A delicious, easy dip that’s perfect for cheese boards, entertaining, or as a spread with bread (yes, yes, I’m a poet!). This chunky walnut feta dip with fresh dill, lemon and garlic is, in my husband’s words, “divine.” Win! It’s creamy, salty, tangy, and beautifully crunchy. You can say goodbye to boring dips!
There are a few things I love about this chunky walnut feta dip. First, it takes just 10 minutes to make (and is ridiculously easy). Second, it uses what I think is one of the most underrated herbs – dill! Even better is that it uses an entire bunch! No more buying a bunch of herbs just to use a tiny bit, then leaving the rest to rot. Finally, it packs so much unique Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavour that you’ll be eagerly hunting for new things to pair it with! (FYI – it goes well with surprisingly many things – chicken, crackers, bread, sandwiches, and more!)
Ingredients in this Chunky Walnut Feta Dip
For this chunky dip, you’ll need walnuts, feta cheese, fresh dill, lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. It’s personal preference whether you want to use a milder olive oil! But I prefer the peppery, robust flavour from a good quality extra virgin olive oil. But if you’d like it less peppery, go for regular olive oil! You’ll also notice there’s no salt in this recipe. I didn’t need any because of how salty the feta was. But do a taste test right at the end, and add some salt if needed.
And for the feta cheese, I like to use Greek feta. It’s usually made with sheep’s milk (sometimes combined with goat’s milk). It’s generally firmer and saltier than Persian feta (which is creamier and often made with cow’s milk). You can of course use any feta you like. I just prefer the firmness of the Greek feta since it doesn’t turn to mush when you mix it through the dip!
How to Make this Chunky Walnut Feta Dip
First, toast the walnuts in a dry pan until they are slightly golden. You could also roast them in the oven, but this is more effort! The reason you want to toast them off is because walnut skins contain tannins. These are compounds which can give a bitter, astringent taste (kind of like a dry red wine). Toasting the walnuts help reduce the tannin-flavour! To significantly reduce the tannins and bitterness, soak the walnuts overnight in water first and drain them off before toasting. If you haven’t planned ahead, then toasting them is fine! I think the slight bitterness complements the creamy, salty feta and the lemon beautifully. You can also rub the toasted skins off between a tea towel if you are so inclined!
Pro tip: you might see little black flecks in the bottom of your pan after toasting the walnuts. This is just bits of skin that have burnt. To avoid having them in your dip and giving a burnt taste, place the toasted walnuts in a bowl first. Give the bowl a shake and lift the walnuts out of there, leaving behind any small, black, burnt flecks!
Then, very roughly chop the walnuts. Once you’ve done this, making this chunky walnut feta dip is ridiculously easy. Crumble in the feta cheese, throw in the chopped dill, grated garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Then just mix, and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This chunky walnut feta dip is a beautiful addition to a cheeseboard with crackers and dried fruit. Perfect for entertaining or for the holidays! It is also delicious with grilled chicken as a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern chunky salsa of sorts! It would also be perfect for sandwiches or wraps with cheese and chicken, or falafel. Or, enjoy simply with some warm pita bread, olives or breadsticks as part of a mezze platter.
I truly hope you love this recipe! xxx
Chunky Walnut Feta Dip with Dill (Mediterranean/Middle Eastern)
Description
A delicious, easy dip that's perfect for cheese boards, entertaining, or as a spread with bread (yes, yes, I'm a poet!). This chunky walnut feta dip with fresh dill, lemon and garlic is, in my husband's words, "divine." Win! It's creamy, salty, tangy, and beautifully crunchy. You can say goodbye to boring dips!
Ingredients
Method
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In a dry pan, toast the walnuts for 4-5 minutes on low-medium heat until they are nicely golden and toasted. Move them around regularly so they don't burn.
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Once the walnuts are toasted, chop them very roughly, and place into a large bowl. Finely chop the dill leaves and add them to the bowl. Crumble in the feta cheese, the lemon juice, the grated/minced garlic, pepper, and olive oil. Mix well.
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Taste and adjust for salt (if you want it extra tangy, go in with the juice from the other half of the lemon!)
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Serve at room temperature. Enjoy!
