Eggs & dairy · Fresh cheeses

Feta

Salty, tangy white brined cheese from Greece, traditionally sheep's milk; crumbled into salads and pastries.

Also called: feta cheese, white cheese, beyaz peynir, sirene

A kind of cheese

Photo: JJ Harrison, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-2.5)

What it is

Feta is a soft-to-firm white cheese matured in salt brine. Greek PDO feta is made from sheep's milk, sometimes with up to 30% goat's milk; cow's-milk 'white cheeses' such as Turkish beyaz peynir and Bulgarian sirene are similar. It crumbles rather than melts and is saltier and tangier than queso fresco or ricotta.

How it’s used

Greek salad and watermelon salads
Spanakopita, börek and other filo pastries
Baked whole with tomatoes and olive oil
Crumbled over roasted vegetables, eggs and grains
Whipped into dips with yogurt or peppers

Characteristics

Taste: Salty, sour and creamy, with a sheepy tang.
Texture: Moist and crumbly; creamier in Bulgarian styles.
When cooked: Softens and turns creamy when baked but keeps its shape rather than melting into strings.
Sold as: fermented
Cooking uses: Usually eaten raw, Commonly cooked, Suitable for baking, Used as a garnish
Common in: Greek, Turkish, Bulgarian, Balkan, Lebanese, Mediterranean, Cypriot

Storage

Refrigerated. Keep submerged in its brine (or salted water) in a sealed container; out of brine it dries and hardens quickly.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Milk.

Vegetarian
Vegan
Dairy-free
Egg-free
Gluten-free
Nut-free
Soy-free
Caffeine-free

Contains milk (allergen); sheep's and goat's milk are not safe alternatives for people with cow's-milk allergy.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy: 265 kcal
Protein: 14.21 g
Carbohydrate: 3.88 g
Fat: 21.49 g
Fibre: 0 g
Sugars: 0 g

USDA FoodData Central: Cheese, feta.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

Goat cheese — 1:1 in salads and pastries; add a pinch of salt.
Queso fresco — 1:1; milder, so season more.
Ricotta — Salted ricotta in pastry fillings; much milder and moister.

Related ingredients

Recipes with feta

See all 35

Banitsa
Bulgarian · 1 h 15 min · 468 kcal · Contains egg
Beetroot hummus
International · 1 h 35 min · 160 kcal · Vegetarian
Byrek me spinaq (Albanian spinach pie)
Albanian · 1 h 25 min · 398 kcal · Contains egg
Cheese burek
Balkan · 1 h 15 min · 416 kcal · Contains egg
Colțunași cu brânză
Moldovan · 1 h 20 min · 481 kcal · Contains egg
Fërgesë (peppers, tomatoes and cheese)
Albanian · 1 h 10 min · 259 kcal · Vegetarian
Gibanica
Serbian · 1 h 10 min · 477 kcal · Contains egg
Gigantes plaki
Greek · 1 h 25 min · 375 kcal · Vegetarian
Greek village salad
Greek · 15 min · 314 kcal · Vegetarian
Haydari
Turkish · 40 min · 142 kcal · Vegetarian
Htipiti (roasted red pepper and feta dip)
Greek · 50 min · 167 kcal · Vegetarian
Ispanaklı gözleme
Turkish · 1 h 25 min · 515 kcal · Vegetarian