart of every kumpir.
The flavour is all about contrast: the warm, creamy potato with butter and cheese against cool, crunchy and tangy toppings. A few staples:
- Corn for sweetness and crunch.
- Red cabbage, often lightly dressed with vinegar and sugar.
- Olives, black or green, for a salty hit.
- Pickles and pickled vegetables for freshness.
- Bulgur salad (kisir) and couscous for body.
- Carrot, tomato and cucumber for colour and crunch.
Want to know where the kumpir comes from first? Read what a kumpir actually is.
The best kumpir topping combinations by diet
The best kumpir is the one that fits how you eat. Because the base of potato, butter and cheese is vegetarian, it is easy to build a vegan, vegetarian, chicken or tuna version. Here are four ready-made combinations.
Vegan kumpir toppings
Ask for a vegan base without butter and cheese (or with a plant-based alternative) and stack the vegetables: corn, red cabbage, olives, pickles, carrot, bulgur salad, couscous and peas. Finish with a plant-based garlic sauce. Full, fresh and completely plant-based.
Vegetarian kumpir toppings
The vegetarian kumpir is the classic: a butter-and-cheese base with corn, red cabbage, olives, pickles, tomato, cucumber and Russian salad. A spoon of yoghurt sauce and a few jalapeños round it off.
Kumpir with chicken
For a hearty kumpir with chicken, combine grilled chicken strips with corn, red cabbage, pickles and a creamy garlic or yoghurt sauce. The mild chicken pairs well with the sweet corn and the tang of the pickles.
Kumpir with tuna
Tuna is a light, protein-rich topping that keeps growing in popularity. Combine tuna with corn, red onion, pickles and a little mayonnaise or yoghurt. Fresh, savoury and surprisingly light.
Which sauces go with a kumpir?
The standard kumpir sauces are mayonnaise, yoghurt sauce and garlic sauce, often topped up with ketchup or a spicy chilli sauce. The sauce binds all the toppings and gives the potato that extra lift. Stick to one or two sauces so the vegetables keep their flavour.
- Garlic sauce for a creamy, savoury base.
- Yoghurt sauce for freshness, great with chicken or tuna.
- Spicy sauce like chilli for anyone who loves heat.
How do you build the perfect kumpir?
You build the perfect kumpir in layers, from hot to cold. Start with the hot potato base, add the hearty toppings, then finish with the fresh and tangy ingredients and the sauce. That keeps everything in place and gives you a mix of flavours in every bite.
- Base: mash the warm potato with butter and cheese into a creamy bottom.
- Hearty layer: bulgur salad, couscous, Russian salad or your protein of choice.
- Vegetables: corn, red cabbage, carrot, tomato, cucumber, peas.
- Tangy and salty: olives, pickles, pickled vegetables, jalapeños.
- Finish: your sauce of choice, then dig in with a fork or spoon.
Want to make it at home? Follow our kumpir recipe step by step.
Kumpir toppings at Potaé
At Potaé, The Kumpir Company, you choose your own toppings at our salad bar. We bake XXL potatoes, mash them with butter and cheese, and let you stack: vegan, vegetarian, with chicken or with tuna. Fresh, filling and for every diet. You will find us in Amsterdam and Almere, and we cater across the Netherlands.
Curious about all the options? Check out our menu or order your kumpir now.
Frequently asked questions about kumpir toppings
What toppings are on a Turkish kumpir?
A Turkish kumpir starts with butter and cheese mashed into the warm potato, then fresh toppings of your choice: corn, red cabbage, olives, pickles, carrot, bulgur salad, couscous and a protein such as chicken or tuna. You finish it with a sauce.
What is the best way to eat kumpir?
The best way to eat kumpir is straight after building it, while the base is warm. Add your toppings and sauce, then eat with a fork or spoon. Try to scoop a bit of fluffy potato with some toppings in each bite for the full mix of flavours.
Is kumpir Turkish?
Yes, kumpir is Turkish. It is the Turkish version of the baked potato, popular as street food in Istanbul. The potato is mashed with butter and cheese and then loaded with a wide choice of fresh toppings at a salad bar.
What potatoes do you use for kumpir?
For kumpir you use large, floury potatoes that turn fluffy in the oven, like baking potatoes. The bigger and floppier, the creamier the base after mashing with butter and cheese. An XXL size holds all those toppings well.
Which kumpir toppings are vegetarian or vegan?
Almost all the classic toppings are vegetarian: corn, red cabbage, olives, pickles, carrot, salads and vegetables. For vegan, leave out the butter, cheese and proteins like chicken or tuna and pick a plant-based sauce. That keeps the kumpir fully plant-based.