Greek Spinach Pie | Vegan Spanakopita

Vegan spanakopita is the plant-based version of the classic Greek spinach pie: crisp, golden phyllo wrapped around a soft, savory spinach filling, coiled into a spiral and baked until shatteringly flaky. It is one of the most beloved Greek comfort foods, and this version keeps every bit of the flavor while swapping the feta for smoked tofu and cashews. Make it for a family lunch, a picnic, or any time you want something rustic and impressive without much fuss.

For my recipe, I used vegan phyllo sheets, smoked tofu, cashews and, of course, plenty of chopped spinach. Traditional spanakopita leans on feta for that salty, tangy backbone, so I wanted a swap that brought both savoriness and texture. Smoked tofu does exactly that, and the cashews add little pockets of richness in every bite. It is served warm or at room temperature across Greece, but I definitely recommend eating it when it is hot and fresh out of the oven, while the phyllo is at its crackliest.

What goes into this vegan spinach pie

The filling is built on a few humble ingredients, each doing a specific job. Here is what you are working with and why it matters:

• Spinach — the star. The recipe uses frozen chopped spinach, thawed with the excess liquid squeezed out. That squeezing step is the single most important thing you can do, because wet spinach is what makes phyllo soggy.
• Smoked tofu — crumbled in, it stands in for feta and brings a savory, slightly smoky depth. If you want a vegetarian version with cheese, you can use ricotta instead.
• Raw cashews — finely chopped, they add gentle richness and a bit of bite throughout the filling.
• Onion and garlic — sauteed first to build a savory base. Six cloves of garlic sounds like a lot, but it mellows beautifully as it cooks.
• Phyllo sheets — the thin pastry that crisps into shattering layers. Use vegan phyllo to keep the pie plant-based; most supermarket brands already are, so check the label.
• Vegan butter — melted and brushed between the sheets, it is what turns pale pastry into golden, crisp layers. Use regular butter if you are making the dairy version.
• Spring onion, olive oil, salt and pepper — the finishing touches that season and brighten everything.

The secret to crisp, flaky phyllo

Phyllo has a reputation for being fussy, but two things make it foolproof. First, keep the stack you are not actively using covered with a clean, slightly damp kitchen towel. Phyllo dries out and cracks within minutes of hitting the air, and a towel keeps it pliable. Second, be generous but even with the melted butter between the layers. The butter is not just for flavor: as it heats, it steams and separates the delicate sheets, which is exactly what creates those crisp, distinct layers instead of a dense, chewy crust.

When you spoon the filling along the edge, keep it to a narrow strip, about 2 cm wide, so the roll stays tight and the pastry-to-filling ratio stays balanced. Roll it into a long log, then coil that log into a spiral in the center of your dish. Slot each new roll against the last so the spiral grows outward and holds its shape as it bakes.

Tips for the best spanakopita

• Drain the spinach ruthlessly. After thawing, press it in a colander or wring it in a clean towel until barely any liquid comes out. Too much moisture is the number one cause of a soggy bottom.
• Let the filling cool before assembling. Hot filling will melt the butter on the phyllo and make the sheets tear, so give it time to come down to at least room temperature.
• Season the filling well. Without feta’s built-in saltiness, taste and adjust the salt and pepper before you wrap. A well-seasoned filling makes all the difference.
• Bake until deeply golden. Pale phyllo is underdone phyllo. Give it the full roughly 40 minutes at 180 C, until the top is a rich golden brown and crisp to the touch.
• Let it rest a few minutes before slicing so the layers set and hold their shape.

What to serve with Greek spinach pie

Spanakopita is hearty enough to be a light meal on its own, but it really shines as part of a Greek-style spread. Serve it alongside a crisp vegan Greek salad for freshness and crunch, and set out a bowl of tzatziki for dipping the warm, flaky slices. If you want to turn it into a fuller meal, a bowl of vegan red lentil soup on the side rounds things out nicely. It also travels well, so it is a favorite of mine for picnics and potlucks.

Make-ahead and storage

You can assemble the spiral a few hours ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, then bake it fresh when you are ready to serve. Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. To bring back the crispness, reheat slices in a hot oven or an air fryer for a few minutes rather than the microwave, which softens the phyllo. Spanakopita also freezes nicely, either baked or unbaked; if freezing unbaked, you can bake it straight from frozen, just add a little extra time until the top is golden.

Hope you will like my vegan spinach pie recipe as much as we do! If you make it, I would love to know how it turned out — please rate the recipe below and drop a comment telling me whether you went with the smoked tofu or tried the ricotta version, and how crisp you managed to get that phyllo.

Greek Spinach Pie | Vegan Spanakopita

Here’s how you can make the popular spanakopita – a delicious, savory, Greek spinach pie made with pastry and a soft spinach filling. Plus, it’s vegan!

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Rate

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Choose Serving Size 6

Ingredients 

MetricUS (Imperial)

• 20 cups spinach frozen, chopped, thawed and excess liquid removed
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups smoked tofu crumbled (use ricotta for vegetarian version with cheese)
• ½ cup raw cashew nuts finely chopped
• 15 phyllo sheets
• ½ cup vegan butter melted (use normal butter for vegetarian version with dairy)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 Tbsp spring onion chopped

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
• In a large pan over medium heat, add the olive oil. Add the chopped shallot and minced garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add the frozen spinach and cook for 7 minutes, or until the spinach is soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the crumbled smoked tofu and chopped cashew nuts to the spinach mixture and cook stirring for 2 minutes. Let the filling cool.
• To create a phyllo-wrapped spiral spanakopita, lay down one or two sheets of pastry on a clean surface. Brush each piece with melted butter and top with three more sheets, then brush with more butter.
• Spoon the spinach mixture along the edge, about 2cm wide. Roll the pastry into a long roll shape. Starting with one end, roll up the roll into a spiral shape. Put it in the middle of your baking dish, lightly brushed with olive oil. Prepare the next roll. Slot into the first roll. Repeat.
• Cook for about 40 minutes or until is golden brown.
• Sprinkle with chopped spring onion and serve.

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