She graduated from the theatre department of the Fine Arts High School in Istanbul. At the age of fourteen, she made her acting debut with a minor part in the movie Şaşkın (2006) and followed up with a part in Plajda (2008). Her first leading role was in the fantasy children's series Peri Masalı (2008). Her breakthrough role was that of Sofia in the crime comedy series Adanalı (2008–10).

With Nejat İşler, she has appeared in the films Behzat Ç. Ankara Yanıyor and İkimizin Yerine. Since 2019, Sarıkaya performs in Alice Müzikali, a musical adaption based on Alice in Wonderland. She has received critical acclaim and won numerous accolades, including two Golden Butterfly Awards.

At the age of fifteen, she participated in a beauty competition and received a special award from the jury at the European Youth Beauty Competition. Later, Sarıkaya became the first runner-up at Miss Turkey 2010. In addition to her acting career, she has appeared in various advertising films and is the face of numerous brands. In 2014, she was chosen as Woman of the Year by GQ Turkey.