Gzik is a traditional Polish cottage cheese dip or spread made of farmer cheese, Greek yogurt, radish, and chive. This smooth and tasty spread is easy to make, but to make it really authentic, you will need twaróg, a dry farmer’s cheese that comes pressed in discs.
As someone from the Czech Republic, I’m familiar with twaróg (called tvaroh in Czech). However, after living abroad for nearly 25 years, I discovered this ingredient is not commonly available in the rest of Europe or the United States. Over time, I’ve figured out how to substitute it with alternatives that closely resemble its taste and texture.
What is Gzik?
Gzik is a traditional Polish spread from the provinces of Wielkopolska and Kujawy. It’s typically made with twaróg, a type of dry cottage cheese, mashed and combined with Greek yogurt or sour cream to create a smooth and creamy texture. Gzik is an incredibly simple and budget-friendly dip that’s easy to customize with chopped chives, radishes, or onions. These fresh ingredients add color, a crunch, and an aromatic touch.
Gzik is perfect as a spread for bread or as a dip for vegetables, making a versatile addition to any meal or snack.
Why you will love this recipe?
- traditional – taste of authentic cuisine from Poland
- budget friendly – with just few ingredients that you may have in your pantry, this spread is really affordable.
- healthy and nutritious – This Polish farmer’s cheese spread is nutritious, with cottage cheese and yogurt providing protein, calcium, and probiotics. It perfectly fits into the profile of longevity recipes.
- no cooking is required, yet you create a wholesome snack in 5 minutes.
- you can make it ahead of time
Ingredients to make gzik recipe
Base
cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is the best substitute for twaróg. Since twaróg is a dried form of cottage cheese, you’ll need to mix it with either yogurt or sour cream to achieve a smooth and creamy texture. When choosing cottage cheese, opt for the small curd cottage cheese, as traditional gzik is rather smooth than lumpy.
Depending on the country you are based, dry curd cottage cheese is sometimes sold as farmer’s cheese. It is often used as a filling to cheese Pierogi or to make high protein cottage cheese smoothie.
greek yogurt or yogurt
Both are fine to use. Greek yogurt is thicker and creamier due to additional straining, which removes more whey, while regular yogurt has a more fluid texture.
The amount of yogurt you need depends on the consistency of the cottage cheese. If you’re using wet cottage cheese, you might need less yogurt, whereas with drier cottage cheese, you’ll likely need more sour cream or plain yogurt to achieve the perfect creamy consistency.
sour cream (optional)
adds a slightly acidic tone to the spread and is a heavier alternative to yogurts. I personally didn’t use it in this recipe.
Veggies
include finely chopped vegetables, which add a a little crunch and additional nutrients. The most popular are radishes that add a bit a spicy notes and red color. Some people like to add cucumber or red pepper.
Herbs
You can select any of the herbs below or opt to mix them for fresh herby notes. The classic version of gzik is made with chives and radishes
chive
Chives are easy-to-grow herbs from the onion family with a mild, delicate flavor—not as intense as regular onions. Green onions are another good alternative; they are less pungent than yellow onions and add a pleasant green color to the spread. You can also use other types of alliums, such as scallions or white onions, depending on your preference.
fresh dill
fresh dill has a slightly different flavor profile than the herbs above. It adds sweeter notes to this cottage cheese spread.
How to make gzik – cottage cheese spread?
First step: Make the base
In a medium bowl, Combine 1/2 cup of yogurt and 1 cup of cottage cheese. Add more or less yogurt, depending on the consistency. Add salt and stir well until blended.
Second step: Chop the herbs
Finely chop the radishes, chive them, and add them to the bowl.
Third step: decorate and serve
Transfer the dip to a serving bowl, drizzle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil or chive oil, and sprinkle with finely chopped chives.
You can serve gzip immediately, but it is best to refrigerate it for at least one hour before serving. Alternatively, store it longer in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to 5 days.
How to serve this Polish cottage cheese dip?
- a typical Polish breakfast is to serve it as a spread on bread, whether traditional Polish buttered rye bread, sliced baguette, or this Indian moonglet recipe.
- Gzik is versatile and offers infinite possibilities. Another traditional Polish dish, pyry z gzikiem, features baked potatoes and gzik as a topping. Bake the potatoes with their skins on, cut them into halves or quarters and spoon gzik over them. For a different twist, you can also use gzik with potatoes prepared in other ways, like fried or mashed.
- Gzik can be a delicious dip for crackers or sliced raw vegetables. This makes it a versatile addition to any appetizer platter or party spread.
- Gzik is so tasty that sometimes you might not need a vehicle to enjoy it. Just grab a spoon and dig in! This simple and indulgent way to eat gzik requires no extra preparation or fuss.
Gzik – Polish Cottage Cheese Dip Recipe
Gzik is a traditional Polish cottage cheese dip or spread made of farmer cheese, Greek yogurt, radish, and chive.
- Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3-Piece Set, Nesting, Microwave and Dishwasher Safe)
- 6 radishes
- 1 handful chives (fresh)
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- In a medium bowl, Combine 1/2 cup of yogurt and 1 cup of cottage cheese. Add more or less yogurt depending on the consistency. Add salt and stir well until blended.
- Finely Chop the radishes, chive and add them to the bowl.
- Transfer the dip to a serving bowl, drizzle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil or chive oil, and sprinkle with finely chopped chives.
You can serve gzip immediately, but it is best when you refrigerate it for at least one hour before serving. Alternatively, store it longer in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can store it for up to 5 days.
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
My family loved this!
This was Delicious!
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
My family loved this!
My family loved this!