Easier than ever, crisp, buttery phyllo layers filled with juicy, flavorful spinach and cheese!
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TikTok is trending with sweet pies made with phyllo right now, but I’m making crinkle phyllo spanakopita. It’s the easiest way to make spanakopita. It comes together in just a few minutes and is not only delicious but more beautiful than traditional spanakopita because of the crinkled phyllo. The inside is juicy and fresh, while the crinkle-designed phyllo is crisp and buttery. This is going to be a game-changer in your kitchen!
Why you may switch to this exclusively
- Crispy, buttery phyllo
- Juicy spinach herb filling
- Creamy bites of feta
- The easiest way to make delicious, fresh, crispy, and juicy spanakopita!
Spanakopita ingredients
- #4 or #7 phyllo pastry layers
- Unsalted butter plus 1/4 teaspoon salt –or salted butter if that’s what you have
- Baby spinach leaves –whole or chopped
- Dried dill –or ¼ cup fresh dill if you prefer
- Scallions –thinly sliced and swirled in cool water to remove any dirt
- Cream cheese –ricotta cheese
- Feta cheese –crumbled from a block to avoid tasteless pre-crumbled
- Eggs
- Olive oil –try the new one in our shop straight from Crete, Greece!
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
Working with phyllo
There are a few tips you need to remember when working with phyllo. First, you’ll find it in your supermarket’s freezer section, and you should keep it frozen until you’re ready to use it. Move it to the refrigerator the night before you make your spanakopita. Then, set it on the counter to come to room temperature at least an hour before you’ll work with it. Be sure to leave the phyllo in the package while it’s on the counter, so it doesn’t dry out. Remove the phyllo from the package when you’re ready and make your spanakopita!
How to make Crinkle Phyllo Spanakopita
Make the Filling:
- In the bowl of a tabletop mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese and beat until smooth.
- Add the eggs, dill, salt, and black pepper, and beat together for a minute or two.
- While the mixer is running on low speed, add the spinach in a few batches.
- Then, crumble the feta cheese into the mixer and beat together until combined.
Assemble the Pie:
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
- Layer 2 phyllo sheets on top of each other, drizzling each sheet with melted butter.
- Add about five tablespoons of the spinach filling randomly on top of the phyllo.
- Use the back of your spoon to spread each dollop out a bit, and then bunch the phyllo together to form an accordion shape.
- Place the accordion into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
- Form 4 or 5 more spinach-filled phyllo accordions and place them into the pan side by side.
- Brush the top with melted butter.
- Bake the pie for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until golden and crisp.
- Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Leftover filling?
I always have a little filling leftover after making this dish. So, I cut three-inch wide phyllo strips and use any remaining filling to make spinach pie triangles. Just use a couple of phyllo strips with melted butter drizzled between them and a spoonful of filling at the bottom of the strip before rolling these triangles. You can freeze them for later when you need a spanakopita fix!
Freezer Instructions
If you’d like to make this ahead or put an extra one in the freezer, it’s pretty simple to do. Just assemble the pie and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. You can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake it, unwrap the spanakopita and bake it at 350 °F until golden and crisp –about 1 hour.
Serving
After you’ve let the pie cool for a bit, cut it into servings with homemade tzatziki sauce on the side. And since it makes for a great main entrée, try your favorite side dishes with it. A Greek salad, lemony roasted potatoes, or a veggie salad would go great. However, if you’d like to serve it as a side, it pairs perfectly with chicken, beef, or lamb. Kali Orexi!
More Savory Phyllo Pies:
- Tiropita
- Melitzanopita: Eggplant pie
- Artichoke Phyllo Tart
- Kreatopita
- Spinach & Feta Tart
- Pastourma Tart
Crinkle Phyllo Spanakopita
This spanakopita crinkle pie is so easy to make. Juicy, flavorful spinach and cheese fill crisp buttery phyllo layers. Easy and delicious!
Ingredients
- 10 sheets (#4 or #7) phyllo pastry layers
- 4 oz (119g) unsalted butter plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound baby spinach leaves
- 3 teaspoons dried dill
- 6 scallions thinly sliced
- 8 oz cream cheese or ricotta cheese
- 1 pound feta cheese
- 3 eggs
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
Make the Filling:
In the bowl of a tabletop mixer that has been fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese and beat until smooth.
Add the olive oil, eggs, dill, salt, and black pepper, and beat together for a minute or two. While the mixer is running on low speed, add the spinach in a few batches. Crumble the feta chhese and add to the mixer and beat together until combined.
Assemble the Pie:
Layer 2 phyllo sheets on top of each other and drizzle each sheet with melted butter
Add 5 tablespoons of the spinach filling on top of the phyllo (spread out) and then bunch the phyllo together to form an accordion shape.
Place the accordion into a 9 by 13-inch baking pan.
Form 4 more spinach filled phyllo accordions and place them into the pan.
Brush the top with melted butter.
Use any remaining filling to make spinach pie triangles.
Bake the pie for 45 minutes - 1 hour or until golden and crisp.
Serve with tzatziki sauce. Kali Orexi!
Notes
Freezer Instructions: Assemble the pie and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Store in the freezer up to 3 months. To bake, unwrap and bake at 350 °F until golden and crisp. About 1 hour.
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Dimitra, I rated this 5 STARS, but it only showed up as 1 STAR when I submitted it….don’t know what happened, had trouble with the stars, this is without a doubt a 10 STAR RATED DISH❣❣❣❣
Dimitra, love your wonderful ideas! Thank you for sharing. I am wondering what filo dough do you use?
My favorite brand right now is Fillo Factory 🙂 Their phyllo is always so fresh!
I made it . Only changed a few things. I didn’t have Panko only Italian seasoned breadcrumbs….for the bottom of the tray. I added some grated Mizithra and I added 8oz of strained cottage cheese to the ricotta mix. I just wanted to get rid of the cottage cheese . It came out fantastic 400 degrees for 45 min and moved to bottom shelf for remaining 15 min.
I love the adjustments you made! The Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and Mizithra sound like wonderful additions, and using up the cottage cheese in the ricotta mix is a great idea. I’m so glad it came out fantastic, and your cooking time sounds spot-on! Thank you for sharing your tips!
If I’ve frozen the spanakopita, do I need to thaw it before I bake for 45 minutes or do I bake straight from freezer?
You can bake it straight from the freezer. Cover loosely with foil and bake for the first 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until golden and crisp 🙂 Enjoy!!
Can you use frozen Spinach for Spanakopita?
No, it will be too soggy. Fresh is best for this recipe 🙂
The is the best and easiest Spanakopita recipe I have used. The only change I made was using fresh dill. 5 stars!
The written recipe doesn’t say how much olive oil to add to the mixture, or when to add the green onions.
I will NEVER make spanakopita any other way! This method is incredibly easy, tasty, and beautiful. It doesn’t take long to assemble and the filling is so less mess than the traditional. I have always stayed away from making spanakopita because I could never squeeze all of the water from the spinach. Using fresh leaves and following your instructions, makes the process much more manageable. Thank you for your inventiveness~
Did I miss where the olive oil came into the recipe?
Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention. I added it to the instructions. It goes in along with the eggs and remaining ingredients. Happy Baking!!! xxDimitra
that is one absolutely fantastic recipe and it was so delicious! I split it in 2 dishes and baked it in my air fryer, definitely a keeper 👍👍👍
I’m so glad to hear you loved the recipe! Using the air fryer is a great idea for baking—I’m thrilled it turned out fantastic. Thanks for sharing your success, and I’m happy it’s a keeper for you!
This recipe was such a hit with the family, that it’s been requested twice in the last three weeks!
Quick and simply delicious!
I’m so happy to hear it was such a hit with your family! Twice in three weeks is a great sign. Thank you for sharing!
Going to make this tonight, i’m using the Athens brand phyllo, its not graded, but its “thin” per their website. if i used 3 sheets vs 2 what are your thoughts on the outcome. The packaging has 18 sheets per pack. I’m new to your website, but LOVE all your authentic recipes!!!!!
Thanks much in advance!!!!
I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes! Using 3 sheets of phyllo instead of 2 will give you a slightly thicker, flakier crust, which can be wonderful, especially if you like a bit more crunch. Just be sure to brush each sheet with butter or oil to keep it crispy. The Athens brand phyllo should work well since it’s thin. Enjoy making your dish, and I hope it turns out delicious! 😊
Might be a good recipe, but your “Privacy & Cookies Policy” gets on top of the recipe, blocking it when it’s printed — even after we agree to it!
Thank you for letting me know about this issue! I’m so sorry for the inconvenience. I’ll make sure this is addressed so the recipe prints properly. Thank you for your patience and for bringing this to my attention! Warmly, Dimitra
Ooh, that is delicious! I didn’t have cream cheese so I put in a dollop of sour cream, which worked just fine. I love the te unique, both easier and tastier, I will not do spanakopita or the Bulgarian equivalent Banitza any other way!
The best recipe hands down. I used ricotta instead of cream cheese, fresh dill and chopped the baby spinach a bit.
I used up all the mixture and made a few extra sheets and filled up a baking sheet. Added two buttered sheets on top.
After it finished baking, I flipped so the bottom can crisp up a bit.
The flavour of the filling is unreal.
Also, found your YouTube video very helpful
That sounds absolutely amazing! Ricotta and fresh dill must have added such a wonderful freshness to the filling, and flipping it at the end for extra crispiness—genius! Love that you made extra too; you can never have too much spanakopita. So happy you found the video helpful. Thanks for sharing your experience! 😊💙
Thanks for a delicious and easy recipe
You’re very welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Let me know if you need any more tasty recipes! 😊
Brilliant! πραγματικά νόστιμο. Tastes just like the spanakopita I used to buy at the fourno in Perdika on the island of Aigina, Greece. And the video is really helpful, too, first time round. My standard party dish. Ευχαριστώ, Δημητρα μου.
What a beautiful comment—thank you so much! 🥹 It means the world to hear that it brought back memories of spanakopita from a fourno in Perdika. That’s the highest compliment. I’m honored it’s become your go-to party dish! Ευχαριστώ πολύ!