Healthy Spinach Patties Recipe
Learn how to make spinach patties in just 30 minutes with a handful of simple ingredients! Full of fresh veggies and savory flavors, these spinach fritters are surprisingly delicious and are the perfect way to sneak extra nutrients into your diet.
It’s no secret that spinach is a nutrient powerhouse! Not only is it a great source of fiber, but spinach is also full of vitamins and nutrients such as vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, manganese, and vitamin C.
That said, not everyone likes spinach on its own. So, I often infuse it into tasty recipes like cheese and spinach swirls, Greek spinach pie, spinach and cheese gozleme, and these spinach patties! Not only are they delicious, earning a five-star rating, but these patties come together with minimal ingredients and simple steps, making them virtually failproof.
Plus, they store and freeze well. So, you can prepare a large batch and keep them on hand for easy meals!
Video Recipe
Watch the full video recipe to learn how to make the best spinach patty recipe. This step-by-step tutorial simplifies the process, offering tips and tricks to guarantee perfect results every time.
Prefer the written recipe? Scroll down to the recipe box 👇
Why You’ll Love This Healthy Spinach Patties Recipe
With Middle Eastern origins, spinach patties, or spinach latkes, are a popular dish for holidays like Ramadan and Hanukkah. However, I enjoy them all year long!
- 🥬Flavor: Thanks to the other ingredients, the spinach taste is subtle. Instead, every bite is full of savory, herbaceous flavors even picky eaters love.
- ⏰Quick: With minimal prep time and a quick cooking time, these spinach patties are ready to eat with a total time of just 30 minutes.
- 🙌Easy: My cooking process, provides step-by-step instructions that are virtually failproof, making this recipe perfect for both seasoned chefs and kitchen beginners.
- 😋Versatile: Serve these spinach fritters as a side dish, appetizer, or snack! Mix and match different seasonings, and add various toppings so you never get bored.
- 👨🏻🍳Meal Prep-Friendly: Leftovers store and freeze well. So, you can prepare a large batch at once, and keep them on hand to reheat.
Recipe Ingredients
- Olive Oil: Fries the patties. If preferred, you can substitute butter or ghee.
- Vegetables: White or yellow onion and garlic create a sweet, savory flavor base. Then, we add the star of the show, spinach, to form the base of the patties.
- Oat Flour: You can also use quick oats, or blend rolled oats into flour. Or, substitute semolina flour, quinoa, rice, or lentils instead.
- Flour: Use any flour you have on hand as an extra binding agent.
- Eggs: These add flavor and help the patties hold their shape. I don’t recommend using egg substitutes for this healthy spinach patties recipe!
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, paprika, and dried oregano add a delicious savory flavor with just a touch of heat.
This is just a short review of the ingredients; for the complete recipe, including quantities, scroll down to the recipe card 👇
How to Make Spinach Patties
Here is an overview of the steps to make spinach patties:
- Cook the aromatics: Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Then, add the onion, and cook to soften before stirring in the garlic. Cook until fragrant, being careful not to let the garlic burn!
- Add the spinach: Add the spinach, and let it cook until wilted, stirring occasionally. It will look like a lot of spinach, but the volume reduces significantly as it cooks!
- Drain: Transfer the spinach mixture to a fine mesh sieve, and strain out as much liquid as possible. Then, transfer the mixture to a cutting board, and chop it into rough pieces.
- Combine: Mix the veggies with teh eggs. Next, add the spices, oats, and flour, and mix again until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Fry: Heat more oil in a large pan, and portion the spinach mixture into patties. Cook until golden on both sides.
- Serve: Repeat, cooking all the spinach patties. Then, serve warm with yogurt!
🥬 Leftover Spinach
Spinach turns bad quickly in the fridge. So, don’t let it go to waste! Instead, use it to make spinach and ricotta stuffed pasta shells, spinach and cheese quiche, or a spinach and mushroom frittata recipe.
Tips and Tricks
- Remove Excess Moisture: Make sure to take your time removing the moisture from the spinach, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible! This is crucial to prevent the patties from becoming soggy.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: I like to use a 1-2 tablespoon cookie scoop to keep my hands clean and create perfectly portioned spinach patties.
- Rest the Patties: Once combined, I recommend letting the spinach mixture rest for an hour before frying. This allows the “batter” to thicken and combine, helping the patties hold their shape.
- Avoid Overcrowding: Work in batches as needed, leaving space between each spinach fritter to ensure they cook evenly.
- Drain the Fritters: Once cooked, transfer the patties to a paper towel to drain excess oil and prevent them from becoming soggy.
- Switch Up the Seasonings: Feel free to mix and match different seasonings. For instance, you can add a dash of cayenne or red pepper flakes for extra heat.
How to Store
- Store: Once cool, transfer leftovers to an airtight container, and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Freeze: You can also freeze these spinach patties for up to 3 months! Let them cool completely. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe, placing a sheet of parchment paper between each patty to prevent them from clumping together.
- Reheat: Leftovers are great served cold! However, you can also warm them in a skillet over medium heat or in the microwave at 50% power in 20 to 30-second increments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just make sure to thaw it and drain as much excess liquid as possible before you begin. Also, note that most frozen spinach comes pre-chopped. So, you can skip chopping!
I love to serve these patties topped with yogurt or sour cream and green onions. They’re great on their own but also pair well with eggs, tabbouleh salad, high protein salad recipes, or even pistachio crusted salmon and this chicken breast recipe.
The most common reasons are not straining all the liquid and not cooking the patties long enough. You want them to get nice and crisp on the outside before removing them from the skillet.
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Healthy Spinach Patties Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 Onion chopped
- 2-3 cloves Garlic crushed
- 21 Ounces (600 g) Spinach
- ½ cup (45 g) Oats flour or semolina/flour/Quinoa/lentils (cooked)
- 2 Eggs
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- Green onion optional
- Serve with yogurt
Instructions
- In a large pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 5-6 minutes.
- Drain the liquids out of the spinach as much as possible. Transfer to a cutting board, roughly chop.
- Transfer to a bowl, add eggs and mix well. Add spices, oats, flour and mix until combined.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan, scoop 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture and cook for 3 minutes or until golden, flip and cook 3 minutes or until golden.
- If you prefer to bake the patties: preheat oven to 350F (180C), scoop the 1-2 tablespoons of the batter on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden.
- Serve with Tzatziki and salad.
Video
Notes
- FAQs: Make sure you read the FAQs for this recipe which are located above the recipe box for additional tips and troubleshooting! For extra tips and variations read the article.
- Watch the Video: For a better understanding of the recipe, I always recommend watching the video recipe, which includes a step-by-step guide to help you succeed.
- If the pattie mixture is too wet, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour of your choice.
- For the flour, you can use oat flour, AP flour, cooked nd mashed quinoa, cooked and mashed lentils.
Sorry, but I don’t get these ingredients: 1/3 Oats/semolina/flour or Quinoa/rice/lentils (cooked)”. 1/3 what? 1/3 cup of each?”
Sorry.
Yes, 1/3 of a cup.
Thanks for this info. To further clarify, do I use 1/3 cup of each oats, semolina and flour (for a total of 1 cup) or 1/3 cup of each quinoa, rice and cooked lentils (for a total of 1 cup) or do I use 1/3 cup of oats or semolina or flour … or …. 1/3 cup of quinoa or rice or lentils? I’m probably making this harder than it has to be but I’m the kind of cook that has to follow a recipe exactly. Thanks!
This is very confusing. Please explain what exactly you mean by all the slashes in the recipe. Thank you!
This looks divine. What kind of oats are needed? Rolled/old fashioned? Thank you!
The best option is oat flour, you can also use quick oats. Or if you have rolled oats, just blend them into flour.
Thanks for the recipe. I will try.
I used oat flour and it was nice and crisp. Thank you for the recipe.