This Quick Pumpkin Whipped Feta Dip with Pecans and Sage is a great appetizer for Fall gatherings!
Tangy feta cheese gets whipped with pumpkin for the most dreamiest smooth dip texture.
Top with walnuts, crispy sage and some pomegranate arils for a delicious bite each time.
While I love this whipped feta with cranberries appetizer, I knew I needed something Fall-inspired like this pumpkin dip. The earthy sweetness of pumpkin blend so seamlessly together with the salty feta cheese. Topped with crunchy walnuts, crispy sage and a pop of juice pomegranate arils (seeds), it’s a true Fall-flavour explosion!
If you’re a pumpkin-lover, this is the appetizer recipe for you!
Why you’ll love pumpkin whipped feta dip
- Quick: This dip can be whipped up in just 15 minutes!
- Easy: All of the ingredients are easy to find in your local grocery store.
- Crowd-pleaser: Serve this dip for a Fall get-together, movie night or during the holiday season.
Ingredients needed
Feta cheese: the fresh feta cheese combined with the greek yogurt provides a divine creamy texture as the base for this dip.
Greek yogurt: plain greek yogurt helps to give the whipped feta a luscious, creamy texture. The higher the fat content of the yogurt the creamier the dip will be!
Pumpkin: you can use canned pumpkin puree
Olive oil: olive oil brings the whipped feta all together perfectly in the food processor.
Honey: honey adds just a little sweetness to the pumpkin feta dip mixture
Seasonings: dried thyme, ground nutmeg, chili flakes and salt make a lovely seasoning combination; if you don’t have chili flakes, red pepper flakes will work!
Fresh sage: I love crisping up the sage for texture to top this dip
Toppings: crunchy walnuts and tart pomegranate seeds bring texture and vibrance to this pumpkin whipped feta dip
How to make pumpkin whipped feta dip
Step 1: Set aside a small paper towel lined plate.
Step 2: Place a small pan on medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted and just starts to bubble, add the sage leaves. Cook for 2-3 minutes until crispy. Remove the sage leaves to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
Step 3: To a food processor add the feta cheese, greek yogurt, honey and extra-virgin olive oil and blend on high until fully combined and mostly smooth, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed.
Step 4: Then, add the pumpkin puree, dried thyme, salt, ground nutmeg and chili flakes and blend again on high speed until smooth and a creamy consistency is reached, scraping down the sides as needed.
Step 5: Spread the pumpkin whipped feta into a low / shallow bowl. Then, sprinkle the chopped walnuts and pomegranate seeds over top, followed by a drizzle of honey, sprinkle of black pepper or chili flakes and then top with all of the crispy sage leaves, spreading out over the dip. Serve with your favorite crackers and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
- Make this dip ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 1 day / overnight. Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving to bring it to a better temperature to spread into a low / shallow bowl for serving.
- If you have a nut allergy or prefer not to use walnuts, chopped pecans or pumpkin seeds are a great substitution.
- Easily make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free crackers for dipping.
- If you can’t find fresh sage to make the crispy sage topping for this pumpkin feta dip, you can use fresh thyme leaves as a garnish instead.
- I love serving this dip with Raincoast Crisp crackers – they have so many amazing flavors perfect for the Fall!
Variations on this feta dip recipe
- Serve as a crostini bite instead: Place the dip in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to firm up and then spread onto crostini and top each with chopped walnuts, pomegranate seeds and a drizzle of honey.
- Make crostini to serve with this pumpkin feta dip appetizer: Preheat the oven to 400°Fahrenheit. Use a bread knife to slice a baguette into 1-inch thick slices, about 20-24 slices. Place the baguette slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush the bread slices with olive oil on one side and place in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, then flip and bake for another 5 minutes until toasted. Set aside.
- Instead of drizzling with honey, go more savory and drizzle with a balsamic glaze instead.
Common Questions
You can use canned pure pumpkin purée to make this dip super easy and quick to make! Alternatively, if you do have fresh cooked pumpkin available, you can blend it and use the required amount listed in the recipe.
You can try to use a high-speed blender or hand-blender instead of a food processor. Just note, it might take longer to blend into a smooth consistency and I would recommend scraping down the sides of the blender a few times to make sure everything is incorporated nicely.
If your dip is a bit runny, it could be due to the type of feta cheese and/or pumpkin puree used. It’s an easy fix however, simply make the dip and place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up a bit before adding garnishes and serving.
How to store leftover dip
Transfer dip to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Give leftover pumpkin whipped feta dip a good stir before enjoying again.
More dip appetizer recipes to love from the blog
Whipped Ricotta with Roasted Grapes & Hazelnuts
The Best Cranberry Whipped Feta Dip (holiday recipe!)
Easy Cheesy Baked Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
Quick Pumpkin Whipped Feta Dip with Crispy Sage
Ingredients
For the crispy sage
- 1 tbsp butter
- 8-10 small sage leaves
For the pumpkin whipped feta
- 225 g 8oz feta cheese, (about 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta)
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin purée
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- pinch of chili flakes (or red pepper flakes)
Garnishes
- 3 tbsp chopped walnuts
- 3 tbsp pomegranate arils (seeds)
- fresh ground pepper and/or chili flakes to garnish
- liquid honey for drizzling
Instructions
For the crispy sage
- Set aside a small paper towel lined plate.Place a small pan on medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted and just starts to bubble, add the sage leaves. Cook for 2-3 minutes until crispy. Remove the sage leaves to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
For the pumpkin whipped feta dip
- To a food processor add the feta cheese, greek yogurt, honey and extra-virgin olive oil and blend on high until fully combined and mostly smooth, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed.
- Then, add the pumpkin puree, dried thyme, salt, ground nutmeg and chili flakes and blend again on high speed until smooth and a creamy consistency is reached, scraping down the sides as needed.
Assemble the dip
- Spread the pumpkin whipped feta into a low / shallow bowl. Then, sprinkle the chopped walnuts and pomegranate seeds over top, followed by a drizzle of honey, sprinkle of black pepper or chili flakes and then top with all of the crispy sage leaves, spreading out over the dip. Serve immediately with your favorite crackers and enjoy!Note: If not serving immediately, store in the fridge without toppings and garnish when ready to serve.
Notes
- Make this dip ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 1 day / overnight. Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving to bring it to a better temperature to spread into a low / shallow bowl for serving.
- If you have a nut allergy or prefer not to use walnuts, chopped pecans or pumpkin seeds are a great substitution.
- Easily make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free crackers for dipping.
- If you can’t find fresh sage to make the crispy sage topping for this pumpkin feta dip, you can use fresh thyme leaves as a garnish instead.
- I love serving this dip with Raincoast Crisp crackers – they have so many amazing flavors perfect for the Fall!
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