Indian-Spiced Spinach Puff Pastry (soy-free and nut-free options)

This spinach puff pastry has a creamy saag(Indian greens curry) spiced filling. It’s an easy holiday finger food that your guests are going to absolutely love!

This open faced spinach pie has a creamy, saag(Indian greens curry)-spiced filling. It’s quick and easy and will be a favorite!

This baked spinach puff pastry appetizer is a super delicious, open-face spinach pie with spiced, ginger-garlic spinach mixed with a little bit of vegan cream cheese to make it super creamy. That’s added to sliced puff pastry and you bake it up. Since it is open faced, no need for folding and sealing each pie!

Baked spinach pastry is part of my Indianized vegan Thanksgiving spread! For this recipe, you do prepare the spinach on the stove, but almost the whole rest of the spread is cooked in the oven. This dish pairs so well the baked cranberry chutney, glazed carrots, and Indian spiced chickpea loaf with butter sauce gravy all bake in the oven for a mostly hands-free spread.

These spinach puff pastries are amazing as-is, or you can top them with vegan parmesan for extra creamy flavor. 

Why You’ll Love Spinach Puff Pastry

• creamy, spiced spinach on golden, flaky puff pastry
• easy-to-make filling in 1 pan!
• no folding or sealing the pastry dough
• amazing mix of creamy texture and Indian-spiced flavors
• soy-free and nut-free options

More Vegan Finger Food Recipes

• Broccoli Bites
• Stuffed Mushrooms
• Nashville Hot Cauliflower Wings
• Kung Pao Cauliflower Bites
• Samosa Pinwheels

Recipe Card

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Indian spiced Spinach Puff Pastry pie

This spinach puff pastry has a creamy, saag-spiced filling. It’s an easy holiday finger food that your guests are going to absolutely love!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Side, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian Fusion

Keyword: spinach puff pastry

Servings: 8

Calories: 212kcal

Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the Creamy Spinach Filling:

• 1 teaspoon oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon flour , all purpose or gluten-free
• 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste or 3 cloves garlic and 1/2 inch ginger minced
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes
• 6 ounces frozen spinach thawed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri garam masala or regular garam masala
• 3 tablespoons non-dairy cream cheese
• 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) non-dairy milk

For the Puff Pastry:

• 1 9 x9” puff pastry sheet thawed on the counter for 15 minutes
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon non-dairy milk

Optional Toppings”

• 2 tablespoons vegan parmesan
• chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

First, cook the spinach mixture.

• Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, then add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until the onion is starting to turn translucent. 4 mins. Mix in the flour, and cook for half a minute, then add in the ginger-garlic paste and red pepper flakes and mix. Mix in the spinach, salt, Kashmiri garam masala, and continue to cook until the spinach is cooked to preference. 3-5 mins. If the spinach is still frozen, you want to press it and mix and cook until the spinach doesn't smell raw.
• Mix in the vegan cream cheese and non-dairy milk, and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes for the mixture to come together and thicken slightly. Frozen spinach usually takes over the color profile of the dish, so if you want it to look creamier, add more cream cheese once the mixture has cooled down a little bit, so the cream cheese can show through.

Prepare the puff pastry sheet while the spinach mixture cools.

• Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C).
• Sprinkle the puff pastry sheet with a little bit of flour, and then roll it out to an 11×11” or slightly larger square or rectangle, and then use a pizza cutter to slice it into 2 1/2” to 3” squares or rectangles. Transfer these to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• In a bowl, mix the maple syrup and non-dairy milk, and then brush the puff pastry all over with this mixture. Then, scoop the spinach mixture into the middle of all of the squares, and distribute them evenly. Bake the spinach puff pastries for 17 to 20 minutes, or until golden and crispy on the edges. The edges will get nicely browned, because of the maple syrup, so let them get nice, golden, and crispy all around. Then, take them out of the oven, top with some vegan parmesan and cilantro or other fresh herbs, and serve.

Notes

This recipe is soy-free and nut-free, as long as your non-dairy cream cheese, milk, and parmesan are soy- and nut-free.

Storage: prep the pastries up to the step with spinach added to the pastries, then freeze in a covered container(separated by parchment). Bake when needed.  You can also prep just the spinach mix  before hand and refrigerate for upto 3 days. 

Change the flavor: use Cajun spice or Berbere instead of garam masala, or use just Italian herbs,

 

 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Indian spiced Spinach Puff Pastry pie

Amount Per Serving

Calories 212 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g23%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Trans Fat 0.003g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 7g

Sodium 303mg13%

Potassium 98mg3%

Carbohydrates 17g6%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 2531IU51%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 57mg6%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• oil – To saute.
• onion – For umami flavor.
• flour – To thicken.
• ginger-garlic paste – For even more umami!
• dried spices – We are seasoning the saag mixture with pepper flakes and Kashmiri (or regular) garam masala.
• frozen spinach – Thaw before using.
• non-dairy cream cheese – Adds creaminess.
• non-dairy milk – For even more creaminess!
• puff pastry – You can find accidentally vegan puff pastry at most regular grocery stores.
• maple syrup – Mixed with a little non-dairy milk to make a beautiful glaze for the puff pastry.
• optional toppings – I like to serve this with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan and fresh cilantro.

Tips

• I like to add extra cream cheese after taking the pan off of the heat to make this even creamier. The spinach can sort of take over the color of the mixture, making it look less creamy.
• Space out the spinach puff pastry on the baking sheet, since they will spread slightly during baking.

How to Make Saag Puff Pastry

First, cook the spinach mixture. 

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, then add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until the onion is starting to turn translucent. Mix in the flour, and cook for half a minute, then add in the ginger-garlic paste and red pepper flakes. Mix in the spinach, salt, Kashmiri garam masala, and continue to cook until the spinach is cooked to preference. If the spinach is still frozen, you want to press it and mix and cook until the spinach doesn’t smell raw.

Mix in the vegan cream cheese and non-dairy milk, and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes for the mixture to come together and thicken slightly. Frozen spinach usually takes over the color profile of the dish, so if you want it to look creamier, add more cream cheese once the mixture has cooled down a little bit, so the cream cheese can show through. Let the mixture cool. 

Prepare the puff pastry sheet while the spinach mixture cools.

Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C).

Sprinkle the puff pastry sheet with a little bit of flour, and then roll it out to an 11×11” or slightly larger square or rectangle, and then use a pizza cutter to slice it into 2 1/2” to 3” squares or rectangles. Transfer these to a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

In a bowl, mix the maple syrup and non-dairy milk, and then brush the puff pastry all over with this mixture. Then, scoop the spinach mixture into the middle of all of the squares, and distribute them evenly.

Bake the spinach puff pastries for 17 to 20 minutes, or until golden and crispy on the edges. The edges will get nicely browned, because of the maple syrup, so let them get nice, golden, and crispy all around. Then, take them out of the oven, top with some vegan parmesan and cilantro or other fresh herbs, and serve.

Frequently Asked Questions