Creamy Whipped Feta

This post is sponsored by Nikos Feta.

Have you ever whipped feta cheese? 

If the answer is no, buckle your seat belt and get out your food processor. You are in for quite a ride (or at least, your food processor is in for a quite a workout).

This recipe is super simple, but totally changes the character of feta. The rich and tangy flavor that's usually packaged in chewy little crumbles infuses this smooth, creamy, and versatile dip. I enjoyed this whipped feta with fresh asparagus spears, carrot sticks, and my favorite gluten-free crackers, but the possibilities are limitless. (It MAY have crossed my mind to use this instead of tomato sauce on a pizza, maybe with roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella balls, too. Doesn't that sound amazing?)

Nikos Feta works beautifully in this dip. It's not as overwhelmingly salty as some fetas are, but still has the wonderfully sharp and distinctive flavor that feta is famous for. It's sold in a block or in a tub of crumbles, and either one will work for this recipe! I used their traditional feta, but I bet this would also be great with one of their other flavors (tomato basil, perhaps?). You can see all the different flavors here.

For this recipe, the feta is whipped with some extra virgin olive oil to add an earthy richness, sherry vinegar to complement the flavor of the cheese, and cream cheese to make it extra smooth. This dip is so easy to make, and allows you to enjoy the flavor of feta on a cracker or a crisp asparagus spear without mishap. (Have you ever tried balancing crumbled feta on a carrot stick or even a good-sized cracker? It's not pretty. Whipped feta is totally the way to go!) With a dip this spreadable, feta can finally make its way out of the salad bowl.

Right now, Nikos is hosting an awesome giveaway--you could win a trip for two to Hawaii for the 2015 Food & Wine Festival! The prize package includes airfare, hotel, and a good chunk of spending money. To enter, visit the Nikos website or click the sweepstakes tab on their Facebook page. 

For more delicious feta recipes and to find out about future giveaways, follow Nikos Feta on Pinterest and Instagram!

If you try this whipped feta, I'd love to hear in the comments what you thought and what you dipped in it. Happy whipping!

Creamy Whipped Feta
Yield: About 1 cup
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: None

Ingredients:

8 ounces Nikos feta cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (or your favorite wine vinegar)

Crumble the feta into the bowl of a food processor, add the cream cheese, and pulse to combine. Add the vinegar and olive oil with the food processor running and continue to process until very smooth, 3-5 minutes. Enjoy with crudites or crackers!