Whipped Feta Dip Recipe (2024)

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Dips
Cheese Dips

Versatile whipped feta cheese can be served as a dip, slathered on toasts and sandwiches, dolloped into soups, and more.

Daniel Gritzer

Senior Culinary Director

Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.

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Updated February 25, 2023

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Why It Works

Greek yogurt provides a smooth and creamy base for the feta, and has a flavor profile that complements the salty cheese.
Passing the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer makes it smoother and silkier.

Feta cheese is many things—salty, tangy, crumbly—all qualities that make it an excellent candidate for a dip or spread. But on its own, feta cheese isn't the least bit spreadable. Luckily, it's easy to change that with ablenderand a few basic ingredients.

The most important ingredient, aside from the feta itself, is what you'll use as the smooth and creamy base. Many recipes for feta dip turn to thick and mild cream cheese or some combo of mayonnaise and sour cream. But I decided to use Greek yogurt instead—not only did I have plenty of the stuff on hand after making several batches ofyogurt from scratch, it's also thick, smooth, and tangy enough to complement the cheese and temper feta's assertive edge.

Making this dip is as simple as combining feta with yogurt in a blender orfood processorand blitzing until it's smooth. (Note: A stand mixer is not able to break down the feta well and shouldn't be used for this purpose.)

Feta is crumbly, so even after lots of blending and processing, it's likely your spread will have a grainy texture. You can leave it like that, or you can pass it through afine-mesh strainerto work out most of those tiny feta bits and improve the texture.

To enrich the spread and layer in a little more Mediterranean flavor, I work in a small amount of olive oil and minced garlic, then season with salt as needed (though feta is salty, so taste the spread before adding salt).

Create Your Own Flavored Feta Dip

Optional ingredients like herbs (mint, oregano, dill); spices (black pepper is a sure bet); and more can be blended in, too. Keep in mind that if you work in wet ingredients, like roasted red peppers,harissa, oroven-dried tomatoes, you'll need to reduce the yogurt to prevent the dip from becoming too thin.

You should also feel free to adjust the ratio of feta to yogurt. Different brands of feta and yogurt have different consistencies, but beyond that, you may prefer a thicker or thinner spread depending on how you plan to serve it. It will thicken more after storing in the refrigerator.

How you use the spread, and whether you think of it as a dip or a spread in the first place, is your choice. Once it's blended to a spreadable consistency, the options are endless.

July 2019

Recipe Details

Whipped Feta Dip Recipe

Prep5 mins

Ingredients

8 ounces (225g) feta cheese
3/4 cup Greek yogurt (6 ounces; 170g)
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon (15ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Directions

In a food processor bowl or blender jar, or using a tall and narrow vessel suitable for an immersion blender, combine feta, yogurt, and garlic. Blend or process until very smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Add olive oil and blend until incorporated.
If desired, pass spread through a fine-mesh strainer for a silkier texture.
Season with salt, if needed, and pepper, if using, then use as desired.

Special Equipment

Food processor, blender, or immersion blender; fine-mesh strainer (optional)

Make-Ahead and Storage

The dip can be made up to 5 days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container. It will thicken up after refrigeration; whip in additional Greek yogurt to loosen if necessary.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
51	Calories
4g	Fat
1g	Carbs
3g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories	51
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g	5%
Saturated Fat 2g	11%
Cholesterol 13mg	4%
Sodium 152mg	7%
Total Carbohydrate 1g	0%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 81mg	6%
Iron 0mg	1%
Potassium 24mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

FAQs

Why is my whipped feta dip runny? ›

While it's tempting to continue blending to achieve a completely smooth dip, doing so can damage the protein structure in the cheese and prevent it from holding the air that gives a whipped texture. To fix runny feta dip, simply add more feta cheese and blend until the desired consistency is reached.

Learn More Now ›

How to thicken whipped feta? ›

You'll notice here the consistency of the whipped feta, and it's your chance to thin it out with extra Greek yogurt and olive oil, or thicken it out with extra feta cheese. Keep processing your feta dip until it's fluffy and super creamy, and feel free to taste so you can adjust seasoning.

What is the difference between Greek feta and Danish feta? ›

Greek-style may use some cow's milk but is mostly goat or sheep milk, and results in a crumbly or hard cheese. The Danish feta is made from cow's milk and has a smooth texture.

Is Costco feta good? ›

Their store-brand feta is the real deal—the container is marked with the Protected Designation of Origin seal, so you know that it's been made according to strict rules, from the type of milk to how it's aged. This is 100% sheep's-milk feta, so I think it's rich, creamy and has the (in my opinion) proper tang.

Tell Me More ›

What is Costco feta cheese made of? ›

Made with 100% sheep's milk.

Discover More ›

Is feta cheese healthy? ›

When it comes to cheese, feta is a healthy choice. Not only is it packed with protein and fat – both essential nutrients for helping you to feel full and energised – it's also good for your gut. Probiotic yeasts in feta may lower the PH in your stomach, which is key for a healthy gut.

Get More Info Here ›

What is the liquid around feta cheese? ›

And nobody wants to eat that. Coming to the rescue is the brine, the cloudy liquid that feta cheese is often packaged in.