This Whipped Feta Recipe Is So Good, I'm Making It for Every Holiday

By the time my friends and I actually schedule our Friendsgiving dinner, the Christmas tree is decorated, the holiday-scented candles are lit and I’m already halfway through my Advent calendar—which is why Friendsgiving is now “Friendsmas.” It’s a night where we enjoy some really delicious food, usually a relaxed potluck. This year, I decided to host Friendsmas and cook all the food myself, which was both exciting and very daunting. 

With such a massive undertaking on my plate, I inevitably needed an appetizer at the ready to keep everyone satisfied until the main meal. And that’s where our Whipped Feta with Pomegranate, Pistachios & Honey came in handy. 

I’ve scrolled past whipped feta dips on the internet quite often, and I honestly don’t know why I put off making one as long as I did. The result is creamy and smooth, and my friends obviously loved it because it was almost completely eaten by the end of the party. Even my lactose-intolerant friends were digging in to enjoy a bite that night, with one person who doesn’t like cheese saying the dip was the best thing they’d ever eaten.

The dip is super easy to make—all you have to do is whip, decorate and toast. While the recipe calls for a food processor, I found my blender worked just fine! You may have to scrape the sides of the blender cup with a rubber spatula more often than with a food processor, but once the cheese mixture catches, it begins easily ribboning into a wonderful creamy texture.

It’s also a perfect make-ahead dish. I blended the feta, cream cheese, garlic, olive oil and water together in the morning. Then, right before everyone arrived, I blended it for a few seconds until smooth again and served with fresh toppings. You could even make it a couple days beforehand, which I will be doing in the future to save myself time on the day of the event.

Expecting around 15 people to be in attendance, I doubled the recipe and was so thankful for that decision afterwards. Even as dinner was served 45 minutes later than expected, no one was concerned because this whipped feta had them happily occupied. I split the dip into two different dishes—one half was the dip without toppings and the other half was heavily loaded with extra pistachios, pomegranate seeds and hot honey. Pro tip: Serve this dip in a wide, flat bowl so there’s plenty of surface area to house all the delicious toppings. You could also consider leaving the toppings on the side for guests to customize their dip. 

For dippers, whole-wheat pita was an amazing choice, but I also added in some whole-wheat and white baguette slices. To get them crispy, I tossed them on a sheet pan in the oven at 400°F for 5-10 minutes until lightly toasted. The few slices that were left at the end of the night were still nice and crunchy.

This dip was so good, I’m planning to make it again for Christmas dinner with the family. I know it’ll be a hit as is, but I might try mixing the toppings up with our Whipped Feta with Cranberries & Walnuts. However I serve it, whipped feta dip is going to be a staple on my table for years to come. 

Keep reading: Stanley Tucci Shared His #1 Tip for Holiday Entertaining—Plus the Dishes He Always Makes