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.
I forgot to ask do I use the entire one pound package of Phyllo Dough when making the Spanakopita. The recipe is a little unclear to me. Thank you.
Yes, Mogi! We use the entire package here.
If I make this Spanakopita a day ahead, do I assemble it in the pan with the Phyllo Dough or just mix all of the ingreadients ahead of time and refrigerate separate, then assemble with teh Phyllo Dough the next day and bake.
The better option will be to prepare the filling mixture and refrigerate, then assemble the next day. Enjoy.
Hi Suzy. Can I make the filling a day ahead and assemble the pie tomorrow morning ? Also should I score the top filo before baking for easier serving ?? 😉
Hi Mary, yes you can make the filling and save in the fridge for next day. And scoring the top before cooking will help 🙂
I made this dish and it’s quite tasty but I call bullshit on the 20 minute prep time. Otherwise I will probably make it again.
Hahahaha! I’m glad you liked it!!
I would love to make this pie, could I please have the recipe!
Hi there, the recipe is listed toward the bottom of the page 🙂 You can scroll down or hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top. Enjoy
I made this last night as I’ve been wanting to make this for years. I have never made anything with phyllo pastry before so even though i consider myself an experienced cook this was new. I followed the recipe exactly as I do for anything I try the first time (only fair right?). It was perfect. Looked beautiful and tasted great. As a first timer I’d add way more time to the prep time but it hat was me being careful and never handling Physio before. Next time I’ll experiment with spices but everything else I wouldn’t change. Awesome recipe thanks !
Oops. Ignore my typos. Auto correct at its best ?
Thanks so much for sharing, Sandra! I’m so glad your first attempt at Spanakopita was successful!
I live 20 minutes away from Tarpon Springs, FL and my husband still says this is his favorite Spanakopita (sorry Hellas). I don’t make it often because working with Phyllo dough makes me insane. 😉 Awesome recipe!!
Thanks so much for sharing, Catherine. Glad this recipe is a winner for you.
Very good recipe. The casserole ver filling and flavorful. The recipe doesn’t include salt and I wasn’t sure how that would taste but the feta cheese is salty so I don’t recommend adding any salt. Also I used dehydrated tomatoes to help soak up extra fluid and that did the trick plus added a little extra flavor. Also I didn’t have the parsley so I substituted 2 stalks of celery diced and that seemed to work fine! Thanks for the enjoyable recipe Suzy!
Thank you for sharing, Melinda! glad you enjoyed it.
Is this recipe using a conventional oven or a convection oven?
Thanks!
Hi Sarah, typically conventional oven unless “convection” is specifically stated.
Made this last night and it was fantastic! My husband said it tasted like restaurant quality.
Maria, that’s fantastic! So glad it worked out.
Did the recipe last night. It was good, but as the onion was not previously cooked, it felt too raw in the finished product.
Next time I will precook the onion before adding it to the mixture.
Thanks for sharing, Ana. This I haven’t heard before from others as the amount of time in the oven should be more than sufficient to cook the filling including the onions. But certainly, you can precook them to your liking.
Looks fab! If I am using fresh phyllo would I need the same weight?
Yes, Kat. Same weight applies.
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! I made it this afternoon and it was delicious!
My pleasure, Melanie! Thank you!
I’ve made this before, but your recipe is much better explained and had more parsley (yummmm). Thank you so much.
The filling was tougher than I’d like. I’m guessing I didn’t chop the spinach and parsley finely enough? Any suggestions?
Thanks, Lisa. Yes, I’d advice you to chop the parsley finely. Also, I use thawed spinach from frozen and make sure it is super well drained. It looks like you used fresh spinach? If so, you’ll want to cook that a bit to wilt and drain well before adding.
I have made this several times, both with frozen or fresh spinach. The first time I made it, I didn’t have dill or parsley, so I did a blend of dried oregano, basil, and thyme. It was good. Second time was dill, oregano, and added green scallions (thin or Chinese leek?), a little heavier on the garlic. So very good.
As long as the bottom & top 2 layers of phyllo don’t rip badly, it turns out just fine. I’ll give you my trick for easy and even olive oil dispersement. The cheapest roll of paper towels with no fuzz that flakes off? Soak it in olive oil, crumple into a smaller ball and gently wipe the sheets as you layer them. I have never seen paper particles come off and it doesnt involve stiff bristles that might tear the sheets. You can squeeze almost all of it out over the top at the end. I don’t even saran wrap my dough pile, just throw a tea towel on top and quickly go at it.
I hope to use baby kale mixed in next, and make hand pies using a larger muffin pan. A local Halal market carries several thicknesses of the Phyllo dough (and only $3 a box! It’s so expensive everywhere else!) and has ordered the thicker ones for me. Wish me luck!
Thanks so much, Meghan for sharing your feedback and special tips!
How many cups of parsley about ?
About 3 cups