Buttery Spinach Puffs are cheesy and savory with pops of bacon. As you can imagine, they are a hit at parties!
If we’re having a party, you can count on these Spinach Puffs being served as an appetizer. We usually serve them with our other favorites including Bacon Wrapped Smokies, Cucumber Sandwiches, and some kind of Dip!
a quick + easy appetizer
I have so many favorite appetizer recipes, it’s sometimes hard to choose which ones I’m going to make for parties or family gatherings.
My family gets together on New Year’s Eve for games and LOTS of appetizers. Well, this Spinach Puff Pastry appetizer is one that is almost always part of the appetizer spread!
Spinach Puffs are everything you want from an appetizer. Cheesy, savory, crispy on the outside, and creamy on the inside…basically they’re the best.
You might have to double this Spinach and Feta Puff Pastry recipe to make sure there are enough for all your party guests! Trust me, this tasty snack will disappear quickly!
how to make spinach puffs
PREP. Spray 9 cups in a muffin pan with cooking spray.
CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE. In a small bowl, microwave the cream cheese 10 seconds at a time until it’s soft and melted but not steaming. Add egg, oil, and dill into cream cheese and stir until well combined.
COMBINE. In a separate bowl combine spinach, feta, and bacon. Pour your cream cheese mixture on top of the spinach mixture and season with salt and pepper. Use a fork to mix and combine it together.
PASTRY. Cut the puff pastry sheet into 9 squares. Line the muffin pan with your cut squares (you might need to stretch them out a little). Press into the bottom of the muffin cups.
Evenly divide the spinach among the cups. Bring your 4 pastry points together, covering the filling, and press them together. Lightly brush with the melted butter.
BAKE. Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes until golden brown and puffy. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then use a knife around the edges to loosen and help pop them out.
Recipe Tips
Frozen spinach. Squeeze out any excess liquid to prevent soggy puffs.
Mini muffins. To make bite-size Spinach Feta Puff Pastry, adjust the size of the cut pastry dough by cutting 18 puff pastry squares instead of 9. The remaining directions are the same. Bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes.
Variations. I love these Spinach Puffs as they are, but here are some customizing ideas:
- Switch the bacon with diced ham.
- Add diced mushrooms, green onions, or bell peppers.
- Season to taste with garlic salt, black pepper, paprika, or red chili flakes for a bit of a kick.
- Brighten the flavor with a bit of lemon zest.
- Change the feta cheese with ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, or mozzarella cheese.
- Replace the puff pastry with phyllo tart cups. Fill the cups with the spinach filling. Bake at 400°F, but for only 8-12 minutes.
Storing info
Make ahead of time. There are several ways to make the Spinach Puff Recipe ahead of time, giving you plenty of time to prepare everything else right beforehand.
Make these up to 3 hours in advance. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. Bake uncovered at 400°F for 20 minutes.
STORE Spinach Puffs in the fridge or freezer:
- Filling only: Store the filling in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days or in the freezer for 1-2 months. Thaw, if applicable, assemble, and bake according to directions.
- Freeze uncooked: Assemble as directed except place them in the freezer instead of the oven. Freeze for 2-3 hours, remove from the muffin tin, and store in an airtight freezer container. Freeze for 1-2 months. To bake, place in a muffin tin and bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.
- Freeze baked: Once the puffs have baked allow them to cool. Place puffs in an airtight freezer-safe container separating layers with parchment paper. Freeze for 1-2 months. Reheat in the oven or microwave before serving.
For even more appetizers:
- Brown Sugar Glazed Lil’ Smokies
- Homemade Bruschetta
- Mozzarella Sticks
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Corn Dog Muffins
- Cheesy Zucchini Tots
Spinach Puffs Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped and packed
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta
- 2 teaspoon bacon bits
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- Spray 9 cups in a muffin pan with cooking spray.
- Microwave your cream cheese 10 seconds at a time until it's soft and melted but not steaming. Add egg, oil, and dill into cream cheese and mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl combine spinach, feta, and bacon. Pour your cream cheese mixture on top and season with salt and pepper. Use a fork to mix and combine it together.
- Cut the pastry sheet into 9 squares. Line the muffin pan with your cut squares (you might need to stretch them out a little). Press into the bottom of the muffin cups. Evenly divide the spinach among the cups. Bring your 4 pastry points together, covering the filling, and press them together. Lightly brush with the melted butter.
- Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes until golden and puffy. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then use a knife around the edges to loosen and help pop them out.
Video
Recipe adapted from HERE.
Sounds great..but would like a different cheese. Any suggestions for a substitute?
You could potentially swap the feta for mozzarella.
Someone on here was looking for the temp. To bake this with. As I was too. Finally found it all the way down towards the end. Bake 400 degrees
I will certainly make this recipe, and thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome!
Delicious! My family loved them. Tonight, I am making a variation with broccoli and cheddar. I steamed the broccoli a bit before chopping it and adding to the cream cheese mixture. We’ll see how that turns out!
Delicious! My husband whom hates veggies stated several times while eating this that it was really good. I gave it to him as the “veggie” part of the meal. I left out any kind of meat.
Haha I love it! So glad your hubby approved too!
je n’ai pas encore fait mais je voulais savoir si le bacon devait être cuit au préalable ou non. Merci.
le bacon doit être cuit. en Amérique, les “morceaux de bacon” sont généralement vendus dans l’allée des assaisonnements de l’épicerie, et ils sont cuits/fumés mais certainement pas crus.
I chopped bacon and cooked it to use bigger chunks. I made some with rolled out pastry dough very thin and some with thicker. I liked the thinner ones better as the filling is really delicious. I also added some minced garlic and Hungarian paprika to the mixture.
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing what you did.
How did you make your pastry dough and thank you!
This looks so so good.Do the bottoms get soggy in the baking process?
I haven’t had trouble with the bottoms getting soggy following the recipe as is. 🙂
these are absolutely delicious!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed them!
How is this an American recipe?
Can these be made ahead if time , frozen and reheated?
Are these good served at room temperature? I need an appetizer that I can take to a party, so I won’t be able to serve right out of the oven.
Can I cut these to fit a mini muffin pan and make even more delicate bites?
Looks great
Sounds great!
Making it for New Year’s Eve!
The 9?kids range from 13 to 5 years of age!
I’ve been searching for this recipe! I had a Chinese restaurant that served these… I loved them well then 2020 happened the restaurant closed I was devastated. As soon as I saw these I knew I had found my favorite bite in the world once again! I can’t thank you enough
We really love these (as do our guests)! I have substituted mushrooms for the bacon bits, because we can’t get that where we live. Would it work with raw bacon or uncooked ham, cut into small pieces?
Easy and delicious.
Happy you agree! Thank you!!
Can I leave out bacon – make vegetarian? Anything g I should substitute for the bacon?
Can I leave out bacon? Should I add something else – want to keep vegetarian
Delicious! Love the little bites of feta.