Spanakopita Dip has all the comforting flavours of a traditional Greek Spinach Pie.
The healthy Mediterranean dip features 3 cheeses, which are cooked together with sauteed garlic, scallions, spinach and dill.
We love serving our quick & easy vegetarian Spanakopita Dip recipe on game night, scooped with toasted pita triangles, crunchy bagel chips or homemade crostini.
This warm and creamy Spanakopita-inspired dip is the perfect recipe to serve at your next Greek themed dinner party as a snack or appetizer.
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What Is Spanakopita Dip?
Spanakopita is a Greek savoury spinach pie.
The traditional Spanakopita filling comprises chopped spinach, feta cheese, onions or scallions, egg, herbs like dill, mint and parsley. The pie is wrapped or layered in phyllo pastry with butter and then baked until golden brown and crunchy.
Our easy Spanakopita Dip recipe is inspired by the traditional Greek Pie and can be enjoyed as a snack or appetizer.
The creamy and cheesy dip features cream cheese, parmesan and crumbled feta combined with sauteed garlic, scallions, spinach, and dill.
We like to serve the dip with pita triangles, toasted crostini or crunchy bagel chips as they’re great tools for scooping. Healthier options include a selection of freshly cut vegetables like carrot and celery sticks, broccoli florets, radishes and sliced sweet peppers.
Travel to Greece by Making Spanakopita Dip at Home
I love traveling to Europe.
As a professional food and travel journalist, I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy amazing meals in Europe, from traditional markets to award winning restaurants.
During my first visit to the continent I traveled for 5 months by train and plane. I had the opportunity to eat my way through Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia,Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Bosnia, Hungary, Slovakia, Turkey and Italy.
For over ten years, I’ve been on the hunt for the best Spanakopita. In Greece, I enjoyed a slice of the popular comfort food at restaurants in Meteora, Tzitzikas Kai in Athens, Kokkalo The Bone in Santorini and Kiki’s Taverna in Mykonos.
After you’ve enjoyed your first few bites, you’ll realize why making homemade Spanakopita Dip is a fun and tasty way to pay homage to the popular Greek pie.
Where To Eat Greek Spanakopita Dip
If you live in a large city in North America you’ll likely have access to a local Greek restaurant that serves creamy Spanakopita Dip.
Haven’t traveled to Greece before? It may be helpful to first sample Spanakopita-inspired dip at a local restaurant to better understand how the dish is served. You’ll get an idea for the ideal cheese to vegetable ratio, perfect amount of lemon and dill to flavour the recipe and other complimentary Greek dishes to serve at the table.
In Toronto, celebrated Greek restaurants that may serve their own version of Spanakopita Dip include Mamakas Taverna, Mezes Greek Restaurant, Estiatorio Volos and Messini.
My Family Loves Homemade Spanakopita Dip
My family are big fans of Mediterranean cuisine.
We love cooking flavourful dishes from Greece, Bosnia, Croatia, Egypt, France, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Spain, and Turkey.
After traveling to Greece I wanted to share my love of Spanakopita with friends and family, but serve the traditional flavours in a snackable dip.
I made this Spanakopita Dip recipe at our family cottage in Muskoka on a hot summer day as an afternoon snack. It pairs well with a chilled dry white wine or hoppy craft beer.
The dish was served “almost farm to table,” as we were able to harvest fresh dill, scallions, and garlic from our backyard herb and vegetable garden.
This easy dip is a tasty way to incorporate fresh and flavourful ingredients into a healthy Mediterranean diet. The addictive dip is a real show stopper if you’ve got company coming for dinner.
Health Benefits
Our Spanakopita Dip recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
It is only recently that scientists have begun to identify the components responsible for garlic’s myriad health benefits. Rich in phytochemicals and potassium, garlic helps boost your immune system, fight cancer and protect your heart.
Scallions are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of onions can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
Packed with folate, vitamin C, and potassium, spinach helps keep your blood, immune system and eyes healthy.
Dill is packed with micronutrients such as Vitamin A and C, responsible for healthy vision, skin and immune function.
Consuming dairy products (such as milk and cheese) provides health benefits — especially improved bone health. Dairy foods provide nutrients that are vital for health and maintenance of your body. These nutrients include calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and protein.
Spanakopita Dip Recipe Cooking Tips
Healthy Spanakopita Dip is quick and easy to make at home. Here are some helpful cooking tips to get you started:
- Use a large nonstick skillet to prepare the dip to ensure it’s easy to transfer to a serving bowl once combined.
- We’ve flavoured the dip with fresh dill but you can also use herbs like parsley or mint.
- You can make an easy dip by draining frozen spinach or finely chop fresh spinach blanched in boiling water as an alternative. Be sure to squeeze out as much water from the spinach as you can to ensure the dip is thick and creamy and not soupy.
- We suggest using a firm Greek-style cow’s milk feta cheese. You can substitute for a sheep’s milk feta if you prefer.
- We’ve used butter in this recipe but you can substitute for extra virgin olive oil.
- Lemon zest adds a lovely citrus zing to the flavour profile of the recipe but you can omit it if you prefer, or use 1 tsp of lemon juice instead.
- If you want to wow guests you can scoop the finished dip into an oven safe casserole dish, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake until melted and stringy.
- If you like spicy food feel free to add red pepper flakes or a few dashes of your favourite hot sauce.
What To Serve with Dip
Our Spanakopita Dip recipe is the perfect snack or appetizer to serve at a Greek dinner party or when vegetarian meat-free friends are coming over for dinner.
We often serve this dip in a big bowl with a serving spoon at family potlucks or summer BBQs where an easy “serve yourself” buffet is the name of the game!
We like to serve the warm dip with pita triangles, toasted crostini or crunchy bagel chips as they’re great tools for scooping. Healthier options can include a selection of freshly cut vegetables like carrot and celery sticks, broccoli florets, radishes and sliced sweet peppers.
Serve the dip as part of a larger Greek feast alongside your favourite fresh salads, grilled vegetables, barbecued meat and seafood.
If you have leftover Spanakopita Dip store it in your fridge in an airtight container. It will thicken when chilled so you can use it as a spread the following day or warm it in the microwave to enjoy again as a dip. We also love adding a few scoops to our scrambled eggs in the morning. It also makes for an excellent sauce when tossed with al dente pasta at dinner.
If you’re looking to impress guests at a Mediterranean themed dinner party we suggest serving this deliciously creamy dip with these other popular dishes from the region:
- Baked Mediterranean Chicken Thighs
- Garides Saganaki Sizzling Greek Feta Shrimp
- Oven Baked Halloumi with Roasted Vegetables
- Fakes Soupa Healthy Vegetarian Greek Lentil Soup
- Melitzanosalata Greek Eggplant Dip
- Mucver Tarif Vegetarian Turkish Zucchini Fritters
- Turkish Pogaca Feta and Dill Bread Rolls
- Peynirli Pide Cheesy Chorizo Turkish Pizza
- Kiymali Pide Spiced Minced Meat Turkish Pizza
- Turkish Mint Yogurt Corbasi Soup
- Vegan Spicy Turkish Salsa Ezme Salata Salad
- Kisir Turkish Bulgur Salad
You May Enjoy These Dip Recipes…
- Jajik Middle Eastern Cucumber Yogurt Mint Dip
- Korozott Hungarian Cottage Cheese Spread
- Healthy Vegan Mexican Pepita Pesto
- Mashed Butter Beans Dip
- Mutabbal Vegan Middle Eastern Eggplant Dip
- Mihlama Kuymak Turkish Melted Cheese and Cornmeal
- Lebanese Toum Kebab Shop Garlic Sauce
- Za’atar Butter Bean Dip
- Tomato Chutney For Dosa
- Guasacaca Sauce Venezuelan Guacamole
- Keto Spinach Dip
- Mexican Queso Recipes
How To Make Spanakopita Dip (RECIPE VIDEO)
Creamy Cheesy Spanakopita Dip
Equipment
- saucepan
- French knife
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 6 Garlic Cloves thinly sliced
- 6 Scallions sliced crosswise
- 10 oz Frozen Chopped Spinach thawed and drained in a sieve
- 1 cup Fresh Dill finely chopped
- 8 oz Cream Cheese cut cream cheese into 1 inch pieces, room temperature
- 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- 1 tsp Lemon Zest
- 5 oz Feta Cheese
- Salt and Pepper
- Pita or Bread Chips
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and scallions and cook until softened but not browned, approximately 2 minutes.
- Ensure the spinach has been drained and squeeze with your hands to remove any excess water. Add spinach to the saucepan with 3/4 tsp salt and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
- Add the cream cheese and 2 tbsp water. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring until the cream cheese has fully melted, 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped dill, grated parmesan and lemon zest. Crumble in feta and stir to combine.
- Season the dip with salt and black pepper.
- Transfer dip to serving bowl and garnish with chopped dill and scallions. Serve warm with pita or bread chips.
Nutrition
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