Spinach Patties Recipe (with Video)
This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure policy for details.
Learn how to make delicious spinach patties with simple ingredients! Crispy outside, tender inside — a perfect healthy snack, side dish, or vegetarian meal.
Lady Lee’s Note…
Do you know how sometimes you can clearly tell that someone who entered your life had a certain purpose? Well, my ex-mother-in-law’s purpose in my life was to teach me how to make these spinach patties!
I’m not making fun (well… maybe a little), these patties are the kind of food that you put in your mouth and wonder where has it been all your life. How did I not know that something this delicious existed?
I know, it’s not right, but I’m here to fix it, baby. We’re gonna set things straight and show you how to make this deliciousness!
Spinach Patties Video…
Why You’ll Love These Patties…
- Freshness – all these greens! I love making these in Spring when all the fresh greens come out of the garden, and they are so flavourful and delicious. This dish, honestly, makes me feel closer to Mother Nature!
- A way to preserve greens – it can be a bit tricky to preserve greens. These patties freeze very well. If I have a ton of greens, I make a lot of patties and send them to the freezer (without the sauce. More on that below).
- Not just spinach – I named this post spinach patties for ease, however, there are so many different greens you can use for this recipe! And you can combine them too. Try making these patties with chard, beet greens, collard greens, kale, bok-choi… I’m sure I missed a few.
- Process a ton of greens – if you harvest a lot of greens and are tired of salads, this recipe is here to save you.


Ingredients
- Spinach
- Goat cheese
- Eggs
- Matzo meal
- salt
- Black pepper
- Oil for frying
- Olive oil
- Chicken stock or vegetable stock
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Cilantro
Tools…
- Pasta pot – to steam the spinach. I’ve tried a few different ways to do this but the pasta pot works best.
- Tongs
- Food processor
- Large mixing bowl
- Nonstick pan
- Turner
- Baking sheet and rack
How to Make Spinach Patties Step-By-Step…


Step One – steam the spinach. Add an inch or so of water to the pasta pot. Add the spinach to the large steamer, set it inside the pot, and place the pot on the stovetop. Cover the pot, turn the heat high, and boil the water.
Once the water is boiling, the spinach only takes a few minutes to wilt. We don’t want it completely mushy, just wilted a little bit. Make sure to use tongs to mix the spinach a bit because many times the leaves on the bottom wilt and cover the holes of the steamer, and it’s hard for steam to pass by and wilt the spinach that is on the top.
Once the spinach is ready, turn the heat off and elevate the steamer so it’s on its side (as I show in the bottom right image above). Let the spinach drain and cool for a few minutes.




Step two – prep the patty mixture. Transfer the spinach to the food processor and pulse a few times. Then, transfer the processed spinach to a mixing bowl. Add goat or feta cheese, eggs, matzo meal, salt, and black pepper. Mix well.
Note – we want the mixture not to be too wet so it holds well when frying. First, make sure that the spinach isn’t too wet when you add it to the bowl, and if you feel that it’s still not holding well together, add a bit more matzo meal.




Step three – fry the patties. Heat oil in a frying pan. Shape the patties and add them to the oil. Fry for a few minutes before turning the patties and frying a few more minutes. Remove from the oil and place on the cooling rack.
Option – you don’t have to make the sauce if you don’t want to. These patties are delicious just fried. You can serve them hot or cold, and store leftovers in the fridge or freezer. The sauce is delicious tho, so let me show you how to make it.




Step four – make the sauce. Heat olive oil in a pan. Reduce the heat, add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. Add the stock, lemon juice, cilantro leaves, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to Medium.
Tip – make sure all the ingredients for the sauce are measured and ready to go. This goes really fast, and there is no time to gather everything once you start.


Step five – add the patties. Add the patties to the pot in one layer. Cover the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes.


How to Serve…
Once the patties are ready, turn the heat off and let them cool for a few minutes. Then, it’s time to dig in! The patties absorb most of the sauce and get this lemony and garlicky taste that is such a great complement to the spinach leaves.
There are two main ways to serve these delicious patties…
- Over rice, quinoa, or bulgur wheat.
- With bread. It can’t be just any bread. Please make sure it’s the most delicious bread you can put your hands on. Try this no-knead bread or get a good sourdough loaf. Sometimes I spread mayo on the bread, but not always.
If you choose not to make the sauce, you can serve the patties as an appetizer or in a sandwich, and honestly, just as a snack. I leave them on the counter, and everyone who walks by grabs a patty.
How to Store Leftovers…
- In the fridge – place leftovers in the fridge. They will last a few days. Reheat in the microwave or a skillet (add a bit of water).
- In the freezer – add to a freezer-safe container and freeze. These are also great to freeze right after frying them (let cool all the way before freezing), therefore, I use these patties as a way to preserve greens sometimes.
Options and Variations…
- Use feta cheese instead of goat cheese.
- Use other kinds of leaves like chard, collards, or beet greens. Or you can combine a few kinds.
- Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- Make a lot of patties, then freeze them. If you still want to serve them in the sauce, make the sauce and place the frozen patties right in it. Cook a little longer than the recipe calls for.
- You can also reheat the frozen, fried patties in the oven to bring back the crispiness.
You guys, I hope that you’d give this recipe a try. With or without the sauce, these are delicious. Once you get the right consistency for the mixture, the rest is pretty easy. They are great as a side dish or a main meal!
More Delicious Recipes…
- Kale Chips Recipe
- Israeli Beet Salad
- Healthy Shakshuka recipe
- Homemade Granola Recipe
- Cilantro Pesto Recipe

Spinach Patties Recipe
Delicious spinach patties. You can cook them in lemon, garlic sauce or not.
Ingredients
- 16.5 oz of spinach (you can also try kale, beet greens, or chard)
- 4 oz goat cheese (or feta cheese)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup matzo meal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Enough canola or vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan
For the Sauce...
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (you can substitute with vegetable broth to make this dish vegetarian)
- Juice from 2 lemons
- 7 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 bunches of cilantro leaves (remove stems and wash well)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add 2 inches of water to a pasta pot. Place the deep steamer inside the pot, add the spinach, place on the stovetop and turn the heat to high. Once the water starts to boil, it only takes a few minutes for the spinach to wilt.
- Once the spinach leaves are wilted, lift the steamer and set it at an angle over the pot (suspended. See post for a photo) to allow the water to drain and the spinach to cool.
- After a few minutes, transfer the spinach to a food processor. Pulse the processor a few times until the spinach is processed.
- Add the processed spinach to a mixing bowl and add cheese, eggs, matzo meal, salt and black pepper. Mix all of the ingredients together (if the mixture is too wet, add a little bit more matzo meal).
- Heat about 1/2 inch of canola or vegetable oil to a 12-inch nonstick pan.
- When the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium-high and use your hands or two regular tablespoons to form small patties from the mixture and lower them to the oil.
- Fry the patties for a few minutes on the first side. When you notice that the bottom starts to become golden, flip the patties and fry for a few minutes on the other side.
- Once the patties are ready, remove them from the oil and set on a cooling rack or on a plate lined with a paper towel.
You can stop here and just eat them fried in a sandwich, as a meal or an appetizer (try making a garlic dip to go with them), or you can freeze them (see the notes section for more info on freezing). Or you can make the sauce and cook them in the sauce. - To make the sauce, heat olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick pan. Lower the heat to medium-high, add the minced garlic and fry it for a couple of minutes (to make sure it doesn't burn, stir it constantly).
- Add the chicken stock (or vegetable stock), lemon juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. Stir and cook until the sauce comes to a boil (this should take a couple of minutes).
- Add the patties to the pot (I usually can't fit all of them so I just add as many as I can), cover the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and let the patties cool for a few minutes before serving with white or brown rice, bulgur wheat, quinoa, or special bread.
Notes
Option and Variations:
- Use feta cheese instead of goat cheese.
- Use other kinds of leaves like chard, collards, or beet greens. Or you can combine a few kinds.
- Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- Make a lot of patties, then freeze them. If you still want to serve them in the sauce, make the sauce and place the frozen patties right in it. Cook a little longer than the recipe calls for.
- You can also reheat the frozen, fried patties in the oven to bring back the crispiness.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 28 Serving Size: 1 pattieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 66Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 99mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 3g
I noticed you wrote ‘bulgur wheat’. Did you mean ‘bulgur pilav’? In Turkiye we eat bulgur (ground wheat) pilav often. With very finely ground bulgur, we make small balls called kofte which is also very tasty. Thanks for sharing. Regards from Canada.
I’m not sure, but I think that bulgur pilav is a product of bulgur wheat…? Or is it the same thing? There are many cultures that use this wheat that is not so popular here in the US. I think that it’s pretty much the same thing, just every culture calls it something else…
Looks delicious! Can you bake these? Thanks!
I’ve never tried… Not sure.
Wow, table for one please! lol I’ll figure out a way to make this in a more modest quantity for a single person with a smaaaallll freezer. lol It just makes my mouth water thinking of it!!
It’s sooo good! I hope it won’t be too complicated to make. You are going to love it!
Is this the recipe for the ones we had? That tami would kill for? Can’t wait to surprise her ?
Yes! That’s it. Was about to send you an email to let you know I published it. Let me know how it came out.
Yum! These are going into our repertoire. Thank you so much.
Mmmmmm! I love fried veggie patties! Especially when they’re green! Like you, I do love my chard. But spinach definitely works too. Mmmmm!
Thank you so much for sharing your post with us at Fresh Foods Wednesday! I hope you’ll be back this week with more fresh food posts 🙂 xo, kristy
I’ve never tried a patty like this before! We will have to try soon as a family. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing this at the HomeAcre Hop. I hope you’ll join us again this Thursday.