Forget the Acropolis, forget the Parthenon – spanakopita might be the best invention of Greek civilization! Who can resist a savory pie filled with spinach and feta? And that, my friends, is why I offer up these delicious little Keto Spanakopita pastries. All the same wonderful flavors with a fraction of the carbs!
If you love spinach recipes, try Keto Spinach Stuffed Chicken or Spinach and Ricotta Fritters next.
★★★★★
One reader, Gils33, says: “Thank you for this great recipe. I made it today and it was better from the original one!!!! I had to stop my family members from eating it all”
Savory Keto Pastries with Fathead Dough
Of course, classic spanakopita takes phyllo dough, which is not in the least bit low carb. And there really isn’t a good way to make that flaky, crisp dough with keto ingredients like almond flour or coconut flour. But there are other delicious options for the crust.
Fathead dough is a weird and wonderful low carb invention based on mozzarella cheese and eggs. It makes for a wonderful keto pizza crust. Why not use it for little handheld keto spanakopita pies? It does not have the same flaky texture but it’s buttery and tender, and compliments the savory filling perfectly.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Frozen spinach: You can use fresh spinach, but you will need to sauté it first then squeeze out the moisture.
- Feta cheese: Any brand or style of feta will work for this recipe. If you don’t enjoy feta, try adding grated Parmesan to the filling instead.
- Onion: Just a little onion adds flavor without adding too many extra carbs.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic offers so much more flavor than garlic powder.
- Fathead dough: I recommend using the dough from my Keto Pizza Crust, but I also have a nut-free version that I use for keto bagels and other recipes. That would work as well.
- Almond flour: You need just a little to dust the work surface.
- Kitchen staples: Egg, salt and pepper.
How to Make Keto Spanakopita
- Drain the spinach: Squeeze out the excess moisture.
- Mix the filling: Combine the feta, egg, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and mix well.
- Roll out the dough: Sprinkle a work surface with a little almond flour and roll the dough out into a large square. Cut into 16 even squares, about 4×4 inches.
- Assemble the spanakopita: Mound a little spinach mixture into the center of each square then fold the dough square over diagonally to make a triangle shaped pastry.
- Bake: Place the triangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone. Make a small slit in the top of each and bake until golden brown.
Carolyn’s Tips for Success
Do make sure to squeeze as much moisture as possible from the spinach. An overly wet filling can make the crust soggy.
Fathead dough is admittedly a bit tricky to make. Make sure to read all the tips in the pizza crust recipe to get the best results.
Also don’t make the dough too far in advance of making these pastries. It tends to lose elasticity as it sits, making it harder to work with. Get your filling all ready to go and then make the dough!
If the dough breaks or cracks as you fold it around the filling, not to worry. It’s malleable enough that you can simply pinch it back together.
More Delicious Greek Inspired Recipes
Keto Spanakopita Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) frozen spinach, thawed
- 1 cup (150 g) crumbled feta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup (40 g) finely chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 recipe keto pizza crust
- Additional almond flour for rolling out.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
- Place the spinach in a tea towel and squeeze out the excess moisture. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the feta, egg, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and mix until well combined.
- Sprinkle a work surface with about 2 or 3 tablespoons of almond flour. Roll the dough out into a large square about 16 inches by 16 inches. Using a very sharp knife or a pizza wheel, cut into 16 even squares.
- Mound about 1 tablespoons of the spinach mixture into the center of each square. Fold the dough square over diagonally to make a triangle shaped pie. If the dough breaks or cracks when folding, simply pinch back together and shape around the filling.
- Place the triangles on the prepared baking sheet and make a small slit in the top of each to allow the steam to escape. Bake 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and let cool on the pan.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
I am afraid I have never successfully made fathead dough with dairy-free alternatives. I do have a tasty keto focaccia bread recipe that can be made dairy-free, and you might be able to roll it out for the crust. It will be more bread-like but still quite tasty!
Yes, you can assemble the hand pies and freeze them individually. Then you can bake them whenever you have a craving! Let them thaw completely before baking.
This keto spanakopita hand pie recipe has 3.4g of carbs and 1.5g of fiber per serving. That comes to 1.9g net carbs per hand pie.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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My new favorite recipe of yours! I doubled the pizza dough recipe because I am making a pizza later, but I forgot to double the egg, so my dough ended up extremely crumbly and I could only get 12 thin squares out of it. Rolling the dough was most certainly time-consuming, but that might have been from all the patching I had to do from my ingredient mistake. Despite this, my husband and I agree that this will have to be made regularly.
Carolyn.. The link to “magic mozz dough” in the Spanekopita recipe takes me to “keto fathead pizza dough”. Is this an error? Can you clarify please? Grazie.
Nope… same thing!
I’m craving pumpkin empanadas. I wonder if this dough would work.
These look great! I would love to make a huge batch. Do you know if they freeze well? (assuming any have lasted long enough) 🙂
They should!
Hi. How many hand pies is for one serving (of the Spanakopita)? Thanks so much.
It states in the nutritional panel in the recipe.
I’ve made this twice, with great success…except for the handling of the dough. I know you said to just squish them together, and I did, but next time I think I will try making a roll and cutting it, cinnamon roll style. However, the taste and texture is fabulous!! Oh, and btw each time I had a lot of filling left over, so I added three eggs, a dash of nutmeg, an ounce of grated mozzarella, and put it all into a greased 8×8 pan, baked it at 350 for about 20-25 minutes, made absolutely delicious frittata squares.
Thank you for this great recipe.
I made it today and it was better from the original one!!!!
I had to stop my family members from eating it all ????
This recipe looks very much like my non-keto spanikopita. Traditionally it contains dill
I would add a tsp or even more (I love the taste with a lot of dill) to the recipe. I’m 100% Greek and use my grandmother’s recipe from the old country. All except the phyllo and dill, you have a great recipe.
Sounds great!
This is a great recipe! I’ve always love spanakopita. Sometimes I prepare it in muffin tins, or ramekins for individual portions.
BTW, when I first saw the name Antigone, I thought it was Anti-gone. The same with Penelope…Penna-lope. I learned quickly enough.
PS I ADORE so many of your recipes!!!
I think we ALL do that when we’re younger and haven’t heard them said out loud.
Love this spanakopita recipe but I can’t have dairy products. Do you have any other dough made without cheese? Thanks
Sadly, not one that will work for folding over fillings. It needs to be stretchy and only mozzarella gives it that quality.
Question: Do you think this dough might work for wonton wrappers for a crab Rangoon?
It probably won’t crisp up the same way but it would be a tasty alternative.
Hi Carolyn, this recipe looks amazing! Do you think they would freeze well?
After baking, yes.
How do I avoid cake becoming dark green when cooking with sunflower seed flour?
A tablespoon of acid (lemon juice or vinegar).
I have a problem eating feta cheese …it just doesn’t agree with me even thought I Love it!! Can’t do blue cheese either. What else could I use? or maybe just a little feta mixed with something else? Thank you, Carolyn..
Maybe just parmesan?
Thank you, I’ll try that..
They will be a definite have to make. Just a tip on squeezing out the excess water in spinach or similar foods, I use my potato ricer and fill about half full. Works like a charm and no more stained towels or fabric softener flavoured foods lol.
Just made them. The house smells great and they taste delish! Thanks for the great recipe.