Spicy Feta Dip (Greek Tirokafteri Recipe)

Tirokafteri Greek, OR Htypesit’s a Spicy feta sauce served as mezze, a Greek appetizer. It’s creamy and tangy with just the right amount of salt, spiciness and acidity. You can often find it in Greek restaurants and taverns served alongside other Greek dips such as tzatziki, eggplant dip (Melitzanosalata) or hummus.

If you love Greek cuisine and want more delicious dips, try this hummus with pine nuts, Greek eggplant dip (melitzanosalata) or the famous tzatziki.

Author’s notes on Tirokafteri

If you ever travel to Greece and find yourself in one of the amazing taverns, the simple food served there will amaze you. They use few ingredients to produce an exceptional meal. Check out this Greek Horiatiki Salad, Kolokitokeftedes (zucchini pancakes), Chickpea Soup, Greek Lemon Potatoes, Greek Rice with Spinach and Feta (my kids’ absolute favorite), or Greek Chicken with Tomatoes and Cauliflower. This is to name a few.

Greek food is my favorite, so I may be biased, but it is SO good. The story of this simple and super easy Tirokafteri meze is no different. Spicy Feta Sauce: You don’t even have to try it to imagine how amazing it sounds. It’s FETA, it’s SPICY and it’s a DIP. Win-win.

Best of all, it’s also incredibly easy to prepare, versatile to serve as an appetizer or side dish, and a real crowd pleaser. Many happy people will be around the table if you decide to serve it at your next party.

But first let’s see what we need to make it happen.

Ingredients needed to make this spicy chilli feta sauce

Feta – you can’t make a spicy feta sauce without feta. However, quality matters here. You will need a very good one. I love using Dodoni, which I used to get at Costco, but they don’t have it anymore, and now I buy it at Stop and Shop. If you can’t find it, Trader Joe’s has a good pickled feta option. The rule of thumb here is to buy pickled feta. Not the crumbled one or the one wrapped in plastic. It should taste fresh and moist. Otherwise, your spicy feta sauce won’t turn out delicious.

Roasted Red Peppers – you can roast the peppers yourself. If you need a recipe, this is it Ina Garten’s Roasted Red Peppers it’s a good option. I take a shortcut and buy roasted peppers. There are lots of delicious roasted peppers in stores. Choose the company you trust the most and you will be good to go.

Olive oil – it goes without saying that the quality of the Olive Oil shines. First of all it must be extra virgin olive oil. If you have Greek olive oil, it will work wonders here. If you don’t have it and want to try it, I recommend the Greek olive oil The Mediterranean Dish sells. The olive oil will smooth it out and add a velvety texture to this sauce.

Red wine vinegar – again, good quality vinegar is a must. It adds just the right amount of acidity to this beautiful Greek sauce.

Chili pepper pieces – these little bows are so amazing; they allow you to control the spiciness of the sauce. You can add a little or a lot, depending on how spicy you like it.

How to make spicy Greek feta sauce

Step 1: Gather all the ingredients: feta, roasted peppers, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and pepper flakes. So grab your food processor.

Step 2: Add your ingredients to the food process and process them until smooth,

Step 3: Pour into a bowl, sprinkle with more pepper flakes and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Step 4: Serve with fresh baguette, pita bread or chips. Enjoy!

If you are looking for other recipes with Feta, try these:

Here is a printable recipe for Spicy Greek Feta Dip

10 oz Pickled feta broken into pieces
12 oz jar of roasted peppers about two small peppers, drained and deboned
2 table spoon olive oil extra virgin
1 table spoon red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon chili pepper pieces and more for garnish

Prepare the sauce: Add the feta cheese, roasted peppers, red wine vinegar, and flaked peppers to the food processor with the blade. Cover and proceed to break it down. While processing, drizzle in olive oil until smooth.
Serve: Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl, garnish with more pepper flakes and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with baguette, pita bread or chips. Enjoy

Use good quality pickled feta, not crumbled feta or cling film
Use good quality extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar
Instead of chili flakes, you can use fresh hot chili peppers like chili peppers or jalapenos – keep in mind that the seeds are what produce the heat, so add as little or as much as you like
You can roast the peppers instead of using Jared ones, but I like the shortcut of good quality store-bought roasted red peppers
You can do this in advance. Bring it to room temperature before serving.
You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

FAQs and expert tips

Should I use salt and pepper for this recipe?

I always say to season everything as you go, but in this case I would leave out the salt and pepper. The feta brings enough salt to this dish and the pepper flakes have enough spice.

How can I replace chili flakes?

Using pepper flakes here is a shortcut, as the Greeks used hot pepper. If you want to make this a twist, add some chopped jalapeno. Just remember that the seeds are what give this pepper its spice, so start small and add more as you go if you want more heat.

What else can I use for garnishing?

I used some extra pepper flakes and olive oil, but you can get creative here. Feta crumbled on top, kalamata olives and fresh parsley are all great options.

How long does it take to make this recipe?

This is the best part. It only takes about 10 minutes to get this peppered feta dip to your table. The food processor does most of the work for you.

Can I do it in advance?

Absolutely. Prepare it up to a day in advance and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Take it out about an hour before serving so that it reaches room temperature and is not too thick.

How long does it keep in the refrigerator?

You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.