This Baked Feta Appetizer comes together in just minutes with only a handful of ingredients - olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh garlic, olive oil, and dried herbs. Bake it all together with a block of feta cheese until it's warm and creamy then serve with crispy crostini!
You Will Love This
- It's so quick and easy! The only prep work required for this baked feta is thinly slicing the garlic! Other than that it's pretty much just throw everything in a baking dish and bake. Which is what makes it one of our family's favorites.
- It's feta like you've never had it before! We all watched as baked feta pasta took over the internet but this baked feta is a warm, decadent way to enjoy feta cheese in a whole new way! It's got roasted olives, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes in an olive oil marinade. The flavors are amazing, the texture is indulgent and the way it all comes together will make this your go-to appetizer recipe too! If you love this one be sure to check out my Herb and Garlic Marinated Feta recipe too!
- If you loved this feta appetizer, be sure to try my 15 Minute Greek Pasta, Orzo Greek Salad, Mediterranean Flatbread Pizza, and Baked Mediterranean Salmon.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Feta - For the best flavor and texture, buy a block of Greek feta (preferably in brine) instead of the pre-crumbled stuff. If you're looking for a different flavor or don't like sheep's milk cheese, try using goat cheese or Brie cheese instead of the feta. Stick with 8 ounces of cheese whichever you choose.
- Pitted Olives - A jar of pitted, Mediterranean olives will usually provide a convenient medley of green and Kalamata olives. If you’re not a fan of one or the other, though, just get the kind you prefer.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes - Get sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, rather than dried ones, if you can. Dry sun-dried tomatoes will need to be reconstituted for this recipe. If you're not a fan of sun-dried tomatoes, try halved cherry tomatoes or diced red peppers instead!
- Olive Oil - The olive oil is a key player, here, so get a good one: preferably cold-pressed, organic, extra virgin olive oil.
- Fresh Garlic - Freshly minced garlic always has a better, bolder flavor than the stuff in a jar. I totally get that sometimes you just need the convenience of pre-minced garlic, but it’s not worth it for this appetizer.
- Dried Oregano, Thyme, and Rosemary - You can use an Italian seasoning blend in place of the dried oregano, dried thyme, and dried rosemary if that’s all you have available. You could also substitute with fresh herbs instead.
Instructions
Add feta to a small baking dish or rimmed sheet pan. Add olives and sun-dried tomatoes to the baking dish around the block of feta.
In a small dish combine olive oil, sliced garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Drizzle over the feta, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes.
Bake for 20 minutes. Broil for 1-2 minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and sliced French bread, crostini, crackers, or pita chips.
Tips
- My favorite feta to use for this recipe is the kind that comes as a block in a brine liquid. Being stored in brine gives the feta cheese a lot of extra moisture which helps to increase the creaminess in this baked feta. Just make sure you drain the brine off before baking!
- If you can't find a block in brine, just a regular block of feta will work as well. It will give you a very similar taste and texture as the feta that comes in brine. Honestly, crumbled feta would likely work too, the presentation will just be slightly different and you may need to bake it for less time.
- If you're not into olives, try roasting the feta with grape tomatoes instead! Keep everything the same, just replace the olives with tomatoes! The tomatoes will become tender, roasted, and delicious! You could also just skip the olives all together and enjoy this baked feta with the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and herbs!
Variations
This recipe is super forgiving so feel free to switch up the ingredients to suit the season or your family's taste. Some of our favorite varitions include:
- a squeeze of lemon juice
- lemon zest
- a drizzle of honey
- capers
- sliced red onion
- sliced shallot
- red pepper flakes
- fresh thyme
- fresh basil leaves
Make it Into Pasta!
- If you're looking to switch things up a bit and take this dish from an appetizer to the main course, add your favorite al dente pasta!
- I like to add rotini, penne, or rigatoni but a longer cut of pasta like spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine would work as well.
- Cook your pasta, reserve ½ a cup of pasta water, and add the cooked pasta directly to the baked feta after it's come out of the oven. Gently mix the pasta and cheese together and add splashes of pasta water as needed to help the feta fully coat the pasta noodles in the creamy baked sauce.
- Season to taste with Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper and enjoy!
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
- Make-Ahead: This baked feta appetizer can be prepped a couple hours in advance which makes it one of my favorite foods to make for a party. Prep the feta according to the recipe instructions and when you're guests arrive, pop it in the oven for a warm appetizer that everyone will love!
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: Reheat baked feta in a 325-degree oven until warmed through.
Does feta cheese melt in the oven?
Feta cheese gets soft in the oven, but it does not melt, because of its relatively high acid content. When acidic cheeses like feta are heated, the proteins tighten, expelling moisture. That moisture evaporates and the cheese becomes too dry to liquefy. This baked feta recipe does give you soft, spreadable feta, but it's not melted feta.
What can I do with a block of feta cheese?
An old marketing slogan promised us that, "everything's betta with feta" and they weren't wrong! A block of feta has endless potential and dresses up everything it touches. In this baked feta recipe, it's transformed into a warm, cozy appetizer with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and crispy crunchy crostini!
What goes well with feta?
Feta cheese originated in Greece and is associated with Mediterranean and modern Middle Eastern cuisine. That means feta goes well with other flavors and dishes from the same regions, including olives, hummus, pita, nuts, bell peppers, and roasted veggies. In this feta dip, we pair it with olives and sun-dried tomatoes along with garlic and herbs for a classic Mediterranean-inspired flavor!
How do you use feta in brine?
You can usually buy feta in a few different ways: in brine, vacuum packed, or crumbled. It's technically all feta, but the feta in brine is going to be creamier and more flavorful. Once you've used the block of feta for this easy feta appetizer recipe, you can use the leftover brine as a base for dressing or to marinate veggies before roasting.
Quick & Easy Appetizers
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Recipe
Baked Feta
This Baked Feta Appetizer comes together in just minutes with only a handful of ingredients - olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh garlic, olive oil, and herbs. Bake it all together with a block of feta cheese until it's warm and creamy then serve with crispy crostini!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Greek/American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 8 oz. block feta
- 1 cup pitted olives, drained
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
For serving:
- fresh chopped parsley
- sliced French bread or crostini
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add feta to a small baking dish.
- Add olives and sun-dried tomatoes to the baking dish around the feta.
- In a small dish combine olive oil, sliced garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
- Pour over the block of feta, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Broil for 1-2 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and sliced French bread or crostini.
Equipment
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Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 166
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 269.1 mg
- Fat: 15.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.5 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 4.6 g
- Cholesterol: 25.2 mg
Keywords: baked feta, baked feta recipe, feta cheese recipes
Patti
I wonder what measurement of herbs you would use if all fresh? Excited to make this over Xmas! Cherry tomatoes would work great too!
Kylie
Great idea, Patti! If you're using fresh the ratio is 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs for 1 teaspoon of dried herbs. The dried herbs have a more concentrated flavor. Fresh herbs and cherry tomatoes would be delicious in this!
Cathy
Would an olive tapanade work?
Kylie
Yes! An olive tapenade would be delicious in this and I have a really good recipe for one! Here's the link: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/olive-tapenade-recipe/
Jackie
For the sundried tomatoes, do you use the ones in oil, or the dried?
Kylie
I always use the oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes! I like to use the julienne cut ones with herbs mixed in the oil for the best flavor.
Amy
Do you recommend a pairing beverage? Wine? Cocktail?
Kylie
I love to serve this with merlot for my friends who like red or a sauvignon blanc for those who prefer white. I don't have a go-to cocktail but I think something with tequila would be delicious to compliment the salty feta cheese. Great question, Amy!
Sarah
This was a HIT at our holiday party. I mean the dish was licked clean!
Thanks!
★★★★★
Nuala
Can you add pasta to this?
★★★★★
Kylie
Sure! Some al dente pasta would be delicious added to this baked feta. Great idea, Nuala!
Margy Hilips
This is such a fabulous recipe ! I followed your tips and used fresh cherry tomatoes and added artichoke hearts. I served it as an appetizer for 4 people and it was all eaten! I was too full for dinner! We’ve decide to have this on Meatless Mondays at least every month!!! Thanks for such a delicious recipe.
★★★★★
Nikki
I made this and if we weren’t already married, this would have gotten me a marriage proposal! I served it with a simple Mediterranean salad ( home grown greens and veggies ) and homemade focaccia. This is going on our stay home, date night rotation. Super easy and fast.
★★★★★
Lucienne
Delicious 😋 will be doing it again and again . My guests loved it.
★★★★★
Marla
Delicious and easy to make. My guests could not quit eating it.
★★★★★
Kylie
I am so glad to hear that your guests enjoyed this baked feta, Marla! It is one of our family's favorites as well!
Gina
Super easy & delicious.
★★★★★
Kylie
Could not agree more, Gina. This is one of my favorites!! 🙂
Nit
Do you drain the juice from the olives, or just dump it all in?
Kylie
Yes - I recommend draining the juice from the olives. Great question! I will update the recipe card to reflect this as well 🙂
Geri kennedy
This is definitely the easiest and best appetizer that I’ve made! It’s always a crowd pleaser.
★★★★★
Ang
Wonderful flavor!! Just wish I had more of the oil. Definitely will double the oil next time cuz it’s so good!
★★★★★
Frankie
Can you substitute Goat Cheese for the Feta?
Kylie
Sure! Goat cheese would be delicious in this!
Kim
A new household favourite!
Ursula
I just made this New Years morning… It was so delicious and easy. Made the house smell great! Everyone loved it even the 9 year old!! We chopped the olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Winner!!
★★★★★
Kylie
Woohoo! I am so glad to hear that, Ursula! Great idea to chop the olives and tomatoes. Thanks for leaving a review - I really appreciate it!
Victoria
I agree...great idea to chopped olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Easier to scoop everything onto the crostini.
★★★★★
Sara C
This is a delicious, simple appetizer. It was a big hit on Christmas Eve. Thanks so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Tracy
Kylie, this is the best! I like olives, but after tasting this appetizer, I love them! I made this wonderful and flavourful recipe during the holidays and passed it on to two cousins. They also made it during the holidays. It was a hit in all three households 🇨🇦. It’s definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing it.
★★★★★
Holly
Question what kind of olives do you use?
Kylie
I love to use a mix of pitted olives. Sometimes it's called Greek mix. I love a combo of Kalamata and green olives but really any olives will work. Great question!
Monica
Excellent appetizer! I used green olives and Kalamata olives; added some roasted red peppers. I had all of the herbs but decided to keep it simple and used the Italian seasoning blend. Next time I'll keep the garlic slices a little thicker. I didn't broil at the end. I served this with sliced baguette. It was a hit!
★★★★★
Deborah
I cut both olives and sun dried tomatoes in smaller pieces so it’s easy to spread on the baguette. Also used Italian seasoning and minced garlic. Used fresh rosemary as garnish instead of parsley
★★★★★
Lori
You bake the olives?
Kylie
That is correct!