Creamy cashew cheese, spinach and herbs are nestled between layers of flaky phyllo pastry to make this mouth-wateringly delicious vegan spanakopita. You'd never guess this scrumptious Greek-style pie was dairy-free!
Spanakopita is one of my favorite things in the whole world. Not only did it save me from having to dine on sad dinner salads in my early vegetarian days (so many diners in my area serve spanakopita!), but it's insanely delicious.
It's hard to believe it took me this long to share a recipe for vegan spanakopita on this site. I'll admit it: I was totally intimidated by the idea! If you're not familiar with the dish, spanakopita is a Greek spinach and feta pie. Oh, and it contains eggs. So it's not super vegan-friendly!
But I was happy to discover that an eggless and dairy-free spinach pie wasn't all that tough to make. Plus it was delicious!
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What You'll Need
- Raw cashews. Cashews serve as the cheesy component in this recipe. They absolutely need to be raw in order to create the right texture and flavor. You'll be blending them, so soak them in some water to soften them up before getting started. If you forget to soak your cashews ahead of time, just boil them for 15 minutes.
- Non-dairy milk. Just about any variety will work, as long as it's unflavored and unsweetened.
- Lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. The bottled stuff just isn't as good!
- Garlic.
- Salt & pepper.
- Frozen spinach. You might be able to substitute fresh spinach, though I haven't tried it. I'd recommend chopping it finely and steaming it briefly before adding it to the filling.
- Onion.
- Scallions.
- Fresh herbs. We're using fresh dill and oregano. I highly recommend using fresh as the recipe specifies, but if you absolutely insist on using dried you'll need to cut the amounts by about â…”.
- Frozen phyllo pastry. Look for this near where frozen pie crusts are sold at your store. It needs to thaw before you use it, so be sure to plan ahead. I normally leave mine in the fridge overnight, then on the counter for a few hours before cooking.
- Olive oil.
How to Make Vegan Spanakopita
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- To make your filling, start by placing your cashews, milk, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper into a blending device. You can use a larger blender or a food processor with an s-blade like I'm using. Blend the mixture until relatively smooth. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth — after all, we're trying to replicate feta cheese, which is crumbly.
- Add the spinach, onions, scallions, dill and oregano to your device and just pulse it until everything is mixed. At this point you can taste-test it and make any adjustments needed.
- To layer your spanakopita, start by placing a sheet of phyllo in a lightly oiled baking dish. Be careful, as phyllo is super thin and delicate, so it tears easily. Have a few extra sheets on hand in case some of them break.
- Lightly and carefully brush the phyllo with olive oil, then place another sheet on top of the first. Keep layering and brushing until you've got 8 sheets down.
- Tip: Keep a damp (but not soaked) tea towel on hand, and use it to cover your stack of unused phyllo sheets if they start to dry out while you're working.
- Spread half of your spinach filling over the last phyllo sheet.
- Arrange another 8 layers of phyllo over the filling, then spread the rest of the filling over those layers.
- Arrange a final set of 8 phyllo layers over the top filling layer, then spread a thin coat of olive oil over the top phyllo layer.
- Pop the dish into the oven and bake your vegan phyllo pie until the top is crispy and golden.
Leftovers & Storage
Vegan spinach & feta pie is best served right away, but if you have leftovers they'll keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
To reheat, thaw your pie (if it was frozen), then place it into a 400°F oven until heated through. If you'd like, you can place it under a broiler for a few minutes after heating to recrisp the pastry.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm afraid I haven't found a way to do that. I haven't come across any gluten-free vegan phyllo brands, or even recipes to make your own. If you find one please let me know!
Most phyllo dough is made from little more than flour and water, so it's totally vegan. Always check the ingredients list though, because you never know when someone is going to decide to add milk powder to something for no apparent reason! 😒
I haven't done it myself, but I'm sure you can! Use this vegan hand pie recipe as a guide for folding and baking them, and make sure to have plenty of phyllo on hand because the ratio of pastry to filling might change a bit when making them as triangles.
More Greek-Inspired Vegan Recipes
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Amazing Vegan Spanakopita
Creamy cashew cheese, spinach and herbs are nestled between layers of flaky phyllo pastry to make this mouth-wateringly delicious vegan spanakopita. You'd never guess this scrumptious Greek-style pie was dairy-free!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 24 ounces frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed to remove excess moisture
- 1 medium onion, diced
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- 24 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
- ½ cup olive oil, plus more as needed
Instructions
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Place the cashews, milk, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper into a large blender or the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Blend until relatively smooth.
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Add the spinach, onion, scallions, dill and oregano to the food processor. Pulse until well mixed.
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Taste-test the mixture and adjust any seasonings to your liking.
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Preheat the oven to 400° and lightly oil the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
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Arrange a sheet of phyllo pastry in the bottom of the pan, then carefully brush a layer of olive oil on top.
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Arrange a second sheet of phyllo on top of the first, gently working out any bubbles between the two. Brush the second sheet with olive oil.
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Repeat until you've layered 8 sheets, finishing with a phyllo sheet (don't brush the top of the last one with oil).
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Evenly spread half of the spinach mixture on top of the last phyllo sheet, smoothing out the top with the back of a spoon or a spatula.
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Arrange 8 more phyllo sheets on top of the spinach filling in the same manner, then top with the other half of the spinach filling.
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Repeat the layering arrangement using the last 8 phyllo sheets. Brush the top sheet with olive oil.
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Bake for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and crispy.
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Allow to cool for a few minutes, cut into 8 square and serve.
Seriously? You have just rocked my world Alissa...I LOVE Spanakopita & have really missed it! THANK YOU so much for this post. I can hardly wait to make it & surprise my wonderful husband who has never been able to eat it (food allergies)! What brand of phyllo did you use? Is it easy to find? Oh my, my mouth is watering! YUM! I'll let you know how it turns out!
Sorry for taking the initiative to answer, but as a Greek expat I know the pain of trying to find philo... If there are any Middle-Eastern or Eastern Europe specialty shops in your area, they should carry philo pastry or yufka pastry or burek pastry, which are all similar (maybe the last two ones will be cut a bit larger). Make sure to handle the pastry sheets at room temperature-ish (aka not stone-cold from the fridge) cause they will break.
This recipe is very true to what I know and usually do in the non-vegan version, and I am intrigued to try it! Well done Alissa! :)
You're always welcome to comment with your input! I really appreciate the tips! I'm glad you think this sounds like a good one! I hope you enjoy it. :) Thanks Eleni!
Yay!! I used Athen's brand - most of the supermarkets in my area carry it, so hopefully yours does too. I hope you and your husband love it!
I try to make vegan meals for our granddaughter who is in college.
It is hard to find food that is freezer friendly, can you suggest some things?
These enchiladas: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/black-bean-spinach-enchiladas/ and these stuffed shells: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/vegan-stuffed-shells-florentine/ are both freezer friendly! Also, with any of my veggie burger recipes (like this one: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/barbecue-chickpea-burgers/) you can mix up the burger base, freeze it, and then thaw, shape into patties and cook when you're ready. I hope that helps!
Fran: Alissa's Vegan Stuffed Shells Florentine is one of my absolute favorite recipes! I especially like to make it for my non-veg friends. Every single person I have made it for loves it! I have been a vegan cook for decades... I can heartily endorse this wonderful recipe. Thank you, Alissa!
Thank you so much Sylvia!!
Hi
Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen one?
That should work! I'd chop it up very finely and steam it for a few minutes to get it to wilt.
When using fresh spinach you can chop off any stems, stack similar size leaves and roll them up and slice in 1/4 inch increments or
I will just cut them in stacks with my kitchen shears. The kitchen shears are also handy for the fresh dill to cut it up finely.
Can I assemble and bake the next day?
I think that would work! I'd just make sure to cover it tightly to keep the top layer from drying out.
I noticed no nutritional yeast or did I mistake that
Elaine
That's correct! I don't find it necessary for replicating the flavor of feta.
Can I substitute roasted cashews for raw?
I wouldn't recommend it. Roasted cashews have a much more distinct flavor, so they don't work as well as a dairy substitute.
Can you use this recipe to make individual spanipakita?
I don't see why not! If anything, you might need some extra phyllo sheets, and maybe a shorter bake time by a few minutes - I'm not sure how much, so just keep an eye on them!
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I missed this favorite in its non vegan state and making it vegan was not difficult and good to eat! This will be a repeat meal at our house!
Thank you!
Awesome! I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks Yolanda!
I read you use 24 ounces of frozen spinach. But at the grocery stores, the packages say 300 g. Is it the same quantity? Thank you! Looking forward to taste!
That would be too little. 300 grams is equal to about 10 1/2 ounces, so you'd need to use a bit more than double that. Good luck and enjoy!
I struggle with the fiddly filo but this was very good, thx
Can I turn this into filling for a quiche? Or would it be too watery?
I'd be afraid it wouldn't hold together when you sliced the quiche. I find tofu makes the best base for a vegan quiche. You could always modify the filling from this recipe: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/potato-leek-vegan-quiche/
This turned out very well indeed. But, I prefer creating triangles from half sheets of pastry. They are much easier to bake and serve! I freeze half of the triangles for an easy meal when I am busy.
This was so good, I was always hesitant to try making my own and it was a lot of work but worth it. I was wondering if I could add in some Violife Feta that I just happen to have? Oh and I found that an air fryer is a great way to heat up leftovers.
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, I see absolutely no reason you couldn't add some vegan feta into the layers!