Herby Feta and Yogurt Dip With Sumac

Updated April 16, 2024

Herby Feta and Yogurt Dip With Sumac
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
5 minutes, plus chilling
Rating
4(581)
Notes
Read community notes

This tangy and creamy dip is the perfect appetizer for a warm summer evening outside, and it makes a nice condiment for grilled meats and veggies, too. Fresh green herbs brighten up the salty feta, and sumac gives it another layer of flavor and a gorgeous pop of color. Choose a feta in brine over vacuum-packed, if you’ve got the option. Feta varies a lot in salt content, so you won’t see a measured amount of salt here; just taste the dip and add a bit if you think it needs it.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings (about 1¼ cups)
  • 1cup full-fat Greek yogurt
  • ¾cup crumbled feta (about 130 grams)
  • 1tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving
  • 2tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus more for serving
  • 2tablespoons thinly sliced scallions, plus more for serving
  • 2teaspoons dried sumac, plus more for serving
  • Salt, to taste
  • Olive oil, for serving
  • Pita chips or crudités, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

158 calories; 11 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 334 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Add the yogurt, feta and lemon juice to the bowl of a food processor. Purée the mixture until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the parsley, mint, scallions and sumac, and pulse a few times just to combine.

  2. Step 2

    Transfer the dip to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

  3. Step 3

    Just before serving, give the dip a good stir and add salt to taste, if necessary. Top the dip with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with additional parsley, mint, scallions and sumac. Serve with pita chips or crudités. Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Ratings

4 out of 5
581 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

*Made as written. Delicious flavors, good texture. *Full fat Greek yogurt (like Fage 5%) and quality feta (used my fav brine packed sheep's milk French brand) - not the pre crumbled stuff - are key. *Love sumac but next time I'll try it just on top as it does 'color up' the dip when stirred in. *Leftovers good on toast, to top oven roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes...

0% yogurt is not healthier. It has more carbs, which would otherwise be displaced by the dairy fat. Besides, no-fat yogurt is pretty vile.

Made this per instructions, chilled a few hours and served, and it was pretty good , well received. Had some leftover and used it with cold grilled chicken on day 2 and wow - flavors are so much more intense and it’s better in my opinion. Recommend making day before and using on grilled meats. So good!

Very nice with raw vegetables and very easy to make. I used chives instead of mint and I imagine depending on one's mood or other dishes, you can use any fresh herb. By the second day it had thickened up a bit so I stirred in some olive oil and topped it off with a bit more sumac for color.

Don't make my mistake and not read the recipe which clearly states to make this in a food processor! I used my blender and of course had to add additional liquid to get it to blend, so it turned out like creamy Italian dressing in texture and viscosity. I used basil and mint from my garden and taste was lovely (I used buttermilk to get it going in blender) and I recommend, but next time--food processor!

I only had regular yogurt, so after reading the comments about runniness with greek yogurt I just used half the amount—we wanted a very feta-y dip and it was! the herbs, sumac, and lemon juice were all wonderful additions. we also threw in a few cloves of garlic to good effect.

I made this for a party and it was a hit. I used low fat Greek yogurt because that comes in a small container. The full fat only comes in a huge tub at my grocery store. Also the inexpensive feta crumbles. It turned out great and quite thick once it cooled in the fridge. The leftovers seem to keep in the fridge for quite awhile - great for snacking.

I don’t have a food processor so I just whipped it together with a fork. I suppose the texture is probably better in a good processor but the flavor was still good done by hand. I didn’t have any green onion on hand, so I used a little of the Penzey’s Fox Point seasoning blend to fill the onion void and I thought that added a good flavor.

The grocery store had no fresh mint, so I subbed in dill. Also, after reading other reviews, just pulsed the yogurt mixture in the food processor, rather than blending for 2 minutes. Our dip was rich and delicious on a cucumber (likewise for the baguette slices). Will make again.

Precrumbled feta is an abomination. True feta is the product of sheep’s or goat’s milk. Avoid all others and crumble your own. I use goat milk yogurt drained to thicken and the result is sublime.

The mint added so much to this dip. Didn’t have sumac so I used za’atar, which of course made this different but still delicious with sliced carrots, celery, and cucumber. My 7 yo loved it.

Followed the recipe preciseluly using full fat yoghurt. Amazing with baby spinach and roasted veggies.

I did NOT use a food processor. As a result, my dip was nice and thick.

Delicious made with nonfat Greek yogurt and without sumac but otherwise as written.

Used my Vitamix blender to process the yogurt, feta, and lemon juice - turned out perfect. Then hand mixed everything else in with some extra crumbled feta for texture. My sister has asked me to make this multiple times now!

This was really good but way too thin. Use less yogurt, more feta. I think I used regular yogurt, so using Greek yogurt would probably help as well.

Turned out way too runny even after doubling the feta.

Excellent and easy

Followed the instructions to the letter, but this came out too thin and runny. What can I do to thicken it, and where did I go wrong?!

One thing I noticed is that 3/4 cup of feta is only 80 grams. I used the whole 130 grams and consistency was perfect.

Made it exactly as it says. Perfect.

I don’t care for feta (gasp!). I think it’s the tang? Wish I did. Any ideas on a sub?

What can be subbed for the sumac?I live in MN and haven't been able to find it around here.

Very attractive - an elegant serve at table. Much appreciate its healthy qualities. Not bowled over by the flavor, but possibly it’s just not to my taste. I could taste the sharp lift of tartness in a bland base. One note and the other flavors seemed almost muddied. Don’t know why as it had so many yummy ingredients. Maybe I got something wrong. Possible. Will try once more. Maybe fresh dill and one or two minced garlic cloves? Thinking.

Veganized with coconut labneh and 1/2 c violife feta. In the future I would add a Tbsp tahini so as not to rely on vegan feta for flavor.

I made this exactly as written, it then realized the yoghurt container was only 5 ounces. So I added ricotta cheese to make up the deficit and it worked. Everyone loved it.

Definitely more dressing like than dip like. Good with pitas, vegetables, potatoes, and air fried chicken.

Meh as a dip. But used it as a binder for a casserole with rice, puy lentils and steamed broccoli. Delicious! #thereifixedit

This was flavorful but mine had a consistency more like a dressing than a dip.

This fell flat for me as written. I strained a good quantity of goat milk yogurt overnight to yield one cup, used sheep’s milk feta, and it just tasted too one-note after a few hours of chilling. I just added a tsp of za’atar and 1/2 tsp garlic powder and that definitely amped up the flavor.

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