You need crumbled feta cheese for a recipe but what you have on hand is a block of feta. No worries. Let's learn how to crumble cheeses like feta easily at home.
Feta cheese is one of the dairy ingredients that we love to incorporate into dishes like pasta and salads. And we always crumble it at home or sometimes mash it in feta dips as it is really easy and not even messy at all.
Traditional feta cheese is our all time favorite cheese, we love its tangy taste. So we buy several packages at one time and we always have some in the fridge in case of urgent feta cravings. If you are like us, you might want to see our guide about how to store feta cheese in brine and keep it fresh.
There are traditional feta crumbles sold in containers at some supermarkets (like Athenos traditional crumbled feta cheese at Walmart), but it might be a real challenge to find it elsewhere.
However, you can easily find blocks of feta cheese at groceries. Plus, it is tastier and economical when you buy it in blocks. So why don't you make feta cheese crumbles at home to use in your recipes?
Not all cheeses are crumbly. If a recipe calls for crumbled cheese, the best options are blue cheese, queso fresco and feta cheese. And you can use the easy and simple method we share in this post to crumble all these cheeses.
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Feta is our favorite cheese that crumbles. Brands might differ in their texture; some are soft and some are hard depending on the total fat they contain. But they are all good to crumble.
How To Crumble Feta Cheese
1. Cut a slice of feta cheese: If you don't need a whole block, slice off the amount you need with a knife. Put the rest in brine and keep it in the fridge.
2. Wash it: If the feta cheese you are using is too salty, wash it under running cold water for 5-10 seconds to remove the excessive salt and brine. This reduces the sodium content a bit.
3. Gently dry it with a paper towel.
4. Put it on a plate and break it into small pieces with the help of a fork. You decide how tiny or big you want the pieces to be. You can of course use your hands to break the feta cheese into pieces if you don't mind.
5. The crumbled feta cheese is ready to go into omelettes, on salads with tomatoes (or beets) and pizzas.
Crumbling In A Freezer Bag
Another method which some people might find even easier is crumbling the cheese in a freezer bag. Just put the sliced cheese in a medium or small sized freezer bag and break it into pieces with your fingers.
This method might be really practical when you need a large amount of crumbled feta cheese to make dishes like spanikopita, Greek spinach and feta cheese pie or its Turkish counterpart, spinach and feta borek. And it is also great when you make the world-famous Turkish pastry called gozleme, which is a stuffed thin flatbread.
Another good thing about this method is that you can just freeze the leftover crumbled feta cheese in the same bag. Make sure to thaw it and use it whenever a recipe calls for grated feta or shredded feta cheese.
Crumbled Feta Cheese Recipes
Feta cheese is always a flavorful addition to dishes. We often prepare super quick open sandwiches with tomatoes, feta cheese seasoned with oregano and olive oil. These make a satisfying afternoon snack. They can be served as appetizers too, they really go well with white wine.
You can create amazing appetizers with feta like feta stuffed peppers.
One of our quick lunch dishes is a feta sandwich, which is really satisfying and so tasty. If you are a fan of avocado toast, just sprinkle some feta on it to take it to the next level.
Sprinkling on salads is a great thing you can make with crumbled feta cheese. We love it on our Mediterranean salad with olives. It is great when combined with grains like wheat berries or bulgar wheat too.
You can throw some crumbled feta cheese on almost any dish. We sometimes enjoy our red lentil soup with some feta cheese crumbles on it. Any soup gets even tastier with some cheese on it.
Also, it is a great cheese to cook with. Some of our suggestions are feta zucchini fritters, sigara boregi, which is a recipe for cigar shaped phyllo rolls.
You might be asking: Does feta cheese melt when cooked? No, it doesn't melt. Feta crumbles become soft and gooey with a creamy taste but it doesn't melt like mozzarella or cheddar.
Oh and if you want a more elaborate option, you can even add some feta in our irresistible stuffed chicken dish and serve this beauty on a special occasion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is the same. But as its name suggests, crumbled feta is the feta that is broken into pieces. So if you have feta in your fridge, just break it into pieces for the recipes calling for crumbled feta.
Ricotta or cottage cheese would be the best substitute for crumbled feta cheese. They are very similar in terms of texture. However, feta is saltier and tangier than these. Also, Mexican fresh cotija is very similar to feta with its flavor and texture.
Feta is a Greek cheese made from sheep's milk or a combination of sheep and goat's milk. It is often sold in the shape of blocks in vacuumed packages. You can easily crumble these blocks of cheese for recipes.
Yes! You can eat it on its own. It is a great breakfast food or a snack. You can pair it with some olives and tomatoes when serving.
Other Feta Recipes
Need more ideas on what to make with crumbled feta cheese? Check the following recipes out!
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📖 Recipe
How To Make Crumbled Feta Cheese
Make your own crumbled feta cheese with this super easy method. You only need a fork to break into pieces and it's ready to be used in recipes!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Crumbling
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 block of feta cheese (7 oz / 200 g)
Instructions
- Slice off the amount of feta cheese you need with a knife if you don't need a whole block. Put the rest in brine and keep it in the fridge.
- If the feta cheese you are using is too salty, wash it under running cold water for 5-10 seconds to remove the excessive salt and brine. This reduces the sodium content a bit.
- Gently dry it with a paper towel.
- Put it on a plate and break it into small pieces with the help of a fork. You decide how tiny or big you want the pieces to be. You can of course use your hands to break the feta cheese into pieces if you don't mind.
- Use it in recipes that require crumbled feta cheese.
Notes
- Another method which some people might find even easier is crumbling the cheese in a freezer bag. Just put the sliced cheese in a medium or small sized freezer bag and break it into pieces with your fingers.
- You can store the leftover feta crumbles in a resealable bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 528
- Sugar: 8.2 g
- Sodium: 1834 mg
- Fat: 42.6 g
- Trans Fat:
- Carbohydrates: 8.2 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 28.4 g
- Cholesterol: 178 mg
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