Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Greek · Mediterranean

Spanakopita

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Σπανακόπιτα · Spanakópita

Crisp layers of olive-oil-brushed filo around a filling of spinach, spring onions, dill and feta. Good warm or at room temperature.

Spanakopita is a Greek pastry from Greece, ready in about 1 hour 40 minutes and made with spinach, feta and filo pastry. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Close-up of fresh spinach and feta spanakopita slices on parchment paper.
Photo: Valeria Boltneva / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
35 min
Cook
50 min
Rest
15 min
Total
1 h 40 min
Serves
8
Level
Intermediate
Calories
307

Ingredients

8 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Toss the spinach (opens in a new tab) with the salt in a large bowl and leave for 10 minutes to wilt. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible by the handful.

    • 12 min

  2. Step 2

    Soften the spring onions (opens in a new tab) in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Combine with the spinach (opens in a new tab), dill (opens in a new tab), parsley (opens in a new tab), feta (opens in a new tab), eggs (opens in a new tab), pepper (opens in a new tab) and nutmeg (opens in a new tab).

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Oil a 23 × 33 cm dish. Lay in 5 sheets of filo (opens in a new tab), brushing each with oil and letting them overhang. Spread the filling evenly.

    Keep the filo you aren't using covered with a damp tea towel so it doesn't dry out.

  4. Step 4

    Fold the overhang in, then cover with the remaining sheets, oiling each one. Tuck the edges in, brush the top and score into portions through the top layers only.

    • 6 min

  5. Step 5

    Bake until deep golden and crisp. Rest for 15 minutes before cutting.

About this dish

Origin
Greece · Well documentedMore food from Greece
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Pastries · Main courses · Appetizers & starters
Cooking method
Oven-baked, Sautéed
Taste
savoury, salty, herby
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Mediterranean-style · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Portable / lunchbox
Cook more with
Spinach · Feta · Filo pastry · Spring onion · Dill · Parsley
Techniques
Baking · Sautéing

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom feta
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom filo pastry
  • Contains: Glutenfrom filo pastry

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

307 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 220 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 15%
  • Carbohydrate 25%
  • Fat 61%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy307 kcal139 kcal
Protein11.6 g5.3 g
Carbohydrate19.5 g8.9 g
Net carbohydrate15.9 g7.2 g
Sugars0.9 g0.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3.6 g1.7 g
Fat21.3 g9.6 g
Saturated fat6.6 g3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol74 mg34 mg
Sodium883 mg401 mg
Salt equivalent2.2 g1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
814 mg
Calcium
304 mg
Iron
5.1 mg
Magnesium
115 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
669 µg
Vitamin C
42 mg
Vitamin D
0.4 µg
Vitamin B12
0.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
305 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: nutmeg.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Squeezing the spinach thoroughly is the key to a crisp base.

Common mistakes

  • Wet filling, which makes the bottom pastry soggy.

Serve with

  • Serve with Greek village salad and yogurt.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge; freeze unbaked or baked for up to 2 months.

Reheating

  • Reheat in a 170 °C oven for 15 minutes to re-crisp.

Variations

  • Spanakotyropita (Greece): With extra cheese (feta plus a softer cheese) for a richer filling.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 35 min

    Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.

  2. Bake · about 50 min at 180 °C

    Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.

  3. Cool · about 15 min

    Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.

  4. Start to finish: about 1 h 40 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Crust too hard or thick

    Likely causes

    • Baked too long at too low a temperature
    • No steam at the start

    What to do

    • Bake hotter for a shorter time
    • Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
    • Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like