Spicy Feta Dip (Tirokafteri)
This Tirokafteri recipe (also known as spicy feta cheese dip) is insanely good! It’s creamy, spicy, salty, tangy and highly addictive. Serve this greek feta cheese dip with crackers, pita or veggies as a quick and easy crowd pleasing dip.
What is Tirokafteri
Tirokafteri is a deliciously creamy feta cheese dip from Northern Greece. The name “tirokafteri” is derived from the Greek words “tiri,” meaning cheese, and “kafteri,” meaning spicy. translating to “spicy cheese” in Greek. Traditional tirokafteri is made with high quality feta cheese, blended with extra virgin olive oil, fresh chili peppers, garlic, and lemon juice or vinegar. This results in a creamy dip or spread with a wonderful kick. Tirokafteri is often served in greek restaurants as part of a mezze platter or alongside warm pita bread.
Why You Will Love This Tirokafteri (aka Spicy Feta Cheese Dip)
- So much bold flavor! It’s creamy, spicy, tangy and salty in every bite! It’s absolutely delicious
- This spicy feta dip recipe is incredibly easy to prepare in under 20 minutes (if you use jarred roasted peppers)
- It’s made with simple ingredients that you might already have in your kitchen, or can otherwise easily find in your local grocery store
- This is the perfect dip to keep in the fridge for a quick snack with crackers or veggies, or to serve alongside chicken or shrimp. You will find yourself adding this spicy feta dip to every meal you eat because it’s so ridiculously good.
- This is a great appetizer to serve for a party or big gathering because it can be made a few days in advance and simply brought out of the fridge and served, there is no prep work required! I like serving it on its own with crackers, pita chips or raw veggies, or as part of a Greek mezze platter with kalamata olives, greek tzatziki sauce, roasted eggplant and pita
What You Need to Make This Spicy Feta Dip
- Roasted Bell Peppers: You can roast bell peppers (I prefer red bell peppers for the best colour) or jarred roasted bell peppers to save time.
- Feta Cheese: Be sure to buy the chunks of cheese (either a block of feta or sliced feta), rather than the crumbled feta. I recommend using a high-quality feta for the best creamy dip.
- White wine vinegar: I prefer white wine vinegar in this recipe but red wine vinegar works just as well. Alternatively for a slightly different flavour, lemon juice can also be used.
- Garlic: use fresh garlic rather than jarred minced garlic for the best flavor.
- Fresno Chili: I like fresno red chili peppers because i think they add the perfect amount of heat. Leave the seeds in the pepper if you want the dip to be spicier, or remove them for a more mild heat. If there is a different type of spicy pepper (such as serrano or habanero peppers) you can use it instead.
How to Make This Spicy Feta Dip
- If you are making the roasted bell peppers, place whole red bell peppers in a baking dish, top with a drizzle of olive oil and bake them in the oven for 30 minutes until they are tender and slightly charred on both sides. Leave the roasted pepper to cool before removing the outer skin and the seeds and stem. If you are using jarred roasted bell peppers you can simply skip this step.
- Place the red bell pepper into a food processor along with the feta, white wine vinegar, garlic clove, olive oil, salt and chili and blend until smooth. Taste and garnish with chopped fresh parsley or red pepper flakes.
You can find full step by step instructions in the recipe card below.
Can I Use Jarred Roasted Bell Peppers?
Absolutely! Using jarred bell peppers in place of roasting them yourself will result in the exact same flavours, just be sure to drain as much oil as possible before adding them to the food processor. I find that the size of roasted red peppers from the jar is often much smaller than if you roast them yourself, so I would recommend adding 3 bell peppers if using jarred.
What to Serve with This Spicy Feta Dip
This spicy greek feta dip is incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed in so many different ways. I like serving it as an easy appetizer with crackers, pita, crusty bread or fresh vegetables such as sliced cucumber and carrot sticks for dipping. I also love serving this creamy whipped feta dip as part of a main course alongside grilled meat or chicken (such as this chicken souvlaki) and roasted veggies. It adds so much flavor to even the simplest meal.
How Long Will This Spicy Feta Dip Last in the Fridge?
This spicy feta dip can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. I like to let is come to room temperature for a few minutes before eating it for the best flavour and creamy consistency.
Can I Freeze This Spicy Feta Dip?
While the texture may slightly change, you can freeze this dip for future use. Thaw it in the refrigerator and give it a good stir before serving to restore its creamy texture.
Here are a few more greek recipes that you might enjoy:
- Chicken Souvlaki
- Lemon & Herb Ribs
- Greek Salad with Cauliflower Couscous
- Greek Lamb Burgers
- Greek Roast Chicken
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Spicy Feta Dip (Tirokafteri) Recipe
Ingredients
Roasted Bell Peppers
- 2 red bell peppers * or 2 large roasted red peppers from a jar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Dip
- 12 oz feta
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 fresno chili seeds removed
Instructions
- (Skip this step if using jarred roasted red peppers) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, place the bell peppers in a small baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping half way through cooking to ensure the bell peppers are evenly black and charred on both sides.Leave the bell peppers to cool slightly before peeling off the outer skin and removing the seeds.
- Place the roasted bell peppers into a food processor (along with any excess oil from the baking dish) and all of the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
Nutrition
So tasty! I have made this dip multiple times and every time guests ask for the recipe. It’s so good!
I made this for Super Bowl and it was delicious. My guests really loved it. It was thick and spicy but not too much. I used part of a jalapeño pepper instead of the Fresno chili as I had it on hand. I also used jarred roasted red bell peppers because I was in a time crunch. I served it with chips and also veggies. It’s so easy and I’m all about easy when it comes to entertaining…..!
Delicious and so easy! I used crushed red pepper because it was what I had on hand, and it worked well.