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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 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped and packed
- ¾ 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from HERE.
Excellent recipe! These delicious spinach puffs are always well-loved and requested by family members when we have gatherings. A few small modifications I like to add are as follows:
After pressing the moisture out of the thawed spinach, I add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a cast iron skillet and heat it on low-medium heat. I add the pressed spinach and let it cook for 4-5 mins. I then add one yellow onion that I’ve pureed in the food chopper and sauté it for about 8-10 minutes, softly folding the ingredients into one another. I add two pressed garlic cloves, stirring gently for approximately 1 minute longer. Finally, I add some freshly grated Romano cheese, salt and pepper to taste, transfer to a paper plate and allow it to cool before adding the spinach mixture to a bowl to combine with the remaining ingredients 🙂
I am wondering if anyone has tried these is mini muffin pans for more bite sized puffs and how many squares you cut?
Using 1 sheet of Puff Pastry dough, I roll it quite thin and make 24 mini puffs. I guess the squares are about 2″. I bake them at 375 for 15-18 minutes.
I would like to make these for thanksgiving – but i’m trying to adapt it to 350° where the rest of my recipes are, any way to do that?
I made these and the family loved them! Definitely a repeat.
Recipes look great.
Hi, just wondering but what does chopped and packed mean for the spinich? I am quite confused and new to cooking/baking. Thank you to who ever answers.
So that just means rather than using the full spinach leaves in the recipe, you’ll chop them up into smaller pieces and pack them into a measuring cup to get 2 cups worth. Hope that helps!
Second try today. First was wonderful but I thought it had too much fat/oil. Today added real bacon (3 slices Costco precooked, chopped fine and warmed in paper towel in microwave.) Also about 2 T finely diced sweet onion. Omitted oil with cream cheese. Don’t love feta so I substituted mozzarella and parmesan. Instead of brushing top with butter, I used an egg wash. Really good, but next time I would add more bacon and more onion, or onion powder.
Thanks for sharing what you did and for giving the recipe a try!
Made these today for an afternoon ‘tea party’ with friends I hadn’t seen in 25 years. I always experiment on guests, since I live alone and can’t eat all the goodies by myself. They turned out great, besides being attractive. I’m not a Feta fan, so I substituted a mild-grated white semi-soft cheese. For a little extra flavor, I added a little garlic salt and onion powder. So many recipes call for frozen spinach, I was curious to see how the fresh spinach would work; it was perfect. I did have to stretch the pastry sections; I used the side of my hand. I brushed the tops with the melted butter; I had extra and did that twice. I wouldn’t do that second brush again, and I question the added olive oil — I thought when rewarmed, they were a bit too ‘rich.’ More bacon bits, perhaps. I will make these again!
These are very tasty and filling.
Superb noms!