Easy Puff Pastry Spanakopita

Puff pastry spanakopita, a delicious recipe for Greek spinach and feta pie made easy by using puff pastry instead of phyllo.

Jump to Recipe

golden brown puff pastry spanakopita sprinkled with black sesame seeds.

Flaky pastry with a tasty spinach and feta filling, perfect for Easter brunch or any other occasion. You will love this simple spanakopita with puff pastry so much; you will keep making it, no matter the season.

And check out this mini version of puff pastry spanakopita: Feta and Spinach Triangles. And if you like Greek food, you might want to try this great recipe for Feta Pasta Salad or the Greek Baked Chicken and Potatoes.

Why will you love this recipe?

Super easy: A classic Greek spanakopita is great but working with phyllo (filo dough) is not as easy as using puff pastry sheets.
Quick: It uses shortcuts like puff pastry instead of phyllo and frozen spinach instead of fresh. Still, it’s just as delicious, faster, and easier to make.
No-cook: You will bake the spinach and feta pie, but you will not have to cook the savory filling. Using frozen (and thawed) spinach and green onions instead of regular means nothing must be cooked in a pan.
Versatile: You can serve it as an appetizer, as part of a larger meal (like Easter brunch), or as a main dish with a salad. It’s great party food, and it can be eaten warm or at room temperature.

Recipe ingredients

listed ingredients for making spanakopita on the table.

Frozen spinach: thawed and thoroughly squeezed.

Puff pastry:

A store-bought sheet. I use a rectangular, rolled sheet from the supermarket's refrigerator section, but you can also use frozen dough. In this case, thaw and roll it according to the package instructions.
The sheet I use weighs 275 g/ 9.7 oz and is about 25 cm/ 9.8 inches long.
However, the exact size is not crucial. You will cut some of the overlapping pastry anyway; the sheet has to be large enough to fit into your pie dish well and to be overlapping slightly over the spinach and feta filling.

Feta:

You can use Greek, Turkish, Bulgarian feta cheese, sheep, goat, or cow’s feta, whatever you like or have.
The most important thing is that you use good quality feta in brine, it is the best. Please don’t use pre-crumbled feta.

Black sesame seeds are optional but use them if you have them. You can replace them with white sesame seeds or with Nigella seeds.

Other ingredients for the filling: green onions (scallions), garlic cloves, mint, dill, lemon, egg.

Baking dish:

A medium-sized baking dish, oval is nice but not mandatory.
The oval dish I used is 11 inches/ 28 cm long, 8 inches/ 20 cm wide (at the widest point), and 2 inches/ 5 cm deep.

Step-by-step instructions

Thaw the frozen spinach and squeeze it thoroughly. You can defrost in advance in a sieve or the microwave (1).

frozen and defrosted spinach cubes in a sieve over a bowl.

Dough: If using frozen dough, thaw and roll it on the lightly floured work surface according to the package instructions. If using refrigerated and already rolled pastry, remove it from the fridge about 10 minutes before baking.
Preheat the oven to 375°F/ 190°C. Brush the baking dish with olive oil.
Beat the egg in a small bowl. Remove about ¼ of the egg and keep it separated for later; you will need it to brush the pastry before baking.
Spanakopita filling: Place squeezed spinach in a large bowl. Add the egg (except for what you saved for brushing) finely chopped onions, grated garlic, crumbled feta, dried mint, chopped dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Combine well and adjust the taste if necessary (2).

spanakopita spinach and feta filling in a large bowl.

Drape the dough sheet over the baking dish (3).
Spread the feta and spinach filling inside the pastry (4), then fold in the corners and sides of the dough toward the center. The spinach mixture will not be fully covered in the middle (5).
Trim the edges of the dough a bit to make the pie look nice (See FAQ).
Egg wash: Mix the remaining egg with the milk and brush the pastry with the egg mixture. Sprinkle it with sesame seeds (6).

collage of two pictures of placing pastry in a dish and filling it with spinach.

collage of two pictures of assembling puff pastry spanakopita.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the pie crust is puffed up and golden brown.
Let sit for about 5 minutes before slicing with a sharp knife.

Expert tips

Squeezing all the water out of the thawed spinach is vital; otherwise, the filling will be too wet, and the pastry will turn soggy.
I let the spinach thaw and drain in a sieve, then I take handfuls of it and squeeze them over the sink until it no longer produces any liquid.
You can use either fresh (about 1 tablespoon) or dried (¼ teaspoon) mint and fresh or frozen dill. Please don’t use dried dill; I never recommend it; I find that dill in a dried form tastes like dust.

plate with a slice of spinach feta pie, the whole pie in a dish behind it.

Recipe FAQ

Why do you use frozen spinach?

It’s so much easier to work with; there will be no need to wash it, remove its stems, chop it or cook it. It saves a lot of work.
Frozen spinach is also easier to buy than fresh (at least where I live); it’s much cheaper and often of better quality; fresh spinach has the reputation of being heavily sprayed with pesticides. You can buy organic quality frozen spinach that costs less than a small bag of conventional fresh spinach.

Can I use fresh spinach?

You will need roughly 1 ¾ lb/ 800 g spinach. Wash it, remove the stems, chop it and cook it in olive oil. Let it drain in a sieve and cool completely before making the filling.
Squeeze it to remove the excess liquid if you think it looks wet.

Why do you use puff pastry?

It’s easier to work with than phyllo dough sheets. It’s way cheaper and more available than phyllo.

What to do with the dough scraps?

You can brush the remaining pastry sheet scraps with some of the leftover beaten egg, sprinkle them with seeds (or cheese) and bake them until golden.

Can I make spanakopita pie ahead?

You can make the filling the day before and refrigerate it in an airtight container.
You can also thaw and roll the frozen pastry (if not using already rolled pastry) and place it in the dish a few hours before baking. Only fill the pie before baking.

How to store?

Puff pastry spanakopita is best served immediately or within a few hours after baking. That’s when the pastry is at its best: flaky and crispy.
However, leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The pastry will not be crispy anymore, but the spinach pie will still taste delicious.

What to serve with it?

When baking this easy spanakopita recipe, I always make a green salad, a tomato and onion salad, or a Greek salad (without feta) on the side. It’s also great with roasted vegetables.
If it’s part of the Easter brunch, you can serve it alongside a creamy soup, deviled eggs, roasted lamb, roasted chicken, etc.

overhead view of greek spinach pie with feta in a baking dish and on a plate.

More puff pastry recipes

Do you like this recipe?

Please leave a good rating in the recipe card below. Stay in touch through social media: Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Don’t forget to tag me #whereismyspoon when you try a recipe!