This spanakopita recipe is sauteed spinach, feta cheese and seasonings, all wrapped up in phyllo dough and baked until golden brown and crisp. A savory and hearty appetizer or main course option that always gets rave reviews!
I love to prepare Mediterranean food, including classics such as chicken souvlaki, Greek salad and this simple yet totally satisfying spanakopita.
I always order spanakopita when I go out to eat, it’s one of my all time favorite dishes. I’ve learned to recreate this restaurant favorite at home, and I have to say, my version is the best ever! It’s the perfect blend of spinach, cheese, onions and herbs in a buttery crust.
spanakopita ingredients
To make spanakopita, you will need olive oil, spinach, onions, green onions, garlic, parsley, dill, feta, eggs, salt, black pepper, butter and phyllo dough.
How do you make spanakopita?
This recipe starts with plenty of fresh spinach, which is cooked until wilted. The spinach goes into a bowl along with sauteed onions, garlic, herbs and feta cheese. Mix everything together to make the filling for your pastry triangles. Layer the sheets of phyllo and brush them with butter, then cut the phyllo dough into strips. Place a small scoop of filling at the end of each pastry strip, then fold them up into triangular pockets. Bake the spanakopita until golden brown, then serve and enjoy.
Tips for the perfect dish
- I think this recipe tastes best with fresh spinach. You can substitute frozen spinach if you prefer, just use 2 10-ounce boxes. Be sure to thaw the spinach and squeeze out any excess water.
- I buy a block of feta cheese and crumble it instead of using a tub of pre-crumbled cheese. The flavor of the block is better, and the pre-crumbled variety often is coated with anti caking agents and preservatives.
- Be sure to very lightly brush the butter over your pastry. You don’t want to add too much butter or your spanakopita can come out greasy.
- Phyllo dough is found in the freezer section of most grocery stores. The dough needs to be thawed before use, so plan accordingly!
It’s imperative that you squeeze as much excess liquid as possible out of the cooked spinach so that your filling isn’t watery. I use a potato ricer to press the liquid out, you can also use your hands or a thin kitchen towel to gather the spinach and wring out the liquid.
recipe faqs
You can assemble your spanakopita up to 8 hours before you plan to bake it. Store the trays of appetizers loosely covered in the fridge. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time. You can also bake your triangles, then store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat these snacks in the oven at 350 degrees F until they’re crispy.
This recipe can be frozen for up 2 months. Place the individual pieces on a parchment lined sheet pan and freeze until firm. Place the frozen spanakopita in a resealable bag. Bake from frozen at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and crispy.
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flavor variations
This recipe is fabulous as-is, but you can also change some of the ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes. The end result may be less traditional, but still delicious!
- Vegetables: Feel free to add other veggies to the filling such as diced mushrooms or sun dried tomatoes. You can also add other types of greens besides spinach such as kale.
- Protein: Try adding some cooked ground meat to turn this appetizer into a main course offering. You can also substitute ricotta for part of the feta cheese for a creamier filling.
- Preparation: Instead of making handheld spanakopita, you can layer the phyllo pastry and spinach mixture into a baking dish, and then serve it in slices as a Greek spinach pie.
This homemade version of spanakopita is the best I’ve ever had – WAY better than any restaurant. It takes a little bit of effort to assemble, but the end result is totally worth it.
More fabulous appetizer options
Spanakopita Video
Spanakopita
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided use
- 2 pounds fresh spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup green onions thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 8 ounces feta cheese crumbled
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound phyllo dough sheets thawed
- 3/4 cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add half the spinach to the pan and cook until wilted. Add the remaining spinach to the pan.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes until all of the spinach is wilted.
- Remove the spinach from the pan and let it cool. Wring out excess water. Coarsely chop the spinach.
- Wipe out the pan with a paper towel. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Stir in the green onions, garlic, parsley and dill and cook for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the onion mixture to a bowl along with the chopped spinach, feta cheese and egg. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Take the phyllo dough out of the package and unroll it onto a flat surface. Keep the phyllo covered with plastic wrap or a damp towel when you're not working with it.
- Lay out one sheet of dough with the long end facing you. Brush the melted butter over the dough.
- Add a second layer of dough on top of the first, then brush the second layer with butter.
- Cut the dough vertically into 3 inch wide strips.
- Place 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling on one end of the dough strip. Fold one corner of the dough over the filling to make a triangle shape.
- Fold the strip of dough over itself the same way you'd fold a flag until you reach the end. Brush a little melted butter over the top and place the triangle on the prepared sheet pan.
- Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling.
- Arrange the triangles 1 1/2 inches apart on the sheet pans. Bake one pan at a time for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Notes
- It’s imperative that you squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the cooked spinach so that your filling isn’t watery. I use a potato ricer to press the liquid out, you can also use your hands or a thin kitchen towel to gather the spinach and wring out the liquid.
- I think this recipe tastes best with fresh spinach. You can substitute frozen spinach if you prefer, just use 2 10-ounce boxes. Be sure to thaw the spinach and squeeze out any excess water.
Can I freeze the spanakopita?
Yes you can freeze it!
Hi, how much is 8oz feta in cups or grams? Thanks
It’s about 1 1/2 cups!
8 oz is 1 cup
Really amazing! Did just as the directions indicated. Very tasty, I will be making them again!
I used to make these when I lived with the Greek sisters(another story another time) we didn’t bake em right away, but froze em then toaster oven’ed on a daily basis. I even impressed their dad with em. Also made tyropities the same time.
Hi, this recipe looks fantastic. I just went out and bought the ingredients and found two sizes of Phyllo Dough. One was 13″ x 18″ and one was 9″ x 14″. Can you tell me which you use and the dimensions of the narrow sheets once you have cut them (I know the short measurement is 3″ but wondered about the long measurement once you have your Phyllo cut.
Thanks!
It should be 13×18 size!
Hello, this recipe sounds delicious. Would this work to make one larger spanakopita pie in a 8x 9 dish or so, rather than appetizers. If so, would you think the ingredient portions to be the same
Thanks, can’t wait to try t his!
I believe the ingredients would fit in that size pan, but I’m unsure about the baking time as I haven’t tested the recipe this way!
Can you make the filling ahead of time, say 1 day?
Yes that should be fine!
I made this and they came out wonderful! Be sure to only make as much as you can eat because they do not reheat well.
My sons and my friends are always happily surprised to receive spanakopita from me.
Family loved this! I didn’t have any feta cheese and substitute it with mozzarela and they still turned out delicious. I am going to pick up some feta cheese and plan on making it again soon! Can’t wait.
Fabulous! I make my own modifications for my taste, a teeny pinch of nutmeg to try to mimic the traditional greens, more dill/parsley/green onion, fresh parmesan. But this is absolutely my favorite base recipe!! Use it every time!
A bit too much seasoning and not enough depth for me. Redid them and Added 1 tsp of fresh lemon zest, however, I think 1/2 would have been plenty for most people. I also added parm and mozzarella. Turned out great otherwise!
then it won’t be Greek spanikopita and more of a spinach and filo casserole. Sounds good though
Hi, I know it won’t be quite the same, but can I use cream cheese instead if feta?
Yes, you can. But why ruin a delicious spanikopita? You can actually skip the feta all together or lessen the amount. The amount in the recipe is light thus feta flavor isn’t overbearing.
Love spanakopita. I even eat it for breakfast. Very nutritious
How many does this recipe make?
It makes 30!
Deee-licious recipe Sara! These are very, very popular, as am I now, across my neighborhood. I’ve made these five times already; but, I dole them out across my pals. They like these better than fresh fruit-filled phyllo that I make. That’s quite a feat. Thanks for the recipe!
If I roll out 1 pound of phyllo dough then cut it into 3 in. wide strips I get lik 4 or 5 triangles. How long should these phyllo sheets be after rolling out.?I rolled pretty thin and my sheets are max 15-16 in. wide, x 3 in. strips I get barely 5 triangles. It seems like I need 3 pounds of phyllo to use all this filling.
You need to separate the sheets of phyllo and use just two sheets at a time, then cut it into strips. Are you using the whole package at once?
Excellent flavor and really easy to make. This is a winning recipe!!
Thank you – these were great! I doubled the parsely, dill and garlic and they really popped.
The freezing instructions appear to be that we freeze before baking. Can they be baked, then frozen?
That should also work fine!
These were so much better than the frozen ones I usually buy! I was pleased that they were not to time consuming to make.
This sounds good but I would appreciate a picture on how you cut and roll. I have always wanted to make this
There is a video right above the recipe that shows how to cut and fold them!