Spinach Fritters With Feta + Yogurt Dip

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.

Table Of Contents

• Texture + Taste
• Ingredients
• How To Make Spinach Fritters
• Can I Use Frozen Spinach Instead?
• Can I Make These Ahead Of Time?
• Can I Reheat Spinach Fritters?
• Recipe

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