Greek Baked Feta Cheese in Phyllo and Honey

feta with honey

So as you may have noticed cheese is really important in our home, but also in the Greek diet. Since traditionally Greeks did not eat much meat, cheese played the role of protein to go along with all those vegetable dishes. In fact, according to the USDA and other sources, Greece has the highest consumption of cheese per person in the world (yes more than the French), at 71 pounds a year which corresponds to 3 ounces a day (which isn’t that much really). That’s because it is actually an important component to the meal, especially feta which makes up most of the cheese consumed in Greece.

But cheese sometimes is consumed as an appetizer, such as the saganki which is fried yellow cheese or baked feta and this here recipe is a more fancy version of baked feta. You will see this appetizer in more modern tavernes (taverns) here in Greece and it is delicious. It is very easy to replicate at home. Although usually fried, I made it a bit lighter by baking it and using a bit less cheese.

One of these is an appetizer for 2-3 people, just a few bites each or you can make it for one person and accompany it with a salad for lunch. And while it seems like an indulgent appetizer, one serving is about 100 calories, low carb (the phyllo adds very little) and a good source of calcium.

Baked feta

Greek Baked Feta Cheese in Phyllo with Honey

baked feta wrapped in phyllo
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
Servings: 2 -3
Author: Elena Paravantes
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Ingredients

  • 3 ounces feta cheese ideally you want the feta to be in the shape of a rectangle or square about 3 X 4 inches, so you can fold it easily
  • 1 phyllo sheet
  • 1-2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil for brushing

Instructions

  • Preheat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius)
  • Toast the sesame seeds. Heat them on the stove to on medium heat for about 1-2 minutes, shaking the pan.
  • Spread the phyllo sheet and brush with olive oil (make sure you have covered the whole sheet with the olive oil.
  • Place the feta in the bottom of the phyllo and fold the sides over and then fold the cheese over until you have reached the end of the phyllo. Brush the outside with olive oil and place with folded sided on the bottom on a pan.
  • Bake for about 20 minutes.
  • Remove from oven drizzle with honey and sprinkle the sesame seeds over it.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Leave a comment or share on instagram and mention @greekdiet
Photos by Elena Paravantes

26 Comments

  1. I really like this recipe and would love to make this for our church meet and greet. Can this be made for about 30 people?

  2. Had this in Santorini and decided to make it for my husbands birthday. Super tasty with the salty sweet combo. The only adjustment I wish I had made was to wrap the Feta in more than one Phyllo sheet. I sort of remember it being much thicker/puffier when I first had it in Greece but I don’t believe I was supposed to use puff pastry?!?

  3. Hi, I have bought a block of Feta and it weighs 7 ounces… however it is the right shape (3×4 inches). Will I be ok to cook this in one chunk with one sheet of phyllo? Thanks

  4. Had this at a place in Thessaloniki and fell in love with it! What is the Greek name of this appetizer? Makes deciding which restaurant to go to MUCH easier! 🙂 And I will definitely try to make this at home. Thanks for the recipe!

  5. This looks beautiful but as I was reading a question popped into my mind. Red wine is synonymous with the Mediterranean Diet, what do Greeks drink?

    Cheers

    John Bobbin MClinSc(LifestyleMed)

  6. Yum! Do you know of a similar recipe but for a dessert? My friend is in Greece right now and said he had an awesome dessert with sesame crumbed feta, fried, then drizzled with honey. I thought the feta would be quite salty for a dessert and wondered if it was a different cheese.

  7. I had this in Mykonos and would love to make it at home but don’t want to have to fry it. THANK YOU for the baked version.

  8. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I was planning to prepare this dish for some time, because I find very interesing the contrast between a salty cheese and sweet honey.

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