What is the difference between spanakopita and tiropita?

What Is Tiropita? Like spanakopia, tiropita is also a savory Greek pie that's wrapped in a phyllo crust, but its filling is different than spanakopita . Instead of spinach, herbs, and feta, tiropita is filled with a mixture of cheese and eggs.

What cheese is tiropita made of?

Since the main ingredient in the tiropita is feta , you will not need to add additional salt to the mixture. Typically we will add a bit of a less salty, fresh cheese such as anthotiro or if you cannot find it, you may add ricotta.

What do you eat with tiropita?

Tiropita is sold throughout Greece in coffee shops and bakeries. It pairs well with a hot cup of coffee but you can also serve it as a main course with a nice salad. Delicious!

How do Greeks use feta cheese?

Feta is used as a table cheese, in salads such as Greek salad, and in pastries, notably the phyllo-based Greek dishes spanakopita "spinach pie" and tyropita "cheese pie" . It is often served with olive oil or olives, and sprinkled with aromatic herbs such as oregano.

What does tiropita mean in Greek?

Tiropita or tyropita (Greek: τυρóπιτα, " cheese-pie ") is a Greek pastry made with layers of buttered phyllo and filled with a cheese-egg mixture.

How healthy is spanakopita?

Spanakopita is a Greek spinach pie typically containing cheese such as feta and/or ricotta. Our version is low in calories while high in fibre, iron and calcium . It's also diabetes-friendly and suitable for vegetarians.

What is tiropita made of?

Tiropita (or tyropita) is a Greek pie made from layers of phyllo dough that are filled with a cheese and egg mixture. Tiropita can be made as individual pastries, like we did here. Or, you can make it in one large pan and cut into serving portions, like you do for Kotopita.

What Greek food is similar to spanakopita?

Tiropsomo is similar to spanakopita and tiropita as they use cheese as their main ingredient. But what differentiates this Greek street food is that the cheese is baked into light bread instead of filo pastry. Apart from feta cheese, tiropsomo uses unkneaded dough made from flour and milk.

What is another name for spanakopita?

Savory spinach pie Piece of layered variety of savory spinach pie Alternative names zeljanica, spanakopita, ispanaklı Selanik böreği, ispanaklı Boşnak böreği Main ingredients Phyllo, spinach (or leeks, chard, or sorrel), white cheese (mladi sir, or beyaz peynir, or feta, or ricotta), eggs, sometimes onions or scallions 5 more rows

Do Greeks eat spanakopita for breakfast?

Greeks also love eating pies for breakfast ! All kind of pies : tiro pita (cheese pie), spanakopita (spinach pie), kreato-pita (chicken meat pie), served in triangular pieces.

Tiropita Recipe, Greek Feta Cheese Pies | Alexandra’s Kitchen (2024)

Home » Recipe Type » Appetizers » Tiropitas

4.9 from 18 reviews

//By Alexandra Stafford onApril 6, 2012 (updated July 16, 2020) Jump To Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Tiropitas, Greek cheese-and-egg filled phyllo triangles, are always a party favorite. What’s more, they’re not complicated and can be made ahead and stashed in the freezer, making them perfect to have on hand for entertaining.

When my freezer is stocked with frozen, unbaked tiropitas, I can rest easy knowing any guests will not starve if I’m still wrapping things up in the kitchen. Just pop the frozen triangles into the oven straight from the freezer, and 20 minutes later they’ll be done.

Red eggs for Greek Easter.

Ella helps make biscotti, while I assemble tiropitas:

Graham bounces nearby:

Tiropitas

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 18 reviews

Ingredients

1/2 lb. feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 lb. cottage cheese, small curd
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 lb. fillo dough*, thawed
1/2 lb. unsalted butter, melted

*Fillo comes in all shapes and sizes these days. The variety I can find, Athens brand, weighs 1 pound and contains two 8-oz bags of 20 sheets each measuring 9 x 14-inches. If your fillo comes in the larger sheets, cut it in half so that it’s roughly 9 x 14-inches. After you cut it, gently roll it up and place it in a ziploc bag.

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Instructions

Combine cheeses, eggs and salt in a bowl. Stir until blended.
Set up your station: you need a large cutting board, a teaspoon (a measuring teaspoon), a brush, the melted butter, a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and the fillo dough. If you haven’t already, unwrap the fillo dough and place it in a ziploc back.
Lay one sheet of fillo horizontally oriented in front of you on your cutting board. Brush it with butter. Run a knife down the piece of dough every two inches or so — this should yield six to seven strips. (See photo above.)
Place one teaspoon of cheese mixture at the end of each strip. Fold over corner to make a triangle. Continue folding from side to side till you get to the end of the strip. (See photos above.) Place on prepared pan. Brush tops with butter. Repeat process until you’ve used up all of your filling.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool briefly before serving.

Notes

Note: If you’d like to make these ahead, place assembled (unbaked) tiropitas in the freezer. Either freeze the tiropitas in a single layer and then transfer them to a ziploc bag once they are completely frozen, or be sure to place a piece of parchment paper in between each layer of the tiropitas if you freeze them in a storage container. Bake frozen for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. I find mine take even longer than 20 minutes before they are golden, but my oven is very old.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Appetizer
Method: Oven
Cuisine: Greek

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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61 Comments on “Tiropitas”

Daniel Anthony —June 10, 2022 @ 8:34 pm Reply
yassas,
My family Is from island of Crete. My mamas recipe. I love your version as well.
12 ounce block of feta cheese cut into 4 even rectangles of 3 ounces each
4 sheets phyllo dough
2 tablespoons Greek olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
4 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
Fold one sheet of phyllo in half and placeone block of feta into the center. Fold into an envelop shape and place on a small baking sheet. Repeat with the other three blogs of feta.Brush each phyllo envelope with olive oil and sprinkle the sesame seeds evenly over all four of them. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until golden. This should take about 15-20 minutes.
While the feta packets are baking in the oven, mix the honey, vinegar, and water in a small dish. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over all four of the feta and phyllo packets right when it comes out of the oven.
Also a tip for working with phyllo. You need 2 thin backing cloths. They need to be very lightly damp not wet at all think more as to keep cold not wet. Place phyllo in middle of cloths. Take one piece out at a time them place cloth back on top and repeat every time you work with a new piece. Hope this help😊 Αντίο
- Alexandra Stafford —June 14, 2022 @ 3:14 am Reply
  THis sounds amazing, Daniel! Thanks so much for writing and sharing it. And thank you for your tip on working with phyllo, too. So helpful!
Blanca —December 13, 2022 @ 5:13 am Reply
Looks yummy!
Ginka —March 5, 2023 @ 1:32 pm Reply
Fabulous! Salty, crispy little treats!
- Alexandra Stafford —March 7, 2023 @ 7:57 pm Reply
  Great to hear!
Greek food lover —December 21, 2023 @ 6:39 am Reply
Hi! Do you recommend lowfat or full-fat cottage cheese? Thank you. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
- Alexandra Stafford —December 24, 2023 @ 5:29 am Reply
  I always use full fat 🙂