This Whipped Feta Dip with juicy pan seared garlicky tomatoes is creamy, fluffy and ready in just 15 minutes. Serve with crusty bread or vegetables for dipping, slather on sandwich and toast!
Table of Contents
This whipped feta dip is like a mash-up of two of my favorite feta recipes. It’s got the creamy base of my whipped feta board and sauteed tomatoes with garlic and olive oil topping from the baked feta dip.
Such a winning combo once you dip into it with a slice of crusty bread like focaccia, baguette or try even toasted cottage cheese bread to make this healthy appetizer even healthier!
If you’re looking for more viral feta recipes, try this baked feta chicken and spinach feta brownies. But for now, let’s talk about this creamy, garlicky goodness!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients: Made with kitchen staples like feta, yogurt, garlic, and olive oil.
- Better base: Instead of cream cheese or sour cream, I use Greek yogurt that’s lighter and higher in protein.
- More protein: Each serving, which is about 1/10th of the recipe, contains 5 grams of protein.
- Easy crowd pleaser: A 15 minute dip everyone will be scooping up because everyone loves everything creamy!
Ingredients for Whipped Feta Dip
You only need 4 ingredients for the dip, and 5 for the tomato topping.
- Feta cheese: Pick up an 8 ounce block of good quality feta in brine. Goat, sheep, or cow’s milk feta all work perfectly for this dip.
- Greek yogurt: I recommend to use 5-10% fat plain Greek yogurt, and the brand you know is thick. I used Olympic 2% Greek yogurt and my dip was a bit runny but not a big deal.
- Lemon: We only use the zest for a bright, fresh flavor.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil boosts the flavor and gives the dip a silky, rich finish.
- Tomato topping: Halved grape tomatoes, fresh garlic cloves, extra virgin olive oil, dried basil, salt, and pepper.
- Bread: I made toasted focaccia in olive oil in a skillet and it was perfect for dipping.
Recipe Tip
To avoid runny dip, which I learnt myself making it 3 times, I highly recommend to use at least 5% fat Greek yogurt. It just has less whey and more cream. I do think 0% Greek yogurt will work, but it might affect the taste of the dip negatively.
How to Make Whipped Feta Dip
Here’s a quick, photo guided overview of how to make this tasty dip.
- Saute the tomatoes: Heat a large skillet over medium and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the tomatoes. Cover it up and cook for about 5-7 minutes, shaking the pan a couple of times.
- Season the tomatoes: Stir in the garlic, basil, salt, and pepper. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes, then turn off the heat, add the remaining olive oil, stir, and set aside.
- Make the dip: In a food processor, blend feta, yogurt and lemon zest until combined, scraping the sides as you go. Slowly add olive oil while blending until the texture is creamy and whipped.
- Add the topping: Transfer the whipped feta to a dish and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. If it’s thick, make some little indentations, if it’s on the thinner side, just leave as is. Top it with the cooked tomatoes and drizzle the oil from the skillet on top.
Tips for Best Results
Here are the top tips I learned while making this whipped feta dip recipe with a savory tomato topping.
- Don’t use crumbled feta: It tends to be grainy and won’t give you the smooth, creamy texture you want. Stick with a block of feta cheese.
- Drain the feta cheese: Remove it from the brine and let it sit for about 30 minutes. This gets rid of excess moisture so the dip isn’t too watery.
- Use thick Greek yogurt: I used 2% and it was a bit runny. I think 0% is thicker but maybe less creamy. I think 5-10% Greek yogurt would be ideal!
- If your dip is too thin: Serve as is, it’s not a big deal when you add my delicious topping! Or place it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, it should thicken a bit.
Serving Ideas
This appetizer is best served fresh! It pairs perfectly with a variety of options, so you’ve got the perfect dip for any occasion! But since it’s pretty salty, I like to keep my pairings simple and mild.
Here’s a few ideas of what to dip in whipped feta dip:
- Crusty bread: Toasted focaccia, crostini, or toasted baguette slices.
- Crunchy snacks: Pita chips, pretzel chips, and crackers.
- Soft bread: Cottage cheese bread, Greek yogurt bread, pita bread or any flatbreads you like cut into pieces.
- Fresh veggies: We like cucumber and zucchini slices, carrot and celery sticks, and red peppers.
- Fruit: Apple or pear slices for a sweet and savory combo.
This dip will definitely wow your guests, and you can serve a charcuterie board along with it for a special touch.
How to Store
Store: Keep your leftovers in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 5 days. You’ll need to give it a quick stir before serving again.
Reheat: I recommend quickly reheating it in the microwave to warm it up, then giving it a stir. It won’t be quite as fresh, but still very good.
Freeze: Do not freeze. Although I imagine thawed whipped feta will mix so well with freshly cooked pasta or potatoes while it’s hot.
FAQs
Whipped feta is a creamy, tangy spread made by blending feta with ingredients like cream cheese, yogurt or olive oil. It’s lighter and smoother than regular feta and perfect as a dip, spread or topping.
The key is to not over blend, make sure to stop blending once it’s whipped. It’s also important to use at least 4-5% fat Greek yogurt.
You can thicken the dip by adding a bit of softened cream cheese cut in cubes. Don’t add more Greek yogurt or feta, it will make it more runny and salty. Or place it in the fridge for 2-3 hours. You can also use it as a salad dressing, drizzle over roasted vegetables, fish or lentil soup as a finishing touch.
I haven’t tried a hand mixer but an immersion blender worked. A high speed blender may make the dip too runny, I don’t recommend it.
More Dip Recipes to Try
Whipped Feta Dip
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Tomato Topping:
- 2 cups grape tomatoes cut in halves
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 teaspoon basil dried
- 4 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin, divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Whipped Feta:
- 8 ounces block feta cheese drained
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt at least 4% fat
- 1 small lemon zest of
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- To make the topping: Preheat large skillet on medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and tomatoes. Cover and cook until juicy, about 5-7 minutes, shaking the skillet a few times.
- Add garlic, dried basil, salt and pepper. Stir and let simmer for 2 minutes, stirring once more. Turn off heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and stir. Set aside.
- To make whipped feta: In a food processor, add feta cheese, yogurt and lemon zest. Process until combined, pausing and scraping the walls. Then add olive oil slowly while running the food processor and process until feta is whipped and has a creamy texture.
- Transfer into a serving dish and level with a back of a spoon. Thickness will depend on the brand of feta and yogurt you use. If it's thick, make indentations with a back of a spoon. If it's thinner, leave it as is.
- Top evenly with previously cooked tomatoes, making sure to scrape all of the oil from the skillet.
- Serve whipped feta dip with toasted slices of baguette, pita bread, pretzel chips, crostini or veggies like cucumber and zucchini slices, carrot and celery sticks.
