A classic dip gets a modern twist with Spinach and Artichoke Puff Pastry. With a golden brown pastry exterior, a creamy center, and a melt-in-your-mouth buttery flavor, these hand pies are the perfect make-ahead appetizer for your next event.

If you need an appetizer that’s easy to create, but looks like it took hours to make, look no further than spinach and artichoke dip hand pies. They’re bite-sized, bursting with creamy warm artichoke and spinach, and can be completely made ahead.

Get ready for the recipe requests, because these spinach and artichoke puff pastries are guaranteed to be a hit.

What is puff pastry?

Puff pastry is a light, flaky, buttery pastry dough that’s made through a process called lamination. Butter is basically layered inside the dough, then folded and rolled out multiple times. It’s this process that gives puff pastry its delicate layers. When puff pastry is baked, the moisture in the butter creates steam and causes the pastry to rise and “puff” up.  

Puff pastry dough is so versatile that it can be used in savory recipes like this one, or in delicious sweet treats like danishes, cream puffs, and turnovers. Yum!

How to Make It

1. Defrost the puff pastry so it will be ready to use, and then line a sheet pan with parchment paper to prevent the hand pies from sticking.
2. Prep the spinach by thawing and squeezing out as much of the liquid as you can with a dish towel. Frozen spinach produces a surprising amount of water when thawing, so you may need to squeeze the spinach a few times to remove the liquid. 
3. Make the hand pie filling by combining the spinach, cream cheese, mayonnaise, parmesan, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.
4. Place the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into even circles. A drinking glass or biscuit cutter will help you achieve perfect circles.
5. Assemble the hand pies by placing a tablespoon of the filling in the center of each piece of pastry, then folding the dough over and sealing with your hands.
6. Brush with the egg wash and bake on the sheet pan for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pies are golden brown. 
7. Serve fresh from the oven while the pies are warm.

Ingredients

• Frozen Puff Pastry – Frozen store-bought puff pastry dough has the same rich and buttery flavor as homemade pastry dough, and is so easy to use. 
• Frozen Spinach – Look for frozen spinach that is pre-chopped. To make sure your hand pies don’t get soggy in the middle, be sure to squeeze out all of the excess liquid as the spinach thaws.
• Artichoke Hearts – Use canned artichoke hearts which won’t have the extra herb-marinated flavors that jars of specialty artichokes have. You’ll want to chop the into small pieces so they’ll easily fit inside the hand pies.
• Cream Cheese – Cream cheese thickens up the spinach and artichoke mix so you don’t have a liquidy center.
• Mayonnaise and Parmesan Cheese – Creamy mayo and salty Parmesan cheese turn up the creaminess in these easy appetizers and add more cheesy flavor.
• Salt and Black Pepper – Standard seasonings to enhance the savoriness.
• Egg Yolk and Water – Use an egg wash to help the puff pastries get that gorgeous golden-brown sheen.

These can be refrigerated for a day or frozen for weeks before baking. If frozen, let them thaw at room temperature first. 

Variations

• Use different cheeses – Adding goat cheese, mozzarella, pecorino, or feta cheese will make for an extra cheesy center.
• Make it lemony – If you love lemon, grated lemon zest adds a burst of bright citrus to the flavors in these spinach hand pies.

FAQs

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