Vegan Spanakopita ~
A savory and aromatic Greek-style main dish or hearty appetizer packed with spinach and vegan feta cheese between layers of crispy phyllo dough.
Back in my pre-vegan days, my husband and I frequented a cozy little establishment called Katerina’s Greek Cuisine.
The restaurant sat in the middle of the area’s historic district and appeared to have been converted from an old house. Parking was limited and seating was tight.
It had the ambiance however of sitting in someone’s Greek grandmother’s dining room. I could picture freshly-made spanakopita being served with a side of lemon roasted potatoes every Sunday after church. It was a great little spot for a cozy meal.
As you may know, spanakopita, in its traditional form contains quite a bit of dairy.
For this recipe, we’re swapping the customary dairy-based feta and eggs for homemade vegan feta cheese (it’s easy, I promise) and JustEgg, a liquid vegan egg replacer.
Ingredients for Vegan Spanakopita:
- olive oil
- yellow onion
- scallions – also known as green onions
- garlic
- fresh spinach
- Italian flat-leaf parsley
- JustEgg vegan egg replacer
- vegan feta cheese – For this recipe, I like to use Homemade Vegan Feta. Violife brand vegan feta also works well.
- phyllo dough
- olive oil
How to make Vegan Spanakopita:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9×13″ baking dish.
Cook the aromatics. Into a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the yellow onion and scallions. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently until softened. Add the garlic and continue cooking for an additional 1 minute.
Stir in the spinach and parsley. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring frequently until the spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.
Combine egg replacer and vegan feta. Into a medium-size mixing bowl, add the JustEgg vegan egg replacer and the vegan feta. Stir gently until just combined. Fold in the spinach mixture.
Lay the foundation. Into the prepared baking dish, place two sheets of phyllo dough and brush lightly to cover with olive oil. Add another 2 sheets and brush again with olive oil, then repeat with two more sheets of phyllo dough and olive oil. (Phyllo dough is very delicate and it’s okay if it tears; just make sure you’re covering the pan completely with each layer.)
Add the spinach and feta mixture, gently spreading to cover the phyllo dough.
Finish assembling the spanakopita. Top with 4 additional sheets of phyllo dough, brushing with olive oil after each addition.
Bake for 40 minutes, until lightly crispy and golden brown. Allow to set for 10 minutes then slice and serve.
Enjoy!
More easy spinach recipes:
5-Ingredient Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Vegan Spanakopita
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup yellow onion
- 1/3 cup scallions chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 6 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon JustEgg vegan egg replacer
- 1 1/2 cups vegan feta cheese crumbled
- 8 sheets phyllo dough thawed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9×13″ baking dish.
- Into a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the yellow onion and scallions. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently until softened. Add the garlic and continue cooking for an additional 1 minute.
- Stir in the spinach and parsley. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring frequently until the spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Into a medium-size mixing bowl, add the JustEgg vegan egg replacer and the vegan feta. Stir gently until just combined. Fold in the spinach mixture.
- Into the prepared baking dish, place two sheets of phyllo dough and brush lightly to cover with olive oil. Add another 2 sheets and brush again with olive oil, then repeat with two more sheets of phyllo dough and olive oil. (Phyllo dough is very delicate and it’s okay if it tears; just make sure you’re covering the pan completely with each layer.)
- Add the spinach and feta mixture, gently spreading to cover the phyllo dough.
- Top with 4 additional sheets of phyllo dough, brushing with olive oil after each addition.
- Bake for 40 minutes, until lightly crispy and golden brown. Allow to set for 10 minutes then slice and serve.
Elena
Hi Holly,
I love your recipes and this looks so easy to make that I am tempted to try it in the next days. One question I would like to ask you is with what I could replace the JustEgg mixture? Would a mixture of chickpea flour and water be enough? Or should I use something else?
Thanks! x
thiswifecooks
Hi Elena – Since I have only made this particular recipe using JustEgg, I can’t confidently recommend a substitute. However, since chickpea flour and water is frequently used for other dishes like vegan omelettes, frittatas, and such, I imagine it could work. Let me know how it turns out if you decide to try swapping the JustEgg for chickpea flour and water.
Natalia
OMG! This recipe is soooo delicious. Savory pie is one of my favorite comfort food, but I’ve never made it with crispy phyllo dough. Definitely giving this recipe a go. Thanks for sharing!
Freya
I loved spanakopita and am so excited to have found a vegan version!!
Chrissaysnature
Oh my gosh, this dish is amazing! It is so flavorful and most importantly quite easy to make! Thanks for this recipe!
Natalie
I have to give this vegan spinach pie a try. Looks fantastic. I always make this with eggs, never done it vegan. Can’t wait to bake this.
Kayla DiMaggio
I love the idea of this spanakopita! This is so delicious and easy!
Aleisha
This is the best! This used to be one of my favourite things before I was vegan! Thanks for sharing this! 🙂
Anaiah
I always loved spanakopita so it’s amazing to be able to still enjoy it on a plant based diet. One of my first jobs as a teen was working at a Greek restaurant downtown and this was one of my favorites to order and snack on during my lunch. Thank you for creating this vegan version of it!
Joshua
This vegan spanakopita is a new favorite! The filling was delicious and the phyllo dough turned out so crisp. We loved this recipe!