Gluten-Free Spanakopita: Rice Paper Pinwheels

Spanakopita is one of those dishes that feels almost sacred to anyone who grew up in a Greek kitchen. The crinkle of phyllo, the smell of dill and feta warming in the oven, the way the pastry shatters when you cut into it. It is comfort food at its most elemental.

But phyllo is made from wheat. And for those of us with celiac disease, it is completely off the table — not just inconvenient, but genuinely dangerous. For years I made peace with that. Spanakopita was something I watched other people eat.

Then I started playing with rice paper. Not as a gimmick, not as a pale imitation — but as a genuinely different approach to the same filling. Rice paper is naturally gluten-free. It crisps in the oven. It wraps tightly. And when you brush it with good olive oil and bake it at high heat, something close to a miracle happens: it turns golden and flaky at the edges, with a chew at the center that is its own kind of satisfying.

This is not traditional spanakopita. But it is deeply good — and it is safe for every celiac at your table.

Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 20–25 minutes | Makes: 5–6 pinwheels

A Note on the Spinach

The single most important thing in this recipe is dry spinach. Wet spinach will make your filling watery, your rice paper soggy, and your pinwheels fall apart. Do not rush this step.

You have three options. Fresh spinach in a pan: heat a large pan over medium-high heat with a little Kores Estate Manaki EVOO, add the spinach in batches and let it wilt completely, then transfer to a colander and press out every drop of liquid — with your hands, with the back of a spoon, with a clean kitchen towel. Microwave: place fresh spinach in a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and microwave on high for 2–3 minutes until fully wilted. Then drain and squeeze exactly as you would the pan method — press hard, then press again. Frozen spinach: thaw completely, then squeeze relentlessly. More than you think is necessary. Then squeeze again. The filling should feel almost dry when it goes into the bowl. Whatever method you choose, the rule is the same: when you think you’ve drained it enough, drain it more.

Ingredients

Makes 5–6 pinwheels

For the filling:

• 1 lb (500g) fresh spinach, wilted and very well drained — or 10 oz (300g) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 7 oz (200g) good feta, crumbled — generous
• 2 eggs
• A small handful of fresh dill, finely chopped — use a lot
• A few sprigs of fresh spearmint, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Kores Estate Manaki EVOO
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For assembly:

• 1 package of round rice paper sheets
• 1 egg beaten with a generous amount of water in a flat bowl — enough to fully submerge a rice paper sheet
• Sesame seeds, to finish (optional)
• Kores Estate Manaki EVOO — for brushing finished pinwheels

Instructions

1. Make the filling.

In a large bowl, combine the drained spinach, crumbled feta, 2 eggs, dill, spearmint, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper — go carefully on the salt, feta is already salty. Mix well until everything is evenly combined. The filling should be cohesive and hold together when pressed, not wet or loose. If it seems wet, drain again.

2. Prepare your dipping bowl and work surface.

Fill a large flat bowl or dish with a good amount of water and beat in one egg. You need enough liquid to fully submerge a rice paper sheet in one dip. Set up a clean damp surface alongside it — a wet cutting board or damp silicone mat works well.

3. Dip and lay out the rice papers in a row.

Dip one rice paper sheet fully into the egg-water mixture for just a few seconds — enough to soften it so it becomes pliable but not so long that it turns completely limp and unworkable. Lay it flat on your damp surface. Dip the next sheet and lay it down overlapping the first by about a third — connecting them side by side. Continue with 2 to 3 more sheets, building one long connected row of overlapping rice papers. You are creating a single extended surface, not individual wrappers.

4. Add the filling and roll into a tube.

Spoon a thin, even strip of filling along the full length of one edge of your connected rice paper row — from one end to the other. Keep it compact and don’t overfill. Now roll the entire row tightly away from you, wrapping the filling inside and forming one long tube. The overlapping rice paper sheets will bond together as you roll, sealing themselves into a single cohesive cylinder.

5. Form the pinwheel.

Starting from one end of the tube, coil it tightly on itself into a spiral pinwheel shape. Press the outer end gently against the coil to seal. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining filling and rice paper sheets.

6. Finish and bake.

Brush each pinwheel with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20–25 minutes, until golden and crisped at the edges, with a slight chew at the center. Serve warm.

A Few Notes

Rice paper behaves differently from phyllo — it is more forgiving in some ways, more exacting in others. The key variables are the wetness of your filling and how long you dip your rice paper. Too wet on either count and the pinwheels will not hold. Get both right and the result is genuinely remarkable: crisp, savory, herby, and completely safe for anyone with celiac disease.

The dill is not optional. Use more than you think is right. Same with the feta — this is not the place for restraint.

These keep well in the fridge and reheat beautifully in a hot oven for 8–10 minutes. They also freeze well before baking — assemble, freeze on the tray, then bake from frozen adding a few extra minutes.

The olive oil used throughout this recipe — for wilting the spinach, in the filling, and for finishing — is our Kores Estate Manaki EVOO, a single-estate, PDO-certified Greek extra virgin from the Asklepion region of Argolis. Its creamy, buttery, gently peppery character runs through every layer of this dish.