The best spinach ball recipe ever

Before I launched Lauren Cooks, I knew that the first recipe would be this spinach ball recipe. Much in the way that birth months have gem stones and states have flowers, if my family was represented by a food, it would be the humble spinach ball that gets trotted out every holiday season without fail.

Have I ever eaten a spinach ball in the spring or summer? I’m not sure that I have.

There’s something comforting about them; the crispy outside and chewy inside, butter-brown bottom when cooked just right. Of course, a big part of the appeal is that they’re made with spinach. I’m obsessed with getting my daily greens and having them in spinach ball form just feels good.

Notice I’m not calling them healthy—spinach balls’ goodness comes largely from cheese, butter, and eggs. (Though stay tuned for a vegan spinach ball recipe! My sisters and their partners have been vegan for years, and spinach balls are so important they needed to stay in the rotation.)

But healthy is a relative term, anyway, and I’m here to write about the recipes that make us feel cozy and loved.

That’s spinach balls.

No-fail spinach ball recipe

Growing up, my dad was the Chief Spinach Ball Maker and he knew the recipe by heart. It was a ceremonial event when he got out the big silver bowl and the blocks of frozen spinach, knowing that our favorite holiday snack was imminent.

When I started traveling, I tried to recreate the spinach ball recipe to varying degrees of success. They’re hard to mess up, and even when they’re bad, they’re good. But I did manage to mess them up.

In London, I tried making them with homemade breadcrumbs and by cooking down fresh spinach. It’s doable, but you need a literal forest of spinach and chunky breadcrumbs really threw off the texture.

I’ve made them with too much butter, where it bleeds out into a river on the baking tray. Not enough butter, and they’re tough as old boots, as my Aussie husband would say. Too big and it’s like eating a dinner roll; too small and they’re gone in one bite. Not putting them in the freezer first results in a disappointing, too-mushy texture.

The perfect spinach ball is slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball, a balanced mix of breadcrumbs and spinach that you can eat in 2-3 small bites. The bottom should be golden brown, and the consistency firm and chewy.

I’ve learned from my mistakes, and can confidently say that this spinach ball recipe is the one.

The best part about spinach balls is that they can be made in a huge batch and frozen, so you can bake them as-needed in whatever quantity strikes your fancy. I love making up a batch to stick in the freezer, then popping five balls into the oven when I have a craving.

Ingredients

You’ll need 7 main ingredients to make your perfect spinach balls, plus salt and pepper:

• 2x boxes of frozen spinach
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups of breadcrumbs
• 1/2 onion
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Spinach

The recipe calls for two 10 oz boxes of frozen spinach but you can use the 12 oz bags interchangeably. I know, it seems like an extra 4 oz of spinach might make a bigger difference but I’m here to tell you it really doesn’t.

You can use fresh spinach and cook it down but honestly why do that to yourself.

Eggs

Beat them first if you wish or crack them straight into the bowl (recommended). I have also made this recipe with as few as four eggs and it has turned out well; six just guarantees that crispy outside.

Breadcrumbs

I use plain breadcrumbs, but Italian seasoned is great, too. See section below about the modification I’ve made from the original family spinach ball recipe.

Onion

I recommend a white or yellow onion, but if you want to go rogue with red or sweet, have at it and let me know how it turns out! You’re going to finely dice half an onion—a fine dice is important for the texture of the spinach balls, big chunks will give you grief—and sautée it in butter before adding to the mix. Yum.

Don’t like onion? Leave it out. (Here’s a secret: our original recipe didn’t call for onion.)

Parmesan cheese

I’m a parmesan wedge snob—not in terms of brand, but format. Once I started grating parm with a microplane, I never went back to pre-shredded or canister parmesan. However, you do you and I’m sure the spinnies will still taste spectacular. I highly recommend a scale here! One physical cup of finely-grated, light, fluffy parmesan is likely less than you actually want. I aim for about 50g of grated parm. I’m not kidding when I say my kitchen scale changed my life.

Butter

Butter = flavor so don’t skimp! Just make sure you give the melted butter a few minutes to cool before adding it in so you don’t cook the eggs prematurely.

Spices and seasoning

I stick to just a little garlic powder plus a sprinkling of salt and pepper for my classic spinach ball, but you could certainly get creative. These would taste great with a little smoked paprika or cayenne. You could also lean into Italian flavors with rosemary, thyme, and oregano.

Changes from the original spinach ball recipe

I have to confess that I’ve made changes to the original Fitzpatrick recipe. But wait! Before you shut down this page in disgust, hear me out. I’ve only changed three things:

1. The original recipe called for 2 cups of packaged stuffing mix, not breadcrumbs. I had a hard time finding this when I was cooking overseas, so I started using breadcrumbs and that’s now my preference. I’d also rather steer clear of added ingredients in packaged foods (I know, breadcrumbs aren’t that much different but that’s where I’m at).
2. My dad always used the Kraft grated parmesan that came in the green canister but I can’t do that when I know how good fresh cheese tastes.
3. We didn’t have onion in the Fitzpatrick family recipe, but somewhere along the way I threw it in. I also tried fresh garlic but dropped that in favor of garlic powder.

How to make spinach balls

Prepare to get your hands messy—you’ll be using them to mix everything up. And take note: you will need to freeze the balls for a minimum of two hours (preferably overnight) before baking them. This recipe makes about 40 spinach balls and most certainly can be doubled (tripled, etc).

1. Cook your spinach according to package instructions. Do this first, because it needs time to cool before you handle it. I cook mine on the stovetop in a pot with a cup of boiling water, stirring occasionally until it’s all cooked through.
2. Drain the spinach and rinse with cold water. Once it’s cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess water with your hands. Watery spinach means watery balls, and nobody wants that.
3. Sautée the diced onion for 3-5 minutes in a skillet over medium heat, using 1 TBSP of the butter from your 3/4 cup. Once the onion is transluscent, let it cool slightly then add it to your mixing bowl. I usually melt the rest of the butter in the same skillet once I’ve removed the onions.

4. Combine all ingredients in your mixing bowl and get mixing. Really squeeze it all through your fingers so the ingredients are evenly distributed.

5. Roll the mixture into smooth 1-2″ balls. Place balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and freeze uncovered for a minimum of two hours. I always try to freeze them overnight.

6. At this point, you can bake them from frozen or transfer them to a parchment-lined airtight container for up to three months.

7. Bake from frozen for 25 minutes in an oven preheated to 350°F/180°C. They’re ready when the bottoms are a crispy golden brown!

Tips for making the best spinach balls ever

• IMPORTANT: put your spinach balls on parchment paper or a baking mat before putting them into the freezer. When you transfer them to a container, make sure it’s also lined. The frozen balls will stick to the bottom of a glass or metal container, and you may be tempted to try and loosen them with a knife, and you may stab yourself in the hand. It hurts and you’ll have to get a tetanus shot. Please don’t risk this.
• Prep all of your ingredients and your space in advance: grate the cheese, dice the onion. It can take a few minutes to grate the cheese and it really throws me off my groove if I don’t do this first.
• Clear space in your freezer before you start.
• When I say squeeze the water out of the cooked spinach, I mean squeeeeeze.

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