This is Tiropita: a flaky, cheesy, creamy Greek Cheese Pie. You may have heard of tiropitakia which are the smaller, triangular shaped versions, but this tiropita is a large pie that is cut into slices and drizzled with sesame seeds and honey. I really hope you enjoy the recipe, my friends.
For something that looks pretty complex, this tiropita recipe is so simple. The cheese filling only requires three ingredients which just requires a bit of a mash, and then filo pastry which acts as the parcel for our tiropita dish.
If you're interested in trying the mini versions, check out my tiropitakia recipe! For those of you who love Greek-inspired food, then you'll love my greek meatballs keftedes or my air fryer greek yogurt chicken recipe!
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About Emily's Recipe
If you're new here, hi! I'm Emily - a recipe developer, food content creator, and cookbook author! Thanks for stopping by to check out my Tiropita recipe. I really hope you enjoy it and please do let me know in the comments if you give it a go!
If you'd like to join a community of food lovers, just subscribe to my newsletter for recipes, cooking tips, and foodie chats. Now, let me tell you a bit more about this recipe...
Texture: you've got the crispy flaky filo dough that then goes soft and moist as you get closer to the centre. The cheese filling is soft.
Taste: tangy, cheesy, creamy cheese filling with a crispy pastry flavour topped with a hint of honey.
Ease: For a baked good, I would say this is pretty simple!
Top Tips: 1. Make sure to add layers of melted butter between each filo sheet.
Would I make this again? yes, it's a simple snack you can make for yourself to eat throughout the week. Or it's a fantastic appetiser for a dinner party or to take to friends!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Feta: I love the tang that the feta adds to this dish.
Eggs: we're using eggs not only to bind the filling together but to add richness and flavour.
Ricotta: the creamy part for our filling. You could alternatively use cream cheese or mascarpone.
Filo: thin sheets of pastry creates a flaky crispy pie. This doesn't work with other types of pastries!
Butter + olive oil: we melt butter and olive oil to brush our filo pastry to make them crispy and moist.
Sesame seeds: as our topping. You could use poppy seeds or nigella seeds too.
Honey: this is optional but I highly recommend. The honey balances out the tanginess from the feta.
The full list of ingredients and quantities is at the bottom of this blog in the recipe card!
Step by step instructions with photos
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the feta, ricotta and eggs. Mash until nearly smooth with small lumps from the feta. Season with a pinch of salt and a big grind of black pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 180C fan / 390F (or based on the instructions on your filo pastry packet). Get yourself a 2-3 inch deep baking tray and brush the base and sides with the melted butter and olive oil mixture. Then place a filo sheet on each side of the tray, half on the tray and half off the tray (essentially creating flaps). Brush with the butter and oil mixture, then place down a filo sheet covering the base of the tray. Repeat this step 6 times.
Step 3: Pour the cheese filling into the centre of the filo and gently tap the baking tray against the kitchen surface to flatten the top of the feta cheese topping. Fold in the sheets of filo that were half out of the tray (the flaps), then brush with butter/oil and then top with 6 more layers of filo, ensuring the butter/oil brushing between each layer.
Step 4: Brush with a final layer of butter/oil mixture and then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden!
Step 5: Remove from the oven once golden and crispy. Slice your pie into 6 pieces and enjoy with a drizzle of honey!
What to do with leftovers
Storage: Once cooled, transfer into airtight containers and into the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing: you can totally freeze any leftovers for up to 3 months in airtight containers (don't forget to label with contents and date). Leave to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. The texture may change once reheated.
Reheating: Place in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for 10 minutes until piping hot. Serve with more honey!
FAQs
For sure, you could use cream cheese or mascarpone!
Absolutely! Seasoning the tiropita filling with dried oregano and lemon zest would give you a mediterranean vibe. For something a bit different, you could add 2 teaspoon of harissa paste to give you a spicy tang.
I love serving tiropita with a greek salad and my greek keftedes (meatballs).
More recipes you might enjoy!
If you tried this Tiropita recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you!
Tiropita (Greek Cheese Pie)
Ingredients
- 200 g feta cheese
- 250 g ricotta cheese
- 3 eggs
- salt and pepper
- 16 sheets of filo pastry
- 2 tablespoon butter melted and combined with the olive oil in a bowl
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- honey
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the feta, ricotta and eggs. Mash until nearly smooth with small lumps from the feta. Season with a pinch of salt and a big grind of black pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180C fan / 390F (or based on the instructions on your filo pastry packet). Get yourself a 2-3 inch deep baking tray and brush the base and sides with the melted butter and olive oil mixture. Then place a filo sheet on each side of the tray, half on the tray and half off the tray (essentially creating flaps). Brush with the butter and oil mixture, then place down a filo sheet covering the base of the tray. Repeat this step 6 times (with the butter/oil brushed in-between each layer).
- Pour the cheese filling into the centre of the filo and gently tap the baking tray against the kitchen surface to flatten the top of the feta cheese topping. Fold in the sheets of filo that were half out of the tray (the flaps), then brush with butter/oil and then top with 6 more layers of filo, with the butter/oil brushing between each layer.
- Brush with a final layer of butter/oil mixture and then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden!
- Remove from the oven once golden and crispy. Slice your pie into 6 pieces and enjoy with a drizzle of honey!
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