Spanakopita is a traditional Greek savory pastry made with layers of crispy phyllo dough filled with a rich mixture of spinach, leeks, scallions, feta cheese, dill and eggs. The filling is wrapped in buttery phyllo sheets, then baked until golden and flaky. Spanakopita is a versatile dish and can be served as an appetizer, snack, or main course. It’s known for its balance of earthy greens, tangy cheese, and delicate pastry crunch.

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Melted butter drizzled on the finished pie

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Tips for Making the Perfect Spanakopita

Sauté the vegetables

Many versions of spanakopita call for raw spinach in the filling. While this is definitely a time saver, sautéing the vegetables has a few benefits. First, it provides an extra depth of flavor to the spanakopita due to the spinach and leeks soaking up the flavorful oil. Second, it prevents your finished spanakopita from being soggy since the moisture in the spinach is released during the sautéing process instead of during the baking process.

leeks or onions?

Leeks have a mildly sweet flavor that pairs well with the garlic, scallions, and spinach. If you don’t have them on hand or don’t have time to get them, you can easily substitute with white or yellow onions or shallots. You can also add onions or shallots with the leeks to deepen the flavors in the spanakopita.

convection vs. conventional baking

If you have a convection setting, I highly recommend using it for spanakopita. I use the convection setting on most of my dishes containing phyllo to crisp up the bottom layer of phyllo. There’s nothing worse than soggy bottom spankopita. It will still come out great using a conventional oven setting, just be sure to cook it long enough.

Can I use a different size pan?

Absolutely. Using a half sheet pan (13 x 18) results in thinner pieces of spanakopita. If you prefer thicker pieces (i.e. more filling per piece), you can use a smaller pan. Since the vegetables were sautéed, the baking time can stay the same as long as the spanakopita is cooked through and the phyllo is golden and flaky.

Equipment

half sheet pan
stand mixer (optional)

Ingredients

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 leeks white and light green part diced
6 green onions thin sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
16 ounces baby spinach roughly chopped
1 lb feta
15 ounces ricotta cheese
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
3 tbsp fresh dill finely chopped
3 large eggs
1 package store-bought phyllo
8 tbsp salted butter melted

Instructions

Making the Spanakopita Filling

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the leeks, green onion, and garlic until fragrant.
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 leeks, 6 green onions, 2 cloves garlic
Add the spinach, and saute until wilted.
16 ounces baby spinach
Remove pan from heat and allow the spinach mixture to cool. Drain any excess liquid that accumulates.
Use a stand mixer on low speed (or mix by hand) to combine feta, ricotta, salt, pepper, and dill.
1 lb feta, 15 ounces ricotta cheese, ½ tsp sea salt, 1 tsp fresh ground pepper, 3 tbsp fresh dill
Add the cooled spinach mixture to the feta mixture, and mix on low speed until combined.
Add the eggs and mix until no streaks of yellow remain. Store the filling in the fridge while you prepare the pan.
3 large eggs

Assembling the Spanakopita

Preheat oven to 375℉ convection (or 400℉ conventional).
Line the bottom of your rimmed half sheet pan (13 x 18) with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Set 4 sheets of phyllo to the side and cover them with a kitchen towel followed by a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out. These will be used for the top of the spanakopita.
From the remaining sheets of phyllo, carefully place one sheet n the bottom of the pan. Drizzle lightly with melted butter. Repeat with a second sheet of phyllo.
With the third sheet of phyllo, place it half inside the pan and allow the other half to hang over the right edge of the pan. Place the next sheet of phyllo half inside the pan and allow the other half to hang over the left edge of the pan. Lightly drizzle melted butter on the phyllo inside of the pan.
Repeat this process with two more sheets of phyllo allowing the excess to hang over the top and bottom sections of the pan. Lightly drizzle melted butter on the phyllo inside of the pan.
Repeat Steps 4 and 5 until you have used all the phyllo.
Spread the spanakopita filling evenly inside the pan with the phyllo.
Fold all of the phyllo hanging outside the pan over to cover the filling. Lightly drizzle melted butter between the layers.
Using the four reserved sheets of phyllo, crinkle one sheet at a time and place them on the top of the spanakopita until covered. This will give the spanakopita a nice look and texture.
Drizzle the remaining butter on the top of the spanakopita and score into 16 pieces.
Bake spanakopita for 45 mintues (or until the top is golden brown and flaky). Allow to rest for 10-15 mintues before serving.