One of the easiest party dips you’ll try! This loaded feta dip with crunchy veggies, fresh herbs, and sun-dried tomatoes comes together in about 5 minutes! Serve it with pita chips or your favorite crackers.

feta cheese dip scooped onto a pita chip

A block of creamy feta cheese in the brine is always in my fridge for when I need to elevate a little meal like an egg casserole, baked salmon, or even a grilled cheese sandwich.

But I’m not shy about making feta the star ingredient, especially when we’re talking about party dips! I’ve been known to marinate it, whip it into creamy goodness to serve with pita chips, make is spicy, roll it up in crispy phyllo dough, or serve it baked with veggies as in my Greek-style baked feta.

And today’s 5-minute chunky dip is another feta recipe I can’t wait for you to try!

Loaded feta dip!

This is one of the easiest party dips you’ll make using a block of feta, crumbled and mixed with chopped cucumbers, jalapeno for heat, and delicious, sweet-tangy bits of my favorite sun-dried tomatoes. I love adding a handful of fresh herbs I have on hand (chives or green onions and basil are especially great!)

All you do is mix everything together in a big bowl, no food processor needed (remember, this is a chunky dip). And to make it easier to mix, add softened cream cheese (or labneh) and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil.

Even with the chopping involved, you can throw this dip together in about 5 minutes or so.

feta dip in a blue bowl

What kind of feta cheese to use for this dip?  

Feta cheese is a salty, tangy semi-hard cheese traditionally made with sheep’s milk. (Some varieties can contain up to 30% goat’s milk as well.) Try to use a block of feta that’s been packed in the brine over a vacuum-packed one. And try to avoid pre-crumbled feta. It is dry, and will not yield the soft, perfectly scoop-able texture we are aiming for in this dip recipe.

By feta in the brine, I mean feta that's packed in a container of salt water. Compared to the vacuum-sealed or pre-crumbled varieties, feta in the brine is creamy, tangy, and the brine helps it keep in the fridge for a while. It really takes like 3 seconds to crumble your own feta.

If you can't find Greek feta cheese, French or Bulgarian white cheeses are also good options here.

ingredients for feta dip including feta cheese, chopped cucumber, basil leaves, chives, jalapeño, and sun-dried tomato bits

Ingredients: What you’ll need to make this easy feta dip

  • A block of feta cheese – use an 8-ounce block of feta in the brine, if possible. As mentioned earlier, I don’t recommend using pre-crumbled feta.
  • Cream cheese – Take the cream cheese out of the fridge about 30 to 45 minutes before putting together the dip. This will give it some time to soften and will make it easier to work with. You can also use store-bought or homemade labneh.
  • Extra virgin olive oil – I love our Early Harvest EVOO in this feta dip. With its rich, pungent flavor, it complements the other bold components of this recipe.
  • Honey – One teaspoon of honey is used for subtle sweetness to balance the tangy feta and sun-dried tomatoes.
  • Persian or English cucumber – A bit of chopped cucumber adds crunch and body.
  • Jalapeno – You need just 1 chopped jalapeno (it introduces just a little kick), but if you’d rather not have any spice, you can leave it out!
  • Sun-dried tomato bits – Chopped sun-dried tomatoes brighten this cheese dip with a bit of sweetness and delicious tang!
  • Fresh basil – Peppery basil brings in some bright color and subtle hints of anise and mint.
  • Chives – Chopped chives have a very mild “oniony” taste without being too sharp or overwhelming.

How to make this feta dip recipe:

This Mediterranean cheese dip is perfect for when you need a last-minute crowd-pleaser! Here's how to make it (printer-friendly version below):

  • Combine the cheeses. Crumble an 8-ounce block of creamy feta in a large mixing bowl. Add 3 ounces of room-temperature cream cheese (or labneh), 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, and 1 to 2 teaspoons of some good honey. Press with the back of a spoon until the cheeses are softened and well-combined.

    feta cheese and cream cheese combined
  • Add the remaining ingredients. Add 1 chopped Persian cucumber (or ¼ cup chopped English cucumber), ¾ cup sun-dried tomato bits, 10 torn basil leaves, 1 ½ tablespoons chopped chives, and 1 chopped jalapeño (optional, but adds just the right amount of spice). Add 2 more tablespoons EVOO and mix gently with a spoon.

    all feta dip ingredients in a bowl (cheeses, sun-dried tomato, cucumber, jalapeño, basil, and chives)
  • Serve. Transfer the feta dip to a serving bowl. This dip is amazing served with pita chips or your favorite bread. Enjoy!

    loaded feta cheese dip

Make-ahead tips

If you need to work ahead, you can chop up the ingredients one night in advance and store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge (or put them all in the bowl, but do not mix, and store the bowl in the fridge covered). When you are ready to prepare the cheese dip, just add the olive oil and honey, then mix everything to combine.

feta dip served with crackers and pita chips

Serve it with

My favorite way to enjoy this loaded cheese dip is with soft homemade pita bread or crispy pita chips. You just need a vessel that makes it easy to scoop the delicious dip. It also works well as part of a mezze platter. If you're looking for another quick and easy appetizer, be sure to check out these stuffed dates. Savory-sweet bites that will disappear in seconds!

Leftovers and storage

Store leftover feta cheese dip in a tight-lid container in the refrigerator. It is best enjoyed within 1 or 2 days, so the cucumber does not make it watery.

More easy Mediterranean dip recipes

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5 from 47 votes

Quick Mediterranean Feta Dip Recipe

The Mediterranean Dish
feta dip served with crackers and pita chips
This chunky Mediterranean feta dip is an impressive, last-minute appetizer that comes together in about 5minutes! It all starts with a block of creamy feta in the brine (not the pre-crumbled stuff!), with some chopped cucumbers, jalapeno for heat, fresh herbs, and bits of sun-dried tomatoes. If you need to work in advance, chop everything up and put the ingredients in a large bowl but do not mix them.Cover the bowl and store in the fridge for up to 1 night. When you’re ready to serve, just add the olive oil and honey and mix everything up. My favorite way to serve this is with a side of homemade pita chips.
Prep – 5 minutes
Cuisine:
Mediterranean
Serves – 6 servings
Course:
Appetizer, Dip

Ingredients
  

  • 8-10 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
  • 3 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature (or labneh)
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 Persian cucumber or ÂĽ English cucumber, chopped (about ½ cup)
  • 1 jalapeno, chopped
  • Âľ cup sun-dried tomato bits
  • 10 fresh basil leaves, torn
  • 1 ½ tablespoons chopped chives

Instructions
 

  • Place the feta, cream cheese, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the honey in a large mixing bowl. With the back of a spoon, press until the cheeses are softened and well-combined.
  • Add the remaining ingredients, 2 tablespoons olive oil and gently combine.
  • Transfer the feta cheese dip into a serving bowl. Serve with your favorite bread or pita chips. Enjoy!

Notes

  • What feta cheese to use? A block of feta in the brine is the best option. Avoid the already crumbled and vacuum-sealed varieties.
  • Make-ahead tips: Chop up the ingredients one night in advance and store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge (or put them all in the bowl, but do not mix, and store the bowl in the fridge covered). When you are ready to prepare the cheese dip, add the olive oil and honey, and mix everything to combine.
  • Serve it with: Homemade pita bread or pita chips. This dip also works well as part of a mezze platter.
  • Leftovers and storage: Store leftovers in a tight-lid container in the refrigerator. It is best enjoyed within 1 or 2 days, so the cucumber does not make it watery.
  • Visit Our Shop for quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils and spices. In this recipe, I used our Early Harvest Greek EVOO

Nutrition

Calories: 217.4kcalCarbohydrates: 8.8gProtein: 10.4gFat: 16.8gSaturated Fat: 6.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6.4gCholesterol: 35.8mgSodium: 417.5mgPotassium: 270.6mgFiber: 1.5gSugar: 5.7gVitamin A: 413.3IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 0.8mg
Tried this recipe?

*This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2015 and has been updated with new information for readers' benefit.

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I'm Suzy; born and bred right on the shores of the Mediterranean. I'm all about easy, healthy recipes with big Mediterranean flavors. Three values guide my cooking: eat with the seasons; use whole foods; and above all, share! So happy you're here...
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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Delicious recipe! I made it for a Labor Day BBQ and everyone loved it; the dish was left clean! I did change the sundried tomatoes for chopped pimentos. The dip had really nice flavors without anything overpowering, and all the colors made it a nice presentation. It's a keeper.

  2. I have not made this yet - question - I am not a fan of sun dried tomatoes in any form. . . (You would think, based on this comment I'm going to eat the entire bowl by myself, LOL) would roasted red peppers or chopped red peppers be a good alternative? I'm going to make it for our 4th of July bbq party.

  3. 5 stars
    I prepared the dish for a party of 24, which no doubt required more feta. However, I couldn’t find it in brine and did add more honey than required. With the party including children I wasn’t able to enjoy the jalapeño with seeds. Next time I will because I know it would make a huge difference.
    I also added more evoo. I will substitute the packaged sun dried with sun dried in oil because of its sweetness that the packaged didn’t have. The cucs didn’t make a real difference. I added the amt required. Not knowing what the feta in brine would taste like, I can’t give a real assessment or comparison. I will locate it next time. I used Stacey’s pita chips because I didn’t want to add more time. I added the extra cream cheese the next evening because I wanted it creamier. The reds and greens make a good Christmas dish.
    Everything was prepped the night before, it was tastefully escorted by pesto, olives, mozzarella in herbs oil, black zebra and an assortment of colored of cherry & grape tomatoes. I will try this again and appreciate the base of this recipe that can be tweaked into your liking. Bon appetite

  4. 5 stars
    Excellent appetizer for our pre-Thanksgiving meal! This was a huge hit for our whole family! This is definitely going into my appetizer “rotation!”

  5. 5 stars
    This is SO delicious and easy to make. I used the labneh. It was my first time trying it and it's so good. Better than cream cheese! A whole jalapeno sounds like a lot but it's not, it's perfect. I left out the chopped cucumber, knowing that some would have to be stored and eaten another time. So I used the cucumber to dip into it instead, along with other veggies. I used dried tomatoes in oil, so I decreased the olive oil a little. Next time I make this, I will also make your homemade pita, which is another amazing recipe. I have tried many of your recipes and love all of them. Thank you so much!

    1. Hi, Carole. I have never tried that, personally, but I think it would be okay. Would love to hear your thoughts if you give it a go!