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Home » Greek Recipes » Spanakopita – Greek Spinach and Feta Filo Pies

Spanakopita – Greek Spinach and Feta Filo Pies

Author: Karon Grieve Published : April 2022

Recipe Video
spanakopita
spanakopita
Spanakopita pin image

Spanakopita (aka Greek spinach and feta filo pies) are found in every bakery in Greece and are a staple of Greek cuisine. With their light golden crispy filo pastry and that rich and creamy filling of salty feta and herb-packed spinach, they are a tasty treat perfect for any time of day.

spinach pies with Greek salad behind

Having been lucky enough to live in Crete for three years I must say I ate more than my fair share of spanakopita and practically kept the village bakery in business singlehanded.

This may have done nothing for my waistline but boy did those spinach and feta filo pies taste great.

So what is spanakopita?

Spanakopita (which translates as spinach pie) is either made in a large tray and cut into squares or made into these fun triangular-shaped spinach pies which are easy to carry about and popular as a snack in Greece to eat on the go.

The squares of spanakopita are often served as part of a mezze or as a side dish with something like lamb or chicken. You’ll find this spinach and feta pie on every home table in Greece, it’s a classic.

ingredients for spanakopita

Ingredients

  • Filo (or philo) pastry is the wrapper for these spanakopita.
  • Spinach – I’ve used fresh spinach here, the whole thing including the stems.
  • Herbs – my mix of herbs is what my neighghbour Poppy in Agia Galini used for her spinach pies – dill, mint and parsley.
  • Feta. That classic staple of Greek cooking – go for good quality feta, you will taste the difference I promise you.
  • Nutmeg adds a wonderful flavour to your spanakopita and is used in many Greek dishes.
  • Butter – with filo pastry you need butter to create those wonderful flaky layers.
wilting the spinach in pan
finely chopping the herbs
mixing all the ingredients in a bowl
filling the pastry to make pies

Method

First, you want to wilt that spinach. Simply put it in a pan with a little olive oil and heat for barely three minutes till the spinach has wilted down. Remove it from the pan and once cool enough to handle squeeze the spinach to remove as much water as possible. Now chop up the spinach.

Chop up the herbs nice and finely with a sharp knife and then put them in a bowl along with the spinach and grated nutmeg and some seasoning. Crumble in the feta and add some pepper. You shouldn’t need salt as feta is a salty cheese in the first place.

Working with filo/philo pastry

Unroll the pastry and cut it lengthwise into three strips. Then take the first three strips of pastry and cover the remaining pastry with a damp tea towel.

Have your melted butter ready and divide up the sheets of filo and spread the bottom one with butter, lay on the second, butter that and add the thirst layer of filo pastry.

Now put a tablespoonful of the spinach mixture into the bottom right corner of the pastry and fold it over in a triangle shape. Keep folding the filo pastry over right to left, left to right until it is all used up and you end up with a little triangular filo pastry pie.

Do the same thing with the remaining pastry making all your spanakopita pies.

pies on baking tray buttered with nigella seeds seeds
finished pies on baking tray

Place the spinach and feta filo pies on a baking tray and brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle on some nigella seeds or black or white sesame seeds. The seeds are purely optional and not part of the traditional spanakopita recipe but for me, they add a little extra to this simple pie.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes till golden.

close up of spinach pies with glass of wine behind

Serving ideas

These little spanakopita are perfect as a snack at any time and can be served either warm or cold.

Serve them as part of a Greek mezze with Homemade taramasalata , Skordalia Greek garlic dip and more.

Or you can serve spanakopita as a side to roast lamb etc.

spinach pie with bite taken out of it showing the filling

Storage

Your spinach and feta filo pies will keep for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them in a freezer-proof container for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly and warm the spanakopita in the oven before serving.

larder links

Looking for more delicious Greek recipes to try? Then check these out before you go;

Homemade taramasolata

Greek style fried beetroot

Skordalia Greek garlic dip

How to make simple tzatziki

Or check out my entire Greek section for more exciting recipes.

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.

Photos And Tips AboveMost of my recipes have step by step photos and useful tips plus videos too, see above.
spinach pies with Greek salad behind

Spanakopita (Greek spinach and feta filo pies)

Karon Grieve
These tasty little pastries have a lovely golden flaky crust and the creamiest feta and spinach filling, they are a taste of Greece and the perfect snack on the go or as part of a Greek mezze
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Comment Bookmark Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Course Snacks
Cuisine Greek
Servings 9
Calories 107 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 100 g spinach
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 100 g feta crumbled
  • 1 tbsp dill chopped
  • 1 tbsp mint chopped
  • 1 tbsp parsley chopped
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg grated
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 200 g filo pastry 1 packet
  • 50 g butter melted
  • 1 tbsp nigella seeds or sesame seeds (optional)
Metric – US Customary

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180C and look out a baking sheet
  • Heat the oil in a pan and wilt the spinach for about 3 minutes, when cool enough to handle squeeze out the liquid and chop the spinach
  • Finely chop the herbs and mix these in a bowl with the spinach, crumbled feta, nutmeg and pepper
  • Unroll the filo pastry and cut into three long strips, take the top 3 strips and lay out the first and paint with melted butter, add second layer and butter again then add 3rd layer of filo
  • Place a tbsp of the spinach mixture in the bottom right corner of the buttered filo and fold over diagonally into a triangle then keep folding till you use up the strip of pastry. Make the remaining pies in the same way
  • Place the pies on a baking tray and brush with melted butter and sprinkle with the seeds if you want to and bake for approx 25 minutes till golden

Video

Notes

Filo pastry dries out easily so make sure that the sheets you are not actually working on are covered with a clean damp tea towel to stop them from drying out.
In Greece spanakopita can also be made in a large deep tin and then cut into squares for serving instead of making individual pies as I have here.

Nutrition

Calories: 107kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 4gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 249mgPotassium: 100mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1163IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 77mgIron: 1mg
My Top Tips*Always read the full recipe first. *Assemble all your ingredients and everything you need before you start. *For baking check the size of tins I’m using as this makes a big difference to your cakes. * I use medium sized eggs unless otherwise stated. * I use extra virgin olive oil unless otherwise stated. * I use unsalted butter unless otherwise stated. * Check out My Preserving Kit!
Keyword spanakopita, spinach and feta pies
Tried this recipe?Mention @LarderLove or tag #LarderLove

Filed Under: ALL RECIPES, Appetisers/Starters, Greek Recipes, Home Baking

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Comments

  1. MJ says

    April 26, 2022 at 12:58 am

    Could these be frozen?

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      April 26, 2022 at 9:51 am

      Hi MJ
      Here is the text copied from the blog post right above the recipe card, maybe you missed it.
      Storage

      Your spinach and feta filo pies will keep for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them in a freezer-proof container for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly and warm the spanakopita in the oven before serving.

      Hope this helps
      K

      Reply

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