Baked Feta With Olives (Recipe)
Bake a block of feta and a handful of olives together in a hot oven — around 200 C (400 F) for 20 to 25 minutes — until the cheese turns soft and creamy and the olives blister and release their oil. That is the whole trick. Everything else is seasoning. This is a proper Mediterranean meze bake: cheap, forgiving, ready in under half an hour, and built to be scooped straight from the dish with warm bread. Keep the feta in one piece rather than crumbled, use a good glug of olive oil, and let the oven do the work.
The ingredients
This serves four as a shared starter or two as a light supper with bread and a salad. Feta is a protected-designation cheese made in Greece from sheep’s milk (sometimes with a little goat’s milk), so buy a proper block in brine rather than the pre-crumbled tubs, which are usually drier and often not real feta at all. For the olives, a mix of green and black works beautifully — Kalamata for depth, a plump green Halkidiki or Nafplion for bite. If you want to read up on which olive suits which dish, our olive varieties encyclopedia is a good place to browse.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Feta (block, in brine) | 200 g | One whole slab; pat dry before baking |
| Mixed olives, whole | 150 g (roughly a cup) | Kalamata + a green variety; pitted is easier to eat |
| Cherry tomatoes | 200 g | Optional but lovely; halve the larger ones |
| Extra-virgin olive oil | 3 tbsp | Be generous; it becomes the sauce |
| Garlic | 2 cloves | Sliced or lightly crushed, skin on |
| Dried oregano | 1 tsp | Greek rigani if you can find it |
| Chilli flakes | a pinch | Optional, for a gentle warmth |
| Black pepper & lemon zest | to taste | No added salt — feta and olives bring plenty |
How to make it
- Heat the oven to 200 C (400 F / gas 6). Pat the feta dry with kitchen paper so it colours rather than steams.
- Assemble in one dish. Sit the whole block of feta in the centre of a small baking dish. Scatter the olives, tomatoes and garlic around it — not on top, so the cheese stays exposed.
- Season and oil. Pour the olive oil over everything, sprinkle the oregano and chilli, and grind over some pepper. Skip the salt.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the feta is soft and slumping and the tomatoes have burst. For a golden top, slide it under the grill for the last 2 to 3 minutes — watch it closely, as it colours fast.
- Rest and serve. Let it settle for a couple of minutes, then finish with lemon zest and a drizzle of the oil from the dish. Serve warm with crusty bread, pita or flatbread for scooping.
A note on texture: feta does not melt into a smooth pool the way mozzarella does. It softens and turns creamy while holding its shape, so if yours stays a little firm in the middle, that is exactly right — mash it into the warm oil and olives as you eat. If you prefer a looser, dip-like result, break the block up halfway through baking and stir it through the tomatoes.
Handy variations
This bake takes well to whatever is in the cupboard. A drizzle of honey over the hot feta gives a sweet-salty finish that plays off the olives. Roasted red peppers, a few capers, or a scattering of fresh oregano or thyme all belong here. For a heartier version, stir the baked mixture through hot pasta with a splash of the starchy cooking water — a quick nod to the baked-feta pasta that swept the internet a few years back. If you are curing your own olives to use, our olive curing guide walks through brining and salt-curing at home.
Baked Feta With Olives — common questions
Does feta melt when you bake it?
Not into a liquid. Feta is a firm brined cheese, so in the oven it softens and becomes creamy and spreadable while keeping its block shape. That is the texture you want — scoopable, not runny.
Should I rinse the olives first?
There is no need. A quick drain from their brine or oil is enough. Rinsing only makes sense if the olives are very salty and you are worried about the dish overall, since feta already brings a lot of salt.
Can I make baked feta with olives ahead of time?
It is best fresh and warm from the oven, when the cheese is soft and the oil is fragrant. You can assemble the dish a few hours ahead, keep it covered in the fridge, and bake just before serving. Leftovers keep for a day or two and reheat gently, though the texture firms up once cold.
What do you serve with it?
Warm bread for scooping is essential — pita, sourdough or a flatbread. Beyond that, it sits happily on a meze table alongside dips, a simple tomato-and-cucumber salad, or grilled vegetables. It is naturally vegetarian and gluten-free (just mind the bread you choose to serve alongside).