Classic Spanakopita Recipe (Greek Spinach Pie)

Here is a classic spanakopita recipe. This Greek spinach pie is made with phyllo dough, spinach and feta. It's packed with so much flavor. One slice is never enough! Be sure to check out our step by step tutorial and video.

Greek food is central to Mediterranean cuisine and always involves tasty and fresh ingredients. A few of our most popular Greek recipes include chicken souvlaki, Greek meatballs (keftedes), pastitsio, and, of course, the famous Greek moussaka. This easy spanakopita recipe is another popular Greek delicacy that's super delicious and fun to make at home, just look at those crispy phyllo layers!

Table Of Contents:

• What is spanakopita?
• Two ways to make spanakopita
• Ingredients
• Phyllo dough vs. puff pastry
• Instructions
• Keep the phyllo from drying out
• Serving suggestions
• What to do with leftovers
• Freeze now and bake later
• Frequently asked questions
• Notes and tips
• More Greek Recipes
• Step-by-Step Recipe

What is spanakopita?

Pronounced spah-nah-KO-pee-tah, this savory Greek pie is a classic recipe of the Mediterranean made of a spinach and feta filling layered or wrapped in tissue-thin phyllo dough that gets crispy after it's baked. Every Greek restaurant or pop-up at the farmers' market carries this savory pasty and you can usually buy it by the slice. Just like spanakorizo (Greek spinach rice) and spinach pesto pasta, this dish is packed with greens and is so comforting.

People in different regions of Greece may use different herbs for the filling. Spinach is the most common filling, which you'll find in almost all spanakopita recipes. However, people use other greens such as leeks, chard, and green onion as well.

Two ways to make spanakopita

You can make this spinach and feta pie two ways. Both are delicious and easy to make:

• In a baking dish: The phyllo dough and the spinach filling are layered in a casserole dish and sliced before or after the spinach pie is baked. In today's recipe, we are using a large baking dish.
• Hand pies: Spanakopita triangles are made with the same phyllo dough and spinach filling, but the filling is wrapped in a phyllo dough individually. You've probably seen pre-made spanakopita like this in the frozen food section of your local supermarket.

Ingredients

You only need a handful of ingredients to make this spanakopita recipe at home, most of them being the herbs and greens for the filling.

• Onion: I usually use yellow onion for this recipe but white onion works as well.
• Garlic: I used only 3 small cloves of garlic. If the cloves you have are bigger, use one or two. We don't want the garlic flavor to overpower everything else.
• Spinach: Our recipe calls for fresh spinach. In the FAQs, I've also explained how to use frozen spinach.
• Parsley: This adds so much flavor to the dish. Remember: don't discard the stems because that's where all the flavor is!
• Dill: You can use fresh or dried dill for this recipe.
• Green onions: Use both white and green parts to make the filling.
• Feta: I always prefer to get a block of feta and crumble it myself since it's softer and more delicious. You can use the leftovers to make this easy marinated feta.
• Eggs: We use eggs to bind all the ingredients together.
• Phyllo dough: You can use the phyllo dough found in the frozen section of many supermarkets. Make sure to thaw it in the fridge before using.
• Olive oil: The layers are phyllo dough are brushed with olive oil for extra crispiness and flakiness.

Phyllo dough vs. puff pastry

Puff pastry and phyllo are two different products that cannot be used interchangeably. While puff pastry has a butter base, phyllo dough has a flour and water base and almost no fat. Puff pastry puffs into layers when baked whereas phyllo sheets get crispy and flaky when baked. Phyllo sheets are much thinner than puff pastry (almost tissue-thin) and you need several layers when making a dish.

When using phyllo dough, you need to brush each layer with melted butter or olive oil in order to stick them together. Both phyllo and puff pastry can be used for sweet or savory recipes.

Instructions

Don't be intimidated! Follow this recipe step by step (don't forget to watch the video) and you'll be able to make this dish with no hassle!

Make the filling

Start by sautéing the onion and garlic in some olive oil over medium heat. Add in spinach and cook until wilted.

Discard the excess liquid and leave the spinach to cool for a few minutes. Once the mixture is cool, mix it with chopped parsley, dill and green onion. Add in crumbled feta and the eggs.

Assemble

Brush the baking dish with some olive oil and layer a sheet of phyllo dough in the baking dish. Brush the phyllo sheet with some olive oil and top it with another phyllo sheet.

Repeat until you have five layers of phyllo sheets. Spread the spinach and feta filling evenly over the phyllo. Top with another five layers of phyllo sheet, brushing each sheet or two with olive oil.

Bake 

Once you're oven is hot at 350ºF, bake spanakopita in the oven until the top is golden brown and crispy, about one hour. Remove from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes and then slice and serve.

Keep the phyllo from drying out

Phyllo is a very delicate and thin dough that dries pretty quickly once exposed to air. This might make working with phyllo a bit hard. It's best to have a couple of damp kitchen towels on hand. Once you take a sheet out, cover the rest with the damp kitchen towel.

Serving suggestions

You can serve spanakopita as an appetizer or a delicious vegetarian dinner. Here are some ideas for sides:

• Greek salad: classic and tasty! A plate of fresh Greek salad is always a good idea!
• Tzatziki: One of my favorite sides for almost any Greek dish.
• Greek potatoes: You can make these potatoes while the spanakopita is baking in the oven. So delicious!

What to do with leftovers

Spanakopita is best served warm right out of the oven. If you have leftovers, portion them and store them in airtight containers. You can reheat it in the oven at 250ºF for about 15 to 20 minutes until heated through.

It's also possible to freeze the leftovers. Wrap the slices individually in plastic wraps and then aluminum foil and then freeze. To reheat, simply unwrap them and place them on a baking sheet coated with non stick spray. Bake at 275ºF for 30 minutes, no need to thaw in advance.

Freeze now and bake later

This dish freezes very well. The key is to freeze spanakopita before baking. Once you've layered the phyllo sheets and the filling, wrap the dish tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. You can freeze it for up to two months. To bake frozen spanakopita, please uncover the dish and bake it at 350ºF for about one hour and ten minutes. Check to make sure it's cooked completely and if not, bake for another additional ten minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Notes and tips

1. Make sure to wash and dry the herbs before you start cooking the recipe.
2. The spinach and herbs are all finely chopped. You can use a chopper to get the right consistency.
3. As for the phyllo dough, you need to let it thaw overnight in the fridge before using it. Therefore, a little bit of planning is needed to make this recipe.
4. Phyllo is very thin and delicate and it might tear while you're assembling the spanakopita. As you can see in the video, mine also tears while assembling and that's totally fine. There will be no change in texture or flavor.

More Greek Recipes

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Step-by-Step Recipe