Vegan Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

I used to love eating Spanakopita before I went vegan, so when my garden gave me loads of greens to use up, I decided to make this Vegan Spanakopita! This Greek Spinach Pie is utterly delicious and perfect for using up lots of delicious green leafy veggies! This vegan twist on the classic Greek pie, full of juicy greens with a lemony salty creamy hit of Veganised feta and ricotta that contrasts amazingly with the crunchy filo pastry crust. 

I've made various pies with a filo crust since properly going vegan (see the Butternut squash one here.. and the Chilli filled hand pies here) which have all been super yummy, but none were quite the Spanakopita that I craved. This Vegan Spanakopita really hits the spot, and is perfect for taking along on a picnic or to serve as snacks for a BBQ or party.

📑Ingredients

• Spinach/Greens: In Greece, the pie would be made with mature spinach, not the soft floppy stuff you get in bags in the supermarket. It would also likely be made with other local herbs and greens. I use a mixture of chard from my garden and shop bought spinach
• Vegan Feta/Ricotta Mix: Of course you can now buy quite good vegan feta, but it doesn't have the bulk that this pie needs, also, I like to use whole foods where possible. To make the ricotta, simply blend up soaked cashews and firm tofu. The tangy cheesy taste is created by adding in some salty green olives and nutritional yeast, plus some lemon juice for good measure. Keep the mixture quite nubbly for the best texture.
• Herbs: The overall flavour of this Vegan Spanakopita should be quite herbal and earthy/ spinachy, so fresh herbs such as dill and oregano are wonderful chopped up into the greens. Substitute dried dill and oregano if that's all you have.
• Filo Pastry: Filo pastry (sometimes called phyllo pastry) comes either frozen or in the chiller. If you buy it frozen, you will need to defrost it first. Different brands are different sizes. Just chop or rip the pastry to the size you need as you place it in the pie. The rustic look is lovely, so don't panic if it isn't 100% perfect!

👩‍🍳How to:

1. Make the Feta/Ricotta mix by either soaking cashews overnight, or boiling them for 10 minutes. Then quickly whizz them, the tofu and the olives into a rough but soft mixture. Taste and add more lemon or olives if you want it saltier or tangier!
2. Make the spinach mix by first sweating an onion and lots of garlic in a pan.
3. Then chop up the spinach and/or chard and sautee with the onion.
4. You might need to add the spinach in batches, keep pushing it in until it all wilts down.
5. Drain off any excess liquid from the spinach.
6. To assemble the pie: You can either make a big round pie in a springform pan, or use a baking try. If you use a baking tray, line it with baking paper.
7. Then simply slick olive oil over layers of filo and arrange them in tin. Use 4-5 layers., with a little bit of oil between each layer.
8. Then add the ricotta and greens, spreading them out in a layer.
9. Finally add a few more layers of filo on top. You can scrunch up the final layer for a pretty ruffled effect. 

FAQ

We hope you love making this Vegan Spanakopita Pie as much we do! It's definitely a favourite of ours to take to parties, so we hope it inspires you to do the same!.

Let us know in the comments below what you think, and please like and share! xx

📖 Recipe

Vegan Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

A delicious pie made with flaky filo pastry and lots of spinach and herbs. This classic vegan spanakopita is made vegan with a tofu and cashew nut filling in place of the traditional feta and ricotta.

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4 from 1 vote

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Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Greek, Vegan

Keyword: feta, filo pastry, pie, spanakopita, spinach, vegan pie

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 12 pieces

Calories: 125kcal

Author: Louise-Claire Cayzer

Equipment

• blender or food processor
• Baking Tin

Ingredients

For the Spinach mix

• 1 onion , finely chopped
• 500 g Spinach about 16 cups or 133 oz. (NB: this would be equivelant to 2 bags of spinach, or a large bunch of chard.)
• chilli (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves , finely diced
• 2 tbsp fresh dill you could also use parsely or fresh oregano too.
• 1 tbap Olive oil
• Squeeze of lemon

For the Vegan Ricotta/Feta

• 100 g firm tofu
• 100 g cashew nuts , soaked for at least 3 hours OR boiled for 10 mins
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• 6 green olives
• Juice and zest half a lemon

To assemble the pie

• 1 pack filo pastry You will need 7-8 leaves total
• 4 tbsp Olive Oil you might need more. This is to brush between the pastry layers.

Instructions

Make the Vegan feta/ricotta

• In a food processor, make the 'ricotta' by whizzing up the soaked cashew nuts, then adding the tofu and other feta/ricotta ingredients. Taste and add extra salt, a bit of dried dill or another olive to add more zing.

To make the spinach/greens filling.

• Saute the onion, garlic and chilli until soft in a big frying pan. If you're using chard, add the chopped stems now too so they soften.
• Add the greens and wilt them down to a big squishy mess.Taste and add salt & lemon juice.
• Remove from the heat and drain off any excess liquid. (this avoids a soggy pie)

To assemble the pie.

• Use a large baking dish and line with bakeing paper.
• Lay one piece of filo pastry out into the pan and using a pastry brush, brush with oil.
• Repeat with 3-4 more pieces of filo pastry, scrunching them up slightly to fit in the pan.
• Mix the vegan ricotta in with the now slightly cooler greens and spoon into the pie dish.
• Spread the vegan ricotta and greens out into a single layer, to cover the pastry.
• Add an extra 2-3 layers of pastry over the top of the greens and ricotta.. - 2 or 3 pieces should be plenty.
• Scrunch one more piece of pastry up and slick with olive oil. Arrange attractively over the top of the pie (this makes the pretty looking top).
• Cook in a pre-heated oven- Gas Mark 7/ 220C for around 20mins, or until the pie is a pretty glossy brown on top.
• Serve in slices with a herby tomato salad.

Notes

The pie is also lovely cold and re-heats beautifully, just put it in the oven until the top crisps up again. 

Nutrition

Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 318mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3920IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg