Spanakopita: the iconic traditional Greek Spinach Pie encased in layers upon layers of golden, buttery and flaky filo pastry. For the best Spanakopita of your life, use raw rather than cooked spinach, and bind the phyllo pastry layers using a little finely shredded Greek cheese so they stay together rather than flying everywhere when you cut it!
Spanakopita
If I were to compile the Greatest Hits of dishes I’ve served to friends in recent years, this one shoots straight to the list. It made an appearance at a recent gathering, and to say it was the most popular dish of the night would be an understatement.
It was the first thing to go. There were rave reviews around the table. We were picking at the leftover shards of filo pastry long after the last piece had disappeared.
But the biggest compliment? Silence. To say my group of friends are chatty is a bit of an understatement. So when something renders them totally silent at the table? It’s a serious compliment!! 😂
Ingredients in Spanakopita
Here’s what you need to make this traditional Greek Spinach Pie.
Fresh spinach
Skip the frozen spinach and convenience bags of baby spinach. For the best flavour, the best filling texture, and to ensure the pie base stays crispy, you cannot beat fresh spinach. Sorry folks! You know I always offer convenient alternatives if I think I can get away with it, but in this case, I can’t!
You will need 2 big bunches weighing around 600g/ 1.2lb in total in order to get ~300g/10oz of spinach leaves, once they’re trimmed from the stems.
Other Ingredients
In addition to spinach, here are the other ingredients you need for the Spanakopita filling:
Feta – The other key filling ingredient along with spinach. A combination that’s as Greek as it gets!
Dill and mint – The fresh herb flavours bring an unmissable taste to Spanakopita. Don’t skip it!
Greek yogurt – Or other unsweetened plain yogurt. This is a wet ingredient that makes the filling nice and juicy, but not so wet that it makes the pastry base soggy;
Greek kefalotyri cheese – A traditional Greek hard cheese made from sheep or goat’s milk. It tastes somewhat like parmesan but is different and not as salty or sharp. This is used between the filo sheet layers that form the the top of the Spanakopita so they stick together rather than flying everywhere when you cut – neat trick!
It’s sold at Woolworths and Coles in Australia, or European/Greek delis. Don’t fret if you can’t find it, readily-available cheeses like parmesan, pecorino or romano make excellent substitute! Use leftover kefalotyri cheese for Pastitsio, the traditional Greek Pasta Bake;
Egg – This is what binds the filling together. Egg is, after all, the best food glue known to mankind!
Garlic – Because rarely will you see a Greek dish without garlic (usually much more than just one clove!);
Nutmeg – This is the signature spice used in Spanakopita fillings;
Cayenne pepper – Just a touch, not to make it spicy, but to provide a hint of warmth. It brings an extra little something-something to this Spanakopita!
Lemon – Some zest and juice for brightness;
Green onion – For sweetness and its onion-y taste in the filling;
Butter – Plenty here, for brushing on each and every layer of the filo pastry! It adds flavour plus keeps each layer separated so you get the signature flakiness. Want to up your Spanakopita game? Use clarified butter instead – the buttery flavour is even more intense!
Sesame seeds – To sprinkle on the surface. Using both white and black is a lovely signature look, but you could just double up on one or the other!
Filo pastry for Spanakopita (aka phyllo pastry)
Spanakopita is encased with filo pastry on the base and top. Also known as phyllo pastry, this is a very thin, parchment-like pastry. It is used to make both savoury and sweet pastries and pies in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, such as Baklava. It comes frozen or fresh, in the fridge section of grocery stores.
Tips for handling filo pastry
I know some people are a bit intimidated by the thought of working with filo pastry. It can be prone to breaking if not handled correctly. But if you follow a few simple steps, there’s nothing tricky about it at all!
Fridge (ie. fresh) filo pastry is easier to handle – It’s more pliable than frozen-then-thawed, so you don’t need to be as careful handling it. Find it in the fridge section of grocery stores, usually alongside fresh pasta;
If using frozen filo pastry – Thaw overnight in the fridge. Never try to speed up thawing by placing in a warm environment. It dries the pastry out and makes it brittle so it tends to shatter;
Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes beforehand – Whether using frozen thawed or fresh. Bringing it to room temperature makes it more pliable and therefore easier to handle;
Keep the phyllo pastry covered with a slightly damp tea towel to ensure it doesn’t dry out; and
Handle like tissue paper, ie. with fairy fingers. Don’t manhandle it like a slice of ham!
How to make Spanakopita
It does take time to layer and butter the filo pastry sheets one by one. But a little effort aside, I think you’ll be surprise how straightforward Spanakopita is to make!
Part 1: Filling
The key to the filling is to remove as much water from the spinach as you can so it doesn’t make the pastry base soggy. We do not cook the spinach – the filling flavour is better made with raw rather than cooked spinach. A little tip I picked up from one of the best Greek restaurants in Sydney, Alpha Restaurant!
Sweat spinach with salt to remove water – Sprinkle chopped spinach with a little salt, then leave for 10 minutes. The salt will draw moisture out of the spinach which makes it easier to squeeze out the water;
Wring out water – Put a handful of spinach on a clean tea towel. Bundle it up and twist firmly to squeeze out the water. It’s easiest to work with a handful at a time so you can do this step properly. I usually do it in 3 batches;
Filling – Place spinach with the remaining filling ingredients in a large bowl; and
Mix well – Mix filling well until it’s combined. It should be moist and juicy, but you should not see any water leaching out of the spinach into the base of the bowl.
Part 2: Assembling
You sometimes see Spanakopita baked in a pie dish. I prefer it freeform, baked on a tray, because the filo pastry is crispier – the base and sides.
As noted above, I recommend using refrigerated rather than frozen filo pastry because it’s easier to work with. It’s more pliable, and there’s no need to plan ahead and thaw overnight.
Trim filo pastry – Take the filo pastry out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to bring it to room temperature. This makes it more pliable and less prone to breaking. Then cut 16 sheets to size: 32 x 25cm / 13 x 10″ (rectangle shapes, pictured) or 26cm / 10.5″ squares.
This makes a Spanakopita pie which is 3.5 – 4cm / 1.4 – 1.6″ thick which I think is the perfect thickness for a good filling to pastry ratio. Any thicker, and there’s too much filling. Any thinner, and there’s too much pastry!
The pie base: 8 filo sheets, buttered – Lay a sheet of filo pastry on a baking paper-lined tray, then brush with melted butter. The butter not only adds flavour, it also causes each base layer to separate so you get the signature flakiness;
Repeat – After brushing with butter, top with another sheet of filo pastry and continue repeating until you have used 8 sheets in total;
Filling – Spread the filling in the middle of the pastry base, leaving a 2.5cm/1″ border. Make the surface as level as possible, pressing down lightly to compact the filling;
Brush with butter – Brush the borders of the pastry with butter;
The pie top: 5 filo sheets, butter + cheese – Cover the filling with a sheet of filo pastry. Brush with butter then sprinkle with kefalotyri cheese. Cover with another sheet of filo pastry and repeat. Do filo → butter → kefalotyri cheese for the first 5 sheets of filo pastry;
Grating kefalotyri cheese – You can either grate the cheese then sprinkle it on with your hand, or measure out the amount of cheese required then grate it straight onto the filo pastry (you get more even coverage this way);
The pie top (final sheets): 3 sheets filo, butter only – For filo pastry sheets # 6, #7 and #8, just use butter in between each layer. We skip the cheese for visual reasons; you can see the golden brown bits of cheese under the top layers of the filo otherwise. It also encourages more puffiness for these layers. However it’s really not a big deal if you forget!
Part 3: Finishing
The crimping you see in these steps is optional. It is perfectly acceptable just to press down and seal the edges flat against the tray!
Crimp edges – Fold up the edges then use your fingers to crimp them to create little ruffles. See recipe video below for visual demo;
Pinch corners firmly to tuck in the surplus filo pastry;
Trim the filo pastry all around using scissors so it is around 2cm / 4/5″ high. We don’t want it sticking up too much higher otherwise the ends might become too browned or burn;
Butter and sesame seeds – Brush the surface with melted butter, then sprinkle with sesame seeds;
Bake 25 minutes in a 220°C/430°F oven. A hot oven is key here to make the pastry beautifully golden and crisp on top and on the base without overcooking the spinach filling!
Voila! Set your masterpiece on its serving stage and be prepared for the incredible eating experience about to take place!
And oh my word … the smell that wafts out from the filling when you cut it open is 100% incredible! The perfume of fresh dill and mint, the fresh spinach, the cheesy goodness of the feta, the subtle notes of nutmeg and garlic … it sends everyone within nose-shot into a salivating stupor!
You can see in the photo above how the filo pastry topping is still ultra-flaky but is still (happily) sitting comfortably atop the Filling. This is thanks to the little trick of layering the filo pastry with a bit of cheese which makes them stick together (while simultaneously still allowing for good, flaky, puffing action) rather than flying everywhere.
Because while we do love that spinach filling, let’s face it: Spanakopita wouldn’t be Spanakopita without that flaky, crispy, buttery and wafer-thin pastry. We love it, and we want lots of it. So if it all fell off when we started cutting up the pie, it would just make us sad wouldn’t it?
Sure, we’d scramble and salvage every little pastry shard we could find off the tray / table / plate. But it really is so much more satisfying when all those layers of filo pastry actually stay ON the Spana, leaving the perfect eating experience intact! Right? 🙂 – Nagi x
PS. It was a wonderful discovery at my “New Years’ Eve (Take 2)” party I held a couple of weeks ago that Spanakopita can be assembled earlier in the day and baked in the evening, and you’d be none the wiser. I was concerned the base might get soggy, but I was wrong. However I’m not convinced you could get as good a result if it’s left in the fridge overnight or frozen (unbaked). I would love to be proven wrong on these points, so please do share your findings in the comment section if you try it!
Watch how to make it
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Spanakopita
Ingredients
Spinach:
- 300g/10oz English spinach leaves , trimmed from thick stems, thoroughly washed, dried, then chopped into 2.5cm/1" pieces (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Filling:
- 175g/6oz Greek feta , crumbled
- 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
- 2 green onions / scallions , finely sliced
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp mint , finely chopped
- 1 tbsp dill , finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg , freshly grated
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Filo pastry:
- 16 sheets filo pastry (Note 2)
- 120g/ 8 tbsp butter , melted
- 60g / 2/3 cup Greek Kefalotyri cheese , finely grated (sub parmesan, Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp white sesame seeds (or more black)
- 1/2 tsp black sesame seeds (or more white)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F (200°C fan). Line a tray with baking paper / parchment paper.
Filling:
- Sweat spinach: Place spinach in a large colander or bowl. Sprinkle with salt, toss through. Leave for 10 minutes to sweat.
- Wring out water: Place a handful of spinach in a tea towel, then wring out tightly to remove excess water.
- Filling: Place spinach in a bowl with remaining Filling ingredients. Mix well to combine.
Assembly:
- Trim filo: Cut 16 sheets of filo pastry into 32 x 25cm / 13 x 10" (pictured) or 26cm / 10.5" square.
- 8 base layers: Layer 8 sheets of filo pastry on the tray, brushing each layer with melted butter.
- Filling: Spread filling on filo pastry. Smooth surface and leave a 2.5cm / 1" border.
- 8 Filo topping layers (Note 4): Cover spinach with a sheet of filo pastry. Brush with butter, sprinkle with Kefalotyri. Repeat for Sheets #2 to #5. Then cover with filo sheets #6 to #8, brushing with butter in between, but do NOT sprinkle with cheese (neater finish).
- Seal: Press edges down to seal. Crimp and trim if desired (see process steps in post or video) or just leave the edges flat on the tray.
- Sesame seeds: Brush the top with butter, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake: Bake 25 minutes, or until golden brown on the surface.
- Serve! Serve immediately! It is at its absolute prime fresh out of the oven, though still good as long as its hot (~15 min or so). The base does lose crispiness as it cools.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More Greek classics
Life of Dozer
Typical scene from a road trip up north – Dozer sprawled across the entire back seat. Me, trying to get some work done in the front (passenger 🙂) seat!
Trude La Prade says
I made this and it was FABULOUS! The fresh mint and dill weed with the best feta I found at Costco (from Israel- so creamy and no bite). It was puffy and golden and we really should have made two. Thank you Dozer and momma. You are the best! 👍🏼👏😘
Sarah says
I love your recipes & there’s always at least one that features in our weekly meal planning:) Just a question re this recipe – would silverbeet work well? Spinach seems to have disappeared from the shelves of Harris Farm this week:( Thanks!
Lizzy O'Sullivan says
Great recipe, I work in a cafe and made this with both Fillo and puff, both tasted good but will use the puff in future as easier than buttering all those layers of fillo. was wondering if there was any ingredient I could add to the filling to bulk it out a bit more? Thanks for another great recipe. the last one I made was the mac n cheese with crispy chicken on top which was also a success.
CapnF says
Amazing, Nagi! I didn’t trim my sheets, I ran out of layers early, I didn’t bother leaving a border, I didn’t nicely tuck, trim or crimp… it looked like hell..it tasted HEAVENLY, though!! 🙂 Husband: “Is this another Nagi recipe?! Write it down!!” This was the brightest, freshest tasting spanakopita we have ever, ever had! Which leads us to wonder what restaurants were serving us before. Simply delicious! Couldn’t find the fancy Kefal.- Greek cheeses here in Switzerland, so tried a local “pecoretta” sheep cheese – worked perfectly! Thanks so much for this recipe! Oh my goodness – satisfied a craving, but ruined the status quo spanakopita for me forever! 😉
Michelle says
I’m new to your recipes…love them and your into amazing detail. I made your pumpkin, bacon and feta salad…beautiful.
Amanda Barnes says
Just made this and it is sublime. I think the lemon zest is the killer ingredient that takes it to a whole new level although the layers and layers of divineness do help. x
Joanne says
There’s a reason your friends were speechless with this recipe.. they were too busy keeping an eye on the remaining pieces to see if there was a way to swipe them all with no one noticing.
So good!! Will definitely make again for a special occasion! ❤️
Clair Durow says
I doubled the filling and I only had 6 sheets of filo top and bottom and it worked perfectly! A stunning recipe!
Nagi says
Perfect Clair!! N x
Anne FOSTER says
The best spanikopita I have eaten/ made. Carnivore husband loved it and said “must be a Nagi dish”.
Nagi says
Woah what a compliment Anne!!! I love this! N x
Anna says
I made this last night and it was sooooo yummy! I followed it step-by=step, it was the perfect rainy Sunday dinner 🙂
Nagi says
Thanks so much for letting me know!! N x
Angela says
Hi Nagi. This looks delicious! The flooding down there is all over the news. Hope you guys are all okay.
Nagi says
Where I am is ok, but other parts of Sydney are doing it very tough unfortunately! N x
Angela says
Thank you for replying Nagi. I thought you might not because there’d be too many of these.I thought that picture of Dozer cavorting in the water at the dog park was a great response to everyone who was concerned. It was also hilarious. 🤣🤣 I’m glad you’re doing okay and I hope things continue that way for you. I hope you’ll keep us posted.
Sara says
I loved this version. The cheese between the pastry layers is genius. I used pecorino because I already had it. The addition of mint and lemon (which are not in the recipe I usually use) added zing and I loved the sesame on top. The smell when it came out of the oven was incredible. And it tasted amazing. Thank you.
Nagi says
I’m so glad you tried it Sara, thanks os much for letting me know you enjoyed it!! N x
Sonia says
Oh mannn! Made this today in rainy, wet Sydney and it was so delicious. Thanks once again for the amazing time and effort you put into your recipes. I admire you so much! Even my husband said ‘is this a recipe tin eats’?! 😂😂
Love ya work xx
Nagi says
Thanks so much Sonia, I’m loving that I’m a hit in your house! N x
Barbara says
Thanks for this. I have a recipe for it, but it calls for cooked spinach so I want to try yours. You may also be interested in this trick: cut the top layers of phyllo through to the filling before you put it in the oven. No more shattered phyllo! It works for baklava too.
Nagi says
I’d love to know how mine compares to you usual recipe Barbara!! N x
Barbara says
Mine is easier and probably cheaper. Yours is better tasting. Here’s mine;
Spinach-Cheese Pie (Spanikopita)
Spinach, 700-800 grams frozen
Green Onion, 1 bunch finely chopped
Olive Oil, 2 tablespoons, or a bit more.
Feta Cheese, 250-300 grams, crumbled
Parsley, ¼ cup
Dill 1 tablespoon or a bit more (fresh dill may be easier to find)
Eggs, 2 or 3, beaten
Salt
Filo (also spelled Phyllo) leaves 1 pack – about 14 to 20 sheets. Completely thawed in the unopened pack.
Butter, 1 cup, melted
1. Open the spinach packets and let the spinach thaw completely (Or you can leave it unopened, overnight in the sink.) Then squeeze out as much of the water as you can with your hands or put all the spinach in a clean kitchen towel and wring it dry. Chop roughly.
2. Brown green onions in olive oil. Beat the eggs in a bowl large enough to hold all ingredients. Crumble feta cheese into the bowl and add the spinach, green onions, parsley, dill and eggs; salt lightly. Set aside.
3. Brush some of the melted butter in a deep-sided (maybe 3-4 cm) rectangle pan. Open the pack of filo and unroll the leaves. Peel off one of the filo sheets and lay it in the prepared pan. Brush liberally with butter. Add a second sheet and brush on more butter. Line the bottom of the pan with 6 to 8 filo leaves, buttering each sheet.
4. Spread spinach mix over filo and top with remaining filo, brushing each sheet with butter. Using a knife, cut through the top layers of filo. This helps to facilitate cutting it after it’s baked.
5. Bake at 180°C for 45-60 minutes – until the eggs are set and the top is golden brown. Cool and cut into squares. Serve hot or room temp as an appetizer, side or main dish.
Barbara says
I’m flattered! I’ll post it here, later today
Kylee says
My hubby is Greek so I’ve made my fair share of this over the years. Love your idea of sprinkling cheese between the pastry layers. We can always learn something new! Thank you !!!!
Nagi says
You can never have enough cheese Kylee 😉 I’d love to know if you try this recipe and how it stacks up to yours! N x
J J says
Hi Nagi
Can’t wait to try the spanakopita. In the mean time I have a question about velveting chicken. This has be a game changer with my kids. They love stirfrys, actually all the asian recipes are going down a treat. Anyway I have been using the baking soda method and was wondering if I could velvet the meat and then freeze it so that it would be ready to use on busy days.
Thanks
Nagi says
Hi J J, I hope you love it! In regard to the velveting, you’d need to velvet it, rinse and then freeze – but I need to test this to ensure it doesn’t affect the meat in any way. I’d love to know if you try though! N x
Lesley Wee says
Nagi, spinach pie is my fave. I usually buy from the Greek bakery. Once again, you have inspired me to try myself! We have something called mizithra grated cheese that I think I may use in place of Kefalotyri. I usually have in freezer to put on my spaghetti, You think that would be okay?
Nagi says
Hi Lesley, it really depends if you’re using the soft version or not as that won’t be quite suitable here. If you’re using a hard, grating version of mizithra as Cathy mentioned, just watch the salt content here. N x
Lesley Wee says
Thanks NAGI, for taking the time to reply.
Really good to know. I didnt realize my myzithra was so salty. Im going to look for Kefalotyri . BTW, i made your low cal creamy VEG soup yesterday. Really good!!
Hi to Dozer 🐾😊
Cathy says
Lesley, I Love mizithra cheese! So, so tasty. The hard version of it is much saltier than kefalotiri. Also a bit more pungent tasting. So might keep that in mind when salting filling.
The soft version of mizithra has the texture of ricotta. It is awesome in an omelet. Yum!
Lesley Wee says
Oh good. Thanks Cathy
I will defo keep that in mind. I didnt know about the soft version of mizithra. Good to know. Thanks!
Kat says
Never heard nutmeg in spanakopitta and I’M GREEK!
Nagi says
I hope you try it Kat, it adds a lovely flavour! N x
Joseph says
Also hulled Hemp seed great for topping along with sesames
Nagi says
Great idea Joseph! N x
Joseph says
Also hulled Hempis great for topping along with sesames