Greek Breads and Pies
Spanakotyropita Recipe (Greek Spinach and Cheese Pie)
Σπανακοτυρόπιτα spah-nah-koh-tee-ROH-pee-tah · Spanakotyropita
Photo: Homemade pie (burek) with spinach and cheese 03.jpg by Milica Buha, CC BY-SA 4.0. Placeholder until original photography is shot.
In short
Spanakotyropita combines spinach and a generous amount of cheese in a single filling, layered between sheets of phyllo, sitting as a genuine dish in its own right between plain spanakopita and plain tyropita rather than simply being one or the other. It is arguably the most common everyday version actually eaten at home.
Ask most Greeks what pie they actually make at home and spanakotyropita, not the purely spinach spanakopita most people outside Greece picture, is often the honest answer, since a generous amount of cheese folded through the spinach makes the filling richer and more forgiving of imperfectly drained greens.
It sits genuinely in between its two more famous relatives rather than simply being one dressed as the other, using proportionally more cheese than a plain spanakopita and considerably more spinach than a plain tyropita, giving a filling with real body and a rounder flavour than either alone.
The technique is otherwise identical to any Greek phyllo pie: drain the spinach thoroughly, cool the filling fully, and layer with real attention to keeping every sheet brushed with oil or butter.
Key preparation steps
- Wilt and thoroughly drain a large quantity of spinach.
- Mix with a generous amount of feta, egg and herbs.
- Layer with phyllo, brushing every sheet.
- Bake until deeply golden, then rest before slicing.
Draining the spinach properly
Wilt fresh spinach briefly in a dry pan, or thaw and squeeze frozen spinach, until it releases as much water as possible, since spinach carries a genuinely large amount and any left behind makes the filling wet and the pastry soggy. Squeeze in a clean tea towel, working in batches, until it feels properly dry rather than merely drained.
Balancing spinach and cheese
Mix the well-drained spinach with a generous amount of crumbled feta, roughly equal in volume to the spinach itself, along with beaten egg and chopped dill or spring onion. This higher cheese ratio compared with a plain spanakopita is what gives spanakotyropita its rounder, richer character.
Layering and baking
Layer half the phyllo sheets into an oiled tin, brushing each individually, spread the filling evenly, then top with the remaining sheets, again brushed throughout, and score before baking. Bake until deeply golden and firm, resting for at least fifteen minutes before cutting along the scored lines.
Tips from my kitchen
Squeeze the spinach properly dry
Any leftover water makes the filling wet and the finished pastry soggy. Work in batches and squeeze hard.
Use a genuinely generous ratio of cheese
This is what separates spanakotyropita from a plain spanakopita and gives it its rounder, richer flavour.
Score before baking
This gives a clean, portioned finish once the pie comes out of the oven.
Spanakotyropita Recipe (Greek Spinach and Cheese Pie)
Σπανακοτυρόπιτα · by Kalliopi Andreou · updated 2026-07-31
- Prep
- 40m
- Cook
- 45m
- Total
- 1h 25m
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the filling
For the pie
Method
- Wilt the fresh spinach in a dry pan in batches, or thaw and squeeze frozen spinach thoroughly. Squeeze in a clean tea towel until as dry as possible.
- Mix the drained spinach with the feta, eggs, dill, spring onions and a good grinding of pepper.
- Heat the oven to 190C fan 170C. Oil a 30 x 22 cm baking dish.
- Layer half the phyllo sheets into the dish, brushing each with olive oil.
- Spread the spinach and cheese filling evenly over the phyllo base.
- Top with the remaining phyllo sheets, brushing each with oil, and tuck in the edges.
- Score the top into portions and brush with any remaining oil.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until deeply golden. Rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting along the scored lines.
Nutrition, per 1 slice
- Calories
- 312
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Sat fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
These figures are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not laboratory analysis. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions about Spanakotyropita
What is the difference between spanakotyropita, spanakopita and tyropita?
Spanakopita is spinach-forward with a smaller amount of cheese; tyropita is cheese only; spanakotyropita combines a genuinely generous amount of both in one filling, giving a richer, rounder result than either alone.
Can you use frozen spinach?
Yes, thawed and squeezed very thoroughly, it works well and is often more convenient than wilting a large quantity of fresh spinach.
Can you freeze spanakotyropita?
Yes, it freezes well either unbaked or baked and cooled, and reheats well in the oven from frozen.
