Pesto Spinach Puffs

For your next party or gathering, make these QUICK and easy Pesto Spinach Puffs! All you need is a few ingredients and a cupcake pan to make a perfect bite that everyone will absolutely love. With a flaky puff pastry base, these spinach puffs are creamy, cheesy, and simply delicious.

A hand grabbing a pesto spinach puff off of a wooden board filled with them.

I wanted to create a simple and quick appetizer for Vol. 3 of my Fall Puff Pastry Miniseries... and what better recipe than Pesto Spinach Puffs? These are the perfect two-bite hors d'oeuvres.

The filling is a beautiful pesto & creamed spinach mixture and we cook them in buttery puff pastry cups shaped by a muffin pan. These can be served hot or room-temperature too, so they are great to make ahead if needed!

Ingredients

Frozen Puff Pastry Dough – For our Fall miniseries, we’re going to use frozen puff pastry dough to shave off tons of prep time in the kitchen. I love to use the Pepperidge Farm brand because it’s incredibly easy to cook with. All you do is thaw it out for about 20 minutes before you’re ready to use it.
Frozen Spinach - If you've been a member of the Coined Crew, you know that I LOVE frozen spinach and usually keep a few bags in the freezer. It's very easy to throw into the pan and heat, like we're doing with this recipe.
Pesto Sauce - The pesto provides a salty, cheesy contrast to our cream cheese that takes these spinach puffs to the next level. If you want to go a step above using the jarred kind, try my 3-Minute Nut-Free Spinach Basil Pesto!
Cream Cheese - This ingredient is going to bring the filling together in a warm, cozy way that only cheese can. I like to cube my cream cheese block before adding to the pan so it melts evenly.

How to Make Spinach Puffs

You're going to be shocked at just how easy it is to make these puffs.

First, take out your frozen puff pastry dough and thaw it on the counter until it's softened.

In a small skillet, start to heat up your frozen spinach in some butter. Add in cubed cream cheese, the pesto, and the other seasonings. Once everything is combined, taste to make sure it's to your preference and remove from heat.

Then you want to cut your puff pastry sheet into 9 even squares. They usually come folded in 3's, so I cut along those vertical folds, then divide the rectangles into 3 squares from there.

Take a muffin pan, grease it with some non-stick spray, and push the puff pastry squares right into the grooves. Top with the creamed spinach mixture, then fold the corners over.

Finally, just brush the tops with a bit of egg wash and bake. These are incredibly good fresh out of the oven, so be careful not to burn your tongue like I did!

A hand displaying a pesto spinach puff with more puffs in the background.

FAQs

Can I use fresh puff pastry dough?

You certainly can! I love the frozen kind just for convenience, but if you have an amazing puff pastry dough recipe – feel free to use that.

Could I make these smaller by using a miniature muffin pan?

Yes, you could use a mini cupcake pan to make these truly bite sized. I would definitely cut the puff pastry into smaller cubes to account for the size change. Everything else in the recipe will stay the same - you'll just get way more servings!

Why do we use an egg wash over butter?

Butter burns very easily; an egg wash gives the puff pastry a perfectly golden-brown crust without burning too quickly.