This authentic Greek recipe has gotten a makeover and is better than ever. This vegan spanakopita is hands down the absolute best you’ve ever had!
Well, it happened. And it happened hard. The true test was giving it to my boys who often eat her original version with feta. Let’s just say that they asked me why I can’t make “pita” like yiayia does. I may have danced in my kitchen like a fool.
I grew up eating my mom’s spanakopita on a weekly basis, and now my boys take it down like hungry lions. It’s as much a staple in our lives as water. I have always wanted to try a vegan makeover but it’s such a coveted recipe that I was afraid to attempt it.
Well, lately I have been working with this incredible business coach, turned good friend, that has helped me tackle all these fears of mine that have been holding me back in scaling my business. So I decided, tackling this vegan spanakopita version was step one to my growth. And dang, I nailed it!
How do you mimic feta with a dairy free alternative
So feta is really just salt and tang. As much as I am against pretend feta (there is no recipe out there that comes close) in this recipe all I needed to do was recreate the flavor because the texture is simply a ricotta like mixture.
One of my mom’s personal twists in her original Greek spanakopita, is that she uses half feta and half cottage cheese to lighten up the filling. She has always done it this way so I knew that I could recreate that texture with cashews.
The flavor was easy, white vinegar gave the tang I needed and salt gave it that authentic saltiness. I left out the egg because you really don’t need it for texture, but the rest of the recipe I followed as is.
Making vegan spanakopita step by step
The process itself is really quite easy, but there are multiple steps to getting it just right:
- Sauté the green onion and greens.
- Blend the simple 4 ingredient “feta’ like filling.
- Combine the two.
- Layer the phyllo sheets at the bottom.
- Spread the mixture when you are half way through.
- Add the rest of the phyllo sheets.
- Cut into pieces.
- Bake and enjoy!
The kind of phyllo you use doesn’t really matter, but I have found that the thicker phyllo sheets are easier to work with and come out a bit better. So if you have a choice, try finding a package that says “thick” or “#9 thick” to signify a thicker phyllo sheet.
If you like this Greek recipe turned vegan, don’t miss all the others I have created too!
Healthy Vegan Gyros and Tzatziki Sauce
And if you love to eat food that tastes good but is actually healthy, check out this post!
By the way, if you are stuck in a dinner rut and need some help there, I have a comprehensive FREE guide on weekly meal planning that comes with a FREE 3 day meal plan and shopping list! Join here!
This authentic Greek recipe has gotten a makeover and is better than ever. This vegan spanakopita is hands down the absolute best you've ever had!
- 12 ounces fresh spinach , chopped (can also use a mixture of spinach and chard)
- 1 bunch scallions , chopped (about 6-7 scallion bulb pieces)
- ¼ cup dill
- ¼ cup parsley , either kind works but I use Italian flat leaf
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Olive oil or veggie broth for sautéing
- 1 pound phyllo (filo) sheets (if you can find the thick ones use those)
- 1/6 - 1/3 cup olive oil for brushing phyllo (filo) (see notes for oil free idea)
- 1 cup raw cashews , soaked overnight or boiled for 25 minutes to soften (see note)
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt , may need another ¼ teaspoon after you mix the filling, taste and adjust if needed
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 175 C.
- In a skillet brown the scallions in olive oil or broth until soft, about 2 minutes.
- Add spinach, salt and pepper and sauté until wilted, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Add dill and parsley and mix well. Put the mixture in a large bowl.
- In a food processor, add the cashews (drain and rinse them after the soaking), vinegar, water and salt. Pulse until you get a chunky but coarsely chopped texture.
- Pour the cashew “feta” mixture into the bowl with the spinach and mix well.
- Pour the olive oil for brushing in a glass bowl. Or use the method for the oil free version.
A little trick, cut the phyllo (filo) long ways to fit the length of your pan, cut it while it is still wrapped in the package to make it easy.
- Brush the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan with a little bit of oil.
- Then line the pan with half of one phyllo (filo) sheet, allowing the other half to hang over the edge, brush the half in the pan with some oil, then fold the other half over the top and brush it with oil too. See the photos in the post. This has to be done like this because the phyllo (filo) sheets are bigger than the pan.
- You are going to do this for half of the phyllo (filo) sheets, brushing each sheet with the olive oil.
- After you have used half of the sheets, spread the spinach mixture on top.
- Then top with the remaining phyllo (filo) sheets brushing each of them with the olive oil again.
- When done, cut into squares.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes until it is golden brown on top. Begin checking at 50 minutes as ovens vary.
- Let it cool completely before cutting through and serving.
- Any kind of phyllo (filo) sheets will work but I find the thicker ones are quicker and easier. If you can find a package that says “thick” or “#9 thick” then get those.
- If you forget to soak the cashews, simply boil them for about 25 minutes. They need to be soft so do not skip this step and use them dry.
- If you want to keep this oil free, sauté with broth and you can try to use a version of the trick I used in my Vegan Baklava to get the phyllo crispy. It called for Aquafaba mixed with almond butter and maple syrup since it's a dessert, but you can try it with just the aquafaba or the Aquafaba and almond butter. It’s better with the oil, but if you want to make this oil free, the aquafaba should work like it did in the baklava recipe. Keep in mind that the phyllo dough still has some oil in it.
- This makes 24 pieces, each piece is a serving in the nutrition info.
Tips to prep ahead:
- Make the filling the day before.
Shirley says
Hi! I will try this out as the reviews are so good
Can you make this ahead of time? or perhaps freeze?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Shirley! You can definitely make this ahead of time! I do it all the time. If you want to freeze it you can as well. I’d try freezing it before you bake it then defrost to room temp and bake. Alternatively you can bake it, let it cool completely, then cut and freeze once cut. I’d wrap in plastic wrap, then foil, then put in an airtight container. When you want to eat, let defrost to room temp, then pop the pieces back in the oven or toaster oven to get them crispy again!
Shannon Alex says
Seriously AMAZING dish! I made this for my family and they LOVED it!!
I do prefer to eat oil-free so I tried the aquafaba version for just my husband and I, and it was not the same. The phyllo stuck together and became hard. It still tasted great, but I love spanakopita for the flakiness which you just don’t get with the oil-free version.
Overall 10/10 highly recommend this recipe. I’m about to make it again today, and try 1/2 cashews 1/2 tofu to cut on cost and fats! My sister tried with just tofu and said she couldn’t tell the difference!
Thank you for this amazing recipe!!
veggiesdontbite says
Yay! That makes me so happy Shannon!! I agree, the little oil really does make a difference. But I know some people are so against it so I offered the oil free version. The flakiness definitely is a signature and you can’t really get that without oil. But at least it still tastes great if you need oil free! Thanks so much for the great review!
NK says
Thank you!!!!! This is the BEST vegan spanakopita!
My daughter was missing her Baba’s “pita” after becoming vegan and THIS was just amazing!!!! Non vegan friends could not tell the difference, soo good!!!
veggiesdontbite says
I am so so happy you loved it!! Thank you so much for letting me know!
Ceren Güney says
Hi Sophia! Thanks for the recipe! It looks delicious!
I’m Turkish and have been wanting to make some vegan cheese borek (Burek) it’s very similar to spanakopita.. but when you don’t put any eggs on top layer it gets to dry. Any suggestions? Can you think of a good egg replacer for this purpose?
Thank you!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Caren! Thanks so much! This definitely does not get dry without eggs, perhaps because of brushing with oil. I would try that, or if you don’t want to use oil you can try doing a wash of aquafaba (which is the juice from a can of chickpeas). It’s known to have similar characteristics as egg whites! Let me know how it turns out!
Vanessa says
My favorite pre-vegan food!! I can’t believe there is a vegan version. I cannot wait to make this.
veggiesdontbite says
Woohoo!! I’m so excited for you to try this!!
Connie Moultroup says
I couldn’t wait til Christmas Eve. Lol
veggiesdontbite says
Haha!! So happy you loved it!
Connie Moultroup says
OK……this is totally OUTRAGEOUS!!!!! This is beyond fabulous!!!!!! Congratulations on a job very well done!!!!
veggiesdontbite says
Wow! Thank you SO SO much Connie! I am so happy to hear this!! Thank you so much for the great review!
Cassie Autumn Tran says
Looks wonderful–I always have loved those little phyllo dough recipes!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you! It really is just so good!
Liz says
This sounds amazing but is there anything else that could be used for the filling instead of cashews? It’s the only nut that my son is allergic to and so we keep them out of the house 🙁
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Liz! Thanks so much. I am so sorry he’s allergic, what a bummer. I will repeat what I told another reader about this, I’m sure you know that cashews are the best way to achieve the cream and flavor of dairy without the dairy. So this is why I used them most of the time. That being said, you could try using tofu, I have seen it used before but never tried it. The other option is you could try using a riced cauliflower. Neither of these will be as creamy but give one a shot!
RW says
I am allergic to cashews as well — it’s really put a dampener on all our creamy vegan sauces for recipes. I am wondering what mashed up garbanzos would do in this recipe. Might try the tofu as well.
(Cashews are in the same genus or family as poison ivy, to which I’m also very allergic. Ate them many decades, all my life.. until… I developed this severe allergy when I ate a bunch of them RAW straight from the store — and perhaps that batch was not cleaned of the oils properly. I hear they have to be cleaned of the toxic oils very carefully in processing. So do be careful with cashews, don’t want to end up in the same boat I am in. It really is the most useful nut for vegan dishes! HTH )
veggiesdontbite says
Hi there! So sorry to hear about the allergy, yes it definitely puts a damper on all the creaminess. However I have many recipes where others have subbed so look in the notes to get ideas! As for this one, I told another reader to try the tofu idea. Garbanzos may work a bit too, give it a shot! Just keep in mind you may need to adjust the seasonings. Let me know how it works!
Tiffany says
Almond feta would work. Google some recipes.
veggiesdontbite says
Almond could work as well. Most nuts should work but the flavor of the cashew is the most neutral and creamy.
Connie Moultroup says
I’m going to make this for Christmas Eve!!!!! It sounds absolutely wonderful!!!!! When are you going to have a cookbook??!!!!!
veggiesdontbite says
So excited for you to make it!!! And girl, I HAVE a cookbook! HAHAHA! It’s a theme book, all burgers, burritos, sauces and sides. You can find the info on my website in the top menu bar!
Connie Moultroup says
I have it. I should have said another cookbook. One with this recipe in it!!!!
veggiesdontbite says
Hahaha!! I’m not sure I have another book coming anytime soon but I do have lots of great things coming next year!
The Vegan 8 says
Girl these are beautiful!! Totally party-worthy! I have never heard of this dish, yet somehow I’m drooling uncontrollably!! Bahaha!😂😂 All the ingredients sound amazing and when phyllo dough is involved, you know it’s going to be good! Awesome recipe lady!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so much!! It’s such a classic in my house that I needed to remake!
JD says
This is hands down the best recreation of the real spanakopita I have ever had. You have no idea unless you are told!