⏱ Rise: 1 hr 30 min 🔥Bake: 20 min 👤Makes: 20–24 pies 🌿Diet: Vegan option
Lebanese Spinach fatayer recipe, fatayer bi sabanekh, is the Lebanese savory pie that appears at every mezze table, every celebration and every school lunch box across Lebanon and the Lebanese diaspora. Soft pillowy yeasted dough circles filled with finely chopped spinach, onion, sumac and fresh lemon juice, pinched into triangles and baked until golden with slightly crispy edges and a tangy, bright filling that is entirely unlike anything a Western spinach pie produces. The sumac is the whole recipe.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2¼ teaspoons (1 packet) instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar, feeds the yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more oil than standard bread dough, this is what makes the fatayer dough rich, slightly golden and easier to handle
- ¾ cup (180ml) warm water, 105°F–115°F (40°C–46°C). Start with ½ cup and add more as needed, the dough should be soft, slightly sticky and pliable.
For the spinach filling
- 1 lb (450g) fresh baby spinach, or frozen spinach fully thawed. Fresh spinach must be salted and squeezed of all excess water, this is the most important step in the filling. Wet spinach makes soggy, unsealed fatayer that burst open during baking.
- 1 teaspoon salt, for macerating the spinach. Not seasoning, this is the step that draws the water out. Use a generous teaspoon and squeeze hard.
- 1 medium red onion, very finely diced, or processed fine in a food processor then squeezed of excess liquid too. Red onion is sweeter and less harsh than white for an uncooked filling.
- 2 tablespoons ground sumac, the defining spice of spinach fatayer. Tangy, fruity, slightly astringent. Do not reduce, this is what makes fatayer taste like fatayer. Available at Middle Eastern grocery stores, Whole Foods and Amazon.
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, added last, just before filling, adding it too early makes the filling too wet. The combination of sumac and fresh lemon is what gives spinach fatayer its signature bright, tangy character.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Lebanese 7 spice or allspice, optional but adds warmth
- ½ cup (75g) crumbled feta, optional. Adds salty creaminess. Many Lebanese families include it, many do not. Omit for a fully vegan filling.
- ¼ cup (35g) toasted pine nuts, optional but traditional and very good. Toast in a dry pan 2 minutes until golden.
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses, optional. Adds a faint sweet-tart depth that rounds the filling.
For finishing
- 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash, brushed over each fatayer before baking for a golden finish. Skip for vegan version, brush with olive oil instead.
Step by step
- Make the dough. Combine flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and warm water. Mix until a rough dough forms. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth, soft and slightly tacky. The dough will be oilier than standard bread dough, this is correct. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in size.Make the dough first, use the rising time to prepare the filling. The two components come together perfectly if you work in this order.
- Prepare the spinach filling, the critical step. Place fresh spinach in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Massage and squeeze with your hands for 2 minutes, the salt draws out a significant amount of water. Let sit 10 minutes. Then squeeze with both hands as firmly as possible, wringing out every drop of liquid you can. Chop the squeezed spinach finely. Transfer to a clean dry bowl.Squeeze the spinach until your hands ache and then squeeze again. Insufficiently squeezed spinach is the number one cause of soggy fatayer, burst seams and watery filling that pools inside the dough. The filling must be almost completely dry.
- Build the filling. Add the finely diced onion to the squeezed spinach. Squeeze the onion in your fist to remove its liquid before adding. Add the sumac, black pepper, 7 spice, olive oil, feta and pine nuts if using. Toss to combine. Add the lemon juice and pomegranate molasses just before you are ready to fill, not before. Taste, the filling should be intensely tangy, well seasoned and almost dry. Adjust sumac for more tang, lemon for brightness.Add the lemon juice at the very last moment before filling. Lemon juice draws more water from the spinach and onion, added too early it makes the filling wet again.
- Second rise. Once the dough has doubled, punch it down. Divide into 20–24 equal portions. Roll each into a smooth ball. Place on a lightly oiled tray, cover and leave to rest for 20–30 minutes. This second rest relaxes the dough and makes rolling significantly easier. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) with a baking sheet inside.
- Roll and fill. On a lightly floured surface, flatten each dough ball into a circle approximately 4–5 inches (10–12cm) in diameter. Keep them thin, 3mm. Place a generous tablespoon of filling in the center. Do not overfill, leave a clear 1cm border of dough around the filling all the way around.The classic triangle shape: bring two sides of the circle up and pinch firmly together from the center to the tip. Bring the remaining bottom edge up to meet the other two sides and pinch firmly to close all three seams. Press and re-pinch every seam, a weak seam will open during baking.
- Egg wash and bake. Place the shaped fatayer on the preheated baking sheet. Brush each one generously with beaten egg wash. Bake at 425°F for 18–22 minutes until deep golden brown on top and the edges are slightly crispy. The bottom should be golden from the preheated sheet.The preheated baking sheet is essential, it gives the fatayer a crispy golden base from the first minute in the oven, replicating the stone oven floor of a Lebanese bakery.
- Serve. Best served warm, 10 minutes out of the oven. A squeeze of fresh lemon over the top just before eating is highly recommended, it brightens the filling immediately. Also excellent at room temperature, the filling firms slightly as it cools and becomes even more concentrated in flavor.
The two rules that matter
Squeeze the spinach and onion as dry as humanly possible before mixing the filling. Wet filling creates soggy dough, weak seams and burst fatayer. The filling must be almost completely dry, if it releases liquid when pressed, squeeze harder.
Add the lemon juice at the very last moment before filling, not when you first make the mixture. Early lemon juice draws more moisture from the spinach and onion and undoes the squeezing work. This one habit is the difference between fatayer with firm, bright filling and fatayer with wet, sagging filling.
Make it ahead
Claire’s note
Spinach fatayer freeze beautifully, this is how Lebanese households manage a recipe with multiple steps. Bake fully, cool completely, freeze in a single layer then transfer to a bag. Keep up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen at 375°F for 12–15 minutes until warmed through and the exterior crisps again. The unbaked shaped fatayer can also be frozen on a tray and baked directly from frozen at 425°F, add 8–10 minutes to the bake time. The spinach filling keeps refrigerated for up to 24 hours before assembling, make it the night before and assemble fresh the next morning for a weekend baking project.
Serve with
Spinach fatayer are a complete snack on their own, eaten warm with a squeeze of lemon.
On a full Lebanese mezze spread they sit alongside hummus, labneh and tabbouleh as the baked element of the spread. A bowl of labneh alongside for dipping is the most satisfying pairing. For everything else on the Lebanese table the complete Lebanese recipes collection has it all.
Add spinach fatayer to your weekly meal planner as a weekend baking project, make a large batch and freeze half for the weeks ahead. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.
Print
Lebanese Spinach Fatayer
- Total Time: 110 minutes
- Yield: 20–24 pies 1x
- Diet: Vegan option
Description
Delicious Lebanese savory pies filled with spinach, onion, and sumac, perfect for mezze tables and snacks.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2¼ teaspoons (1 packet) instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup (180ml) warm water (105°F–115°F / 40°C–46°C)
- 1 lb (450g) fresh baby spinach, salted and squeezed of excess water
- 1 teaspoon salt (for macerating spinach)
- 1 medium red onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons ground sumac
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Lebanese 7 spice or allspice (optional)
- ½ cup (75g) crumbled feta (optional)
- ¼ cup (35g) toasted pine nuts (optional)
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (optional)
- 1 egg, beaten (optional, for egg wash)
Instructions
- Make the dough: Combine flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add olive oil and warm water. Mix until a rough dough forms, then knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour.
- Prepare the spinach filling: Place spinach in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and squeeze for 2 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes, then squeeze out excess liquid and chop finely.
- Build the filling: Add onion to squeezed spinach and squeeze to remove liquid. Add sumac, black pepper, 7 spice, olive oil, feta, and pine nuts. Toss to combine and add lemon juice just before filling.
- Second rise: Punch down the dough, divide into 20–24 portions, roll into balls, and let rest for 20–30 minutes.
- Roll and fill: Flatten each ball into a 4–5 inch circle; place a tablespoon of filling in the center, then fold and pinch to seal.
- Brush each fatayer with egg wash and place on a preheated baking sheet.
- Bake at 425°F for 18–22 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve warm with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Notes
Ensure spinach and onion are very dry to prevent soggy fatayer. Freeze baked fatayer for up to 3 months and reheat as needed.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Lebanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pie
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 300mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
