Inspired by Greek spanakopita, this savory vegan spinach pie recipe uses phyllo dough, frozen spinach, silken tofu, raw cashews and more. While you can use dried herbs for this recipe, the fresh marjoram and dill are very nice. Fresh marjoram is like a sweeter, woodsier oregano. The Greeks thought of it as a symbol of happiness. And when it’s baking in my oven, I think of it the same way. The smells of fresh herbs and phyllo dough baking are intoxicating!
A few things…
- ・If you don’t have a high speed blender, you can still make this vegan spinach pie recipe. Soak the raw cashews in water for 4-6 hours or overnight. Then, drain off the water and proceed with the recipe.
- ・Vary up the herbs. In the past, I’ve used fresh thyme and marjoram. Fresh oregano, parsley and dill.
- ・No fresh herbs? Dried herbs are fine too. Just remember 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs equals 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
- ・Don’t be shy with the salt. The recipe has no cheese in it, so it may need a bit more. Taste the filling after mixing it all together and adjust if needed.
- ・Every layer of phyllo dough will need to be brushed or sprayed with oil. Phyllo dough gets dry pretty fast, so you need to move quickly through the process. It also rips easily, so a gentle touch goes a long way.
- ・As a variation, stir some crumbled vegan feta cheese or chopped kalamata olives into the spinach pie filling.
Please enjoy this delicious vegan spinach pie recipe! Check out more UVK recipes, like Lemony Greek Wheat Berry Salad, Vegan Tofu Pot Pie, Vegan Tempeh Souvlaki Pita, or Mushroom Lentil Pot Pie.
Vegan Greek Spinach Pie
20 sheets of vegan phyllo dough, thawed (I used one sleeve of dough from a package of Athens Phyllo Dough)
12.3 ounce package of extra firm silken tofu, drained
½ cup whole raw cashews (see notes above)
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt
½ tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp olive oil + additional olive oil to brush or spray the phyllo dough
2 cups chopped white onion
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 lbs frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed out to remove excess water
2 Tbsp chopped fresh marjoram (OR 2 tsp dried marjoram)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (OR 1 tsp dried dill)
Black pepper, to taste
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Grease a 9″ X 13″ baking pan. Set aside.
- 2. Next, you’ll work on the filling for the vegan spinach pie. In a high speed blender (i.e. Vitamix), add the silken tofu, raw cashews, lemon juice, salt, onion powder, and nutritional yeast. Blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, the onions and a dash of salt. Sauté over medium-high heat for ~7 minutes or until golden. Then, add the garlic and sauté another minute.
4. Stir in the spinach, marjoram, dill, black pepper and the tofu-cashew mixture from the blender. Taste the vegan spinach pie filling and adjust flavors, if needed (more herbs or salt?).
5. Now, it’s time to create the bottom crust. Layer 1 sheet of phyllo dough on the bottom of the baking pan. Lightly brush or spray with olive oil. Layer 2 sheets of phyllo dough across the baking pan horizontally. They will drape over the sides. Brush or spray with oil. Continue layering the phyllo dough sheets and brushing/spraying with oil until you’ve got 10 sheets layered (see the photo to the left).
6. Spoon the vegan spinach pie filling on top of the phyllo dough in the baking pan. Spread evenly. Then fold the edges of the phyllo dough over the spinach pie filling (see center photo).
7. Next, you’ll create the top crust of the vegan spinach pie. Layer 1 piece of phyllo dough on top of the filling. Lightly brush or spray with olive oil. Add another piece of phyllo dough directly on top of the first sheet, and then, brush and spray with oil. Continue this process until you have 10 layers of phyllo dough on top (see the photo to the right)
8. Bake at 375º F for 55-60 minutes or until the vegan spinach pie is cooked through. Remove from oven, slice and serve.
