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These spinach puffs wrap a creamy, cheesy spinach filling in flaky puff pastry baked right in a mini muffin tin, and they vanish off the appetizer table in minutes. I make them whenever we have people over, right alongside our hot spinach artichoke dip, because everyone loves a warm, two bite snack.
Flaky puff pastry cups filled with a creamy spinach and cheese mixture, these easy spinach puffs are the perfect two bite party appetizer.
Spinach Puffs Quick Look
- 🕐 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🍴 Cook Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽 Serving: 12 puffs
- ⚡ Calories: 258kcal
- 🌶 Flavor Profile: Creamy, cheesy, and garlicky in flaky, buttery puff pastry
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a fast party appetizer like our fried cream cheese wontons
Quick Answer
Mix softened cream cheese with chopped fresh spinach, then stir in shredded mozzarella, Parmesan, an egg, scallions, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cut a sheet of puff pastry into 12 squares and press each into a greased mini muffin tin. Fill each square with about a tablespoon of the spinach mixture, fold the corners over, brush with egg wash, and top with scallions and Parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes until puffed and golden.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Puff pastry does the heavy lifting. Store bought puff pastry bakes into shatteringly flaky cups with zero effort, so the filling is the only thing you make.
- Cream cheese binds the filling. Softened cream cheese holds the spinach and cheeses together so the filling stays creamy and scoopable instead of watery.
- Fresh spinach keeps it light. Freshly chopped spinach wilts as it bakes without releasing the extra water that frozen spinach can add.
- The egg sets the filling. An egg mixed into the filling helps it firm up in the oven so the puffs hold their shape when you lift them out.
- Mini muffin tin shapes them perfectly. Pressing the pastry into the tin gives every puff the same two bite size and a built in cup to hold the filling.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect party food. Two bite, hand held, and always the first thing to disappear from the appetizer spread.
- Quick and easy. Store bought puff pastry means these come together in about 30 minutes start to finish.
- Make ahead friendly. Assemble ahead and bake when guests arrive, or reheat leftovers in minutes.
Key Ingredients
- Puff pastry: One thawed sheet, cut into squares, becomes the flaky, buttery cups that hold the filling.
- Cream cheese: Softened and mixed in to make the filling rich and creamy and to bind everything together.
- Fresh spinach: Freshly chopped so it wilts down without adding extra water to the filling.
- Mozzarella and Parmesan: Mozzarella melts gooey inside while a sprinkle of Parmesan on top bakes into a salty, golden crust.
- Egg and scallions: An egg sets the filling and doubles as an egg wash, while scallions add fresh oniony bite inside and on top.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use frozen spinach. Thaw and squeeze it very dry first so the filling does not turn watery.
- Add artichokes. Stir in chopped artichoke hearts for a spinach artichoke twist, like our spinach artichoke dip.
- Switch the cheese. Feta, Gruyere, or a Swiss blend all work beautifully in place of some of the mozzarella.
- Make them spicy. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or some diced jalapeno to the filling.
- Use phyllo instead. Layered phyllo cups can stand in for puff pastry for a lighter, crispier bite.
How to Make Spinach Puffs
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a mini muffin tin. Soften the cream cheese, then mix it with the chopped fresh spinach in a large bowl.
- Add the mozzarella, garlic powder, salt, pepper, one beaten egg, and half of the chopped scallions to the bowl.
- Stir everything together until fully combined into a thick, creamy spinach and cheese filling.
- Unfold the thawed puff pastry and cut it into 12 even squares, making 3 cuts lengthwise and 4 cuts across.
- Press each pastry square into a cavity of the greased mini muffin tin, letting the corners stick up.
- Fill each pastry square with about 1 tablespoon of the spinach mixture, a small cookie scoop makes this easy.
- Fold the pastry corners over the filling. Beat the remaining egg with water, brush over the tops, and sprinkle with the remaining scallions and Parmesan.
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes until puffed and golden. Loosen the edges with a knife and remove from the tin. Serve warm.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Thaw the pastry properly. Let the puff pastry thaw in the fridge or on the counter just until pliable, cold pastry cracks and warm pastry gets sticky.
- Squeeze frozen spinach dry. If using frozen spinach, wring out every bit of water or the filling and pastry will be soggy.
- Use a small cookie scoop. It portions the filling evenly and keeps the assembly fast and mess free.
- Do not overfill. About a tablespoon per puff is plenty, too much and they spill over as they bake.
- Grease the tin well. A good coat of cooking spray keeps the cheesy puffs from sticking so they pop right out.
- Loosen while warm. Run a knife around each puff right after baking to release them cleanly.
- Serve them warm. These are best fresh from the oven when the pastry is flaky and the cheese is melty.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Spinach puffs are made for grazing, so set them out warm on a platter as part of an appetizer spread. They are right at home next to our Longhorn hot spinach dip and a basket of crackers or bread.
For a bigger party board, pair them with our fried cream cheese wontons and a creamy dip so guests have a mix of hot, flaky, and crunchy bites to choose from.
They also make a lovely brunch or holiday appetizer. Serve them alongside soups and salads, or add a sweet puff pastry treat like our black forest puff pastry braid to round out the table.
Spinach Puffs FAQs
Yes, spinach puffs are great for making ahead. Assemble them in the muffin tin, cover, and refrigerate for up to a day, then brush with egg wash and bake fresh when you are ready to serve. You can also fully bake them and reheat.
Yes, you can use frozen spinach in place of fresh. Thaw it completely and squeeze out as much water as possible with a clean towel before mixing it in, otherwise the filling and pastry can turn soggy.
Store leftover spinach puffs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in a 350 degree oven or air fryer for a few minutes to bring back the flaky crust, the microwave will make them soft.
Yes, spinach puffs freeze well. Freeze them baked and cooled in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag. Reheat from frozen in a 350 degree oven until hot and crisp, no need to thaw first.
Puff pastry gives the flakiest, butteriest results and is the easiest to work with. You can also use crescent roll dough for a softer bite or layered phyllo for an extra crispy, lighter shell.
Spinach puffs are vegetarian as written, made with spinach, cheese, eggs, and puff pastry. Always check your puff pastry label, as most brands are accidentally vegan or vegetarian but some contain butter or lard.
Other Recommended Appetizers
If these spinach puffs were the hit of your party, leave a star rating and let us know how they turned out. Photos of your golden, flaky puffs on Pinterest always make our day.
Round out the appetizer table with our hot spinach artichoke dip, creamy, cheesy, and perfect for dipping.
For a crunchy contrast, fry up a batch of our cream cheese wontons, another two bite party favorite.
Craving more puff pastry magic? Our black forest puff pastry braid turns the same flaky dough into a stunning dessert.
Spinach Puffs
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 5 ounce fresh spinach freshly chopped
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs divided use
- 2 tablespoons scallions finely chopped, divided use
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese finely shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Microwave the cream cheese in a small bowl for 10-15 seconds or until slightly softened.8 ounces cream cheese
- In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and spinach together.5 ounce fresh spinach
- Then mix the mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, salt, pepper, 1 egg, and 1 tablespoon of chopped scallions. (The other half of the scallions will be used as a topping.)8 ounces mozzarella cheese, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 2 large eggs, 2 tablespoons scallions
- Beat the other egg together with 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl and set aside.1 teaspoon water
- Unfold the pastry dough on a lightly greased surface. Make 3 cuts lengthwise and 4 cuts transversely, creating 12 small pastry squares.1 sheet frozen puff pastry
- Place each pastry square in the muffin tin, slightly pressing down into each cavity. Allow the corners of the square to rest on the edge of the tin.
- Fill each pastry square with 1 tbsp of spinach mixture (I like to use a small cookie scoop!). Then pinch the tops of the pastry corners together.
- Brush the tops of the spinach bites with the egg wash and top with the remaining scallions and parmesan cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops of the pastries are golden.1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- Once baked, loosen the edge of the spinach bites with a knife before removing them from the muffin tin. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Ensure your puff pastry is thawed but still cold for best results.
- Squeeze as much water as possible out of your spinach to avoid a soggy filling.
- Use a pizza cutter to easily cut your puff pastry sheet into squares.
- Make sure your filling is well mixed for evenly distributed flavors in each puff.
- Don’t overfill your pastry cups to prevent them from overflowing during baking.
- Let the puffs cool in the mini muffin tins for a few minutes before removing to avoid breaking them.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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Yes
Can you put in fridge and reheat?
No, we are using fresh spinach in the filling for this one.
Should I cook the spinach first, then squeeze out the liquid?
I don’t know for sure because I haven’t tried, but I think if you used 5 ounces of thawed frozen chopped broccoli and got as much liquid out as possible it may work the same way.
How about substituting chopped broccoli for the spinach? Would the amounts be equal?
These were delicious, very rich and filling! I’m going to try with a little chutney or preserves on top next time for sweet/savory! Also will try adding mushrooms to filling. A couple of things: I would reduce salt to half (and def not sub garlic salt for powder), because the parm cheese adds saltiness. I doubled the recipe for 2 pastry sheets, but the recipe makes so much I could have gotten away with 1.5x and still
filled 24 pastries easily. The mini muffin tin will really only work with about 1 Tbls filling or they overflow (as noted in recipe). Little thing: in Step 6 you will make 2 cuts lengthwise and 3 cuts vertically for 12 squares. Also Step 4 you only use 1 egg, not 2 as stated below instructions. Overall yummy and love the lighter dough!