This spanakopita recipe is the one our Greek neighbours bring to every street party, and it is the first dish to vanish from the buffet – usually before it has even cooled. Crisp, buttery phyllo wrapped around silverbeet, feta, dill and spring onions, cut into generous squares and fought over by everyone from the grandkids to the yiayias who made it.
We have watched too many Greek kitchens to count, and this is the version that settled in our house: straightforward, forgiving, and cheap. A whole tray feeds 8-10 people for about $15 in ingredients.
Last updated October 2026 – still making it weekly.
What is spanakopita?
Spanakopita (Greek: σπανακόπιτα) is a traditional Greek savoury pie made from layers of phyllo pastry filled with spinach or silverbeet, feta cheese, eggs, herbs and spring onions. The name is simply spinach pie in Greek: spanaki (spinach) plus pita (pie).
It is served warm or at room temperature, cut into squares or rolled into triangles, and eaten as a snack, a side, or a main course with salad. Every Greek family guards their own version – some fold in ricotta, some swap in leeks, some insist there must be garlic, others consider garlic a scandal. There is no single correct recipe, only the one your family defends.
A short history: why every family argues about it
Spanakopita goes back centuries in Greece, where savoury pies – pites – were everyday peasant food, and every region kept its own version. The pie crossed the world with Greek migrants, and in Australia it landed in every church hall, bakery and street festival from Melbourne to Sydney. Of all the Greek recipes in our rotation, this is the one neighbours actually request by name.
The arguments are eternal: spinach or silverbeet, dill or no dill, one egg or three, bought phyllo or homemade pastry. A yiayia in our old street used to say you can tell a family's spanakopita the way you can tell their handwriting. We make no claim to the definitive version – only the one that keeps disappearing at our table.
Why this spanakopita recipe works
Three reasons, all learned the hard way:
- The greens are squeezed bone dry. Wet filling is the difference between crisp, shattering layers and a sad soggy base.
- The filling is seasoned assertively. Feta is salty and the phyllo is bland, so the mixture must taste slightly too strong on its own – once cooked, it lands perfectly.
- Every single layer is buttered. Not every second layer. Every one. This is the difference between the good spanakopita and the best spanakopita, and it takes barely any extra time.
Spanakopita ingredients
Servings: 8-10 squares | Course: snack, lunch or main | Prep: 30 min | Cook: 45-50 min | Total: about 1 hr 20
For a standard 30cm x 40cm baking tray:
- 500g silverbeet or English spinach, washed and roughly chopped
- 200g Greek feta, crumbled
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced (white and green parts)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- A large handful of fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed (optional – see recipe notes)
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for brushing
- 1 packet (375g) phyllo pastry, thawed overnight in the fridge
- 125g butter, melted
- Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Recipe notes
- Phyllo vs filo: it is the same thing – Australian supermarkets usually label it "filo". Buy the fresh-chilled kind if it is available; frozen-and-thawed works fine but tears more easily.
- Feta: use a firm Greek or Australian-style sheep's milk feta. Danish-style soft feta turns the filling pasty – we have tried both, and firm feta wins every time.
- Silverbeet vs spinach: silverbeet is the Greek-Australian default because it was what grew in every backyard. Baby spinach is milder; silverbeet has more flavour and stands up to the feta.
- Full-fat everything. Low-fat feta and reduced-fat butter are why other people's spanakopita disappoints.
- Scaling up: the recipe doubles cleanly for a crowd – use two trays, never one deeper tray. A thick filling stays cold in the centre while the phyllo overbrowns, so keep the layers slim. Assume two squares per person at a party; one serving is somehow never enough.
How to make spanakopita: step by step
1. Prep and wilt the greens
Wash the silverbeet and chop it roughly, stems and all. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the greens, and cook for 3-4 minutes until just wilted. Transfer to a colander and leave to cool.
Once cool enough to handle, grab handfuls and squeeze out as much liquid as you possibly can – really crush it. You want to remove every drop of excess water. This single step decides whether your pie has a crisp base.
2. Make the filling
Chop the squeezed greens a little finer and combine them in a large bowl with the crumbled feta, sliced spring onions, beaten eggs, dill, crushed garlic (if using), a good grind of pepper, and salt – taste as you go, because feta varies in saltiness.
The mixture should taste slightly over-seasoned raw. That is correct. Once cooked inside two slabs of buttery pastry it will calm down.
3. Layer the phyllo
Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced. Melt the butter over medium heat and keep it beside you with a pastry brush.
Brush the tray with melted butter. Lay one sheet of phyllo in the tray, brush it with butter, and repeat until you have used half the packet – roughly 6-8 sheets. Let the edges climb the sides of the tray; that crisp overhang is the best part.
Keep the unused phyllo under a damp tea towel the whole time. Phyllo dries out in minutes and then cracks like dead leaves.
4. Add the filling and top
Spread the filling evenly over the phyllo base and level it out. Then layer the remaining sheets on top, brushing each one with butter before the next goes on. Butter the final sheet generously – it is the face of the pie.
Score the top into squares with a sharp knife, cutting through the phyllo but not dragging the filling around. Scoring now means you can portion it cleanly after baking instead of shattering the crisp top.
5. Bake until deep golden
Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is deep golden brown and crisp. If the corners darken before the centre is ready, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the top for the last 10 minutes.
6. Rest, cut and serve
Leave the spanakopita to rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting along your score lines. Cutting earlier lets the steam escape into the layers and softens them. Serve warm or at room temperature – it is genuinely delicious both ways, and plenty of people insist it is best cold from the fridge the next day.
Tips for the best spanakopita
Of all the tips passed along our street, these are the ones that matter; everything else is negotiable.
- Squeeze the greens dry. We will say it again because it matters most: wet filling makes a soggy base.
- Do not skip the dill. It is not garnish, it is the signature flavour. Dried dill works at a pinch; fresh is better.
- Butter every layer. Yes, all of them.
- Season the filling assertively, then trust it.
- Cover phyllo with a damp tea towel whenever you are not actively laying sheets.
- Score before baking, never after.
Phyllo troubleshooting: why spanakopita goes soggy
A soggy spanakopita has one of three causes, and all of them are fixable:
- Greens not squeezed enough. Silverbeet holds a shocking amount of water. Squeeze until you think it is dry, then squeeze again.
- Skipped butter layers. Unbuttered layers stick together into one dense, doughy sheet. Every layer, every time.
- Cutting too soon. Rest the pie 15 minutes so the layers set crisp. Cut early and steam softens everything.
If the top browns too fast, the oven runs hot – drop it 10 degrees and give it a little foil hat. If the base stays pale, slide the tray one rack lower for the last 15 minutes.
Spanakopita variations worth trying
- Tiropita: the same assembly with an all-cheese filling – swap the greens for another 200g of feta plus a little ricotta.
- Leek and silverbeet: replace one spring onion with one finely sliced leek. Very traditional, slightly sweeter.
- Spanakopita triangles: the classic party version and the trickiest fold. Cut the phyllo into strips about 8cm wide, drop a spoonful of filling at one end, and fold the strip over it in triangles – flag-style – until the filling is wrapped in layer after layer. Brush each one generously and bake 20-25 minutes until golden. They freeze beautifully raw or baked, which is why every Greek freezer hides a bag of them.
- Ricotta blend: half feta, half ricotta for a softer, creamier filling. Less traditional, very popular with kids.
- Herb swaps: parsley plus dill is the standard; a little mint is common in some island families.
What to serve with spanakopita
So what do Greeks eat with spanakopita? Mostly, Greeks eat spanakopita on its own, at room temperature, with a squeeze of lemon – it is street food, church hall food, and afternoon-snack food all at once.
For a full table, serve it as part of a spread with a simple Greek salad of tomato, cucumber, red onion and olives, or with roast lemon potatoes on the side. For lunch, one generous square and a glass of something cold is a complete meal. In our street, spanakopita and a bowl of olives is the default contribution to any gathering, and nothing else is expected.
Make-ahead, storage and freezing
Made ahead: assemble the whole pie, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking. Add 5 minutes to the bake straight from the fridge.
Storage: spanakopita saves well – keep it 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in a 180C oven for 10 minutes to bring the crisp back; the microwave softens the phyllo.
Freezer: freeze it two ways. Freeze the unbaked, scored pie wrapped tightly in foil and a freezer bag, then bake from frozen adding 15-20 minutes. Or freeze baked squares individually and reheat them straight from the freezer for 15-20 minutes – the pastry stays surprisingly crisp.
Spanakopita nutrition
Spanakopita is a vegetable dish wearing a pastry coat, which is the best anyone can hope for. A generous square runs roughly 350 calories, with the fat coming mainly from the feta, butter and olive oil, plus a solid hit of protein and calcium from the cheese, fibre and iron from the greens, and a little natural sugar from the silverbeet.
The numbers move with your feta and butter hand, so treat that as a guide rather than gospel. For a lighter tray, halve the butter and brush every second layer – it is still delicious, just a shade less shattering.
FAQ
Can I use frozen spinach instead of fresh?
Yes – 400g frozen chopped spinach works perfectly in this spanakopita recipe. Thaw it completely, then squeeze out every drop of water exactly as you would with cooked greens. Frozen spinach actually squeezes drier than fresh.
Can spanakopita be made ahead of time?
Yes. Assemble it, cover it, and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking, or freeze the unbaked pie for up to three months. Baked spanakopita also improves overnight in the fridge.
Should spanakopita be served hot or cold?
Spanakopita is traditionally served warm or at room temperature, and it is perfectly good cold. Hot from the oven the filling is molten; at room temperature the layers cut cleanly and the flavours settle.
How long does spanakopita keep?
It keeps 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in a 180C oven for 10 minutes to restore the crisp. Frozen baked squares keep three months.
What is the difference between spanakopita and tiropita?
The difference is the filling: spanakopita is spinach pie with feta as a supporting ingredient, while tiropita is a cheese pie where cheese is the whole point. The pastry technique is identical, so once you can make one, you can make both.