Spinach fritters with feta cheese are made with fresh spinach and filled with herby flavors of mint, dill, and parsley. These deep-fried spinach patties are served with a refreshing yogurt dip.
It's true! We love making fritters in Greece. We make them out of almost every vegetable. Want some examples? Check out my Zucchini fritters, Tomato fritters, or even these Chickpea fritters which are like a Greek-style falafel.
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Fritters are not only very quick to make. They're also very convenient because they require basic ingredients to make, the ones we usually have at home already. And okay, I get that you probably don't have feta cheese at home right now unless you're a real Greek foodie, but for Greeks, it's a staple.
Texture + Taste
These fritters get crisp on the outside but their texture is more like spinach cakes. They're soft on the inside and almost double in size as they fry. Their flavor might be reminding you a bit of Spanakopita or Hortopita. As the ingredients are pretty much the same.
Ingredients
So to make these spinach fritters you need flour, egg, feta cheese, onion (red + green onions), and fresh herbs (mint, dill, parsley, though you can play out with those and sub for basil or chervil for instance).
Also, I'm using collard greens as well. But you can skip this and use just spinach.
I'm also using a small amount of baking soda dissolved in fresh lemon juice to make the fritters lighter and not too dense.
How To Make Spinach Fritters
To make spinach fritters using fresh spinach, you need to wash the spinach well first and let it drain. And do the same with the collard greens if using any.
Then finely chop the spinach (and collard greens). If using the stems (which I do because they add crunchiness), make sure to chop them really fine. Next, you need to rub and massage the greens with some salt.
So they will decrease in volume, soften, and get a bit mushy. The point here is for the greens to start releasing their moisture. Which will bind with the flour later on and uniform the mixture.
You can then mix in the herbs and onions. And ideally, let the mixture rest in the fridge for 2 hours for the flavors to intensify and combine.
After this time, mix in the egg, all-purpose flour, crumbled feta cheese, and baking soda with lemon.
The mixture should be moist and sticky but shapeable. You may need to add a little more or slightly less flour than what the recipe calls for. As this will depend on the water released by the greens and the strength of the flour you are using.
When you are ready to fry them, heat some frying oil or light vegetable oil such as sunflower oil or corn oil. Use an ice cream scoop so all spinach fritters turn out the same size. And knead gently with your hands to form a smooth spinach patty. Fry the spinach patties in batches until deep golden without adding too many at once in the pan.
Can I Use Frozen Spinach Instead?
Yes, you can. Just let it thaw at room temperature inside a strainer. Then use as you would use fresh spinach in the recipe.
Can I Make These Ahead Of Time?
You can prepare most of the mixture ahead of time but mix in the baking soda with the lemon, and flour right when you are ready to cook. Because soda gets activated right away it needs to be used also right away.
Whereas mixing the flour into the mixture ahead of time will result in a runny mixture. Because the more the greens sit the more water they will release. Therefore you will need to add more and more flour to it.
All in all, you could make the base mixture (greens, onions, egg, feta, herbs) the day before but don't let it sit more than that.
Can I Reheat Spinach Fritters?
You can reheat spinach fritters by placing them on a parchment paper-covered pan in a well-preheated oven at 150°C / 300°F for 10-15 minutes.
Recipe
Spinach Fritters With Feta + Yogurt Dip
Ingredients
For The Spinach Fritters:
- 300 grams (10.5 ounce) fresh spinach or baby spinach leaves finely chopped
- 100 grams (3.5 ounce) collard greens the leaves only finely chopped
- â…“ teaspoon kosher salt
- 80 grams (2.8 ounce) red onion
- 80 grams (2.8 ounce) spring onions minced
- 1 medium-sized egg
- 100 grams (3.5 ounce) feta cheese crumbled
- 2 tablespoons dill finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons parsley finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons spearmint finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice fresh
- â…” teaspoon baking soda
- 200 grams (7 ounce) all-purpose flour
- frying oil, sunflower, or corn oil
For The Yogurt Dip:
- 120 grams (4.2 ounce) Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice fresh
- â…“ lemon zest
- â…“ teaspoon spearmint finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon dill finely chopped
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Make The Yogurt Dip:
- Add all of the ingredients for the yogurt dip in a bowl and mix well. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Prepare The Fritters:
- Add the spinach and collard greens in a large mixing bowl. Add the â…“ teaspoon of salt and rub the greens until they start to look a bit mushy and release their moisture.
- Grate the red onion on the coarse scale of a hand grater. Add to the bowl as well.
- Add the spring onions as well, the dill, mint, and parsley. Mix well to combine. Then cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Take the bowl out of the fridge and stir in the egg.
- In a small bowl dissolve the baking soda in the lemon juice. Add to the greens mixture and stir to combine.
- Lastly, stir in the feta cheese and the flour. The mixture will be very moist but firm enough to be able to shape it into a pattie. Otherwise, add a little bit more flour to it. But be careful not to add too much, add a tablespoon at a time.
- Half-fill a frying pan with frying oil and heat over high. Using an ice cream scoop take spoonfuls of the mixture and shape each one into a flattened pattie. Carefully add them one by one into the hot oil. Don't overcrowd them in the pan.
- Using two forks flip the fritters as necessary until they become deep golden all over. Transfer on paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Serve warm with the yogurt sauce on the side and enjoy!
From my family and myself, we thank you for your delicious recipes. My husband and I decided to not eat any meat for a week, and the results are out standing .
Both of us had far more energy. I wanted to share and mainly to say how much we enjoy your vegetarian recipes.
So nice to hear this! Glad you enjoy the recipes.