Crispy Baked Feta with Lavender Honey

A five-ingredient appetizer that’s perfect for easy entertaining, crispy phyllo-wrapped baked feta is a recipe for all seasons!

March can be a challenging month to find inspiration in the kitchen. As much as I love my local farmers, I’m a tad tired of the root vegetables I’ve been cooking all winter. Yet the bounty of spring produce is still weeks, if not months, away.

Enter feta cheese. It’s an ingredient I can always get excited about, whether it’s simply crumbled onto a side salad or the star of the show, like in today’s recipe.

Crispy phyllo-wrapped baked feta with a floral lavender honey is inspired by an appetizer I frequently enjoyed in Greece last June. The feta would arrive at the table, piping hot, languishing in a pool of honey, and would be devoured in mere seconds.

Just five ingredients make up this tantalizing dish: phyllo pastry, feta cheese, olive oil, liquid honey and dried lavender. One bite and I’m back in Greece.

Here’s how you can make baked feta at home.

Baked Feta Ingredients

Crispy phyllo-wrapped baked feta uses only a few ingredients, but they are especially unique. Let’s go through them one by one.

Phyllo Pastry – It doesn’t matter if you call it phyllo or filo (I use both) just know that this delicate, flaky pastry is a staple of Greek cuisine. I buy mine frozen and thaw it overnight in the fridge.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Brushing the phyllo with olive oil gives ensures it will bake up crisp and flaky. You can also use melted butter, but olive oil is traditional.

Feta PDO – True feta is made in Greece from sheeps milk, using traditional methods. When shopping for feta, look for the round gold ‘seal’ that says ‘Protected Designation of Origin‘ on the packaging. Read more about authentic feta and my trip to Greece to discover this incredible ingredient.

Liquid Honey – The perfect sweet balance to the salty, tangy feta; honey is an essential ingredient to this dish. If you can find pure honeycomb, that would make for wonderful presentation.

Culinary Lavender – Most honey in Greece is very floral, so I infuse a local honey with my homegrown lavender buds. You can find culinary lavender from Spice Trekkers.

Bonus: Sesame Seeds – The baked feta in Greece was nearly always sprinkled with sesame seeds. It’s a brilliant pairing, which I recommend you try at some point.

Baked Feta Step-by-Step

Baked feta is a very simple dish to make. After you make the recipe once or twice, you’ll be able to work from memory and whip up a phyllo-wrapped baked feta appy with ease! Here are the steps:

• Step 1: Thaw the phyllo in the fridge one day in advance. This part does take a little planning.
• Step 2: Infuse the honey with lavender. This can be done up to a week in advance.
• Step 3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Step 4. Brush the phyllo with olive oil and wrap the block of feta.
• Step 5. Bake until crispy!
• Step 6. Drizzle with honey and serve warm.

An Appetizer for All Seasons

One of the best things about this baked feta dish is that no matter the time of year, it’s always a welcome addition to the table.

The ingredients are easy to find and they pair very well with fruits and vegetables from all seasons. This versatility makes baked feta a valuable appetizer to keep in your repertoire.

Favourite pairings for phyllo-wrapped baked feta

Spring: fresh berries, lavender honey

Summer: fresh figs, toasted sesame seeds, honey

Fall: cherry tomatoes, raw or roasted, fresh torn basil, balsamic reduction drizzle

Winter: roast squash, sprinkling of dried oregano, olive oil drizzle

Recipe Tips and Tricks

As simple as this recipe is, I’ve learned a few tricks along the way.

• Dry the feta well with a clean tea towel before wrapping
• Don’t wrap the feta block too tightly with the phyllo
• Don’t worry if the phyllo tears, just patch it up with another small piece
• Coat the phyllo thoroughly with olive oil to get that golden colour everywhere

Chef’s Tip:

To serve, drizzle a little honey on the plate first, so the baked feta sticks. This prevents it from sliding all around when you cut into the crispy baked feta.

Leftover Phyllo

Leftover phyllo dough can last up to a week in the fridge. But I suggest you toast it in the oven and make the phyllo ‘chips’ pictured above. Then you can make this simple and yet most extraordinary salad below.

Spinach Feta Salad with Crispy Filo Chips – Here’s another fabulous recipe inspired by my trip to Greece. This salad sounds almost too basic, but it’s the perfect combination of flavours and textures!

More Cheesy Recipes:

Bread + cheese = happiness. If you agree, bookmark these recipes to try next:

• Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie
• Baked Cheese Toasties
• Honey-Drizzled Raspberry Brie Brûlée
• Asparagus and Lobster Grilled Cheese

Crispy Phyllo-Wrapped Baked Feta with Lavender Honey

I like to serve my baked feta with toasted pita chips, a bowl of fresh fruit and a glass of chilled white wine. If you wish to turn it into a meal, serve it with my Watermelon Greek Salad and a bowl of Greek-Inspired Sheet Pan Meatballs. What a feast!

Toasted Sesame Pita Chips

Homemade pita chips are so easy and well worth the effort. Get the recipe for these easy chips on my Instagram Reel!

Do you enjoy feta and would you ever try it baked?