Rich, spicy, salty, and good – with a classic flavor that will make you feel like you're dining in Greece – this cheese dip is made from blended roasted red peppers, red pepper flakes, feta cheese, red wine vinegar, and olive oil!

Tirokafteri is a cheese-based Greek dish with lots of regional variations across Greece and is good as a dip, or a spread for sandwiches, flatbreads, and wraps. Tirokafteri usually combines feta or other soft white cheeses, olive oil, and some variation of red peppers, olives, lemon juice, garlic, yogurt, or oregano.

This recipe is based off a spicy version we ate on the Plaka in Athens.

At Avdaye, we add lots of tips in all of our recipes – because we are a home cook without any formal training, and we find we are more confident making dishes when we understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. Our goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

Spicy Greek Feta Cheese Dip

We love spicy feta – it's long been one of our favorite appetizers at Greek restaurants, for the irresistible spicy, creamy flavor!

When visiting Athens for our first time, our husband, who lived in Greece for a while, took us straight to the Plaka for mezze – Greek appetizers, similar to tapas. We had to order our favorite spicy feta – and lapped up every bit with pita, spooned it onto souvlaki, and even dipped dolmades into it!

This cheese dip is good with slices of bread, pita, and vegetables – but it's also good spooned over pasta or rice, tucked into a sandwich or wrap, or served over meats.

This dip takes only a few minutes to make, since you're blending to your liking – and can be made thick or a bit thin, according to your preference. You can add a bit of garlic or oregano, olives, make it more or less spicy, or change up the flavors however you like – this is totally customizable.

How to Make Tirokafteri

To make this creamy cheese dip, you need the following ingredients:

Feta cheese – feta cheese is a salty Greek cheese with a briny flavor, and is usually a combination of sheep and goat's milk. It is salty and tangy, with a bit of a lemony flavor.
Roasted red peppers – Roasted red peppers are sweet and earthy, with a slightly smoky flavor that is lovely against the briny cheese flavor. You can use whole roasted peppers or strips.
Red wine vinegar – red wine vinegar is tart, bright, and acidic to cut through the rich cheese.
Olive oil – olive oil is briny, adds fat and structure to the dip, and a rich flavor that is addictive and good!
Red pepper flakes – red pepper flakes are spicy, and added to increase a kick to tis dip with an earthy, vegetal flavor. You can add more or less, depending on your preference.
Garlic – garlic is pungent and a bit hot, with an addictive vegetal flavor that is a staple in Mediterranean cuisine.

Once you've gathered the ingredients, we will use the following method:

Add red peppers, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and red pepper flakes to food processor or blender and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Add feta to blender or food processor. If you'd like a bit of lumpy feta texture to the dip, pulse dip until combined, so feta isn't fully blended. If you want it to be smooth, blend for 1 minute on high until fully incorporated. (This is a personal preference, we like ours a bit thicker with little lumps, but love this dip any way it's made!)

Kitchen notes

Blend to your preference. If you want your dip perfectly smooth, blend longer. For some salty, rich chunks of feta, pulse while blending.

Make it as spicy as you like. Add more red pepper flakes as desired to make extra spicy – or reduce red pepper to make it less spicy.

Add more olive oil and vinegar to thin. If you'd like a bit of a runnier dip, add a drizzle more vinegar and olive oil. We love a dip that has more of a light, almost pub cheese style consistency – but it is good a bit thinner too.

A few answers

How do we store this recipe?

Leftover spicy feta dip can be stored in an airtight container like a jar for up to four days in the refrigerator.

What type of feta do we have to use?

You can use crumbled or block style feta for this recipe, whichever you have on hand and love the flavor of.

Should we use whole roasted red peppers or roasted red pepper strips?

You can use either – they have the same flavor, one has been pre-chopped. Use what you have on hand.

Serve it with

Whipped feta is good with breads like pita, baguettes, and even chips – as well as celery, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli to dip in.

We love serving whipped feta with other Greek foods like pan fried halloumicreamy and cool Greek tzatzikiaddictively good air fryer Greek chicken meatballsand griddled Greek gyros!

If you haven't had your fill of feta, try our Baked Olives and Fetatoo!

For more Greek food recipes, try our recent favorites here:

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Ingredients

10 oz feta cheese
1 cup roasted red pepper strips, or 2 roasted red peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic
½ tsp red chili pepper flakes

Method

In a blender or food processor, add garlic, red peppers, red pepper flakes, olive oil. Blend to smooth, about 30 seconds.
Add in feta and blend or pulse until mixed – some people prefer it to be smooth, some prefer a bit chunky. Blend to your preference.
Serve with olives, sliced bread, pita, carrots, celery, or spread on sandwiches, in wraps, or on grilled meats!

Spicy Whipped Feta