Tiropita Recipe, Greek Feta Cheese Pies | Alexandra’s Kitchen (2024)

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//By Alexandra Stafford onApril 6, 2012 (updated July 16, 2020) Jump To Recipe

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Tiropita Recipe, Greek Feta Cheese Pies | Alexandra’s Kitchen (1)

Tiropitas, Greek cheese-and-egg filled phyllo triangles, are always a party favorite. What’s more, they’re not complicated and can be made ahead and stashed in the freezer, making them perfect to have on hand for entertaining.

When my freezer is stocked with frozen, unbaked tiropitas, I can rest easy knowing any guests will not starve if I’m still wrapping things up in the kitchen. Just pop the frozen triangles into the oven straight from the freezer, and 20 minutes later they’ll be done.

Tiropita Recipe, Greek Feta Cheese Pies | Alexandra’s Kitchen (2)

Red eggs for Greek Easter.
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Tiropita Recipe, Greek Feta Cheese Pies | Alexandra’s Kitchen (5)

Tiropita Recipe, Greek Feta Cheese Pies | Alexandra’s Kitchen (6)

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Ella helps make biscotti, while I assemble tiropitas:
Tiropita Recipe, Greek Feta Cheese Pies | Alexandra’s Kitchen (8)

Graham bounces nearby:
Tiropita Recipe, Greek Feta Cheese Pies | Alexandra’s Kitchen (9)

Tiropita Recipe, Greek Feta Cheese Pies | Alexandra’s Kitchen (10)

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Tiropita Recipe, Greek Feta Cheese Pies | Alexandra’s Kitchen (11)

Tiropitas

  • Author: Alexandra Stafford
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 36 tiropitas
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb. feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 lb. cottage cheese, small curd
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 lb. fillo dough*, thawed
  • 1/2 lb. unsalted butter, melted

*Fillo comes in all shapes and sizes these days. The variety I can find, Athens brand, weighs 1 pound and contains two 8-oz bags of 20 sheets each measuring 9 x 14-inches. If your fillo comes in the larger sheets, cut it in half so that it’s roughly 9 x 14-inches. After you cut it, gently roll it up and place it in a ziploc bag.

Instructions

  1. Combine cheeses, eggs and salt in a bowl. Stir until blended.
  2. Set up your station: you need a large cutting board, a teaspoon (a measuring teaspoon), a brush, the melted butter, a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and the fillo dough. If you haven’t already, unwrap the fillo dough and place it in a ziploc back.
  3. Lay one sheet of fillo horizontally oriented in front of you on your cutting board. Brush it with butter. Run a knife down the piece of dough every two inches or so — this should yield six to seven strips. (See photo above.)
  4. Place one teaspoon of cheese mixture at the end of each strip. Fold over corner to make a triangle. Continue folding from side to side till you get to the end of the strip. (See photos above.) Place on prepared pan. Brush tops with butter. Repeat process until you’ve used up all of your filling.
  5. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool briefly before serving.

Notes

Note: If you’d like to make these ahead, place assembled (unbaked) tiropitas in the freezer. Either freeze the tiropitas in a single layer and then transfer them to a ziploc bag once they are completely frozen, or be sure to place a piece of parchment paper in between each layer of the tiropitas if you freeze them in a storage container. Bake frozen for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. I find mine take even longer than 20 minutes before they are golden, but my oven is very old.

  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: Greek

Keywords: tiropita, Greek, cheese, phyllo, triangles

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Tiropita Recipe, Greek Feta Cheese Pies | Alexandra’s Kitchen (12)

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    61 Comments on “Tiropitas”

  1. Daniel AnthonyReply

    yassas,
    My family Is from island of Crete. My mamas recipe. I love your version as well.
    12 ounce block of feta cheese cut into 4 even rectangles of 3 ounces each
    4 sheets phyllo dough
    2 tablespoons Greek olive oil
    2 tablespoons sesame seeds
    4 tablespoons honey
    1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
    1 tablespoon water
    Fold one sheet of phyllo in half and placeone block of feta into the center. Fold into an envelop shape and place on a small baking sheet. Repeat with the other three blogs of feta.Brush each phyllo envelope with olive oil and sprinkle the sesame seeds evenly over all four of them. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until golden. This should take about 15-20 minutes.
    While the feta packets are baking in the oven, mix the honey, vinegar, and water in a small dish. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over all four of the feta and phyllo packets right when it comes out of the oven.
    Also a tip for working with phyllo. You need 2 thin backing cloths. They need to be very lightly damp not wet at all think more as to keep cold not wet. Place phyllo in middle of cloths. Take one piece out at a time them place cloth back on top and repeat every time you work with a new piece. Hope this help😊 Αντίο

    • Alexandra StaffordReply

      THis sounds amazing, Daniel! Thanks so much for writing and sharing it. And thank you for your tip on working with phyllo, too. So helpful!

  2. BlancaReply

    Looks yummy!

  3. GinkaReply

    Fabulous! Salty, crispy little treats!

    • Alexandra StaffordReply

      Great to hear!

  4. Greek food loverReply

    Hi! Do you recommend lowfat or full-fat cottage cheese? Thank you. Can’t wait to try this recipe!

    • Alexandra StaffordReply

      I always use full fat 🙂

Tiropita Recipe, Greek Feta Cheese Pies | Alexandra’s Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between spanakopita and Tiropita? ›

What Is Tiropita? Like spanakopia, tiropita is also a savory Greek pie that's wrapped in a phyllo crust, but its filling is different than spanakopita. Instead of spinach, herbs, and feta, tiropita is filled with a mixture of cheese and eggs.

What cheese is Tiropita made of? ›

Essentially these are little mini cheese pies. They're made with layers of butter phyllo and filled with a cheese and egg mixture. It can be very similar to Spanikopita but it's made with feta and a hard Greek cheese.

Why is feta cheese better in Greece? ›

In Greece "Feta cheese" is ONLY what is made from sheep's milk (70%) and goat's milk (30%). Sheep's milk has more fat and thus gives more cheese, goat's milk has less fat, gives less cheese but hardens the feta and gives it the special taste that made it famous.

What's the difference between Greek and regular feta cheese? ›

She explained that French feta, made of 100% sheep's milk, is the least salty of the three. Bulgarian may be made of sheep and/or goat, while Greek feta will be primarily sheep's milk and sometimes up to 30% goat's milk ― both are a little saltier than French.

Do Greeks eat spanakopita for breakfast? ›

When they go out and eventually get their second coffee, a freddo espresso this time, they will buy a “tiropita”, “spanakopita”, or “bougatsa”. These “pitas” are breakfast pastries made out of many layers of buttered Filo.

Do they eat spanakopita in Greece? ›

A version without cheese and eggs is eaten during religious fasts throughout Greece. Spanakopita appears in many traditional Greek cookery books and appears in numerous restaurants and hotel menus throughout Greece and internationally.

What to eat with tiropita? ›

Tiropita can be consumed as a snack, for breakfast and as a meal. I serve it with a seasonal salad (usually a Greek style salad with tomato and cucumber in the summer, or a green or cabbage salad in the winter). And it is also good (as all pies are) as school lunch.

What is Greece's favorite cheese? ›

Graviera is the most popular cheese, after feta.

What is the meaning of tiropita? ›

Tiropita or tyropita (Greek: τυρóπιτα, "cheese-pie") is a Greek pastry made with layers of buttered phyllo and filled with a cheese-egg mixture. It is served either in an individual-size free-form wrapped shape, or as a larger pie that is portioned.

Is Aldi Greek style salad cheese feta? ›

Specifications. Plum Tomato, Cucumber, Feta Cheese (𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐤) (21%), Red Onion, Black Olives (6%), Rapeseed Oil, Dijon 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝 (Water, 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝 Seeds, Spirit Vinegar, Salt, Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid), Lemon Juice, Olive Oil, White Wine Vinegar, Water, Sugar, Salt, Black Pepper.

What cheese is healthier than feta? ›

Goat cheese is low in calories, fat and has less sodium than feta. 3. Swiss: A hard cheese that is full of flavor. Swiss is a great lunch alternative to higher fat sandwich cheeses like provolone and cheddar.

Which feta is the creamiest? ›

"French feta is more austere and a little bit drier" compared to Greek feta. Bulgarian feta is made from sheep's milk and lies on the other end of the creaminess spectrum. "The Israelis also make some pretty great feta in that creamier style," Keenan says.

What is another name for spanakopita? ›

Spanakopita (/ˌspænəˈkɒpɪtə, ˌspɑː-, -ˈkoʊ-/; Greek: σπανακόπιτα, from σπανάκι spanáki 'spinach', and πίτα píta 'pie') is a Greek savory spinach pie. It often also contains cheese, typically feta, and may then be called spanakotiropita (Greek: σπανακοτυρόπιτα "spinach-cheese pie"), especially in northern Greece.

What Greek food is similar to spanakopita? ›

Tiropsomo is similar to spanakopita and tiropita as they use cheese as their main ingredient. But what differentiates this Greek street food is that the cheese is baked into light bread instead of filo pastry. Apart from feta cheese, tiropsomo uses unkneaded dough made from flour and milk.

What is the difference between Sicilian pie and grandma pie? ›

The crust is the primary differentiator between Sicilian and a grandma slice. After a Sicilian pizza crust's dough is stretched on an oiled sheet pan, it's allowed to rise for an extended period of time before toppings are applied and it's baked. This gives it a crust that can be an inch thick, and it's airy and chewy.

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