Golden triangle-shaped pastries filled with tangy spinach and creamy feta, these Spinach Fatayer are the perfect savory hand pies to serve as a snack or a satisfying vegetarian meal. This easy spinach fatayer recipe brings the authentic flavors of Lebanese kitchens right to yours, with simple ingredients and clear instructions to help you bake them successfully every time.
What is Fatayer?
Fatayer, Petaeer (Arabic: فطاير) is a meat pie that can alternatively be stuffed with spinach (Arabic: سبانخ), or cheese (Arabic: جبنه) such as Feta or Akkawi.
Why You’ll Love This Spinach Pie Recipe
This recipe is one I grew up eating. Making fatayer was always a special family event. I remember gathering in the kitchen with my family to roll out the fatayer dough and spoon in the spinach filling. Each triangle was carefully pinched and sealed, and the warm aroma of freshly baked savory pies would fill our home.
Spinach Fatayer is part of a traditional Lebanese meal in my family. We paired them with hummus, fattoush salad, and yogurt, creating a mezze spread everyone loved. These savory hand pies freeze beautifully and make a perfect snack for lunchboxes or party platters. My kids go crazy for them, and I always make extra to keep in an airtight container or freeze for later.
If you love Middle Eastern recipes, you might also enjoy these Lebanese Green Beans and Chopped Middle Eastern Salad.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Dough: You can use homemade fatayer dough or store-bought frozen dough balls. I like Rhodes frozen dinner rolls for a quick option.
- Spinach: Fresh or frozen spinach works well. Fresh spinach is chopped and macerated with salt to draw out as much liquid as possible, which helps keep the filling from becoming soggy.
- Onion and Garlic: These add depth and sweetness to the spinach filling.
- Sumac spice: A tangy Middle Eastern spice that brightens the flavor.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice gives a zesty lift.
- Feta Cheese: Adds creaminess and salty flavor. You can also try goat cheese or leave it out for a vegan version.
- Pine Nuts or Walnuts: Optional but add a nice crunch and richness.
- Spices: Kosher salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper for heat.
Variations and Modifications
- Spices: Change up the spices that are used. If you have a blend of spices you like try using that. Another idea is to use a shawarma seasoning or add za’atar.
- Nuts: You can add in sliced almonds in place of the pine nuts or walnuts. You also can just leave the nuts out if you don’t want to use them.
- Cheese: I really like the feta cheese but goat cheese can also work. You can also skip the spinach and just make a cheese-only version.
- Tomatoes: Add some drained, diced tomatoes to the spinach mixture or tomato paste for a savory flavor.
- Heat: Spice up the spinach mixture by adding additional cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper. You could also add chopped jalapeños to the onions when you cook them.
- Pomegranate Molasses: I love using pomegranate molasses in Mediterranean recipes. I use it in this Easy Arabic Salad and it adds a nice sweetness.
- Meat Filling: You can add cooked ground beef to the spinach and cheese mixture for a non-vegetarian version. I also have this Lebanese meat pie recipe.
How to Make Spinach Fatayer
Step 1: Prepare the Dough. Place frozen dough in the refrigerator 6 to 12 hours before using. It will thaw but not rise. If using homemade dough, let it rise on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper until doubled in size. Once thawed or risen, form into dough balls about 2 inches wide and let them rest again until puffy.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Step 3: Make the Filling. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté garlic and diced sweet onion for 2 to 3 minutes until soft. For fresh spinach, sprinkle salt over chopped spinach and let it sit 15 minutes to macerate. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can. If using thawed spinach, also squeeze out excess moisture. Combine spinach, onion and garlic, sumac, salt, pepper, and fresh lemon juice in a bowl. Mix well. If you like a hint of sweetness, stir in a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.
Step 4: Shape the Dough. Lightly flour your work surface. Use a rolling pin to flatten each dough ball into a round about 4 inches across.
Step 5: Fill and Seal. Spoon spinach filling into the center of each dough round. Top with feta cheese and a sprinkle of pine nuts or walnuts if using. Bring the three edges together to form a triangle shape and pinch tightly to seal. If edges do not seal, dab with a little water and pinch again. Place each pie on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer.
Step 6: Bake. Brush or spray each triangle with olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. For crispier edges, increase the heat to 450 degrees for the last 2 minutes.
Step 7: Serve and Store. Let the spinach fatayer cool slightly before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days or freeze for up to three months.
Expert Tips
- Knead the Dough: Knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic for the perfect texture when rolling and shaping.
- Remove Moisture: Squeeze as much moisture as possible from the spinach to avoid soggy pies.
- Seal Tightly: If the edges don’t seal well, dab your fingers with a little water and press them closed again.
- Check the Triangle Shape: Make sure the edges are pinched securely to keep the filling warm and moist while baking.
Serving Tips
Here are some delicious recipes to serve with these spinach fatayer for a satisfying meal:
- Fattoush : A healthy Middle Eastern Salad with a light, lemony vinaigrette dressing. This Fattoush Salad mixes crisp romaine, fresh vegetables, pita chips and a light lemony sumac dressing and is great with fresh farmers market vegetables.
- Tabbouleh: Tabbouleh is a fresh, light salad mixing tomatoes, parsley, mint, green onions, bulgur wheat along with a light lemon olive oil dressing.
- Persian Cucumber Salad: Persian Tomato Cucumber Salad is a fresh, light salad mixing tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, jalapeño, fresh mint and parsley and topped with an olive oil lemon dressing.
- Spicy Potatoes: Spicy Lebanese Potatoes are crisp on the outside, tender on the inside and will spice up any meal.
Storage & Freezing Tips
Spinach fatayer are delicious warm or at room temperature. To freeze, cool them completely, wrap in plastic wrap or foil, and place in a freezer-safe container.
When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat in a preheated oven at 200 degrees until warmed through, or air fry for a few minutes to crisp them again.
Recipe FAQs
Be sure to squeeze out as much liquid from the spinach as possible. Pinch the seams firmly and brush with a little water to help them seal.
Absolutely. Prepare and freeze them uncooked or baked. Bake straight from frozen or thaw and reheat as needed.
Yes, place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees until heated through, usually about 20 to 25 minutes.
They will stay fresh for up to five days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
I hope you enjoy making these traditional Lebanese Spinach Fatayer as much as my family does. They’re a perfect snack, a crowd-pleasing appetizer, or a savory addition to any meal. If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below. You can also follow along on Instagram for more Lebanese recipes like this Easy Shakshuka.
More Lebanese Recipes
- Easy Lebanese Salad
- Lebanese Chicken Kebobs
- Lebanese Spicy Potatoes (Batata Harra)
- Arayes (Lebanese Meat Stuffed Pitas)
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Easy Spinach Fatayer
Ingredients
- 1 package of dough or 1 package of Rhodes 36 count frozen dinner rolls
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup sweet onion,, finely diced
- 2 garlic coves,, minced
- 8 cups fresh spinach {or you can use 2 pounds of frozen,, chopped spinach, drained}
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sumac
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper {optional}
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1 lemon,, juiced
- 6 ounces of crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts,, toasted {optional}
Instructions
- Place frozen dough in your refrigerator 6 to 12 hours before using. Dough will not rise, but will be thawed and ready to use.
- Spray two baking trays with non-stick spray. Lay out the dough on the tray if not using the frozen rolls and cover with a kitchen towel to rise for about 1 hour. When the dough has doubled in size form the dough into 2 inch round balls and make about 24 of them. Cover with kitchen towel for another 30 min to rise again.
- If using the frozen roll dough place 24 of the frozen dough rolls on two of the baking sheets. Spray the top of the dough with non-stick spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough thaw and rise, which takes about 2 to 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium skillet heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft. Set aside.
- To prepare the spinach mixture: if you are using fresh spinach, chop the spinach and put it in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Set aside for 15 minutes to macerate the spinach. Use your hands to squeeze the spinach dry. If you are using frozen spinach you will also want to squeeze the liquid out. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic and onion mixture, the sumac, salt and pepper and lemon juice, Mix well.
- To prepare the spinach pies: Set out of a large cutting board or another work surface that has space to roll out the dough. Flour the surface your working on. Use a rolling pin to roll each dough round out so there are three sides.
- Fill each dough round with enough spinach mixture to fill the dough but leave room around the edges to close the spinach pie. Sprinkle a few pieces of feta cheese on top of the spinach along with the pine nuts or walnuts.
- Bring the three sides of the dough together to a point in the middle. Use your fingers to pinch the dough together and make sure they are closed completely.
- Spray the each spinach pie with a bit of olive oil or use a brush to brush them with olive oil.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until just golden brown. To get a nice golden brown on the edges you can turn the heat up to 450 the last 2 minutes of baking.
- Remove from oven and let cool for a couple of minutes. Serve warm or freeze for later.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can pie crust dough or biscuits (rolled thinly) be used?
I haven’t tried that but I bet using biscuits could work..