Fried Feta Balls with Hot Honey
Posted on: February 20, 2024. Updated on: February 20, 2024.
by Carolina Gelen
Table of Contents
What are fried feta balls with hot honey?
These fried feta balls with hot honey are the perfect crowd-pleasing appetizer to serve at your next party or gathering. The recipe starts with the feta cheese filling, which is a creamy, tangy mixture that uses feta cheese, cream cheese, fresh herbs and garlic powder.
To make the fried feta balls with hot honey, we scoop out the feta filling, roll it into balls and freeze them. Afterwards, we toss each feta ball in egg and panko to create a crunchy outside shell.
Lastly, the freshly fried feta balls get topped with a spicy, sweet, buttery hot honey sauce that balances out all that briny, tangy saltiness in the feta.
The best tips to get these fried feta balls with hot honey right
- For the best fried feta balls with hot honey results, make sure you freeze the feta cheese balls prior to breading and frying. Freezing keeps them nice and solid, therefore easier to work with when breading, but it also keeps the breading glued to the cheese, and prevents it from disintegrating while frying.
- Don’t skip the double breading! Double breading is crucial in this scenario, as it keeps the feta from seeping out all over in the oil. While developing this recipe, I tested both double breading and regular breading, and 9 times out of 10, the regularly breaded feta balls disintegrated in the — not fun!
- Serve the fried feta balls with hot honey nice and hot. You can make these fried feta balls with hot honey ahead, keep the feta balls and hot honey separate. When it comes to serving, microwave the hot honey in a microwave-safe bowl or in a saucepan over the stove and pop your feta balls in the oven at 400°F (205°C) for a few minutes, until hot to the touch.
Ingredient substitutions
Not a fan of all the ingredients in this fried feta balls with hot honey recipe? You can use:
- parsley, green onion or rosemary instead of dill or chives;
- onion powder or fresh garlic instead of garlic powder;
- all-purpose gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose wheat flour;
- aquafaba or water mixed with a little bit of flour instead of eggs.
Looking for similar dishes to this fried feta balls with hot honey appetizer?
Try my crispy fried cheddar-stuffed rosemary olives or my spicy tuna on crispy potato latkes.
Fried Feta Balls with Hot Honey
Servings: 6 to 8
Prep: 45 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 2 hours
Chill Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
Fried Feta Balls
- 14 oz (400g) feta cheese
- 5 oz (85g) cream cheese
- 0.5 oz (15g) fresh dill, thinly chopped
- 0.5 oz (15g) fresh chives, thinly sliced, plus more for serving
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
Dredging Station
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons hot sauce, optional
- 2 cups panko or other bread crumbs
- 3 to 4 cups neutral oil, such as canola oil, sunflower seed oil, grapeseed oil, etc.
Hot Honey Sauce
- 4 Calabrian chilis, chopped, optional
- 6 oz (175g or about 1/2 cup) honey
- 2 tablespoons oil, such as Calabrian chili oil, extra-virgin olive oil or neutral oil
- Kosher salt
- 2 oz (60 g or about 1/4 cup) hot sauce
- 5 tablespoons (75g) cold unsalted butter
Instructions
Make the feta balls:
- Line a baking sheet or plate (small enough to fit in your freezer) with parchment paper and set aside.
- To a medium mixing bowl, add the feta cheese, cream cheese, dill, chives and garlic powder. Mix using the back of a spoon, pressing against the mixture back and forth to break the feta into smaller pieces and combine everything together. If you need to get your hands in there to make things easier, go for it.
- Add the flour to a small plate. Fill a small bowl with water, dampen your palms with a little bit of water and set the bowl aside.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the feta mixture into your hands and roll into a ball. Add the feta ball to the flour and gently move it around to evenly coat in flour. Set the feta ball on the prepared baking sheet or plate and repeat this step with the remaining feta filling. You should end ups with anywhere between 24 to 26 feta balls.
- Place the feta balls in the freezer for at least 20 minutes, until hard to the touch.
Prepare your dredging station:
- To a small bowl, add the eggs, hot sauce (if using), and a pinch of salt and whisk using a fork until combined.
- To a plate or quarter baking sheet, add the panko.
- After 20 minutes in the freezer, it’s time to coat the feta balls. Take each feta ball and coat it in egg, then in panko, then once again in egg, and in panko. It’s very important you double coat the feta balls so the feta doesn’t seep out while frying. If the egg doesn’t stick to the feta ball, toss the feta ball in flour again.
- Place the feta balls back in the freezer for at least 40 minutes. They need to be in there for that long, otherwise the feta will seep out in the oil while frying.
In the meantime, make the hot honey sauce:
- To a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the chilis, oil, honey, a pinch of salt, hot sauce and bring everything to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in a tablespoon of butter at a time while constantly mixing to incorporate. Once that tablespoon of butter has incorporated, repeat this step with the remaining butter.
- Set aside.
Fry the feta balls:
- Line a baking sheet or plate with a cooling rack.
- Fill a medium skillet or pot with enough oil to cover the feta balls, about 2 inches deep (or 5 cm deep). Heat the oil to 400°F (205°C).
- Working in 3 or 4 batches, fry the feta balls for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden on the outside. Using a slotted spoon, remove the feta balls from the oil and set them on the cooling rack. After each batch, allow the oil to come back to 400°F (205°C).
- To serve, top the hot fried feta balls with the hot honey and chives (if using).
