Filling and delicious Crustless Spinach Pie with juicy, herby, fresh spinach filling with feta cheese. Easy to make using a simple batter on top and bottom!
Greek Spanakopita or Spinach Pie is one of the most delicious and healthy pies. And although nothing beats a pie made with homemade phyllo (whether it's a Traditional Spanakopita or a Hortopita (Mixed Greens Pie) sometimes you need all that delicious flavor without all the effort of making phyllo or a pie crust.
Table Of Contents
Flavor and Ingredients
This Crustless Spinach Pie tastes just like Spanakopita, but without the crispiness of the phyllo. Soft and tender, made with a filling of fresh spinach, spring onions, dill, spearmint (optional), and feta.
The filling is sandwiched between a cake-like cheesy batter, made with Greek yogurt, eggs, flour, baking powder, olive oil, water, and Feta cheese. On top, you can sprinkle some grated Gruyere cheese, Kefalotyri, or ripe yellow cheese.
How To Make A Crustless Spinach Pie
Quick and easy. Just whisk the ingredients for the batter in a mixing bowl and pour half of it to cover the bottom of the pan (using a 9 x 13-inch pan).
To make the filling, mix the spinach with salt and massage it a bit to decrease in volume. Then mix it with the remaining ingredients for the filling. Spread the filling evenly on top of the batter, adding handfuls here and there.
Coat the filling with the remaining batter and sprinkle some grated cheese of your preference on top. Or skip this if you want. It just adds some extra flavor.
Can I Use Frozen Spinach?
I highly recommend using fresh spinach, but if it's more convenient for you or spinach is not in season, then frozen spinach is the way to go! Let it thaw and reach room temperature, and then squeeze it to remove its water before mixing with the remaining ingredients for the filling.
Greek Plastos Pie Is A Gluten-Free Version Of This Crustless Spanakopita. More crunchy, made with corn flour, very filling, and so yummy!
Pan Size
This Crustless Spinach Pie is made in a 9 x 13-inch rectangle pan. You can also use a baking dish of the same size or a 12-inch round pan. Don't use a bigger pan to make this pie, as the batter won't be enough to coat the top and bottom.
A slightly smaller pan might work. In that case, add slightly more batter on the top than the bottom to ensure it bakes properly.
Storing and Reheating
Store this Crustless Spanakopita in the fridge for up to 4 days. Or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the microwave covered, or covered in the oven at 150°C / 300°F.
Serve With
Serve this easy Spanakopita with a mouthwatering Marinated Tomato Salad, or a Simple Beetroot Salad, and some Greek Oven Fries with Feta cheese.
Recipe
Crustless Spinach Pie With Feta Cheese
Ingredients
For The Batter:
- 300 grams (1 cup + 4 tablespoons) Greek yogurt
- 3 large eggs
- 200 ml water
- 6 tablespoons olive oil + extra for the pan
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 250 grams (2 cups + 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 100 grams (3.5 ounces) Feta cheese crumbled
- 2 tablespoons Gruyere or Kefalotyri cheese grated
For The Filling:
- 350 grams (12 ounces) fresh spinach cleaned and chopped or use spinach leaves
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 spring onions finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dill finely chopped
- OPTIONAL: 1 teaspoon spearmint minced
- 150 grams (5.2 ounces) Feta cheese coarsely crumbled
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Make The Batter:
- Whisk together Greek yogurt and eggs.
- Stir in water and olive oil.
- Combine flour with salt and baking powder.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients gradually. Stir with a whisk until uniform.
- Stir in the crumbled feta cheese.
Make The Filling:
- Rub spinach with sea salt to decrease in volume slightly.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients for the filling (spring onions, olive oil, dill, spearmint, feta, and freshly ground pepper).
Put Together:
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 355°F.
- Brush a 9 x 13-inch pan with olive oil.
- Add almost half of the batter to coat the pan.
- Add the filling evenly on top.
- Coat the filling with the remaining batter. If necessary, add a splash of water.
- Sprinkle grated cheese on top.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until set and honey brown on top.
Calling this crustless is not completely honest, as it has a "cake" batter with 2 cups of flour in it. It has a crust, it's just not a "pie crust". People trying to avoid carbs and gluten would want to know that, up front.
Without the flour (or alternatives suggested) it simply wouldn't work. Crustless Greek pies mean they lack the traditional pastry - filo/sfoliata. This recipe makes a delicious pie and I say this with complete honesty!
I made the pie yesterday and kept overnite in fridge. Best way to reheat it?
PS. Have made it 3 times - SO DELICIOUS!
Glad you enjoy it Susan! Microwave covered for a few minutes or reheat at a low temperature ((150°C / 300°F) in the oven again covered!
How many days in advance can I make it?
Hi Susan, up to 3 days in the fridge and then reheat it in the oven!
I didn't read thru the recipe before cooking it, threw it all together in a bowl
Hope it turns out ok
Has anyone else done this
Hiya, I tried this recipe but I think something went wrong with the dough. It became flan-like and I expected it crispier looking at the picture. But the text says cake-like base. Would you compare this pie's bottom to a flan? Thanks, the crustless zucchini pie recipe worked out fine!
Hi Eva, the dough doesn't turn out crispy it's very soft. I wouldn't compare it to a flan though.
The best!! I have been making this recipe for several years and it works perfectly every single time. Delicious! We use this spanakopita for a quick breakfast while commuting, in lunch boxes and for dinner. It reheats very well and I have yet to find out if it freezes as we never have leftovers.
Sometimes I cannot get fresh dill, so I either use dried or do without. Still good either way. Also, I sometimes substitute the Kefalotyri for fresh grated Parmesan cheese and that works very well for us.
Great recipe!!
Fotini, thank you so much for sharing these delicious recipes!!
You're most welcome Barbara. It's really my pleasure to hear you enjoy it so much!
Can it be frozen??
Hi Susan. Haven't tried it, as there aren't ever any leftovers left. But I believe you can. Place the leftover pieces of the pie on parchment paper so you can stack them (without them sticking together afterwards) and place in an airtight food container (plastic or glass) and into the freezer. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Absolutely delicious and super easy. Has been my go to recipe for spinach and feta cheese for a long time.
Glad to know!
Love, love, love your version. This is it! Everyone loves it, and it's easy. Thank you SO much.
Glad to hear that Misako!
Absolutely delish! Easy to prepare with clear step by step instructions
Totally on rotation in my home
Thanks!
You're most welcome Sara. Glad you enjoyed it!
The easiest and the best!
Easy, delicious
hi! I'm wondering if this recipe can be prepared a day ahead and baked the next day- will the results be the same or good? 🙂
Hello, I wouldn't advice doing that. Because the spinach will be releasing water as it sits and make the batter more liquid.
Great recipe. I actually just used dill, parsley and spring onions (scallions) for the grren filling and it still tasted like the spanakhopita i bought at the foot of the Acropolis! Quick Q about the gluten free tip. Did you mean use cornmeal/polenta when you said corn flour? Or did you actually mean the cornflour thickener used in sauces (i think it's a different food words in different places issue)? Thanks again. Super delicious!
Thank you Hayley. Corn flour is finer in texture than cornmeal and polenta. It's flour made out of corn with a yellowish color. The thickener I refer to as cornstarch. Although there is usually a misunderstanding between these two. There are two different things under the same word "flour". This time it's the actual flour.
I am a new member. Your recipes are amazing. Making them is helpful during LOCKDOWN! Thank you.
I saw a recipe for stuffed peppers, Yemites. Or something (forgive my memory). I can no longer find it, perhaps you could let me have this please.
The meatballs were sensational!
Take care.
Kindest regards.
Maggie Whitaker
Hi Margaret, it's so nice to know you enjoy the recipes and that they help during this terrible time we go through (which will hopefully pass soon). I have two recipes for stuffed peppers. The one is roasted red peppers that are stuffed with feta cheese and the other one is Yemista (stuffed peppers + other vegetables with rice). You can check those two links or use the search bar and type whatever you're looking for. It's okay if you don't type the exact name or recipe title. You can search for peppers for example and they will show up.
Hello Fotini: do you have good recipe for phyllo dough please
Hi Maria, you can find a recipe for phyllo dough here: Authentic Spanakopita Recipe I've also included some step by step picture instructions to make it easier.
Yiasou Fotini,
Tonight we are having Fasolakia, and no doubt my husband will insist on some sort of meat the next few days.
However, I am really keen to try out this crustless Spanakopita in the very near future. (I love Spanakopita but am a bit nervous about the phyllo pastry part,
So thank you for this recipe.
You're welcome Jette. I think you're going to like it, it's as delicious as a Spanakopita. And as for the phyllo, there is no need to be nervous about it. As long as you keep it covered with a tea towel so it doesn't air-dry. Though it does take more time and effort to make a pie with it.