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!
World's Best Greek Vegan Spanakopita
Ingredients
- 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 (see note for gluten-free)
- 1/6 - 1/3 cup olive oil for brushing phyllo (filo) (see notes for oil free idea)
“Feta” filling:
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
- 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.
- To make this gluten-free, you can make your own filo (search online for recipes), you can buy gluten-free puff pastry (Schar brand makes one) or you can be creative and use gluten-free pizza dough or tortillas and make individual pockets.
- 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.
- Make the filling the day before.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Marie says
I don’t trust too many recipes outside of my tired and true sites, but this is a serious keeper. It’s absolutely perfect. So far I have made it five times in two weeks. I’m not a vegan so my only variation so far is adding 3 eggs to spinach mix before baking. Thank you to Sophia.
veggiesdontbite says
Haha! You totally made me giggle Marie! I am happy you gave my site a chance! Thank you for the great review!
Christina says
This turned out great! The filling is so flavorful. And the fillo gets the perfect amount of crisp! It’s hard to believe these are vegan. They were delicious!
veggiesdontbite says
I am so happy you liked it Christina! Thanks for the great review!
laura says
I’ve never had these before and so not sure what the comparison is like, but these are delicious. I didn’t want to share!! cant wait to make these again.
veggiesdontbite says
I am so happy you liked it!! Thank you so much!
Margaret says
This is YUMMY! Husband and I both enjoyed and we will be making this again! We have leftovers and wondering if they should be refrigerated?
Thanks,
Margaret
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Margaret! I am so happy you liked it!! My mom leaves hers at room temp for the first day, and this one doesn’t even have dairy so it should be ok to leave out a day or two. But I usually just put leftovers in the fridge and then toast the pieces when we are ready to eat!
Douggers says
This came out sooo good and authentic tasting. Luckily I caught myself before adding the dill as I only had the dried variety (but a high quality dried from my local food coop bulk section) so I added maybe only a tablespoon or maybe a little more. I couldn’t believe how good it is.
veggiesdontbite says
Yay! I am so so happy you liked it! My mom helped me create this so it tasted just like hers!
gail says
I was reading through and when you said yiayia and that you had spanakopita weekly I knew you were Greek. This in and of itself has me wanting to try the recipe tomorrow. (looking for something to bring for xmas dinner). So I will rate it at that time.
But one thing I noticed and was surprised to read is that you refer to this as ‘vegan’ yet at one point you said: “I left out the egg because you really don’t need it for texture”. Was the intent to make this vegan from the start? Because I would have expected you to say that you left out the egg because eggs are Not vegan. Perhaps it’s not that important to you, but it is to me so I had to bring it to your attention.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Gail! Yes, I am first generation Greek. I grew up speaking the language and going almost every summer. This recipe was made side by side with my mom until is basically mimicked her traditional one but plant-based. I am actually not vegan. We eat mostly plant-based but are not strict about it. You can read more about me in the About Me section of my site. My intent was to recreate my moms spanakopita in a plant-based version. I left out the egg, because as I said I wanted it to be plant-based but it is also not needed.
Monica F says
Excellent vegan spanakopita! When I saw the soaked cashew “Feta” , I knew that your recipe version would be a winner. ( I make a similar “Feta” for other non-dairy versions of recipes.) My filo had been around for awhile and was a bit dry, so rather than brushing the oil, I lightly sprayed it, using slightly more on the top sheet. This recipe is seasoned to perfection, and so delicious! This will be a frequently-used recipe from now on…
veggiesdontbite says
I am so happy you like it Monica! Thanks for the great review!
Bev says
This was absolutely mind blowing! I used this recipe using only silverbeet and onions for the filling and it turned out incredible. The cashew feta – ridiculously awesome! So good that my brother and brother in law who aren’t vegan loved it 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
Wow, thank you so much Bev! I am thrilled you liked it!
Surya D says
I made this yesterday to bring to a back yard celebration with neighbors. I love Spanakopita, but after switching to a plant based diet earlier in the year, haven’t had any. This was a huge hit with everyone! I will definitely make again.
I used a mixture and fresh spinach and Swiss chard and probably more parsley than the recipe called for. The combination of greens and herbs added so much depth. The vegan “feta” was a cinch to make. I will definitely make this again!
veggiesdontbite says
I’m so so happy you liked it Surya!!! Thanks so much for letting me know!
Stella says
Hi Sophia
Spanakopita is a staple in our family! This is a delicious vegan treat… i will make it again, except will chop the cashews more…do you think that would be ok??? my taste tasters didn’t like the texture of the cashews.. spanakopita is typically soft with the crunch being the phyllo dough…
Thank you for a delicious recipe…
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Stella! I’m so glad you liked it! The cashew feta should definitely not have a crunch to it. If you soak them overnight and blend in a processor it should be blended until they are soft. Mine has never had a crunch so keep on blending! Thanks for the great review!
Erin says
Can’t wait to try this!! Question – are the dill and parsley fresh or dried? I was assuming fresh. It wanted to double check. Thanks!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Erin! Yep, they are fresh! Hope you love it!
Nina says
Decided to make this as a pizza! The spinach had so much flavor and so did the feta! I used half cashews/half extra firm tofu for the feta to reduce the fat. I loved it! It lost some of its flavor once baked on top of the pizza, but still very good. I need to definitely try it with the phyllo dough soon! Yum!
veggiesdontbite says
That sounds so good Nina!!! Thanks so much for the great review!
Nancy J Rovin says
Sophia!
This recipe was excellent! The mixture was close enough to feta that it tantalized my taste buds into believing it was cheese. I found that I need more work on handling phyllo but it’s so worth it!
Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
veggiesdontbite says
I’m so thrilled you liked it Nancy!
suzanne says
can you prep this yet bake it the next day after the layers are all prepped.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Suzanne! You can prep this and bake it within 24 hours. Also, you could prep it and freeze it until ready to bake too, if you want to prep for more than 24 hours. Hope you enjoy!
Steph says
Seriously THE BEST!!! I made a few adjustments- added sliced fennel bulb, grated zucchini, for more of a veggie punch! The flavours of the fresh herbs and the tangy “feta”, so, so good!
veggiesdontbite says
I’m so happy you liked it Steph!! Thank you so much for the great review!