Reviews you can trust.
See why.The Best Feta Cheese
After sorting through three different milks, three countries, and eight products, we found what makes the finest feta.
Published Sept. 1, 2017. Appears in Cook's Illustrated September/October 2010, America's Test Kitchen TV Season 21: Mediterranean Comfort Food
Top Picks
See Everything We TestedWhat You Need To Know
The Greeks have been perfecting feta cheese since Homer’s time—the early process for making it is mentioned in The Odyssey. Thousands of years later, Greek immigrants brought feta to the United States in a wave of migration that started in the 1880s. It remained a specialty item for most of the last century, but in recent years it has become as common in American refrigerators as cheddar. In the test kitchen, we add it to salads, pastas, dips, pizza, and more.
This rise in feta’s popularity has meant more options to choose from—and, as we discovered, those options can vary wildly. First, there was the source to consider: We found top-selling cheeses that were made in Greece, France, and the United States. We also learned that in the European Union, only cheeses made in Greece according to specific Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) requirements, including being composed of at least 70 percent sheep’s milk with any remainder made up of goat’s milk, may be labeled “feta.” In the United States, there are no labeling requirements for feta, so any cheese—whether it’s made with sheep’s, goat’s, or cow’s milk or any combination thereof, and no matter where it’s manufactured—can be labeled “feta.”
Of the eight cheeses we tasted, priced from $0.41 to $1.19 per ounce, three were authentic Greek fetas bearing the PDO stamp, including our former winner from Mt. Vikos. Four other products were domestic cheeses made from cow’s milk. And the eighth was a sheep’s-milk cheese from France. Our question: How would the imitations compare with the real deal from Greece? To find out, we sampled the cheeses plain, crumbled into couscous salad, and—to see how they behaved when heated—baked in Greek spinach and feta pie, spanakopita.
A Bettah Feta
Differences among the cheeses were apparent from the first bite, particularly when it came to saltiness. Sampled plain, all four of the American cow’s-milk cheeses were markedly saltier than the Greek and French cheeses, eliciting comments such as “salt bomb!” or “[tastes] like I took a swig of ocean water.” Sure enough, these cheeses had some of the highest sodium contents in the lineup (ranging from 320 to 430 milligrams per 1-ounce serving), though that overt salinity mellowed once the cheeses were baked with spinach and phyllo.
But beyond saltiness is where the differences got interesting. Richness was one factor; not surprisingly, we liked decadent-tasting fetas with relatively high fat contents. Our first- and second-place cheeses boasted 7 and 6 grams of fat per ounce, respectively, compared with just 4 grams in some others. In addition, whereas many of the cheeses exhibited simple “milky” flavors...
Everything We Tested
Recommended
This superb sheep’s-milk feta was complex yet balanced. It was “buttery” and “savory” with a “milky,” “clean dairy flavor” but also “tart” and “lemony,” with a gutsy funk and a “perfect” salt level. Texture-wise, it was “silky,” “luxurious,” and “tender” but “firm” enough to maintain its presence when stirred into salads or baked.
This Greek feta was sharper than our winner: “bracingly tangy” and “pungent,” with “lots of personality.” Tasters also called it “grassy,” “intense,” and “gamy.” A few found it too strong, but most raved, especially when it was baked into pastry, which muted its bold flavor a bit. It was “moist” and “dense,” with tender yet distinct crumbles.
This American-made feta was “quite salty,” with a “subtle milky” flavor and a “vinegary tang.” Made from cow’s milk, it was “fairly mild,” but if you’re looking for a simple feta with clean dairy flavor, this one might be for you. Though its texture was drier and a few tasters found it “tough” in couscous salad and “pebbly” in spanakopita, most didn’t mind.
“Inoffensive but undistinguished” is how one taster described this American feta. When we tried it plain, it had a “rubbery,” “squeaky” texture, but once we’d mixed it into couscous or baked it in phyllo with spinach and ricotta, most tasters found it perfectly acceptable.
Recommended with reservations
When eaten plain and in couscous salad, this American feta was too salty for most tasters: “Like I took a swig of ocean water,” said one. But it was good baked in phyllo. Its texture was pleasing throughout: “discrete without being dry” and “creamy.”
Made in France from excess milk from Roquefort cheese production, this feta was “very soft” and “almost spreadable,” which was “pleasant but not feta-like.” It “melted” into the salad and disappeared in the spanakopita. It was “creamy” and “rich,” with “full milk flavor” and a mild funk, “like a sheepy ricotta.” We liked it, but it’s not what we want in a feta cheese.
Our old winner couldn’t compete with bolder new products. It was “fine, nice even,” with a “pleasant sheepy-goaty” flavor, but it wasn’t as strong or rich-tasting as we wanted. It was dense but crumbled well.
Not Recommended
When eaten plain, tasters described this feta as having a “sour” tang that was “superassertive” and “more like a blue cheese than a feta.” Its high sodium content didn’t cover up its funk in a salad where it was described as “citrusy” and “bitter.” Once it was baked into spanakopita, it was simply “milky” and “bland.” Texture-wise, it was “firm,” and “on the drier side.”
Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing.
Hannah Crowley
Hannah is an executive editor for ATK Reviews and cohost of Gear Heads on YouTube.