With a flaky phyllo dough crust and a creamy filling made of cheese, spinach, and herbs, I like to serve this Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie) as a main course, appetizer, or side dish. I find this classic savory Greek recipe is always a crowd-pleaser and easy to make, too!

Easy Greek Spinach Pie

Making spanakopita at home is much easier than you might think! With this recipe, the final result is exactly what you want from any spanakopita—flaky, buttery crust filled with rich, cheesy goodness. It’s a dish that looks like you labored over it all day, when in fact it only takes about 25 minutes to assemble. I find pulling it from the oven and cutting into it is pretty glorious.

Spanakopita (pronounced spah-nah-KO-pee-tah) is a traditional savory Greek pie, made with layers of flaky phyllo dough and a rich, cheesy spinach filling. The filling is always made with feta cheese (though I added some ricotta too) and includes lots of fresh herbs for flavor, along with a little bit of garlic and onion.

Helpful Tips

• Use frozen spinach. Spinach is a key ingredient, and spanakopita uses a lot of it. Frozen (thawed) spinach is often used for convenience, since you’d need to cook down a large amount of fresh spinach to get the same quantity.
• Be sure to get phyllo dough, NOT puff pastry. Puff pastry is not the same thing as phyllo dough and will create completely different dishes.
• Thaw phyllo overnight in the fridge. Do not let it thaw on the counter, as it will cause the pastry to crack.
• Bring phyllo to room temperature just before using. Thirty minutes before you need the phyllo dough, set it out on the counter.
• Keep phyllo covered. Phyllo dough dries out quickly, so work with one sheet at a time, and keep the others covered with plastic wrap with a lightly damp towel on top of the plastic.
• Handle phyllo gently. Think of each sheet of phyllo dough like tissue paper. It can and likely will tear. If it does, no worries. Just try to keep a few sheets without tears for the topping.

How to Make Spanakopita Step by Step

Get the oven going and prepare a baking pan: Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with butter.

Make the spinach filling: Combine ¼ cup of the butter with 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 16 oz. chopped spinach, 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1 cup crumbled feta cheese, ½ cup freshly grated parmesan, 3 large eggs, 3 tbsp fresh parsley, 2 tbsp fresh dill, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, and a dash of nutmeg in a large mixing bowl.

Create the phyllo crust: Lay a half sheet of phyllo dough in the baking dish and lightly brush with butter, repeating with 7 more sheets of the phyllo dough to make the crust.

Add the spinach filling: Spread the spinach filling over the crust.

Add the top layer and bake: Lay the remaining 8 sheets of phyllo dough on top of the filling, brushing the top with butter. Trim the edges, if necessary, and lightly score the top layers of the pastry into 12 equal squares.

Bake the spanakopita until the phyllo turns golden brown and the filling is bubbling. This usually takes me around 45 minutes.

Cut and serve: Cut all the way through the scored squares. Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve and enjoy!

How to Store

You can assemble your Greek spinach pie a day in advance. Just prepare as instructed, and instead of baking, cover and place in the fridge. You can bake it directly from the fridge, but you will need a few additional minutes of baking time.

Store leftovers in the fridge for 3 days in an airtight container.

The best way to reheat spanakopita is in the oven until warmed through. Reheating in the microwave can make the phyllo dough a little soft, but it works in a pinch.

Freeze baked or unbaked spanakopita, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and again in foil. Reheat in an oven until warmed through. You can bake the spanakopita frozen; there’s no need to thaw it first.

What to Serve with Spanakopita

Spanakopita pairs beautifully with just about any kind of meat. Traditionally, it’s served alongside lamb, where the rich, savory flavors of the meat balance the salty feta and spinach filling perfectly. But I also love it paired with juicy grilled chicken—the light, smoky flavor complements the buttery, flaky pastry. For something a little more indulgent, I’ll serve it with marinated roasted pork tenderloin, or even a hearty, flavorful grilled steak.

When I serve it as a main course, I’ll pair it with a chickpea salad along with some pita chips and tzatziki sauce, or I’ll make a batch of stuffed grape leaves (dolma) to round out our meal.

More Greek-Inspired Recipes

• Avgolemono Soup (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Greek Salad Dressing
• Layered Greek Dip
• Tzatziki Sauce