Pumpkin Whipped Feta Dip
This pumpkin whipped feta is paired with honey, walnuts, and fresh thyme. The recipe can be made in advance, with an option to serve as crostini. It’s a delicious and easy-to-make appetizer that your guests will love!
Over the summer I posted a whipped feta with roasted strawberries that went viral on the Internet (we’re talking almost 4 million views on TikTok and Instagram!!!), so I knew it was the perfect time to post a fall version. Enter: this pumpkin whipped feta dip!
This recipe takes all the yummy goodness of whipped feta, with the added touch (and nutrition benefits) of seasonal pumpkin. Honey, thyme, and walnuts add to this beautiful combination of sweet and savoury flavours.
Plus, it has a beautiful orange colour that is perfect for this time of the year 😉
This recipe is meant to be enjoyed as an appetizer, but feel free to also have it as a snack, as a spread on sandwiches/wraps, etc. I hope you (and your guests) love it!!
Want more appetizer ideas? Check out my roundup of 10+ easy appetizer recipes for more inspiration! Other fan-favourites for fall include these pear + brie salad skewers, these goat cheese stuffed mini peppers, and these goat cheese stuffed dates!
Ingredients Needed
All you need to make this recipe are 6 simple ingredients:
- feta cheese
- plain greek yogurt
- canned pumpkin puree
- honey
- thyme
- raw walnuts (optional)
Full ingredient measurements and detailed instructions are located in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
What To Serve With Pumpkin Whipped Feta
- For toppings – I LOVED the flavour combo of walnuts, thyme, and honey to accompany the savoury whipped feta. I used fresh thyme because it’s extra pretty, but you can use dried thyme as well 🙂
- For serving – I recommend spreading the dip over toasted, crusty bread or some yummy crackers. If you’re gluten-free, be sure to use your favourite gluten-free crackers (linked my favourites).
- You can also serve this dip with crunchy, raw veggies!
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Tips For Making This Recipe
- If you’re making this recipe for a party, you can make the pumpkin whipped feta in advance (I’d say up to a day before!) Prepare the bread/dipping vehicles and add any toppings right before serving for optimal freshness.
- Be sure to chill the dip at least 30-60 minutes before serving. This will help to firm up the dip.
- You can serve this recipe as a dip (as pictured) OR you can serve it as crostini! If you’d prefer making crostini, simply slice up a baguette, toast the bread in the oven, spread whipped feta on each slice, and top with walnuts, fresh thyme, and a drizzle of honey.
- Leftovers will keep for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge. It tastes great spread onto a sandwich or enjoyed as a snack 😉
My Go-To Food Processor
Large Food Processor
This is my go-to large food processor from Cuisinart and the one I used to make this whipped feta recipe. It’s a super quick and powerful way to create things like energy balls, sauces, shredded cheese, veggies, and more!
Pumpkin Nutrition Benefits
We may associate pumpkin with halloween festivities and sugary pumpkin spice lattes, but did you know that pure pumpkin is actually super nutritious?!
Pumpkin is an incredible source of vitamin A, with 1 cup of cooked pumpkin providing 245% of your daily needs!
Pumpkin is also a good source of other micronutrients, like vitamin C, E, B2 (riboflavin), potassium, copper, manganese, and iron.
In addition to its rich micronutrient content, pumpkin also is a good source of dietary fibre – 1 cup cooked provides 3 grams.
With its vibrant orange colour, pumpkin is rich in carotenoids (e.g. beta-carotene), which act as antioxidants and help to prevent cellular damage.
More Easy Appetizer Recipes
- Whipped Feta With Balsamic Roasted Strawberries
- Whipped Goat Cheese Crostini With Prunes
- Savoury Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates
- Baked Feta With Tomatoes & Peppers
- Healthy Roasted Vegetable Dips: 3 Ways
Did you give this Pumpkin Whipped Feta Recipe a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!
If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Whipped Feta Dip
Ingredients
Whipped Feta:
- Approx. 8 oz block of feta cheese, drained from brine (around 220 grams)
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt (use a higher fat option for less tartness) (benefits of Greek yogurt)
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (unsweetened)
- 1-2 Tbsp honey (plus more, to serve)
- 1 tsp dried thyme (or 2 tsp fresh thyme)
- Black pepper (freshly cracked)
Toppings:
- Fresh thyme (can use dried, if needed)
- Chopped walnuts (optional; raw or toasted)
- Extra honey drizzle
Serve With:
- Crusty, toasted bread (like sourdough or baguette)
- Crackers
Instructions
- Make whipped feta by adding the feta cheese and greek yogurt to a food processor. Blend ingredients together for a few minutes until smooth, scraping down with a spatula as needed.
- Add pumpkin puree, 1 or 2 Tbsps of honey (depending on desired sweetness), thyme, and a few cracks of black pepper to the food processor. Blend again until all ingredients are combined.
- Transfer whipped feta to the fridge and chill (covered) for 30-60 minutes. This is necessary to harden and chill the dip.
- When you're ready to serve this recipe, transfer the whipped feta to a large bowl. Garnish with a handful of chopped walnuts (optional), a generous sprinkle of fresh thyme, an extra drizzle of honey, and more pepper.
- Serve with crusty/toasted bread or crackers for dipping. Enjoy!
Notes
- I’ve lowered the amount of Greek yogurt from the original recipe by half to reduce the tartness. The yogurt is necessary to cut the saltiness of the feta (I’ve tried it without and it is much too salty).
- Please use a block of feta stored in brine, rather than feta crumbles. Crumbles are made with an anti-caking agent so that they don’t stick together – this could cause issues when trying to make a smooth dip. The liquid brine also helps to protect the feta from air and therefore keeps it from going sour.
- I recommend using a traditional sheep’s milk feta, rather than one made from cow’s milk. Cow’s milk feta has a milder flavour, while sheep’s milk feta is much more sharp.
- If you like things sweeter, you are welcome to add an additional tablespoon of honey to the dip. Personally, I prefer adding the extra drizzle of honey when serving so that you get a bit of that honey flavour when you dip your bread in.
- Be sure to chill the dip in the fridge for at least 30-60 minutes before serving. This will help to firm up the dip to make it a better consistency. Otherwise, it will be too runny/soupy.
- While the walnuts are optional, I highly recommend the addition of fresh thyme. The herb really pulls the flavours together.
- This recipe is best served with toasted bread; it’s not meant to be eaten as a stand-alone. When tasting it, I recommend dipping some bread in there to see how the flavours pair together!
- If you’re making this recipe for a party, you can make the pumpkin whipped feta in advance (I’d say up to a day before!) Prepare the bread/dipping vehicles and add any toppings right before serving for optimal freshness.
- You can serve this recipe as a dip (as pictured) OR you can serve it as crostini! If you’d prefer making crostini, simply slice up a baguette, toast the bread in the oven, spread whipped feta on each slice, and top with walnuts, fresh thyme, and a drizzle of honey.
Nutrition
As a dietitian, I create recipes with whole food ingredients that provide the nutrients needed for optimal health. My nutrition philosophy does not focus on numbers; however, I understand that this information can be helpful.
Do note that the nutrition info provided is an estimate and I cannot guarantee correctness of the displayed values. These numbers will differ depending on brands used, recipe modifications, and amount eaten. If you require specific nutrition information due to medical reasons, please consult with your dietitian or physician.
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @walderwellness on Instagram. I love seeing your beautiful creations!
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52 Comments on “Pumpkin Whipped Feta Dip”
Loved this dip! When serving don’t be stingy with the honey though – it goes great with the dip. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Comi! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this one. And I agree with being generous with the extra honey haha 😉
My husband is allergic to honey. Should I use maple syrup or agave in place of the honey?
Hi Andrea! I haven’t personally tried this with either sweetener, so I can’t guarantee that the flavour will be as good of a pairing!! I think a darker coloured agave would have the most similar flavour to honey if you want to try that though 🙂
Hi there!
For those allergic to nuts, what would you recommend as an alternative? Thanks!
Hi Laura! Great question! Feel free to omit the walnuts completely. Alternatively, you could swap them with some pumpkin seeds if that works for you! They’re not a super integral part to the recipe 🙂
What kind of feta did you use?
Hi Bonnie! I just used regular feta – I usually purchase the kind that’s in a block, stored in liquid, from my local Whole Foods :). No particular brand name!
do you think you could sub goat cheese for the feta??
Hi Deborah! I haven’t personally tried the flavour profile, but from a cooking perspective yes it will 100% work! I’ve done whipped goat cheese recipes before and it’s just as delicious 🙂
What veggies would compliment this dip?
Hi Bridget! Great question! While I personally LOVE this one with fresh, crusty bread or crackers haha, I think it would go great with raw bell peppers or carrots! I hope that helps 🙂
I’ve followed the recipe but the taste is very tart. The flavor of yougury and feta standout too much. What can I add to make the dip taste better?
Hi Laura! Sorry you feel that it’s too tart – I would add more honey to balance it out! I hope that helps 🙂
I’m sorry to say that I didn’t like this at all. The raw pumpkin purée was really jarring to me and wasn’t appealing to eat. I dumped the whole batch, and was sad that I wasted a perfectly good block of feta.
I’m really sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this one, Lauren! I hate to have any foods go to waste or to have someone not enjoy my recipes – it’s never my intention. It’s a really popular recipe with my readers and I’ve seen so many people make it on social media (my husband and I loved it too!), but I guess it comes down to personal preference and it isn’t for everyone. My apologies again.
Thank you for this recipe as it’s very creative and fun! I didn’t quite like it as it was but was able to tweak it to make it better. I used a whole can of pumpkin purée because I also added a small thing of goat cheese to it and extra honey helps. The fresh thyme really brings it all together! I imagine this would be better with sweet potato so I’m excited to play with it further in the future.
Hi Alexandra! Thank you for sharing your experience. I’m so happy you were able to tweak this one to your liking!! I’m curious how it would taste with sweet potato – butternut squash would work too!!
Unfortunately this was a recipe that was TOO TART. Inedible. Strong taste of feta and yogurt. No matter how much honey you put. Had to throw the whole thing away.
Hi Jane! I’m so sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this one. I feel terribly that you had to throw it away! That is never my intention. This recipe appears to be a divisive one – my husband + I loved it and have had SO many people make it on social media who enjoyed it too, but I guess it simply isn’t for everyone!
I wonder if the tartness may be due to the type of yogurt you used? I personally use a fuller fat one, which I find to be less tart than a non-fat version.
Made this recipe for my book club and it was inedible. It’s really tart and the texture is funny, and I’m a huge feta fan! My friends tried it with more honey, but still didn’t help.
I’m so sorry to hear that, Stephanie. I’m not sure why so many people are both loving and hating this recipe (it’s been so popular on social media, but not in this comment section) – I guess it really comes down to personal taste preferences :(. Did you try it with the added thyme and walnuts too? I personally found that all the flavours worked really well together – I would never share something that I found inedible and I’m really sorry again that you didn’t enjoy this one.
I didn’t like this recipe. Decided to make it because of the many positive reviews! I’d suggest making half the recipe just in case! Was worth a try, but no thanks
Hi Nicole! I’m so sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy it, but appreciate the kind way you left this review. This really seems to be a love it or hate it recipe – I’m having a hard time figuring out if something is wrong with it, or if it just comes down to personal preference!! I hate to share something that people don’t enjoy – that’s never ever my intention.
If you are open to other whipped feta dips, I have one with balsamic roasted strawberries that is truly one of the most popular recipes on my blog. Perhaps it would be more in line with your tastes 🙂
It was super easy to make and held up very well as leftovers. If you want to use the whole can of pumpkin (which I did), budget for making 1.5 of the recipe. I didn’t have a food processor but my regular blender worked fine. I think leaving it in the fridge for an hour is crucial, and maybe even have it sitting on some ice to keep it firmer
No one is asking, but would def recommend it on some prosciutto pizza the next day…
Hi! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this one. This sounds fabulous on prosciutto pizza haha – such a great way to use up leftovers :)!!
I wanted to love this, but like other reviews, I found the recipe to be too tart and unbalanced. I think it would be improved with a home roasted pumpkin puree that had been stripped of most of its moisture. Additionally, if I were to make this again, I would add at least 1/4 cup of honey and omit the yogurt. The feta is tart enough and the yogurt only thins the dip and adds additionally sourness, I even used a whole fat yogurt. I can see this with some pomegranate seeds on top as garnish at Thanksgiving though- beautiful!
I’m so sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this recipe, Melissa! I do appreciate the kind comment and helpful suggestions, though. While I have tested it 3 times already (and enjoyed it personally!!), I will try to test it again with your suggestions. It’s the only controversial recipe on my site, with so many 5 star AND 1 star reviews – it leaves me puzzled, and I want to get to the bottom of it!!
If you do enjoy the idea of a whipped feta dip, perhaps I can suggest my whipped feta with balsamic roasted strawberries. That’s one of the most popular on my website, with much more agreement on how it tastes 🙂
Hi! I have to give an honest review so people know what to expect. I’m not crazy about feta so that probably doesn’t help but never minded it in salads or crumbles!
This dip though was sour.. I’m uncertain if I should even serve it for my guests! Everything was freshly bought but the flavoring is like tart level 100. I’ve put in much more honey and more pumpkin to balance but flavor is not right 🙁
Hi Nicole! I’m so sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this recipe. For some reason, it’s a really divided one among my readers! I’m actually going to re-test it today (even though I made it 3 times before sharing!!), just to see if I can tweak it to make it better, or if it really comes down to personal preferences.
Again, so sorry and I truly hate to hear when readers don’t enjoy my recipes!! I appreciate the honest review, though. If you want some other easy fall appetizer ideas, these pear + brie salad skewers, these goat cheese stuffed mini peppers, or these goat cheese stuffed dates are all really popular 🙂
Absolutely love this recipe 😍😍 the perfect dip for a cosy autumn night in 🍂
Thank you so much, Sarah!! So appreciate the review! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this one 🙂
Originally I left 2 stars so I am balancing out that review with 5 stars because my guests LOVED IT. I made it for my book club and told them I wasn’t a fan, I did add a LOT more honey and more pumpkin, but they scarfed it down. I served with bread, pita chips & cucumbers ! Thank you!
Hi Nicole! Thank you for coming back to leave a revised review – it’s much appreciated :). I’m so happy to hear that your guests loved this one!! Based on the polarizing reviews, I have come to the conclusion that this one is perhaps a matter of personal preference haha. I actually re-tested it again last week, and have added some additional notes to hopefully make it better for all. Thanks so much again 🙂
Hello! I loved this dip—thanks so much for sharing it! How do you think it would hold up in the freezer—for a short period of a couple of weeks or so? Thanks!
Hi Lisa! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this dip!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
I haven’t personally tried freezing it, so I’m not 100% sure how it will turn out once thawed. Sorry I’m not able to give more insight, but if you do try freezing it let me know! That said, it’s safe to keep for a few days in the fridge. We usually use the leftovers as a spread on sandwiches!!
I don’t know what I did wrong – the texture would not come together aka whipped. I tried a food processor and then electric beaters. The texture was grainy and crumbly, not smooth 🙁
Hi Lisa – so sorry to hear that this happened for you! Did you by chance use crumbled feta for this? I recommend using a block of feta stored in brine. Crumbled feta is made with an anti-caking agent so that the crumbles don’t stick together – this could cause issues when trying to make a smooth dip!! Hopefully this was the cause. Otherwise, I’m not entirely sure – it comes together in my food processor super quickly!
It was a block of feta, but it was in shrink wrapped packaging, with no liquid (I’m assuming brine?)
That could possibly have been the reason, but it’s hard for me to say! I haven’t heard of this happening :(. There will naturally be a tiny bit of graininess to the dip, just the nature of feta, but it should be relatively smooth!!
Absolutely love this fall dip. I serve it with veggies and bread.
Hi Patty! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!! It’s so appreciated and I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this pumpkin dip 🙂
This was soooo delicious! Instead of mixing in the thyme I just put it on top with the walnuts and it looked really pretty. Next time I’ll mix half and leave half for top.
Hi Tee! Thank you so much for the kind review! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe. Thyme on top works just as well 🙂
I loved this recipe!! I read through the comments bc it seemed like there were mixed reviews so I ended up omitting the Greek yogurt all together and it wasn’t sour. It was creamy and delish! I will say, if you aren’t a pumpkin fan, you probably won’t like this. It’s very pumpkin-y. If you like pumpkin, you’ll love it! 🙂
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this one, Maria!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. It’s definitely had a mix of reviews haha, so I actually re-tested this October and tweaked it slightly to cut the greek yogurt content in half. I find it helps to balance the saltiness of the feta, but I’m happy to hear that omitting it entirely worked for you as well!! Thanks again 🙂
Has anyone tried adding cream cheese? Maybe that could soften the flavors?
Hi Alli! I’m not sure, but if you try let me know! People seem to either love or hate this one – I think it may come down to personal taste preferences!
I made this but , cut the yogurt to half, added a 1/4cup of ricotta, a little pumpkin spice seasoning along with a little thyme , and used chili infused honey ,and black pepper . Then drizzled top with the chili infused honey . Came out great, a combo of savory, sweet ,& spicy .
Thank you so much for sharing, Amie!! This sounds absolutely fantastic. I love the spicy take here with the chili infused honey! Will have to try that myself next time 🙂
I had high hopes for this one, but it didn’t work. Doubled the honey, but still was too tart. Will try other recipes, but this one didn’t do it for us.
I’m so sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this one, Cindy!! This one truly seems to be a love it or hate it recipe based on reviews, I’m not sure why 🙁 Thanks for your feedback and I appreciate your openness to trying other recipes!