Learn how to make The Flakiest Cheese Pie with Chilli Honey. Layers of buttery, flaky filo pastry wrap a deliciously cheesy filling of feta, mozzarella, gouda, cream cheese, fresh herbs and corn.
Top this golden 4-cheese pie with a chilli-honey drizzle for the ultimate savoury, crunchy, spicy and pleasingly sweet finish. Best of all, you can make it in a frying pan!
This filo cheese pie might look like a lot of work but you can actually have it on the table in under an hour, including prep time and baking time.
Here’s everything you need to know about making a cheese pie that’s:
- Vegetarian
- Egg-free
- Nut-free
- Quick
- Easy
I first made this when I had a tonne of leftover cheeses in the fridge after Christmas. my original plan was to make Spanakopita or Tiropita, after falling in love with these dishes in Greece, however, my fridge wasn’t looking so supportive of these ideas! Thankfully, I was able to scramble what I had together into a primitive version of what is now this, The Flakiest Cheese Pie with Chilli Honey. I’ve been making it often, tweaking it each time.
After posting a cheeky ASMR video of the satisfying crunch on Instagram, so many of my followers requested the recipe. Each time I make this, I drizzle the hot pie with honey. It tastes incredible with the deeply savoury, salty cheese and melts right onto the crackly filo pastry.
The addition of chilli was an idea passed on by food guru, Nikhil Merchant (@nonchalantgourmand) via Twitter and I must say, his suggestion didn’t disappoint. A smattering of heat is always welcome.
What to serve with cheese pie
- Leafy green salad
- Greek salad (I do this minus the feta, since that’s already in the pie)
- Mixed olives
- Fresh tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Sliced green apples
- Boiled potatoes with olive oil, lemon juice and chopped mint
- Steamed veggies
How to make eggless cheese pie
Usually eggs add structure to cheese pies, providing a lightness that holds everything together once the pie is baked. I have worked around this by using a touch of self-raising flour, which contains leavening for lightness, and works with the cheese to set into a delicious pie that doesn’t ooze everywhere, even when it’s piping hot. Magic!
Other veggies you can add to cheese pie
I love the combination of cheese and sweetcorn but if you prefer, you can swap the corn out for any of the following. Just make sure any high-moisture veg like spinach is cooked and squeeze of any excess water.
- Chopped spinach (blanched, refreshed in ice water and squeezed dry)
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Grated carrots (squeezed)
- Cooked artichokes
- Sautéed peppers
- Sundried tomatoes
If you’d prefer not to add any veggies to this cheese pie, that’s fine too. The recipe will still work perfectly well.
How to make cheese pie filling
This is such a simple recipe for cheese pie. You can make the filling in one bowl, in under 15 minutes and with no pre-cooking required.
- Add all you cheeses to the bowl
- Add sweetcorn or any veggies of your choice
- Sprinkle over some plain flour, black pepper, fresh parsley and thyme.
- Stir well and add in your milk and mix again, until you have a thick cheese mixture
How to assemble The Flakiest Cheese Pie with Chilli Honey
I like to assemble my cheese pie in a frying pan. Just be sure your frying pan handle is ovenproof.
- Grease the pan with plenty of olive oil
- Place your first sheet of filo pastry in the pan and brush liberally with a mixture of salted butter and olive oil
- Repeat the above step for a further five sheets of pastry so you have a total of six sheets layered up. Alternate the direction in which you lay the pastry down so you have even overhang at the sides of the pan
- Press the cheese filling into the pie. Top with more mozzarella or halloumi
- Layer another three sheets of pastry on top of each other in the same way as before
- Scrunch the sides of the pastry up and bring them over to sit on top of the pie
- Brush another two sheets of filo pastry with butter and olive oil, scrunch them up and nestle them into the centre of the pie, filling in any gaps. Brush with more butter and olive oil. Sprinkle with nigella seeds and bake as per the directions on the recipe card below.
The Flakiest Cheese Pie with Chilli Honey recipe
The Flakiest Cheese Pie with Chilli Honey
Layers of buttery, flaky filo pastry wrap a delicious 4-cheese, herb and corn filling. Drizzle this golden pie with a quick chilli-honey drizzle for the ultimate finish.
Ingredients
- 250 g filo pastry, (12 sheets in total)
- 200 g feta, crumbled
- 250 g gouda or mild cheddar, grated
- 125 g mozzarella, cut into chunks
- 180 g cream cheese
- 150 g sweetcorn, (I use tinned, drained)
- 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, picked
- 1 1/2 tbsp self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 100 ml whole milk
- 75 g salted butter, melted
- 75 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp nigella seeds
- 125 g mozzarella, sliced, extra for topping the filling
For the chilli-honey drizzle:
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 large red chilli, finely chopped
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/320°F fan.
To make the filling:
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling and mix well until you have a thick, pasty mixture. Lumps of cheese are fine.
To assemble the pie:
- Mix together the olive oil and melted butter. Brush the frying pan with the olive oil mixture. Place a sheet of filo pastry into the pan, press it into the corners of the pan and brush liberally with more of the olive oil mixture. Top with another sheet of pastry and repeat until you have 6 layers in total. Be sure to brush the pastry that hangs over the edge of the pan too.
- Place the cheese filling into the pie. Top with mozzarella slices.
- Cover with another sheet of pastry and again, brush with butter and olive oil. Repeat until you have three layers of pastry on top.
- Scrunch the sides up and over the edges of the pie so it's ruffled all around.
- Brush another two sheets of pastry with butter and olive oil, scrunch up and place to cover the centre portion of the pie.
- Finally, brush with the remaining butter and olive oil and sprinkle over the nigella seeds.
- Bake the pie in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes. It's ready when it's golden all over.
Finishing touches:
- Mix together the honey and chopped chilli. Drizzle this all over the warm pie. Allow the pie to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before cutting. Harsh, I know!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 758Total Fat: 58gSaturated Fat: 30gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 162mgSodium: 1234mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 2gSugar: 15gProtein: 29g
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If you like this, you’ll love my recipe for Roasted Vegetable & Mascarpone Lasagne
Love Sanjana