If you have not tried Spanakopita before, you’re in for a treat! Spanakopita is a delicious savory Greek pie made of perfectly crispy layers of phyllo dough and a comforting filling of spinach and feta cheese. I’m sharing my family’s favorite spanakopita recipe, complete with tips, video, and step-by-step photos. Trust me, this is so much easier to make than you think!
Spanakopita makes a great side dish for large holiday dinners next to lamb or lemon chicken. But it can easily stand alone as the main dish. Serve it with a big salad like Greek salad; Balela; or this Mediterranean chickpea salad, and favorite dips like Greek Tzatziki or Roasted Garlic Hummus.
This post is sponsored by The Fillo Factory.
What is Spanakopita?
My little one describes spanakopita this way, “yummy, crispy cheese pie with lots of green stuff!”
Spanakopita is a popular Greek savory pie made of perfectly flaky phyllo dough with a comforting filling of spinach and feta cheese nestled in. If you’re not familiar with phyllo dough, it is basically layered sheets of tissue-thin pastry dough, typically found in the freezer section next to things like pie crust and puff pastry.
Spanakopita can be made in a large casserole dish like in today’s recipe, or in the form of hand pies shaped in triangles or even rolls.
When I was at an Atlanta-area Greek festival a few weeks ago, my daughter’s lunch of choice was a piece of spanakopita and a side of Greek salad. Luckily, she allowed me a taste; it was heavenly! I ended up chatting with the woman behind the lavish lunch, her name was Yiayia Helen. We discussed family recipes and shared spanakopita lessons and tips…
Tips for How to Make Spanakopita
1. What is in the spanakopita filling?
The key filling ingredients in a classic spanakopita recipe are spinach and feta cheese. And yes, only use quality feta cheese, no other cheese qualifies for spanakopita.
To the spinach and feta, we add flavor makers in the form of fresh herbs and aromatics. I used two whole bunches of parsley (parsley stems pack a ton of flavor, by the way, so don’t be afraid to throw some in) Then, onions, garlic and a little dry dill weed.
To bind everything together, I used four large eggs.
2. Do I need to cook the spinach in advance?
You need a good amount of spinach in this recipe, so using frozen spinach is the way to go. In this easy spanakopita recipe, frozen spinach–fully thawed, of course–is mixed right in with the remaining filling ingredients, no advanced cooking necessary.
But one thing you must do, be sure to drain all liquid from the thawed spinach. I ended up squeezing the spinach by hand a few times until it could no longer produce any liquid. If you do use fresh spinach, you will need to cook it with the onions and garlic, drain, and let cool completely before mixing the filling.
3. The Phyllo
Golden, crispy phyllo pastry, encasing the soft spinach filling is really what spanakopita is all about! Quality of phyllo (fillo) dough can make or break the recipe! I am a big fan of organic dough from The Fillo Factory. It’s vegan and contains no preservatives; no cholesterol; and no trans fat. And be sure follow the tips below for best results.
Tips for working with Phyllo Dough:
– Thaw phyllo dough properly; too much moisture will make the dough or sheets sticky and hard to manage. When thawing, do not remove the phyllo (fillo) from the package, place it in the fridge 12-14 hours before using.
-Before you begin assembling the spanakopita casserole, unroll the thawed phyllo (fillo) sheets and place them carefully between two ever-so-slightly damp kitchen cloths. This helps the sheets remain lenient so they won’t tear too much.
-Do not skimp on the oil, but don’t overdo it either. Some use butter, but I use quality extra virgin olive oil here instead to keep it light. You need to brush each of the phyllo layers with a little olive oil (see the video as well)
-Remember, Phyllo (fillo) sheets will tear, and that’s perfectly fine. Just make sure you save a couple good sheets for the top of your spanakopita casserole.
Can I make Spanakopita Ahead of Time? What about Leftovers?
– You can make spanakopita the evening before you need to serve it. Follow the instructions for assembling, but do not bake. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready, go ahead and bake according to recipe instructions. Budget 1 hour for baking.
– Already cooked spanakopita will keep well if properly storied in the fridge for 2 to 3 evenings. Heat in medium-heated oven until warmed through. You can also portion cooked leftover spanakopita and freeze for a later time. Warm in oven; no need to thaw in advance.
Watch the video for How to Make Spanakopita:
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Spanakopita Recipe (Greek Spinach Pie)
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 pieces 1x
Description
Foolproof family recipe for Spanakopita! Delicious savory Greek pie made of perfectly crispy layers of phyllo dough and a comforting filling of spinach and feta cheese.
Ingredients
For the Spinach and Feta Filling
- 16 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
- 2 bunches flat-leaf parsley, stems trimmed, finely chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil
- 4 eggs
- 10.5 oz quality feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tsp dried dill weed
- Freshly-ground black pepper
For the Crust
- 1 16 oz package The Fillo Factory Organic Dough (#4 pastry sheets), properly thawed (see tips above)
- 1 cup Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil, more if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Before you begin mixing the filling, be sure the spinach is very well drained, and squeeze out any excess liquid by hand.
- To make the filling: In a mixing bowl, add the spinach and the remaining filling ingredients. Stir until all is well-combined.
- Unroll the phyllo (fillo) sheets and place them between two slightly damp kitchen cloths.
- Prepare a 9 1/2″ X 13″ baking dish like this one. Brush the bottom and sides of the dish with olive oil.
- To assemble the spanakopita: Line the baking dish with two sheets of phyllo (fillo) letting them cover the sides of the dish. Brush with olive oil. Add two more sheets in the same manner, and brush them with olive oil. Repeat until two-thirds of the phyllo (fillo) is used up.
- Now, evenly spread the spinach and feta filling over the phyllo (fillo) crust. Top with two more sheets, and brush with olive oil.
- Continue to layer the phyllo (fillo) sheets, two-at-a-time, brushing with olive oil, until you have used up all the sheets. Brush the very top layer with olive oil, and sprinkle with just a few drops of water.
- Fold the flaps or excess from the sides, you can crumble them a little. Brush the folded sides well with olive oil. Cut Spanakopita ONLY PART-WAY through into squares, or leave the cutting to later.
- Bake in the 325 degrees F heated-oven for 1 hour, or until the phyllo (fillo) crust is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven. Finish cutting into squares and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Tips for Working with Phyllo: As mentioned earlier in the post, remember that phyllo is paper thin and will break as you are working with it. For best results, place phyllo dough sheets in between two very slightly damp kitchen towels (step #4) before you start working with it (unless you think you will work fast enough that the phyllo will not dry out.) Also, be sure to brush each layer with oil; don’t skimp.
- Make Ahead Tips: You can make spanakopita the evening before. Follow up to step #9, cover and refrigerate. When you are ready, go ahead and bake according to step #10.
- Leftover Storing and Freezing Tips: Already cooked spanakopita will keep well if properly storied in the fridge for 2 to 3 evenings. Heat in medium-heated oven until warmed through. You can also portion cooked leftover spanakopita and freeze for a later time. Warm in oven; no need to thaw in advance.
- What to Serve with Spanakopita? Spanakopita makes a great side dish for large holiday dinners next to lamb or lemon chicken. But it can easily stand alone as the main dish. Serve it with a big salad like Greek salad; Balela; or this Mediterranean chickpea salad, and favorite dips like Greek Tzatziki or Roasted Garlic Hummus.
- Recommended for this Recipe: Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives).
- SAVE try our Greek olive oil bundle and our popular Ultimate Mediterranean Spice Bundle
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Entree or Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Greek
*This recipe and tutorial was originally published 11/08/2016. Last updated with new information and photos on 4/15/2019.
Great recipe. I did think it needed some salt in the spinach mix.
Easy to make & taste really good. First time I ate it or made it. Served with a Greek salad. Thank you for the recipes you share.
So so good! The bake time is closer to an hour and a half for me, or maybe I just used too much oil. Still so delicious!
Made into hand pies following recipe as stated, except we used frozen spinach. Phenomenal recipe!
Thank you so much, Debbie!
Hi there. Roughly how many sheets of the filo do you use in total please?
Hi, Barb! For this recipe, I used an entire 16 oz. package which was roughly 20 sheets. Phyllo comes in different sizes, this one is #4 pastry sheets. Here is a link to the actual product: http://www.fillofactory.com/organic-fillo-dough-p/rf-o.htm
Just outstanding! We love this spanakopita recipe. It turned out perfect the first time I made it. Thank you for sharing. We are addicted the the food on The Mediterranean Dish.
Yay :). Thanks so much!!
Good recipe, it would be convenient if, in this age of global followers, you could put metric details as well, I understand that this would require a little more work on your part, And , I’m perfectly content with teaspoon, tblspoon and cup measurements, but Fahrenheit / Celsius is an important distinction.
Hi Suzy, great recipe! Would love it if you could share how you make golash bel lahma and golash bel gebna some time! Happy New Year!
great recipe !!!!!!
Thank you!
I made this recipe exactly as is, which is what I usually do when trying new recipes. I then take notes of potential additions or changes for the next time I make it. This Spanakopita recipe was a HIT on Christmas Eve brunch just the way it is. Thank you for sharing Suzy.
Awesome!!! Thanks, Maddie!
This was my first time making spanakopita. Luckily, I had read some of the comments here and was able to adapt the recipe to my taste: I omitted parsley and doubled the spinach, added extra feta, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, the juice of 1 lemon, 4 garlic cloves, and 2 T chopped fresh dill. I didn’t add salt as I thought with the feta, it might be salty enough, which turned out not to be the case. Next time I’ll add a little salt to boost the flavors. Because I squeezed all the moisture from the spinach and even wrapped the feta in a dish towel before using, the spanakopita was wonderfully crisp. As others have recommended, I sauteed the onions, spinach and garlic briefly, which was a good decision. Overall, a very good recipe which you can adapt to suit your taste…. easy and straightforward to make, as usual. Thanks, Suzy!
Thank you for sharing, Claudia! So glad you enjoyed it!
love this recipe! i am making it for christmas in austria tomorrow. everyone else is eating fish and i (the vegetarian) will eat your spanikopita!
Great choice!! Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!
Can I use loosely chopped fresh spinach instead of frozen? Sounds delicious, cant wait to make it!
Hi, Angela! Absolutely! Just blanch the the fresh spinach and be sure to squeeze all the water out. Hope that helps!
Made it for the first time this evening. I used fresh spinach and let it cool. I added shallots as well as onion. Even my 12 year old daughter liked it. I noted that it needed a lot more than two tablespoons of olive oil.
So glad you both enjoyed the recipe, Scott!
I can’t wait to make this recipe! I have actually been thinking about spanakopita for a couple of weeks…couldn’t find phyllo dough the other day but I will check out a different store…I am sure they will have it. The video was nowhere to be found on my iPad either…And I get videos all the time…not sure what the problem is…
Oh, no… I’m sorry about the video, Pati. Maybe try visiting our YouTube channel? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVn4warYFHUopwaO4uR–jw
Absolutely amazing. First time trying it and it came out perfect. However, I would recommend extra Feta.
Thanks for sharing, Hans!
Great recipe
Thank you, Shan!
Please tell me how many blocks of frozen spinach 300g each I nee for the recipe
Hi, Cecile! This recipe calls for 16 oz of frozen chopped spinach. It looks like 16 oz = 454g. So I would say 1.5- 300g packages.