Vegan Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

A pan of vegan spanakopita, flakey pastry pie with spinach stuffing, with a square taken out of it. The square is on a spoon, showing the layers of pastry and spinach.

4.50 from 2 votes

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.

Prep Time25

Cook Time25

Total Time50

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Greek, Vegan

Servings: pieces

Calories: 125kcal

Author: Louise-Claire Cayzer

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Spinach mix

1 onion finely chopped
500 g Spinach NB: this would be equivelant to 2 bags of spinach, or a large bunch of chard
chilli optional
3 garlic cloves finely diced
2 tablespoon fresh dill you could also use parsely or fresh oregano
1 tablespoon 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 tablespoon 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 sheets total
4 tablespoon Olive Oil you might need more. This is to brush between the pastry layers

Metric - American

Instructions

Make the Vegan feta/ricotta

In a food processor, make the 'ricotta' by whizzing up the soaked cashew nuts, then add 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 baking 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 at 200°C / 390°F for around 30 minutes, or until the pie is a pretty glossy brown on top.
Serve in slices with a herby tomato salad.

Video

Notes

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

Nutrition