Spinach Puff Pastry

Spinach Puff Pastry is so tasty and easy to make. To make them, prepare a simple spinach-cream cheese filling. It tastes like spinach dip! Then wrap it in pre-made puff pastry dough. It bakes up flaky and light. So good and so easy!

Why You’ll Love This Spinach-Filled Puff Pastry Recipe.

• Taste: They taste like baked spinach dip wrapped in light and flaky pastry.
• Ease: These are really simple to prepare. Even though they look fancy! Just make the filling and use store-bought puff pastry dough. They take about 30 minutes from start to finish. 
• Freezer-friendly: Yes. The baked pastries freeze beautifully. When you’re ready to eat, thaw, heat, and enjoy.

Ingredients.

Here’s what you need to make a batch. The full recipe and directions are included below. 

• Spinach. To keep it simple, I like to use thawed frozen spinach for these pastries. If you prefer to use fresh spinach, cook it until wilted. Then cool and drain before using.
• Puff Pastry. Pre-made puff pastry is found in the frozen section of the grocery store. You need two sheets for this recipe. That’s one (17.3 ounce) box.
• Cream Cheese. Use block cream cheese. This is sometimes called bar cream cheese. Both regular and low-fat cream cheese work.
• Egg. One egg holds the filling together as it bakes. Then another egg is used to help seal the pastry and brushed on top to help it brown.
• Parmesan Cheese. Adds a nice cheesy flavor.
• Onion and Garlic Powder. Be sure to use onion and garlic powder, not salt. 
• Soy Sauce. Brings umami—a nice savory flavor—to the pastries.

How to Make Spinach Puff Pastry.

These look so fancy and they’re rather simple to make! Here are the steps. As always, the full recipe with amounts and directions is included at the bottom of the post. 

Important Step: Drain the Spinach

Before you begin, thaw the frozen spinach. Then press out as much liquid as you can. I do this in a colander with a silicone spatula. Draining the liquid keeps the pastries nice and flaky. This is a step you don’t want to skip.

Once the spinach is drained, let it cool before using it in the filling.

Make the Filling.

Combine softened cream cheese with the parmesan cheese, onion and garlic powders, and black pepper. Do this in a medium mixing bowl.

Mix until the cream cheese is creamy and smooth. If you see any lumps of cream cheese, mix a little longer. Do this with a handheld mixer or a sturdy wooden spoon.

Add the egg and soy sauce. Blend until the mixture is almost fluffy. You don’t want it to fluffy or it can run as it bakes.

Stir in the cooled, drained spinach. Remember: press out as much liquid from the spinach as you can before adding it to the filling.

Mix until it looks like spinach dip. Remember, it contains raw egg, so don’t taste it. If you want, you can cover and chill the filling at this point. It keeps for up to a day. Then when you’re ready to bake, grab the premade filling and move to the next step.

Roll and Cut the Puff Pastry Dough.

Lightly flour your counter and roll out each sheet of puff pastry to about 12×10-inches. If you feel the dough sticking to the counter, add a little more flour.

Cut the pastry sheets into 9 pieces. A pizza cutter makes cutting the dough easy. If you don’t have one, use a sharp knife.

Fill and Shape.

Now the fun part! It’s time to fill the pastry and shape into cute fold-overs.

Turn the pastry square so it looks like a diamond. Spoon the filling down the middle of the dough, from one point to another. Be sure to leave opposite corners uncovered. 

Brush one corner of the dough with a little whisked egg. Fold the opposite pastry over the filling. Then fold the egg-washed dough over the pastry, overlapping it. 

Press down gently to seal.

Bake.

Place the filled pastries on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with whisked egg and sprinkle a little parmesan over the dough.

Bake until the pastry is golden brown and puffed. Some pastries might pop open as they bake. This is fine. As they cool, they often settle and close.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the pastries cool for about 10 minutes before eating.

You can also serve these at room temperature. They’re great either way!

Tips for Perfect Spinach Puff Pastry.

• Let your spinach cool before adding it to the filling. If it’s warm, it makes the cream cheese too soft. 
• Use soft cream cheese. This way it blends nicely with the other ingredients. 
• Thaw your pastry dough. It should feel slightly cool to the touch. If the dough gets warm, it won’t puff as it bakes. 
• Brush one edge of the pastry with a little whisked egg. This helps to seal it. 

Storage and Reheating Tips.

If you’ve got leftovers, store them in the refrigerator for up to four days. 

Reheating the leftovers makes them nice and crispy.

In the oven: Preheat your oven to 375℉. Place the pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Heat until warmed through, about 10 minutes.

In the toaster oven: reheat on a low toast setting or set the toaster to 350℉. Heat until warmed through.

In the air fryer. Since these are light pastries, they can blow around in some air fryer models. I recommend this method with reservations. If you want to try it: preheat air fryer to 350℉. Air fry for about five minutes.

How to Freeze.

Bake the spinach puff pastry as directed. Let them cool completely. This is important. If you freeze warm pastry, they will get soggy. 

Place the pastries in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze until firm, about two hours. Transfer the pastries to a freezer container. These keep for about one month.

How to Reheat Frozen Spinach Puff Pastry. 

Thaw the pastries overnight in the refrigerator. 

When you’re ready to serve, preheat the oven to 375℉. Place the thawed pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Reheat until warmed through, about 10 minutes.

Can You Make Spinach Puff Pastry in the Advance?

Sort of! The filling can be made one day in advance. Simply prepare it as directed and store it in a container in the refrigerator. 

Note: Don’t fill the pastries the day before baking. This makes the puff pastry very soft and it won’t puff in the oven. When you’re ready to bake, roll out the dough and fill right before baking as directed. 

If you really want to save time, I recommend baking them and freezing. When you’re ready to enjoy, reheat as directed above. 

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Spinach Puff Pastry

These spinach puff pastries are so tasty and easy to make. First, prepare a simple spinach-cream cheese filling. It tastes like spinach dip! Then wrap it in pre-made puff pastry. They bake up flaky and light. So good and so easy!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes

Total Time 38 minutes

Servings 18 pastries

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, cooled, and drained, see note.
• 1 tablespoon flour for dusting counter
• 2 sheets thawed puff pastry (one 17.3 ounce box)

For the Topping.

• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine the cream cheese, parmesan cheese, onion powder, garlic power, and black pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Mix until smooth.

3. Add the egg and soy sauce. Mix until creamy and light. Stir in the thawed and drained spinach.
4. Roll out each thawed puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured counter to about a 12”x10”. Cut each sheet into 9 pieces.

5. Turn the pastry so it looks like a diamond. Spoon the filling down the center in the middle of the pastry from top to bottom. Leaving about a half-inch on each side.

   Lightly brush whisked egg on the right corner of the pastry.

   

6. Fold the left pastry corner over the filling.

   

7. Then fold the egg-washed right over the first folded piece of dough. Press gently to seal.

   

8. Transfer the pastry to the prepared baking sheet. Place 9 pastries on each sheet.

9. Brush each pastry lightly with the remaining whisked egg. Sprinkle with a little grated parmesan.
10. Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes.
11. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Store leftover pastries in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Recipe Notes

Frozen Spinach

Before using, thaw and drain the spinach. To do this, place the thawed spinach in a colander and press out the liquid with a silicone spatula. The spinach should feel almost dry to the touch. Let the spinach cool before making the filling. 

How to Store.

Store leftover pastry in the refrigerator for up to four days.

How to Freeze.

Bake the spinach puff pastry as directed. Let them cool completely. Place the pastries in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze until firm, about two hours. Transfer the pastries to a freezer container. These keep for about one month.

How to Reheat.

In the oven: Preheat your oven to 350℉. Place the pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Heat until warmed through, about 10 minutes.

In the toaster oven: reheat on a low toast setting or set the toaster to 350℉. Heat until warmed through.

In the air fryer. Since these are light pastries, they can blow around in some air fryer models. I recommend this method with reservations. If you want to try it: Preheat air fryer to 350℉. Air fry for about five minutes.