The Best Vegan Spanakopita

This is a vegan version of the Greek spinach pie – spanakopita.

Since I’m in Bulgaria, I first tried making a vegan banitsa — which is quite a challenge, considering it’s a dish traditionally made with eggs, butter, and cheese. But after visiting Cyprus, where there’s a strong Greek influence, I felt drawn to make this pie instead, filled with spinach, which I love so much.

I’m not saying this spanakopita is just like the traditional one, but I can promise you — it’s absolutely delicious and seriously addictive!

📝 Ingredients for this Vegan Spanakopita

Spanakopita is usually made with lots of spinach, fresh herbs, feta cheese, and sometimes eggs.

Since I didn’t want to use eggs or dairy, I made the filling with tofu and a cashew cream blended with nutritional yeast.

Here’s the full list of ingredients you’ll need:

• Spinach: 600 grams (21 ounces) of fresh spinach.
• Salt: to help dehydrate the spinach and season the filling.
• Tofu: 200 grams (7 ounces) of plain extra firm tofu.
• Olive oil: 2 tablespoons.
• Lemon juice: 3 tablespoons.
• Olives: 12 pitted kalamata olives and 3 tablespoons of the brine.
• Garlic powder: 1 teaspoon.
• Black pepper: to taste (I used about ⅛ teaspoon).
• Cashews: 100 grams (about ¾ cup), no need to soak.
• Nutritional yeast: 3 tablespoons.
• Plant-based milk: 125 ml (½ cup) — I used unsweetened soy milk to avoid a sweet flavor.
• Scallions: I used 5 stalks, but feel free to adjust to your taste.
• Parsley: a large bunch, about 50 grams (∼ 2 ounces).
• Phyllo dough: about 500 grams (∼ 17 ounces).
• Vegan butter: about 50 grams (∼ 2 ounces) of plant-based butter, or margarine, or olive oil; all work well.
• Sesame seeds: optional topping.

It’s common to add fresh dill to spanakopita. I’m not a fan, so I didn’t include it, but it’s a nice addition for those who like it.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to make this Vegan Spanakopita

Preparing the Spinach

This recipe starts with prepping the star of the dish — the spinach.

After washing and draining 600 grams (21 ounces) of fresh spinach, I roughly chopped it and placed it in a large bowl. I sprinkled it generously with salt, massaged it well, and let it rest.

This salting process helps the spinach release its water and wilt, so there’s no need to cook it in a pan. About 10 minutes should be enough. While it was resting, I moved on to the next steps of this recipe.

Seasoning the Tofu

In a small bowl, I crumbled 200 grams (7 ounces) of tofu and seasoned it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of olive brine, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and a bit of black pepper.

I mixed everything really well and set it aside.

Cashew Cream

In a small food processor, I added 100 grams (about ¾ cup) of cashews, 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ cup of unsweetened soy milk.

I blended it for a few minutes until it formed a smooth paste, then added another ¼ cup of soy milk and blended again. You’ll probably need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the processor and blend again.

Adding the plant-based milk gradually helps the cashews blend better and makes the cream smoother.

I poured the cashew cream into the tofu bowl and mixed it well.

After preparing the tofu and cashew cream, the spinach was completely dehydrated. With my hands, I grabbed a handful and squeezed it well to get out as much water as possible. I repeated this until all the spinach was squeezed dry.

To the squeezed spinach, I added the tofu and cashew mixture and mixed everything really well. Then I added 5 chopped scallions, 50 grams (∼ 2 ounces) of chopped parsley, and 12 finely chopped Kalamata olives.

I mixed everything together, and the filling was ready.

Assembly

I began by greasing a round baking dish.

On the counter, I laid down a sheet of phyllo dough and generously brushed it with vegan butter (or plant-based margarine, or olive oil). Then, I placed another sheet of phyllo on top and brushed that with butter as well.

I placed the filling generously along one of the edges, lengthwise. I began rolling the dough over the filling and continued moving until the dough was finished, forming a thin roll.

Carefully, I shaped the roll into a spiral and placed it in the center of the round baking dish.

I repeated these steps until the dish was filled and the stuffing was used up. I generously brushed the top of the pie with butter and garnished it with sesame seeds.

I placed it in the preheated oven at 180°C (356 °F) for 50 to 60 minutes. After removing it from the oven, I let it cool for a few minutes before slicing with a bread knife and serving.

Bon appétit! 😄

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Vegan Spanakopita

Cláudia Reis

A vegan take on the traditional Greek spanakopita that turned out to be seriously addictive. It's filled with spinach, seasoned tofu, and cashew cream, all wrapped in crispy phyllo pastry.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side

Cuisine Greek, Vegan

Servings 8 slices

Equipment

• Round baking dish

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 600 g (21 ounces) spinach fresh, washed and drained
• ¾ tsp salt plus more to dehydrate the spinach, adjust to taste
• 200 g (7 ounces) extra firm tofu plain
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp olive brine
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• a pinch black-pepper ground
• 100 g (¾ cup) cashews
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 125 ml (½ cup) plant-based milk I used unsweetened soy milk
• 5 stalks scallions finely chopped
• 50 g (2 ounces) parsley fresh, finely chopped
• 12 kalamata olives pitted, finely chopped
• 500 g (17 ounces) phyllo dough
• 50 g (2 ounces) vegan butter or margarine, or olive oil
• sesame seeds optional

Instructions

 

Preparing the Spinach

• Roughly chop the spinach and place it in a large bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt, massage well, and let it rest while you prepare the other steps of the recipe, or for at least 10 minutes.
• Once the spinach has wilted and released its moisture, squeeze it thoroughly to get rid of as much water as possible.

Seasoning the Tofu

• In a small bowl, crumble the tofu and mix it with the olive oil, lemon juice, olive brine, ½ tsp of salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.

Cashew Cream

• In a food processor, add the cashews, nutritional yeast, ¼ tsp of salt, and ¼ cup of plant-based milk.
• Blend until it turns into a smooth paste.
• Add the remaining ¼ cup of plant-based milk and blend again until it becomes a smooth, creamy mixture.

Finishing the filling

• Pour the cashew cream into the tofu mixture and mix well to combine.
• Fold the cashew and tofu mixture into the squeezed spinach.
• Add the scallions, parsley, and olives, and mix well.

Assembly

• Lay out a sheet of phyllo dough and generously brush it with vegan butter.
• Place another sheet of phyllo on top of the previous one and brush it again with butter.
• Generously place the filling along one of the edges of the phyllo sheets, lengthwise.
• Roll the phyllo dough over the filling continuing until it’s all wrapped up, forming a thin roll.
• Carefully roll it into a spiral shape and place it in the center of a greased round baking dish.
• Repeat these steps until the dish is filled and the stuffing is used up.
• Brush the top of the pie with butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F) for 50 to 60 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes before serving.

Keyword vegan spanakopita, vegan spinach pie

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