These phyllo cup appetizers are crisp, buttery, one-bite wonders, and once you have the cups, they come together in minutes. Below you’ll find eight fillings, from smoked salmon with dill to prosciutto, fig and mascarpone, plus a few Greek favorites like spicy whipped feta and fava with caramelized onions. Use store-bought phyllo shells for the fastest route, or make your own larger, flakier cups in a regular muffin tin. It’s easier than you think, and most of the work can be done ahead.
Love easy party food? Try my Cheese Triangles with Bacon and Gruyère (Tiropitakia), a Greek Grazing Board, or Kalamata Olive Tapenade.
Overview
Why you will love these phyllo cups
Store-bought phyllo shells or homemade cups?
Both work. Here’s how they compare:
| Store-bought mini shells | Homemade cups (this recipe) | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | About 1¾ inches, bite-size | About twice as large, 2–3 bites |
| Where to find | Freezer aisle, usually 15 per box | Made from thin phyllo sheets in a 12-cup muffin tin |
| Filling per cup | 1 to 1½ teaspoons | About 1 tablespoon |
| Time | Ready to fill | 15 minutes plus 7 minutes baking |
| Texture | Crisp, uniform | Flakier, with whimsical ruffled edges |
Tip for store-bought shells: bake them on a sheet pan at 350°F / 175°C for 3 to 5 minutes before filling. They come out noticeably crisper and taste fresher. Let them cool before adding cold fillings.
Each filling below makes enough for 8 homemade cups, or about 16 mini store-bought shells.
Here is what you need
- A muffin tin. I use a standard 12-cup muffin tin. You can also use a mini muffin tin. If you do, halve both the size of the phyllo pieces and the amount of filling in each cup.
- Thin phyllo sheets. Use the thinnest phyllo you can find, the kind you’d use for baklava. I use 14 × 18-inch sheets (Fillo Factory #4). If your sheets are the smaller 9 × 14-inch supermarket size, you’ll need about twice as many sheets for the same number of cups.
- Butter. Good-quality melted butter makes all the difference. You can substitute olive oil.
How to make the phyllo cups
- Preheat the oven to 340°F / 170°C.
- Stack four phyllo sheets and brush a little melted butter over the top. With a sharp knife, cut through all four layers into squares of about 4 × 4 inches / 10 × 10 cm.
- Pick up one square. Dip your finger in the melted butter and gently rub it all over the phyllo.
- Tuck the square into a muffin cup. Repeat with the other three squares from that stack, layering them inside the same cup to create a nest. Turn each layer slightly on the diagonal for fun, ruffled edges.
- Repeat to fill the rest of the muffin tin. Bake for 6 to 7 minutes, until golden.
- Remove the cups from the tin right away and let them cool on a rack. If they cool in the tin, the butter settles in the bottom and the bases soften.
Eight Phyllo Cup Recipes
At a glance:
| Filling | Serve | Greek touch |
|---|---|---|
| Salmon, Cream Cheese & Dill | Cold | Dill and lemon |
| Sweet Potato, Sausage & Spicy Feta | Warm | Tirokafteri |
| Prosciutto, Fig, Walnut & Mascarpone | Room temp | Figs and honey |
| Fava & Caramelized Onions | Room temp | Santorini-style fava |
| Roasted Tomato, Pesto & Ricotta | Room temp | Anthotyro option |
| Meatball, Tomato & Spicy Feta | Warm | Keftedes + tirokafteri |
| Gorgonzola & Pomegranate | Cold | Pomegranate and walnuts |
| Eggplant, Tomato & Parmesan | Warm | Roasted eggplant |
Salmon, Cream Cheese & Dill
- Cream cheese. The natural partner for smoked salmon. Substitute mascarpone or ricotta.
- Smoked salmon. Thinly sliced Norwegian smoked salmon is my favorite.
- Lemon. A squeeze of fresh juice and a little grated zest on top.
- Capers. Tangy and salty, they complement the mild cheese and smoky salmon.
- Fresh dill. Fresh, a little sweet, and so pretty on top.
Fill each cup with cream cheese and top with a small slice of smoked salmon, a little dill and a couple of capers. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and some grated zest. Keep these chilled until serving.
Sweet Potato Sausage & Spicy Feta
- My spicy whipped feta dip (tirokafteri). Greek feta whipped with hot pepper and roasted garlic.
- Sweet potato, cut into ⅓-inch cubes and roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Sausage, sliced and roasted until crisp and cooked through (160°F / 71°C for pork or beef sausage, 165°F / 74°C for chicken or turkey sausage).
Fill each cup with whipped feta and top with roasted sweet potato and a few sausage pieces.
Prosciutto Fig Walnut & Mascarpone
- Prosciutto. Thinly sliced, a treat with all these sweet and savory flavors.
- Figs. Fresh figs are lovely, but dried figs work well too.
- Mascarpone cheese. Substitute ricotta, gorgonzola dolce, anthotyro or goat cheese.
- Walnuts. Pecans or pistachios also work.
- Fig jam or honey.
Fill each cup with mascarpone and top with prosciutto and a slice of fig. Add a walnut and a teaspoon of fig jam or a drizzle of honey.
Fava & Caramelized Onions
- My Greek fava dip. Made with yellow split peas and served with caramelized onions.
- Pomegranate seeds. Fresh, bright and beautiful against the golden fava.
Fill each cup with anthotyro or ricotta and top with a couple of roasted tomatoes and a little pesto.
Tomato Pesto Ricotta
- Anthotyros cheese. Anthotyros is a fresh white cheese with a mild, lightly sweet taste. You can easily substitute with ricotta cheese, mascarpone or gorgonzola dolce if you feel adventurous.
- Our roasted cherry tomatoes recipe. You can also try our tomato confit. Sweet, garlicky and savory, tomatoes are delicious in this combination.
- Pesto. Feel free to use store-bought pesto or make your own. Check out our tomato pasta with pesto recipe.
Fill phyllo cups with anthotiros cheese and top with roasted tomatoes and pesto.
Meatball Tomato & Spicy feta
- My spicy whipped feta dip.
- Roasted cherry tomatoes or tomato confit.
- Small Greek meatballs. Use my classic keftedes or chicken meatballs, or store-bought. Roll them small enough to sit in the cup, or halve them.
Fill each cup with spicy feta and top with a warm meatball and a roasted tomato.
Gorgonzola & Pomegranate
- Gorgonzola dolce. Soft, creamy, slightly sharp and sweet.
- Pomegranate seeds.
- Walnuts. Earthy and perfect with blue cheese. Pecans or pistachios also work.
- Caramelized onions. Homemade or a jar from a good deli. You can also use fig jam or honey.
Fill each cup with gorgonzola and top with a walnut, pomegranate seeds and a small spoonful of caramelized onions.
Eggplant, Tomato & Parmesan
- My roasted eggplant topping. Deep, savory, perfect with roasted tomatoes.
- Roasted tomatoes. I often make a batch of tomato confit to use in salads, on toast or as a side.
- Parmesan. Shaved parmesan is eggplant and tomato’s best friend.
Fill each cup with roasted eggplant, top with tomatoes and finish with shaved parmesan.
More phyllo cup filling ideas
Once you have a box of shells in the freezer, almost anything you love on a cracker works in a phyllo cup:
- Savory: whipped feta with a spoonful of kalamata olive tapenade; a small cube of baked feta with honey and thyme; spanakopita filling (spinach, feta and dill), baked until set; tzatziki with a slice of cucumber and a cooked shrimp.
- Sweet: thick Greek yogurt with honey and chopped walnuts; a baklava-style mix of chopped nuts, cinnamon and a drizzle of syrup; whipped mascarpone with fresh berries.
Phyllo cups for the holidays (and every party in between)
Phyllo cups are my go-to for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve because the cups and fillings can be made the day before, and a platter of three or four fillings looks festive with no extra effort. The pomegranate versions in particular look like they were made for a holiday table. Pair them with a Greek grazing board and tiropitakia for an easy Greek-style appetizer spread.
How to make phyllo cup appetizers ahead
- Homemade cups: bake up to 2 days ahead and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Freeze for longer storage. Re-crisp in a 350°F / 175°C oven for 3 to 5 minutes, then cool before filling.
- Store-bought shells: keep them frozen and fill straight from the box, or bake briefly first for extra crispness.
- Fillings: the dips, roasted tomatoes, eggplant, sweet potato, caramelized onions and meatballs can all be made a day ahead and refrigerated.
- Assemble at the last minute. Fill the cups no more than an hour before serving so the bottoms stay crisp. Wet fillings like roasted tomatoes should be drained well.
- Warm fillings: reheat the meatballs, sausage and sweet potato before filling, or fill the cups and warm them on a sheet pan at 350°F / 175°C for about 5 minutes.
- Food safety: don’t leave filled cups with cheese, fish or meat out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it’s very warm). Set out a few at a time and refill from the fridge.
Pro tips
- Drain wet fillings well. Excess oil or juice softens phyllo quickly.
- Size the toppings to the cup. Roll meatballs small or halve them; slice prosciutto and figs into bite-size pieces.
- Mix and match. For 24 homemade cups, choose three fillings. For a party of 10 to 12, plan on 3 to 4 cups per person.
- Store-bought shells are about half the size of the homemade cups in this post, so use 1 to 1½ teaspoons of filling per shell.
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Phyllo Cup Appetizers
Phyllo cup appetizers with 8 easy fillings: smoked salmon, prosciutto and fig, spicy feta with sausage, gorgonzola and pomegranate and more. Use homemade or store-bought phyllo shells.
Equipment
- 12 cup muffin tin
- pastry brush
- sharp knife
Ingredients
For the phyllo cups | 24 phyllo cups
- 8 phyllo sheets, 14 × 18 inches (such as Fillo Factory #4), thawed
- ½ cup butter, melted (or olive oil)
Salmon, Cream Cheese & Dill
- 3 oz smoked salmon
- ½ cup cream cheese
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped
Sweet Potato, Sausage & Spicy Feta
- ½ cup tirokafteri-spicy whipped feta dip
- 1 small sweet potato, peeled, cut in ⅓-inch cubes
- 3 oz sausage
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
Prosciutto, Fig, Walnut & Mascarpone
- ½ cup mascarpone cheese
- 3 oz prosciutto
- 8 walnut halves
- 2 figs, , cut into 8 slices
- 1 tablespoon fig jam, or honey
Fava & Caramelized onions
- ½ cup fava dip , our recipe with caramelized onions
- 3 tablespoons caramelized onions
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate seeds
Tomato, Pesto & Anthotiros cheese
- ½ cup Anthotiros cheese, or ricotta, mascarpone
- 3 tablespoons pesto
- ½ cup roasted cherry tomatoes
Meatball, Tomato & Spicy feta
- 8 small meatballs
- ½ cup spicy feta dip
- ½ cup cherry tomato confit, or roasted cherry tomatoes
Gorgonzola dolce & Pomegranate
- ½ cup Gorgonzola dolce cheese
- ⅓ cup pomegranate seeds
- 8 walnut halves
- 1 tablespoon fig jam, or caramelized onions, honey, maple syrup
Eggplant, Tomato & Parmesan
- ½ cup roasted eggplant cubes
- ½ cup roasted cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup shaved parmesan cheese
Instructions
Make the phyllo cups.
- Preheat the oven to 340°F / 170°C.
- Stack four phyllo sheets and brush a little melted butter over the top. With a sharp knife, cut through all four layers into 4 × 4-inch / 10 × 10 cm squares.
- Pick up one square, dip your finger in the melted butter and gently rub it all over the phyllo.
- Tuck the square into a muffin cup. Repeat with the other three squares from that stack, layering them inside the same cup to create a nest. Turn each layer slightly on the diagonal for ruffled edges.
- Repeat to fill the rest of the muffin tin.
- Bake for 6 to 7 minutes, until golden and crisp. Remove the cups from the tin right away and cool on a rack. Repeat with the remaining phyllo for a total of 24 cups.
Fill The Phyllo Cups
Salmon Cream Cheese & Dill
- Fill phyllo cups with a full tablespoon of cream cheese and top with a small slice of smoked salmon, some chopped dill, and a couple of capers. Squeeze some lemon juice and grate a bit of lemon zest on top.
Sweet Potato, Sausage & Spicy Feta
- Toss the sweet potato cubes with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400°F / 200°C for about 30 minutes, until soft.
- Slice the sausage into ⅓-inch pieces (halve wide ones) and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until crisp and cooked through: 160°F / 71°C for pork or beef sausage, 165°F / 74°C for chicken or turkey.
- Add a full tablespoon of whipped feta cheese into the phyllo cups and top with a full tablespoon of roasted sweet potatoes and a few sausage pieces.
Prosciutto, Fig, Walnut & Mascarpone
- Fill each phyllo cups with a full tablespoon of mascarpone cheese and top with a slice of prosciutto and a fig slice. Add a walnut and drizzle some honey or a teaspoon of fig jam.
Fava & Caramelized onions
- Fill each phyllo cups with a full tablespoon of the fava dip. Top with a teaspoon of caramelized onions and a few pomegranate seeds.
Tomato, Pesto & Anthotiros cheese
- Fill each phyllo cup with a full tablespoon of anthotiros cheese and top with a couple of roasted tomatoes and a teaspoon of pesto.
Meatball, Tomato & Spicy feta
- Bake the meatballs until cooked through: 160°F / 71°C for beef, pork or lamb, 165°F / 74°C for chicken.
- Fill phyllo cups with spicy feta and top with a meatball and roasted tomatoes.Tip. Make the meatballs small enough to fit the phyllo cups. If they are too large, cut them in half.
Gorgonzola dolce & Pomegranate
- Fill phyllo cups with gorgonzola, top with a walnut, pomegranate seeds and a dollop of caramelized onions.
Eggplant, Tomato & Parmesan
- Fill phyllo cups with eggplant cubes, top with tomatoes, and some shaved parmesan.
Notes
- Bake the meatballs instead of frying: line a baking sheet with parchment, brush the meatballs lightly with olive oil and bake about 30 minutes, until cooked through (see temperatures above).
- Mini muffin tin: halve both the phyllo pieces and the filling per cup.
- Store-bought shells: bake at 350°F / 175°C for 3 to 5 minutes before filling for extra crispness. Use 1 to 1½ teaspoons filling per shell; each filling fills about 16 mini shells.
- Make ahead: bake cups up to 2 days ahead (airtight, room temp). Prep fillings a day ahead. Fill no more than an hour before serving.
- Don’t leave filled cups out more than 2 hours.
Tried this recipe?Mention @thegreekfoodie__ or tag #thegreekfoodie__
Love the description and every delicious combination mentioned in this post. Such a perfect party Appetizers. Must give this a try.
Man, those phyllo cup appetizers were absolutely delicious! We made a variety of them and they were a hit at our party. Thanks a bunch for sharing this fantastic recipe – it’s a definite crowd-pleaser! 🥟🥂🍽️😋
These… should be illegal! I LOVE appetizers like this. So much flavor in a single poppable bite! So perfect for the holiday season!
These phyllo cups are flaky and light and the perfect vehicle for savory and sweet fillings alike. I really like that you gave several filling ideas to try in them.
Ohh, what a delicious appetizer! I want to try this in Christmas eve! I think it’s gonna be perfect for Christmas!
What a fun and delicious appetizer – for any day, but especially for the holidays! They are beautiful and so versatile, too.
The fava with caramelized onions topped with fresh pomegranate seeds were my favorite!
Wow! This is fantastic! 😍 What I love about the phyllo is it gets beautifully crisp! ❤️ Also it is so light. One of our favorites of your list is the prosciutto fig, such a great combination. Thanks for sharing, you really inspired pur holiday appetizer creativity! ❤️ 🙏
Wow! This looks like a perfect appetizer for any given occasion! It looks amazingly delicious and very enticing too! I love everything on it! Thanks for sharing!
I love a good appetizer, and this one looks like a winner! I am so excited to try this for Thanksgiving 🙂
I made the salmon filling, and they were a hit! Even the kids loved them. Thanks so much! Will make them again for Thanksgiving.