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!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8
  • Category: Appetizer, Side, Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Indian Fusion

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 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

Method

First, cook the spinach mixture.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

  1. Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C).
  2. Sprinkle the puff pastry sheet with a little bit of flour, and then roll it out to an 11x11” 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.
  3. 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.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.