These Spinach and cheese bourekas have a savory spinach and feta filling inside flaky puff pastry. Bourekas make great appetizers, snacks, or a grab-and-go breakfast.
Flakey Spinach Bourekas
I like to serve bourekas as little appetizers for shabbat or dinner parties. These spinach and cheese bourekas are a wonderful additional to a Shavuot holiday menu when dairy is frequently served.
They're triangular-shaped so they can be eaten on Purim along with other triangular shaped foods like Kreplach, Classic Hamantaschen, or Pizza Hamantaschen. For a different version of bourekas, try Meat Bourekas made with onions and ground beef.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's a crowd pleaser with crispy dough and tasty filling options.
- Make a double or triple recipe to serve a crowd.
- Make ahead option! Make the dough pockets in advance, then freeze until ready to serve!
- Bourekas are a popular street food that’s easy to make at home.
What is a boureka?
Bourekas are flaky savory pastries with a variety of tasty fillings like cheese, spinach, potato, or ground meat. They are a popular street food in Israel and are enjoyed throughout the Middle East and beyond.
Many cultures have versions of these filled dough pockets. Bourekas are similar to an Indian samosa, Spanish empanada, or Greek spanakopita. You will see different spelling variations including boreka, boureka, borek (Turkey), borrecas (Spain), or burrichi (Italy).
Bourekas make an irresistible appetizer, breakfast, or snack. They can be made as individual pastry triangles, or made as a larger pan and cut into individual servings.
For this boureka recipe, I use spinach and feta cheese filling, but you can substitute for a meat filling like in Meat Bourekas.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the recipe card below for a complete ingredient list and measurements.
Jump to Recipe- Frozen puff pastry dough - Ready made puff pastry dough comes in dairy and vegan varieties. I have used the following brands with success: Pepperidge Farm, Trader Joe's, Indo-European, and Aussie Bakery.
- Frozen chopped spinach - Using frozen chopped spinach saves time when making these spinach pastries.
- Feta cheese - It is best to buy a block of feta cheese, and then gently crumble with a fork.
- Seasonings - Salt, freshly cracked black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder.
- Fresh dill - Optional, but adds a nice herby flavor.
- Sesame seeds - White or black seeds make a nice garnish.
Step by Step Photos
Brief instructions on how to make spinach and feta bourekas.
See the recipe card below for complete directions.
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Filling
Add spinach, feta, seasonings, and dill. Mix with a fork until combined.
Assemble
Scoop a heaping teaspoon of the spinach and cheese filling into the center of each square.
Fold
Gently fold one corner of the square over to the opposite corner forming a triangle. Lightly pinch the sides closed, but do not press hard. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake
Bake until pastry has puffed up, exposing the layers, and is golden brown.
Top Tips
- Defrost puff pastry sheets on the counter for about 1 hour until it is pliable but still cool. Leave the wrapping on to aid moving the dough and to prevent drying!
- To defrost spinach quickly, place it in a colander and run room temperature water over it until the ice dissolves, and it can be broken apart.
- Be sure to squeeze out the spinach well so it is not watery.
- Use one sheet of puff pastry at a time leaving the other one covered so it doesn't dry out.
- It's important NOT to compact or squish the dough tightly when closing so the layers of puff pastry can open up during baking. The sides do not need to be sealed completely.
- If the dough isn't sticking together, dip your finger in water and run it along the seams to help seal.
- These spinach and cheese bourekas will be hot coming out of the oven, so cool on baking rack before enjoying!
Variations
- Mini bourekas. 5 x 5 inch frozen puff pastry squares also can be used. Cut each square into four, which makes a 2.5 x 2.5 inch square for each boureka. Use less filling per square, about 1 teaspoon. This makes a cute smaller appetizer size. Reduce baking time for this mini version.
- Homemade dough. You can make these bourekas with homemade pastry dough! See Meat Bourekas for the homemade dough recipe.
- Phyllo dough. For an extra flaky Turkish boureka version, substitute puff pastry for phyllo dough.
- Change up the filling. Use a ground beef filling instead from the Meat Bourekas recipe, or a potato filling.
Make Ahead
Feta and spinach bourekas can be assembled ahead of time.
To make one day ahead of time, follow instructions through forming the dough pockets, and store in the refrigerator unbaked without the egg wash. Add egg wash and seeds just before baking.
To make a few days, up to a six months in advance, follow instructions through forming the dough pockets, but do not add the egg wash. Place bourekas on a baking sheet without touching each other, and cover. Freeze for a few hours, until frozen solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 6 months. When ready to serve, add the egg wash and sesame seeds, and bake from frozen following the baking instructions, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
Storage and Reheating
How to store: Once baked, store leftover bourekas covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
How to freeze: To freeze, make the dough pockets, but don’t add egg wash. Freeze on a baking sheet until frozen solid, then add to a freezer safe container. Store for up to 6 months. To bake from frozen, brush with egg wash and add seeds, then add a few minutes to total bake time.
How to reheat: Reheat bourekas on a cookie sheet in a 300ºF oven until warmed through. Be careful that they don't get too browned.
What to serve with bourekas
Bourekas are a tasty accompaniment to soup or salad. Try pairing with these other tasty recipes.
- English Pea Soup
- Asparagus Soup
- Strawberry Spring Salad
- Fall Harvest Salad with Apples and Pomegranate
- Frittata with Zucchini and Tomato
- Blintz Soufflé Casserole
More appetizer recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
There are two options for defrosting puff pastry. Defrost frozen puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight or about 8 hours. Alternatively, defrost puff pastry on the counter for about 1 hour until it is pliable but still cool. Leave the wrapping on to aid moving the dough and to prevent drying.
Defrost spinach overnight in the refrigerator with a plate underneath to catch liquid. To defrost spinach quickly, place frozen spinach in a colander and run it under room temperature water until the ice dissolves.
Bourekas can have a variety of savory fillings including cheese, potato, spinach, and ground meat.
Yes, puff pastry can be used instead of phyllo dough (filo dough) for making bourekas.
I've had success using the following store-bought puff pastry brands: Pepperidge Farm, Trader Joe's, Indo-European, and Aussie Bakery. You can also use homemade puff pastry dough.
To prevent the filling from leaking out of your bourekas, only use a small scoop of filling, about 1 teaspoon. Gently close the edges of the pastry together, but do not squish or press two firmly so the layers may flake up while baking.
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Recipe
Spinach and Feta Bourekas
Equipment
- Flour sack towel
- Cutting board
- Knife
- measuring spoons
- Small off-set spatula
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry dough defrosted, about 10" x 10" (I used Pepperidge Farm brand)
- 10 ounce box frozen cooked chopped spinach defrosted, about 1 cup packed
- 2 large eggs divided (1 for filling and 1 for garnish)
- 7 ounces feta crumbled, about 1-⅞ cup loosely packed (I used sheep)
- ¼ teaspoon salt can leave out if your cheese tastes salty
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill optional
- Sesame seeds for garnish white or black
Instructions
- Defrost puff pastry. Defrost frozen puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight or about 8 hours. Alternatively, defrost puff pastry on the kitchen counter for about 1 hour until it is pliable but still cool. Leave the wrapping on to aid moving the dough and to prevent drying.
- Defrost spinach. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator with a plate underneath to catch liquid. Alternatively, defrost the spinach by placing it in a colander and running room temperature water over it until the ice dissolves, and it can be broken apart. Once defrosted, squeeze the moisture out of the spinach by securely wrapping it in an old flour sack towel or cheese cloth, and then squeeze the towel over the sink until no more water comes out. If your spinach is not chopped, chop it into small pieces.
- Set up. Place oven rack in center of the oven. Preheat oven to 375ºF (or 360ºF for convection). Place parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- To make the filling. Beat 1 egg in a medium bowl. Add spinach, crumbled feta, the seasonings, and optional dill. Mix with a fork until combined. Set aside.
- To prep the dough. Place the defrosted dough with the paper liner on to a cutting board, and unfold. Cut the large square into 9 even-ish pieces by cutting the dough into thirds in both the vertical and horizontal directions, two cuts per direction. If dough was folded into thirds, cut along those lines! Each cut square is a little more than 3 x 3 inches.
Assembly
- Use one sheet of puff pastry at a time leaving the other one covered so it doesn't dry out.
- Scoop about a heaping teaspoon of filling onto the center of each cut square.
- Gently lift one square at a time using a small spatula, or gently peel the dough square away from the paper. In your hand, take one corner of the square and fold it over so that it touches the opposite corner forming a triangle. Touch or lightly pinch the open sides so that the filling is enclosed. It's important NOT to compact or squish the dough tightly because you want the layers of puff pastry to be able to open up during baking. The sides do not need to be sealed completely. If the dough isn't sticking together, have a small bowl of water nearby, dip your finger in it to run water along the seams to help seal. As each boureka is formed, place it on the prepared baking sheet. Space them about 1 inch apart. Continue folding the rest of the dough.
- Brush the tops of each boureka with a beaten egg. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
- Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Fully cooked puffed pastry is flaky and doesn't have any raw dough spots (medium gray) in between the exposed layers. (About 12-15 minutes in a convection oven).
- Once baked, transfer to a cooking rack. Let cool a little before serving as the filling is very hot.
Notes
- I have used the following puff pastry brands with success: Pepperidge Farm, Trader Joe's, Indo-European, and Aussie Bakery.
- To make one day ahead of time, follow instructions through forming the dough pockets, and store in the refrigerator unbaked without the egg wash. Add egg wash and seeds just before baking.
- To make a few days up to a six months in advance, follow instructions through forming the dough pockets, but do not add the egg wash. Place bourekas on a baking sheet without touching each other, and cover. Freeze for a few hours, until frozen solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 6 months. When ready to serve, add the egg wash and sesame seeds, and bake from frozen following the baking instructions, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
- How to store: Once baked, store leftover bourekas covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- How to freeze: To freeze, make the dough pockets, but don’t add egg wash. Freeze on a baking sheet until frozen solid, then add to a freezer safe container. Store for up to 6 months. To bake from frozen, brush with egg wash and add seeds, then add a few minutes to total bake time.
- How to reheat: Reheat bourekas on a cookie sheet in a 300ºF oven until warmed through. Be careful that they don't get too browned.
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