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A delicious and easy Fatayer – Lebanese spinach pies made with homemade dough and stuffed with savory spinach filling. Perfect as a snack, appetizer, or side dish and can be served hot or cold.
Fatayer is a pastry I must have had hundreds, if not thousands, of times. It is a popular flaky pastry pie that can be filled with cheese, meat, or my personal favorite – spinach.
In particular, Lebanese spinach pies are stuffed with a zingy, savory mixture of spinach, onion, pine nuts, sumac (the magical ingredient), and lemon juice. They can also be made in a variety of sizes and are perfect for meal-prep and to have as a snack or appetizer/side dish.
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The ingredients
For the Dough
- Flour: Use plain all-purpose flour.
- Active dry yeast: Make sure it’s not expired.
- Brown sugar: Just a bit of sugar is needed to feed the yeast
- Salt:
- Neutral oil: You can use vegetable oil, olive oil, or another neutral oil.
- Luke-warm water: This will help activate the yeast. Make sure it’s just warm and not hot.
For the Filling
- Spinach: Use fresh spinach leaves
- Salt: A half of teaspoon salt is needed to macerate the spinach.
- Sumac: This will give a tangy, almost citrusy flavor.
- Onion: I like using red onion but you can also use white, yellow, or shallots.
- Pine nuts
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Pomegranate molasses: Optional
How to make Lebanese spinach pies
Make the dough: First, mix the dry ingredients (flour, yeast, sugar, and salt), then add the like-warm water and oil and mix well. A slightly sticky, pliable dough will form. Knead this for 5-10 minutes till soft and elastic. Set aside in an oiled bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel or muslin cloth. Leave it to rest for 30 minutes in a warm location so that it can rise.
When the dough has doubled in size, it’s ready to roll – it should be very fluffy and airy. Divide the dough into even-sized balls. It should make about 40 balls. You can weigh them (about 0.7 oz/20 g each), to be precise, or just eyeball them. Then, using a rolling pin or a glass bottle, roll each ball into a thin circle – about 1/8th inch (2-4 mm) in thickness and about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter. While rolling each ball, keep the rest under a damp towel so the dough doesn’t dry.
Make the filling: While the dough is resting, prepare the spinach mixture. Chop the spinach finely. Then, move it to a bowl and sprinkle the salt on top. Set aside for 8-10 minutes to macerate – this will help the spinach to release its liquid content.
While waiting for the spinach, finely chop the onions and, if needed, juice your lemons. Optionally, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan for a couple of minutes, stirring often. Then, squeeze the salted spinach with clean hands to remove as much of the liquid as possible. As you rub and squeeze it, the spinach leaves will wilt and soften naturally.
Next, in a large bowl, mix all the filling ingredients (spinach, onion, pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, and optional pomegranate molasses). At this point, you can also add in any additional seasonings you may like, such as paprika or cayenne pepper. Mix well to incorporate.
Assemble the pies: At this point, preheat the oven to 350ºF/175ºC. Next, add 1-2 Tbsp of the spinach mixture to each circle and fold in a triangular shape. Pinch two sides together, then fold over the third side and pinch it all together carefully so the pastry doesn’t come loose in the oven.
Bake the pies: Brush each pie with some olive oil. Then arrange them in a single layer on baking sheets and bake at 350ºF/175ºC (fan-assisted) for 30 minutes. The fatayers are ready when they turn golden brown and are heated through. You can enjoy them right away or at room temperature.
Recipe tips
- Squeeze the salted spinach: Salt will help remove the water content from the spinach leaves (and season it, too). Then, squeeze it hard. This ensures the spinach pies don’t become soggy while baking.
- The dough should be thin! The key is to roll it out as thin as possible. It may puff up slightly in the oven, so it’s good to compensate for this.
- Experiment with flavor and ingredients: Although this recipe uses a traditional filling, feel free to experiment. For example, you could add crumbly feta cheese or spices like cayenne pepper or paprika.
FAQs
You can make them up to a week in advance and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge. You can then reheat them or enjoy them cold. You can also freeze them.
Yes, these can be frozen once baked. Place them in an airtight container or freezer bag with baking paper to separate the pies (so they don’t stick together), and freeze for up to 6 months. To reheat, place in the oven at 300ºF/150ºC for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of the pastry).
Sumac can be found online or at Mediterranean shops. If you can’t find it, you can substitute lemon pepper.
You can use frozen spinach, too. Make sure to thaw it first and squeeze out all its liquid before you proceed with the recipe as usual.
Lebanese spinach pies go great with a side of:
– Plain yogurt
– Tzatziki sauce
– Creamy homemade hummus
– Tomato and cucumber salad
More Lebanese recipes
If you try these Lebanese spinach pies, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Fatayer (Lebanese Spinach Pies)
Ingredients
For the dough
- 8 cups white flour plain white or white bread flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 2.5 cups water lukewarm
- 2 tsp dry yeast
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
For the filling
- 2 lb spinach
- 4 tsp salt
- 9 oz onion 2 small red or yellow
- 4 Tbsp olive oil plus more for greasing
- 4 Tbsp lemon juice from 1 large lemon
- 2 Tbsp sumac
- 2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses optional
Instructions
Make the dough
- In a small bowl, combine the water, sugar, and dry yeast. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add the yeast mixture and the oil and mix well until a sticky dough forms.
- Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes till soft and elastic.
- Place it in an oiled bowl and rub some more oil on top of it. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or muslin cloth. Leave it to rest for 45-60 minutes in a warm location to rise.
Make the filling
- Wash well and chop the spinach finely. Transfer it to a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.
- Finely chop the onions and, if needed, juice the lemon.
- Squeeze the salted spinach with clean hands and remove as much of the liquid as possible.
- In a large bowl, mix well the spinach, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, and optional pomegranate molasses.
Shape and assemble the pies
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF/175ºC. Grease a baking sheet with oil.
- Roll the risen dough thinly using a rolling pin (or glass bottle) to about 1/8th inch (2-4 mm). Then, cut out circles of about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter. Collect the extra dough, knead it to make a uniform ball, and roll it out to cut out more circles.
- Add about 1-2 Tbsp of the spinach mixture to each circle (make sure to leave a margin) and fold in a triangular shape. Pinch two sides together, then fold over the third side and pinch it all together carefully to secure the pastry.
Bake the pies
- Brush the pies with some olive oil and arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Bake the fatayer at 350ºF/175ºC for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.You can enjoy them right away or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious, my husband and family loved them! And so easy
Thank you for your comment. So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
l
Do we need to activate the yeast ? Add it to warm water and sugar for 10 minutes ?
Hi there,
No you can just mix all the dry ingredients for the dough together and then add the warm water and oil and mix well. Make sure to follow the correct steps from here on. I hope this helps 🙂
I’ve been craving tangy spinach fatayer for a while, so decided to try making my own and they were delicious! I’ve never made my own dough or cooked with dry yeast before, but this recipe was so simple and easy to follow. Thanks for posting! I’m definitely making this recipe again.
Thank you for your comment, Merryn. So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
My boyfriend and me just tried this Fatayer recipe for dinner and are absolutely amazed with the results, Samira! We will definitely do them again very soon, Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you so much, Maria Gabriela! I am so happy you two enjoyed the recipe.