Spicy Red Pepper & Feta Dip
This bold and spicy roasted red pepper and feta dip is inspired by a traditional Greek recipe (htipiti). It's SO easy to make and guaranteed to be a hit!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 27, 2024
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It’s football season, and I’m here for it. I mean, I’m here for the party snacks. Someone please invite me to your watch party and I’ll bring this spicy red pepper and feta dip. I don’t care who’s playing.
I discovered this bold and spicy, creamy and tangy dip in Greece last fall. It was new to me at the time, although it’s been around for a long time.
I ordered this dip (htipiti in Greek) every time I found it on a menu, which was often. It varied from restaurant to restaurant, but it was always irresistible.
This Greek dip is creamy, peppery and tangy like Southern pimento cheese. Make this dip as spicy as you’d like—or not. It’s bold and zesty even without the cayenne pepper.
This dip is ready in under 10 minutes, so it’s the perfect last-minute party recipe. Whip it up when you have a moment, and it’ll keep well in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
You’ll just need a few simple ingredients and basic equipment. Ready?
What You’ll Need to Make Spicy Red Pepper & Feta Dip
Simple Ingredients
- Feta cheese: Traditionally sheep’s milk feta, but any feta will do. Be sure to buy a block of it rather than pre-crumbled feta. The pre-crumbled options are more expensive and don’t taste as good.
- Roasted red peppers: I used jarred peppers for ease. I recommend Divina or Whole Foods 365 brand. Here’s how to roast peppers if you’d like to roast your own.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: My go-to olive oils are Trader Joe’s Kalamata variety or California Olive Ranch Everyday.
- Fresh lemon juice: From about half of a lemon.
- Cayenne pepper and freshly ground black pepper: The cayenne pepper makes this dip spicy. If you’re sensitive to spice, omit it. If you want extra spicy dip, simply add more, to taste.
Basic Equipment
You’ll probably want a food processor for making this dip (here’s mine/that’s an affiliate link). I doubt you’ll be able to get enough traction in a blender, but you could give it a try.
According to Bon Appétit, “htipiti” translates to “beaten,” traditionally with a mortar and pestle. If you want to be traditional, you could make this dip in a large mortar and pestle.
One more option: I bet you could make this dip by hand. Finely chop the feta and pepper, and whisk together all of the ingredients in a large bowl until blended and broken down.
Serving Suggestions
This dip goes great with any of the following:
- Crisp raw vegetables: cucumber, carrot, celery or even bell pepper
- Marinated olives or tapenade
- Toasted pita wedges, crusty bread or homemade crostini, or crackers
- It would also be great as a sandwich spread on pita with falafel, romaine, tomato and cucumber or similar crisp veggies
Looking to make a full party spread? Serve this dip with any of the above, plus:
- Fresh salad: Greek Salad, Panzanella, Fattoush or Tabbouleh
- More dips or sauces: Hummus, Tzatziki, Baba Ganoush or Tahini Sauce
- Crispy Baked Falafel
- Grilled vegetables and rice
Please let me know how your dip turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Spicy Red Pepper & Feta Dip (Htipiti)
This bold and spicy roasted red pepper and feta dip is inspired by a traditional Greek recipe (htipiti). It’s so easy to make and guaranteed to be a hit! Recipe yields 1 ½ cups and is easily doubled.
Ingredients
- One 8-ounce block of feta cheese, patted dry and cut into 1″ chunks or large crumbles (about 1 ⅔ cups)
- ½ cup roasted red peppers, patted dry and roughly chopped (1 to 1 ½ peppers)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit if sensitive to spice)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Crushed red pepper flakes, for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
- In the bowl of your food processor, combine the feta, bell pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and about 10 twists of freshly ground black pepper.
- Process until the mixture is orange, fairly smooth, and you no longer see any big chunks of feta. Don’t overdo it; small bits of feta are good and over-processing this dip will make it gritty. Taste, and add additional cayenne pepper (up to ¼ teaspoon more) if you want it to be extra spicy. Blend briefly to combine.
- Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl. Smooth the top and create a few swooshes with a spoon. Lightly drizzle some olive oil on top, and sprinkle with red pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for later. This dip will keep well in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen.
Serving suggestions: I love this dip with slices of crisp raw vegetables (cucumber, carrot, celery or even bell pepper). It’s also great with olives and toasted pita wedges or crusty bread.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Simple and fresh…sounds delicious. I’ll try it over the holidays when entertaining with food sampling plates is more frequent.
Thank you!
We had this recently with takeout and we’ve been obsessed ever since. I made your recipe tonight and it was spot on and delish! Thanks so much for the great recipe, super easy as well!
drool…
looks great! can’t wait to try it
I hope you love it, Darryl!
Brilliant, simply brilliant. As soon as I saw this recipe come through my email, it was like an old friend that I never knew I had. I’m a big fan of Greek and all their wonderful spreads and dips so I thought I would have come across Htipiti before. I ended up going a bit heavy on the peppers as I had two large red peppers in the crisper, cut back the EVOO just a tad and kept everything else the same. Costco carries a great organic Feta block that I just bought last week for a reason I had yet to uncover so I was all set. Came out great, just as I had imagined these flavors. Thank you Kate!
P.S. thanks for all your great recipes. Your cookbook is far and away the most dog-eared one in our cupboard. We have made well over 30 recipes and love them all!
Thank you, Darius! I’m glad you are excited about this one.
This is so delicious. I make it all the time. Friends and family give many compliments and ask for the recipe.
Great minds! Thank you for your comment.
This recipe came at the perfect time – I had a block of feta and extra red peppers that I had no idea what to do with! It was so quick and simple to make, and the flavor is amazing! Thank you for this delicious dip!
You’re welcome, Emma!
This looks delicious, I already have all the ingredients to make this for lunch and I need to up my dip game anyway! Excuse me while I go and make a batch of homemade pitta for dipping…
Thank you for your comment, Rachel! Sounds like the perfect combination.
Looks delicious! Do you think this would work to bake and serve warm?
I haven’t tried it, but I would be curious! Let me know what you think.
This looks divine! I will definitely been doing this for a gameday snack!
A great game day dip!
That looks delicious!
Mariya
Thank you!
Just made this. Fabulous and so easy. It’s not going to last long.
Thank you for your review, Cheryl!
This is SO delicious! I just fine chopped the cheese/peppers and smashed it all together with the back of a spoon. Texture was lovely. Will definitely be making this over and over again as its just as quick and easy as it yummy!
I’m happy that method worked for you, Kaitlin! Thank you for your review.
I made this last night to take to a party, and I’m a big fan of it because it tastes great and keeps well.
There was vegan feta at my local grocery store, but I chose to substitute the feta with an equal amount of white hominy I had left over from making your wonderful posole recipe. Canned hominy, like feta, is white, briny, and has a similar texture (particularly when blended). I add extra salt to bring the levels up on a par with feta’s.
Thank you for sharing variation, Julia!
Made this for the first time yesterday. It was a hit! I will definitely be making this on repeat!
Wonderful, Nicole!
Hi C&K, made it and it came out OK. I have never had this before so was concerned about getting the consistency right. I used roasted red peppers in a jar, next time I need to get them drier before using. Otherwise a great addition for dips. Have used on pita, veggies and even as a sandwich spread.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it! Yes, be sure to get the moisture off the peppers. I love the idea for a sandwich spread!
This dip is amazing! I made a double batch a couple days ago and wound up having some left over, so I actually wound up using it to make the creamy arugula, goat cheese, and tomato pasta salad from your cookbook. I’m not a big goat cheese person, but I like the rest of the ingredients, so I wound up omitting the goat cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt, and just stirring in somewhere in the neighborhood of 3/4 cup of this dip. I think it turned out great!
Thank you! I’m happy you tried it already and loved it. I love that combination idea, Anna! I think I need to try that.
Hi Kate! I’m back after being away far too long. I made this yesterday, had it tonight with fresh celery and red bell pepper. It was delicious! I went to Greece 2 years ago, top and only item on my bucket list. It was the trip of a lifetime. I made Greek salad almost every day for months afterward. Even shell out for premium Greek EVOO at Vom Fass (Agora). Greek ingredients are so fresh and delicious! And you are 100% right about the block feta cheese – the crumbled also dries out! Trader Joes has a great one from Greece <3 If I make it to Greece again I'll be ordering htipiti all the time too :)
I’m glad you made it and loved it, Margot!
making this over the weekend!
OMG! This looks so amazing. I think I might just have this for dinner tonight. Thank you!
I hope you love it!
Wanna dip roti into it
I hope you love it, Anu!
I added oregano and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper to it and it was delish. I also made with hand blender. Overall, it was much faster an easier clean up.
Thank you for sharing!
Made this tonight as an accompaniment to your chickpea/quinoa salad. It was perfect—refreshing, light and bright. I look forward to eating it over the next few days. I also loved how easily it came together. Thanks, Kate!
You’re welcome, Lauren! Thank you for your review.
This recipe sounds great, but if you could recreate the Spicy feta dip from Lawrence, Kansas’ Mad Greek restaurant that would be so amazing. I would be so grateful. Sadly, I end up comparing all spicy feta dips to the MG one. It is that good. You gotta check it out. I’ve only come across a dip that’s similar in the town of Haarlem in The Netherlands.
P.S. I just recently found your site through a friend and have had so much fun trying some of very yummy dishes…falafel is our family’s favorite.
just made this recipe with Violife Greek White block, absolutely fab.
LOVE this dip. We used to get this kind of dip from a farmers market stand run by a Greek family and I swear this version is identical and a little bit better! I love every recipe I’ve tried on this site but this is by far a house favourite!
Just made this for a Greek-inspired dinner this evening. It’s super easy, goes together in 5 minutes. Use good quality feta & EVOO; it’s worth it!! Good, simple… Nice!!
I was going to make roasted red pepper hummus but am so glad I decided to try this instead! Flavorful, delicious, and easy to make! Thanks for another winner!
I needed to use up 24 ounces of crumbled feta and several red bell peppers when I realized they would make my favorite Greek dip of all time. I first tried it 20 years ago at D.C.’s late and great Marvelous Market, and immediately fell in love…right before they discontinued it. It’s not easy to find, and I went years without it until I signed up for a farm box/CSA. Then THEY stopped carrying it. I often thought, “I just need to learn to make it, then I’ll ALWAYS have it”, but none of the recipes I researched resembled the superior Marvelous Market version– until yours.
With a Costco-sized vat of feta and several forgotten peppers on the line, I hoped for the best, even though I was using the wrong texture of cheese and I don’t have a food processor/the healthy shoulder joints to combine it by hand. I made it in my mom’s ancient Osterizer blender, and that poor thing started emitting the saddest little noises, but it persevered! Do not use a blender unless, like me, you have no choice. Not unless you want to smell metal.
My first attempt (as you wrote it) was pleasant, but still not as zingy as what I remembered. I had some jalapenos and garlic that needed to be finished so I threw caution to the wind and added those, since I knew they would work (Let me explain: there is an amazing Greek restaurant in D.C. that spawned a national, fast casual chain called Cava– they make a different, also legendary dip called “Crazy Feta” with Dodonis feta, jalapenos, onion…it is addictive and something like $12 for a small container at Whole Foods IF yours is lucky enough to carry it ).
Since I was already disrespecting your instructions, I remembered what a late Greek aunt once told me and threw in some Greek pepperoncini brine, with the four jalapenos and multiple garlic cloves and BAM. There it was. The dip I’ve searched everywhere for, since the late ’90s. I know it’s a cliche to leave a comment on a recipe blog bragging about how you used wholly unrelated ingredients, but two things:
1) on the off-chance someone else from D.C. is reading this, I want them to be delighted, too
2) This sort of riffing is not possible without a bedrock of greatness (you! your hard work!!) and a decent palate/some skills in the kitchen. I knew what I wanted, but had no way to get there until today. You, Kate, are the wind beneath my orange cheese-stained wings. Thank you. I’m so happy you lit the way for me with your outstanding blog. I HAVE SO MUCH HTIPITI I AM ECSTATIC.
Really easy and delicious! It reminds me of a lighter version of pimento cheese.
Yes! If you haven’t tried my Pimento Cheese
I loved this! To make the flavor bolder, I added more lemon juice, some crushed garlic, and 2 full red peppers. Thanks!
I love this dip and you can change out the flavors easily. I add fresh basil for a green party dip last week. So delicious. I tend to like the dip a bit thinner so I add in some Keifer so it’s saucy enough to cling to my veggies (in place of cracker) dippers. I top with a drizzle of honey and chopped pistachios.
Thank you for sharing your take on this dip!
Thank you for this super easy and delicious recipe. I served with raw veggies and home made pita wedges as one of the appetizers for 9 of us for a birthday bbq. First time gathering as a family in 16 months. I was too busy to get a photo of the presentation. The guests all raved about it, so sharing the recipe with them and hopefully they too will become fans of Cookie & Kate. DELICIOUS!
This is such a great dip, and simple! Roasting your own red peppers really sends it over the top. Every time I take it to a party, the bowl is empty and people ask for the recipe. Grand slam, Kate!
I love that this one is a hit for you, Stacey! I appreciate your review.
I made this for a dinner party and we all loved it. It’s definitely a new favorite thanks.
I’m glad you loved it, Bails!
I love your website and use many of your recipes. Love the dip, a favorite at my local Greek restaurant. I bought a good quality Bulgarian feta block but felt the 1/2 cup of roasted peppers was a bit skimpy, so I added an additional cup. (I also should have dried the drained peppers. I also added a bit of garlic. My dip is a little runnier than I had hoped, but the flavor is great. Hopefully it will thicken in the fridge.
I’m glad you loved it, Jone! Thank you for your review.
Such a great and quick appetizer with homemade pita chips and veggies! Bring this to a party along with Kate’s tarragon hummus and the colors are also amazing.
This was delicious I served it w homemade nan.
Superb!! Will make again.
Oh my! This is so good! Going to add it on some falafel, arugula, tomatoes, and cucumber. With a pita. Yum
I followed your recipe but mine turned out quite bitter. Why would that be?
Hi Lynn, hmmm did you add the lemon juice? Did your feta seem off?
Easy to make and very tasty. I use 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to give it just the right heat.
What am I missing?? It is so bland and tastes just like feta with some red pepper mixed in. I know that’s the point of the dip but it’s truly just kind of tasteless to me. Maybe my feta wasn’t good to start with? Is there anything I can add to spice it up?
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this recipe. I appreciate your feedback.
Very tasty but honestly it looks so bad LOL. Need to figure out how to make it look as appealing as it tastes. The red pepper flavor really shines.
Thank you for sharing, Tia!
How long does htipiti last in the refrigerator? Can I make it a week in advance? Thank you so much.
Hi Margaret! See the final step in the instructions.
Hi Kate love your recipes! What do you think about freezing this dip? I am trying to get things done ahead of a party I am having…
Beth
I don’t find that dairy based dips freeze the best.
Would this recipe work with plant-based feta for dairy-free?
I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure. If you try it, let me know what you think!
is it freezable?
I don’t think this would be a great option to freeze.
This was absolutely amazing on a grilled portobello mushroom burger!
This dip is great and so easy to make! Was on the search after we had it at our favorite Greek restaurant. Just as good homemade!