Whipped Feta

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 0 mins

Total: 5 mins

Servings: 6 to 8 servings

Yield: 1 1/4 cups

Whipped feta’s tangy, salty flavor and creamy texture make it a satisfying and versatile spread or dip. But it’s also one of the simplest no-cook recipes you will ever make.

How To Make Whipped feta

Flavor-packed feta is blended with cream cheese and whipped to create an airy, creamy, and inviting spread. This recipe keeps it simple with just two ingredients, plus a topping of olive oil, pine nuts, and black pepper, but the potential variations are infinite.

What Kind of Feta To Use

Feta is a firm white cheese that has historically been made in Greece with sheep’s milk or a combination of sheep’s and goat’s milk. It offers tangy and salty flavors that – depending on the age of the cheese and the length of the brining process – can be sharp or mild. The texture can be creamy or dry and crumbly.

For whipped feta it is best to purchase feta in a single block submerged in brine, which preserves freshness and keeps the texture soft and creamy. Pre-crumbled and dry-packed feta tend to be too dry. While feta is now made all over the world, this recipe uses Greek feta for its robust flavor.

The other ingredient, cream cheese, is made of cows’ milk and cream, offering mildly sweet flavor notes. These balance the intensity of the feta while adding creaminess to the spread.

What To Serve With Whipped Feta

Whipped feta can be generously spread on toasted crusty bread, or served with all types of vegetables, chips, crackers, or flatbreads.

“Whipped feta is a great party appetizer that you can throw together in no time and will be devoured even quicker. The soft cheese mixture and the crunchy pine nuts make a great combination, while the side veggies add freshness and sweetness to each bite.” —Diana Chistruga

Whipped Feta

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

8 ounces full-fat sheep’s milk feta cheese, drained of all brine
2 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Break up the feta into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until crumbled, about 10 seconds.
Add the cream cheese and process until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Transfer the whipped feta to a serving dish and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the toasted pine nuts and cracked black pepper on top and serve immediately.

Recipe Tips

Adding a tablespoon or two of extra-virgin olive oil during the blending process will make the spread even creamier.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a hand-held immersion blender instead.

Recipe Variations

Using full-fat Greek yogurt in place of cream cheese creates a refreshingly tart flavor and a texture that is more like a dip or a dressing. Use this with an appetizer vegetable tray or on leafy green salads.
You can add flavor with additional ingredients such as minced shallots, fresh or roasted cloves of garlic, or lemon juice and zest.
When it comes to toppings, mix and match from any of the following:
Other toasted nuts such as walnuts, slivered almonds, or pistachios.
Toasted black, white, or brown sesame seeds.
Spices such as smoked paprika, Za’atar, Sumac, Aleppo pepper, or Urfa Biber.
Fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, mint, chives, parsley, or dill.
Roasted or sundried tomatoes.
Fresh fruits such as berries, peaches, nectarines, or figs with a drizzle of honey.

How To Store

Whipped feta can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It will, however, continue to thicken. To serve, re-mix with a rubber spatula.
Whipped feta should not be frozen as the texture changes and becomes grainy.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories	144
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g	17%
Saturated Fat 6g	31%
Cholesterol 32mg	11%
Sodium 282mg	12%
Total Carbohydrate 2g	1%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 147mg	11%
Iron 0mg	2%
Potassium 40mg	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.