You only need 7 simple ingredients to make the best Greek spinach pie (Spanakopita). And by following this authentic recipe with an easy step-by-step guide (plus a video and ALL the tips) you'll make it even better than my grandma! If you're vegan just skip the feta cheese.
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The most popular, classic savory Greek pies are Spanakopita and Tiropita (cheese pie).
Spanakopita is made with spinach and may or may not contain feta cheese (skip the feta if you're vegan). A very similar pie is Hortopita which is made with wild leafy greens instead of spinach (we call them horta in Greece).
If you love Greek cuisine don't miss this tiropita (cheese pie) with puff pastry and bechamel sauce which is a variation of the classic Greek cheese pie made with feta and this Greek ground beef pie recipe (kreatopita) in which I like to add some eggplant for extra flavor. If you prefer chicken, you'll love this Greek style deep dish chicken pot pie with puff pastry crust.
😍 Why I love this recipe
These are some of the reasons why I love this authentic Greek spinach and feta pie:
✓ Easy: By using store-bought phyllo, all you have to do is cook the leeks and the spinach and then fill the pie.
✓ Delicious. Crunchy and flaky layers of phyllo pastry, creamy filling, sweetness from the leeks. I may be biased since I'm Greek, but just as all traditional Greek food, this Spanakopita tastes amazing!
✓ Versatile: It can be enjoyed as an appetizer or meze, as a healthy side dish, light lunch, tasty afternoon snack or a wholesome breakfast.
📋 Greek Spinach Pie Ingredients
For this traditional Spanakopita recipe you'll only need the following 7 ingredients:
Spinach: It can be fresh spinach or frozen. Frozen spinach will save you the trouble of washing and chopping but it may take a bit longer to cook.
Leeks: They offer sweetness, depth of taste, and balance the flavor of the spinach pie perfectly. I highly recommend them!
Extra-virgin olive oil: You can also use melted butter, but olive oil is traditionally used in most pies.
Phyllo pastry: Phyllo (or filo) is a type of dough made from wheat flour and water and rolled into thin sheets. In Greece, you can find thin phyllo (called "phyllo kroustas") and traditional phyllo which is thicker. You can use both types without any problems.
*If you prefer to make your own homemade phyllo you can follow this recipe for Easy Greek Olive Oil Homemade Crust - Phyllo by olivetomato.com or this homemade phyllo dough (recipe by allrecipes.com).
🥣 Substitutions - Variations
Other types of crust: You can also use puff pastry or your favorite pie crust. In this case, you won't need the olive oil which is used for greasing the phyllo sheets.
Instead of feta cheese you can use goat cheese or another type of white cheese. Cottage cheese and ricotta cheese are lighter alternatives, but I find they lack flavor.
With herbs: Adding fresh herbs to every food is a classic Mediterranean way to enhance flavor, so if you have fresh dill, fresh parsley, mint, green onions or chives don't hesitate to chop some and add it to the filling (the same time when you add the feta).
Vegan Spanakopita. Spanakopita without feta is a classic Greek vegan food especially during periods of fasting (like Sarakosti). Keep in mind that if you omit the feta the filling will be as tall, but that's normal. Another option is to use tofu.
Other shapes: Most Greek pies are made in large shallow round pans. If you want to make it into individual portions, you can shape it into triangles (though it's much more work). This spanakopita triangles recipe (by feelgoodfoodie.com) shows you how to do it.
Another variation is to make a large spiral. You can see how to make it in this article for spanakopita spiral (recipe by antonioufillo.com.au)
🔪 How to Make Spanakopita
Follow this easy step-by-step guide to make the best traditional Greek spinach pie recipe every time!
1. Chop the spinach and the leeks.
2. Sauté the leeks in a large, deep pot and when they're soft and translucent, add the spinach. Stir from time to time until the spinach wilts down and continue cooking over medium heat until all of the juices are evaporated.
If you don't want to wait for the juices to evaporate you can also let it cool and squeeze the mixture by hand to remove all the excess moisture (this will prevent a soggy bottom).
3. Add the crumbled feta cheese and freshly grated black pepper and mix to combine.
4. Brush a baking dish with olive oil and cover it with the two thirds of the phyllo pastry making sure that the sheets of phyllo dough overlap the dish. Brush each sheet with olive oil and arrange it in a ruffled way, as this traps air in between and makes them crunchier.
5. Fill the pie with the spinach and feta filling and level the surface with a spatula.
6. Fold inwards the overlapping phyllo sheets and cover the pie with the remaining phyllo, greasing each layer with olive oil.
7. Score the top layer with a sharp knife (don't go all the way down) and lightly sprinkle the surface of the pie with 2 tablespoons of water (this makes for a crispier crust). Bake in the oven until golden brown. Once slightly cooled, you can cut it into pieces.
👨🍳 Expert Tips
✤ Reduce the moisture in the filling as much as possible (either by cooking or by squeezing the filling with your hands). Excess moisture will dampen the bottom of the pie.
✤ While working with phyllo, cover the sheets with a lightly damp kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out.
✤ There's no right or wrong way for how to arrange the phyllo inside the baking dish, as long as you cover the bottom and the sides without leaving any areas uncovered.
✤ The phyllo should be ruffled/wrinkled because you want some air trapped between the layers. This will cook the phyllo better and make it crispier.
✤ Gently brush the surface of the phyllo with olive oil without compacting the sheets - remember you want some air trapped in between.
✤ Sprinkle some water over the surface of the spinach pie before putting it in the oven. This will make the crust crispier.
✤ If your pies are baked with their bottom soft or soggy, try to bake them in the lower rack of the oven, or bake using the bottom heat setting.
💭 FAQs
The filling had a lot of moisture, either because the spinach was not cooked long enough or because it wasn't squeezed to removed the excess juices.
Another reason is that the pie wasn't cooked in the lower rack of the oven or with the bottom heating setting.
You can make the spanakopita 1-2 days before, wrap it with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. Bake it the day you want it, straight from the fridge.
Yes, you can store the un-baked spanakopita in the freezer for up to six months.
Many recipes say you can bake it straight from the freezer (and it works) but if you have the time, it is best to thaw it in the refrigerator from the previous day.
The best way to store any leftover spanakopita is to transfer it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Spanakopita can be eaten warm or cold. If you prefer to reheat it, you can put it in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) for 10-15 minutes. An airfryer is also great for this job.
🍳 Food pairing
What is spanakopita served with?
This homemade spinach pie can be served as a main course on its own or as a tasty side dish. Here are some dishes that it pairs well with:
If you tried this easy Greek Spinach Pie Recipe (Traditional Spanakopita) or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
🎥Recipe Video
📖 Recipe
Easy Greek Spinach Pie (Traditional Spanakopita)
Equipment
- 1 14 x 10inch (36 x 25cm) casserole dish or a round cake pan approximately 12-14 inches (30-35 cm) in diameter.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound (450 g) leeks ( chopped)
- 2 pounds (900 g) fresh spinach, chopped (you can also use frozen spinach)
- 1 pound (450 g) feta cheese (crumbled)
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoons black pepper
For the phyllo:
- 15.8 oz (450 g) phyllo dough (or filo pastry)
- ½ cup (115 g) olive oil
Instructions
- Chop the spinach and the leeks.
- Transfer the olive oil and the leeks to a large pot and saute over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are soft, glossy and translucent. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts down. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until all the excess moisture is evaporated. This will prevent a soggy bottom.*If you're in a hurry, cook the spinach for 10 minutes, and drain the excess liquid from the pot or squeeze the mixture by hand.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool down for a few minutes. Add the crumbled feta cheese, the freshly grated black pepper and a pinch of salt. Mix to combine, taste and adjust the salt and the pepper if needed.
- Preheat your oven to 375 °F (190 °C)
- Grease your baking dish with olive oil and cover it with the two thirds of the phyllo pastry, brushing each sheet of phyllo dough with olive oil and making sure that the sheets overlap the dish. It's best to arrange the sheets ruffled, as this traps air and makes them crispier after baking.
- Fill the pie with the spinach and feta filling and level the surface with a spatula.
- Fold inwards the overlapping phyllo sheets and cover the pie with the remaining phyllo, greasing each layer with olive oil. Tuck the surface phyllo between the pie and the edges of the pan.
- Score the top layer with a sharp knife (don't go all the way down) and lightly sprinkle the surface of the pie with 2 tablespoons of water (this makes for a crispier crust). Bake in the oven until golden brown. Bake in the lower rack of your oven for 60 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let it cool for 30 minutes before cutting into pieces.
Alex says
super good ! Thanks so much for the recipe
Makos says
Thanks for the feedback Alex!
Marea K Rice says
This spanakopita is delicious!
Makos says
Thanks so much Marea, I appreciate it!
Hannah says
This recipe is AHmazing!! So flaky and tasty, don’t scrimp on the olive oil 😉
Makos says
Thank you so much Hannah!
Anne says
LOVE this recipe! Absolutely delicious and easy to make.
Makos says
Hi Anne, thank you so much!!!
George says
5 stars! Made it with a homemade phyllo. The filling was very tasty, I believe because of the leeks. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Nellie says
Great Recipe. Easy to follow and the result was exceptional. I am a non-Greek who made this spanakopita in Greece and treated my Greek friends and it was a success. Thank you
Makos says
Hi Nellie!
Really? I’m so happy it was a success 🙂
Apheleia says
Kudos Chef! I made this 12/3/2024, this recipe is a keeper, very easy. I have made about 3-4 other spinach pie recipes before but this was really good. Previously, I used butter, per the recipe but I think I will be using a very good olive oil from now on. I did add 1-bunch of sauteed chopped fresh parsley to the entire batch of filling. I also made a slight presentation change, I used 4-5 filo sheets and 1-cup of filling and rolled mine like I was wrapping a burrito or "hot-pocket". I made 4 packets and put the rest of the filling in the freezer along with the other roll of filo dough.
There are so many awful and overly complicated recipes with too many ingredients out there, I'm thankful to have found someone that knows that cooking is not hard.
Makos says
Hi Apheleia, thank you so much!!!
I’ve tried to keep it as simple as possible, but here in Greece we use to also add whatever fresh herbs we have available, such as parsley (as you did), dill, green onions, or chervil 😊
Bon appetit! 💚
Effie says
This was very well explained and turned out delicious! It totally complemented my dinner of filet mignon, mashed potatoes, Brussel sprouts and salad.Thank you!
Makos says
Thank you so much Effie! I’m very happy you liked it!!! 😊
Adrian Hall says
If the answer to my question is in the post I missed it, I’m sorry. Do I freeze this before or after baking?
Makos says
Hi Adrian,
I suggest freezing it before baking because if you freeze it after, the phyllo will not be crispy.
Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed. Good luck!