Vegan Spinach Pinwheels
These vegan spinach pinwheels are a Greek-inspired appetizer made by spreading a herby spinach filling over a sheet of vegan puff pastry, topping it with crumbled tofu, rolling it up, and slicing it into little spirals. You bake them at 200C until golden, about 30 minutes, and you get roughly 16 flaky, savory bites with no feta and no fuss.
I have made many spinach recipes in the past, but if you are looking for some new inspiration that will help you work more spinach into your meals, these pinwheels are the answer I keep coming back to. I wanted all the comfort of a Greek savory pastry without reaching for feta or butter, so I made them fully plant-based: vegan puff pastry instead of the buttery version, and crumbled tofu standing in for the feta cheese. They taste like a cousin of spanakopita, but they skip the fiddly phyllo entirely.
The first time I served these I paired them with an interesting hot peppers jam, and the sweet-spicy contrast against the salty greens was the kind of thing that makes people reach for a second one before they have finished the first. If jam is not your thing, a cool vegan tzatziki does the same job from the other direction. Either way, these are the bites I make when I want something that looks like I fussed but really did not.
This Recipe Works If You Need
- A make-ahead party appetizer you can slice and bake straight from the freezer when guests arrive.
- A plant-based stand-in for spanakopita without wrestling with phyllo dough.
- A clever way to get more spinach into a meal that fussy eaters will actually finish.
- A budget-friendly bite built from frozen spinach, one pastry sheet, and pantry herbs.
- A vegan finger food for a buffet, picnic, or lunchbox that holds its shape and tastes good warm or at room temperature.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No phyllo, no stress. Puff pastry does all the flaky work for you, so you get spanakopita-style results with a fraction of the effort.
- Fully vegan. Vegan puff pastry and crumbled tofu replace the butter and feta, so nobody at the table is left out.
- Genuinely freezer-friendly. The rolled and sliced spirals freeze beautifully, which means appetizers on demand.
- Bright, herby flavor. Fresh dill and mint give the filling that unmistakable Greek lift you do not get from spinach alone.
- Crowd-pleasing shape. The pinwheel spiral looks impressive on a platter but takes one roll and a few slices to make.
- Flexible serving. Pair them with hot peppers jam, vegan tzatziki, or any dip you like.
Ingredient Notes
Vegan puff pastry is the backbone here, so read the label before you buy. Many supermarket puff pastry brands are accidentally vegan because they use vegetable oils or margarine instead of butter, but check for milk solids. Keep it cold right up until you fill it: warm pastry turns greasy and refuses to puff, because it is the steam from those firm layers of fat that lifts the dough in the oven.
Frozen spinach is what I reach for here, and it is the right call. It is picked and frozen at peak season, it is cheaper than fresh, and 300 g of it cooks down without taking over your stovetop. The one thing it demands is that you drive off the water. Cook it until soft, then drain any excess liquid before it touches the pastry, or the bottom of your pinwheels will steam instead of crisp.
Crumbled tofu is my feta replacement. Use firm or extra-firm and crumble it with your fingers so it looks like crumbled cheese rather than a smooth paste. It carries the savory salt and brings protein without dairy. For a sharper, more feta-like tang, you can marinate the crumbles in a little salt and lemon first, or make the vegan feta from my Greek salad recipe.
Fresh dill and mint are not optional if you want these to taste Greek. Dried herbs lose the green, grassy top notes that define this filling. Two tablespoons of dill and one of mint sounds like a lot, but spinach is a quiet base and the herbs are what make each bite taste like more than a vegetable pastry. Chop them just before using so they keep their aroma.
Leek, spring onion, and garlic build the allium layer. The leek and garlic go into the pan to cook down and sweeten, while the spring onion is stirred in raw at the end so it keeps a little bite. Slice the leek thin and rinse it well, because grit hides between the layers and there is nothing worse than a sandy pinwheel.
Tips
- Drain the filling hard. This is the single most important step. A wet filling makes soggy, pale pinwheels. After cooking the spinach, press it against the side of the pan or tip it into a sieve and squeeze. You want it moist but not dripping.
- Let the filling cool before it meets the pastry. Hot filling melts the fat in the puff pastry on contact, and once that happens the layers will not rise. If you can hold your hand flat on the filling, it is cool enough.
- Slice from the middle out. Cut the roll in the center first, then halve each half, working toward the ends. This keeps the slices even and stops the soft end pieces from squashing. A sharp knife and a gentle sawing motion give you clean 1 to 2 cm disks.
- Watch the color, not just the clock. Thirty minutes at 200C is a guide, but you know they are ready when the pastry is deep golden and the layers have visibly separated. Pale pastry means underbaked and doughy in the middle.
- Give them room. Space the disks apart on the parchment so the puff pastry can expand and crisp on all sides. Crowded pinwheels fuse together and steam. Bake in two batches if you need to.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap the tofu for vegan feta. If you want a sharper, tangier result that reads more like the classic, use a block-style vegan feta or make your own from my vegan Greek salad recipe and crumble it in.
- Use fresh spinach instead of frozen. You will need a large bunch since it wilts down dramatically. Cook it until collapsed and then drain it just as aggressively as the frozen version.
- Switch up the herbs. No mint on hand? Lean into more dill, or add a little fresh parsley. The dill is the one I would not skip, since it is the most recognizably Greek note here.
- Change the dip. I love these with a hot peppers jam for a sweet-spicy hit, but a cool vegan tzatziki, a garlicky vegan yogurt dip, or a simple lemony tahini sauce all work.
Storage and Make Ahead
Baked pinwheels keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They are best the day they are made, but a few minutes in a hot oven or air fryer brings back most of the crispness, far better than a microwave, which turns the pastry soft. Serve them warm or at room temperature.
To make ahead, this recipe is a dream for the freezer. Slice the unbaked roll into disks, arrange them on a tray so they are not touching, freeze until solid, then transfer to a bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes, so you can have fresh appetizers whenever guests turn up. The filling itself can also be cooked and chilled a day in advance.
If you love this style of Greek savory pastry, try the full vegan spanakopita next, browse more Greek cuisine recipes for your spread, and round out the table with a crisp vegan Greek salad, which is also where you will find my homemade vegan feta.
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Vegan Spinach Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1 sheet vegan puff pastry
- 300 g spinach frozen
- 150 g tofu crumbled
- 1 spring onion chopped
- 2 Tbsps fresh dill chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh mint chopped
- 1 leek chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil. When hot, add chopped leek and minced garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add spinach and cook until soft, for about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool.
- Add dill, mint, spring onion, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix the spinach herb mixture to incorporate.
- Drain any excess liquid, if necessary.
- On a dry clean surface, lay out your puff pastry sheet.
- Spread the spinach mixture on the rolled puff pastry, evenly.
- Top with crumbled tofu.
- Roll the puff pastry to make a roll.
- Slice the puff pastry roll with a sharp knife starting with the middle and moving to the ends of the roll. You will get about 16 disks, 1-2cm in width each.
- Place each sliced disk on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake them at 200C for about 30 minutes or until golden. You may need to make these in two different batches. Make sure they don’t stick to each other on the baking sheet.
- Serve with your favorite sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both are Greek spinach pastries with a herby spinach filling, but spanakopita is layered in thin phyllo dough, while pinwheels use puff pastry that is filled, rolled, and sliced into spirals. Pinwheels are much faster and easier because you skip the delicate phyllo entirely, but you get a similar flaky, savory result.
Replace the feta with crumbled firm tofu, which gives you a similar texture and carries the salt and savory flavor without dairy. Use vegan puff pastry instead of the buttery kind, and for a sharper, more feta-like tang you can marinate the tofu crumbles in salt and lemon first or use a block-style vegan feta.
Soggy pinwheels almost always come from a wet filling. Frozen and cooked spinach holds a lot of water, so drain and squeeze it well before spreading it on the pastry. Also let the filling cool before it touches the dough, since hot filling melts the fat in the pastry and stops it from puffing and crisping.
Yes, and they freeze very well. Slice the unbaked roll into disks, arrange them on a tray so they are not touching, freeze until solid, then move them to a freezer bag. Bake them straight from frozen at 200C, adding a few extra minutes until deep golden, so you can have fresh appetizers whenever you need them.
Bake them at 200C for about 30 minutes, or until the puff pastry is deep golden and the layers have visibly separated. Watch the color rather than the clock, since pale pastry means the centers are still doughy. Give the disks space on the parchment so they crisp on all sides, and use two batches if needed.
They are great with a dip that contrasts the salty, herby filling. I love them with a sweet-spicy hot peppers jam, but a cool vegan tzatziki, a garlicky vegan yogurt dip, or a lemony tahini sauce all work well. They taste good warm or at room temperature, which makes them ideal for buffets and picnics.
Made these together with a tzatziki sauce and everyone was amazed. So delicious! 🙂
Glad you liked it! 😀