Spanakopita is one of my all-time favorite things to eat. I wanted to try and create a healthy version of this traditional Greek dish with little to no-oil and make it vegan. Removing the feta and olive oil seems somewhat sacrilegious, it’s such a staple of the traditional recipe and Greek cooking! However, you are not even going to miss it with my version of this recipe. I have added much healthier ingredients and it is full of flavor. You will be singing me praise after you make this – trust me. You are going to love this Vegan Spanakopita!
It looks like a lot of ingredients, but it’s really easy to make. I actually took some step by step pictures for you!
Mash up your beans, it’s fun to do. =)
Saute some yummy, super healthy ingredients.
Layer your phyllo dough and brush with your flaxseed mixture.
Layer your spinach mixture on top.
Top with remaining phyllo dough and flaxseed mixture.
Bake in preheated oven.
And Voilà! There you have it – Delicious and Healthy Vegan Spanakopita! Enjoy!
- 12 sheets phyllo dough
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup green onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15) oz can no or low sodium garbanzo beans, drained and mashed
- 2 (10) oz packages frozen cut spinach, thawed
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ⅓ cup kalamata olives, chopped
- ⅓ cup tahini
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
- Black pepper, to taste
- Flaxseed Mixture:
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp flax seed meal
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly spray a 9x9 inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, green onion, garlic and two tablespoons water. Water sauté on medium-low for 5 minutes, adding a tablespoon of water when necessary to prevent sticking, until onions are translucent.
- Add the spinach and cook for 5 minutes, or until excess water has evaporated. While spinach is cooking, add remaining lemon juice, maple syrup and flaxseed meal to a small bowl. Stir to combine, set aside and allow to thicken. Add the remaining ingredients, except the phylllo dough, and cook an additional 5 minutes on medium to medium-low heat. Remove from heat and set aside. Allow to cool slightly.
- Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on the bottom of the baking dish. Lightly brush sheet with the flaxseed mixture using a small pastry brush. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with flaxseed mixture, and repeat process with 4 more sheets of phyllo. Spread spinach mixture into pan, then layer remaining 6 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with flaxseed mixture.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.
enjoy!!
Jennifer
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oh my goodness I LOVE this idea! I have been wondering how I can make vegan version of this without resorting to tofu, the chickpeas are a great idea! I might try with blanched courgette slices in place of the filo pastry, nom nom. 🙂
Hi Ellis,
blanched courgette slices sound yummy!!!! And it would make it even healthier. Thanks for stopping by and let me know how the recipe turns out for you if you try it 🙂
xo
Jen
YUM!!! I’ll have to make this soon! The last time I had Spanakopita was when I was still vegetarian… I’m vegan now since almost 3 years! 😉
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment Val! It lets me know someone’s out there and it’s more fun blogging when I have someone to talk to!! 🙂 heehee
let me know how the recipe turns out!
Xo
Jen
I wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed your spanakopita. I wasn’t sure about the sweetness of the maple syrup in the flaxseed mixture, but the combination of flavors was just right. I’m relatively new to being plant-based and found your blog via Healthy Girls Kitchen. I’m always looking for healthy and easy recipes & so glad I happened upon your site. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Best regards,
Karen
Thanks Karen! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I really loved the maple syrup in there, just the right amount of sweetness to make the dish even more delish!
xoxo
Jen
I just took this out of the oven….I couldn’t wait to try it, eseciallybe because I couldn’t stop picking at the mixture in the pan. When I tried it, I was in absolute heaven! I love this!
I’m so glad you liked this and left a comment letting me know…I worked on this until I got it perfect!!! 🙂
xoxo
Can I reiterate, that this is divine?! Haha
Awesome!! 😉
Recipe looks top notch. Hubby (weird as he is 😉 ) does not care for olives. Are they recognizable in this dish as an olive or more as a salt component?
Hi Misty,
Does your hubby like capers? You can substitute those instead of olives or leave them out all together and just add some sea salt, to taste. The olives are included in the recipe because they are used a lot in greek style cuisine and they also add a nice zing/salty flavor. Are they a recognizable flavor in the dish, if you don’t like olives then maybe?? 😉 I hope that helps!
Best,
Jen
Thanks idk if he likes capers. Worth a try though.
Let me know how that works! 🙂
I made this this past weekend and it it truly delicious, thanks for a great recipe, I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
awesome!!! thanks for stopping by and letting me know!
xoxo
Jen
I’ve never made spanakopita before but now I’ll have to try it. Can’t let that phyllo dough go to waste! Thanks for sharing. I’m absolutely delighted to have discovered your blog. It’s lovely!
Spanakopita so yummy Katie…it’s one of my favorite things to eat with a nice big greek salad…yum! I always wanted to veganize it and I love how it came out…please let me know if you try it! Thanks for stopping by and I am on my way to check out your blog!
xoxo
Jen
Just made a tempeh, vegetable pie and hopefully I will notate my recipe soon. I used onions, spinach, mushroom, tomatoes, tomato paste, crumbled tempeh and salt and pepper. I sautéed each ingredient separately in a medium non stick pan removing each one letting them cool down while preparing the next ingredient. After they cooled, I brushed each dough layer with 1/2 tsp. of olive oil and then spread each ingredient on top of the dough, covered it with 2 additional layers of dough, brushed with just a tad more of olive oil, and baked at 350 for 40-50 minutes. Voila! a tempeh phyllo pie!
Today we will try for a picture.
betsy shipley
Note: I mixed the crumbled tempeh with the tomato/tomato paste, some salt and pepper which was the 4th layer.
That sounds great Betsy! Let me know when you get pictures!
Jen
What is flax seed mix?
Hi Judith, the flaxseed mixture is in the instructions: lemon juice, maple syrup and fax seed meal =) I use it instead of olive oil on the phyllo sheets, wanted to try something a little different! Jen
Hi Jennifer – This looks interesting and the reviews are unanimous. 🙂 Do you know if this can be prepped in advance, and then baked a few hours later, or baked and then warmed up later? Or is it best prepped, made and consumed right away?
it definitely can be made ahead of time and then heated up on in the microwave then toasted in the oven to get it crispy again!
Where do you find vegan fillo dough? All I can find contains egg! I am allergic to eggs.
Hi Julia,
I used to buy a vegan filo dough through amazon but they stopped making it but I do believe pillsbury filo dough is vegan!
actually I’m thinking of their puff pastry that is vegan sorry! Athens brand is vegan I get that in my grocery store, youcould check trader joes or whole foods if you have one near you too =)
here’s a link
http://www.athensfoods.com/where-to-buy/#.V3U5k_krLIU
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was so delicious! I am so happy to find a dairy free spinach pie that doesn’t use tofu. I had some extra broccoli that I chopped up & sautéed with the rest of the greens. Will definitely make it again soon 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to share with me how much you enjoyed this recipe, it means a lot to me! xo