These savory puff pastry tarts are the perfect way to celebrate any occasion. They're easy to make and so delicious, you'll want to make them again and again.
The premade puff pastry is filled with a creamy spinach and feta cheese filling, and then baked until golden brown. Serve these puff pastry tarts hot out of the oven with a side of your favorite dipping sauce.
For more appetizers see our Italian Charcuterie Board, Christmas Wreath Appetizer, Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings, and our Smoked Salmon Cucumber Rolls.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
You will love how these mini spinach and feta tarts remind you of spanakopita, but without any of the fuss! Using the premade frozen puff pastry dough give maximum flavor and none of the work!
These savory puff pastry tarts will be a requested item by both friends and family.
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Ingredients
You will notice that these savory puff pastry tarts have a filling reminiscent of Greek Spanakopita, a spinach and feta pie. Instead of phyllo dough, we use a ready made, flaky puff pastry crust.
These puff pastry tarts can be filled with any other filling you can dream of also, be sure to see our Variations section below for great ideas!
- Frozen Puff Pastry dough
- Parmesan cheese, fresh shredded
- Bacon, crisp and crumbled (you can use the ready made)
- Spinach, fresh, washed and dried off
- Cream Cheese
- Feta Cheese, crumbled (you can buy it crumbled already also)
- Pizza Parmesan Cheese for Garnish
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Savory Puff Pastry Tarts
Let your frozen puff pastry defrost overnight in the refrigerator rather than defrosting on the counter at room temp. This will reduce the condensation. After defrosted, let it sit at room temperature until it is warm enough to unfold without breaking.
Preheat your oven to 400 degree F. Grease a mini muffin tin with non stick cooking spray and set the muffin tin aside for later.
Step 1. Mix Filling Ingredients
Measure the shredded Parmesan cheese, crumbled bacon pieces, cream cheese, and the crumbled feta cheese into a medium size mixing bowl.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 2. Mix well
Using a spatula, mix the cream cheese, shredded Parmesan cheese, crumbled bacon, and feta cheese until well blended.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 3. Add the Spinach
Rough chop the spinach, so that the pieces are medium size chunks. Add to the creamy cheese mixture.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 4. Prepare the Puff Pastry
Carefully unfold the trifold of puff pastry onto a cutting board. Cut each of the three panels down the length and then into quarters.
You will have eight squares on each of the three panels. Each square will be about 1" in size. Place each square into a cavity in the mini muffin tin. Gently press each square down into the cavity.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 5. Fill Each Tart with Filling & Bake
Divide the spinach and feta cheese mixture between the 48 muffin tin cavities. About 1 - 2 teaspoons for each puff pastry square. Bake in the preheated 400 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Use a butter knife to lift each savory puff pastry tart out of it's tin and place on an appetizer platter or plate. Sprinkle the tops with some fine grated pizza Parmesan for garnish.
Serve immediately while hot! These puff pastry tarts are fabulous as snacks or appetizers.
Serving Suggestions
You can make these savory puff pastry tarts up ahead of time and freeze them. Freeze them before cooking, this way the puff pastry will be fresh and crisp when served. Take out a many of few as you want to cook. An air fryer will cook 4 to 6 easily for a small snack.
For more appetizers see our Traditional Pork Lumpia, Air Fryer Zucchini Sticks, Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings, and our Copycat Chick Fil A sauce.
Substitutions
You can use any cheese blend mixture you like. Instead of cream cheese, try the herbed Boursin cheese, or soft goat cheese.
Variations
Once you know how to make these puff pastry tarts, you can make sweet or savory variations! Here are a few of my favorites.
- Apple Puff Pastry Tarts - Mix cream cheese with some vanilla and cinnamon. Then, add a spoon of Apple Pie filling to each tart, and bake.
- Puff Pastry Pizza Bites - Mix the cream cheese with some mozzarella cheese and top with chopped pepperoni and a small spoonful of pasta or pizza sauce. Bake.
- Brie Bites in Puff Pastry Bites - Cut a brie up into small cubes. Pop a cube or two into each puff pastry lined muffin cavity. Spoon in your favorite jam, such as Jalapeno Marion Berry, Fig Preserves, or even a spicy Onion Chutney. Bake and serve!
- Sausage Puff Pastry Bites - Mix the cream cheese with shredded cheese. Top with cooked crumbled sausage and bake with some cheese sprinkled on top.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this dish.
Storage
Store you baked savory tarts with puff pastry in a warming drawer or warm oven until ready to serve. For leftovers, place in a food savor tub in single layers. Reheat your puff pastry tarts in a oven at 250 degrees F, or reheat in your air fryer at 225 degrees F for about 5 minutes.
Tips for Success
- Defrost the puff pastry in the refrigerator over night. Then bring to room temperature before unfolding the trifold, or unrolling the roll.
- Don't over fill the muffin cavities, the puff pastry will expand quite a bit. Each mini muffin cavity will only need 1 -2 teaspoons of filling, max.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, freeze them before baking. Fill them with your filling, then freeze. Remove them frozen from the muffin tin and store in a tub or plastic freezer bag. Bake by placing bake in the muffin tin, as many or few as you want to bake.
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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📖 Recipe
Savory Puff Pastry Tarts
Ingredients
- 1 pkg puff pastry dough
- 2 cups spinach fresh, washed, rough chopped
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup parmesan cheese fresh, shredded
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ½ cup bacon crisp and crumbled
- 2 tablespoon Parmesan Pizza Cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease a mini muffin pan (or use a silicone one) and set aside.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, crumbled feta cheese, crumbled bacon, and shredded parmesan cheese until well blended.8 oz cream cheese, ½ cup parmesan cheese, ½ cup feta cheese, ½ cup bacon
- Add in the chopped spinach and mix until it is evenly distributed. Set aside to prepare the puff pastry dough.2 cups spinach
- Unfold the package of puff pastry. If it is trifold, cut each panel down the center, then each section into fourths. You should get eight 1" squares from each panel, for a total of 24 small squares.1 pkg puff pastry dough
- Place a square of puff pastry into each muffin cavity, gently pressing it in and downward. Fill each cavity with a spoonful of the spinach and cheese mixture. Divide it between all 24 muffin cavities, about 1-2 teaspoons for each.
- Bake at 400° F for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Use a cake frosting spatula or a butter knife to lift each bite out of the muffin cavities. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Defrost the puff pastry in the refrigerator over night. Then bring to room temperature before unfolding the trifold, or unrolling the roll.
- Don't over fill the muffin cavities, the puff pastry will expand quite a bit. Each mini muffin cavity will only need 1 -2 teaspoons of filling, max.
- You can freeze after filling and then store in a plastic tub. Bake a few or a lot. Just pop them back into a muffin tin when ready to bake.
- Apple Puff Pastry Tarts - Mix cream cheese with some vanilla and cinnamon. Then, add a spoon of Apple Pie filling to each tart, and bake.
- Puff Pastry Pizza Bites - Mix the cream cheese with some mozzarella cheese and top with chopped pepperoni and a small spoonful of pasta or pizza sauce. Bake.
- Brie Bites in Puff Pastry Bites - Cut a brie up into small cubes. Pop a cube or two into each puff pastry lined muffin cavity. Spoon in your favorite jam, such as Jalapeno Marion Berry, Fig Preserves, or even a spicy Onion Chutney. Bake and serve!
- Sausage Puff Pastry Bites - Mix the cream cheese with shredded cheese. Top with cooked crumbled sausage and bake with some cheese sprinkled on top.
Nutrition
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