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Spinach Balls

4.96 from 168 votes
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posted: 12/11/17

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

These Spinach Balls are the perfect appetizer! They are delicious, easy to make, and an appetizer recipe that everyone will want the recipe for.

On a white plate and lined up are the Spinach Balls which is a golden brown color.

So this Spinach Balls recipe has kind of a funny story behind it. This is a recipe that came from my good friend’s mom. Like a second mom to me growing up, living just a few houses down. Anyway, this was a recipe that I’ve had at baby showers, and bridal showers, one of those recipe that you are like, “Oh, I’ll try this,” and then 80 spinach balls later you decide you are in love.

The other day I was thinking about this recipe and asked my friend if her mom was okay with me posting it on my blog. She told me she would ask and then a few minutes later I got this message about how her mom originally struggled to get the recipe from a friend.

It was hard for her to get the recipe but she believes “recipes are for sharing!” so she’s happy to give it out. To anyone and everyone.

I kind of believe that recipes are for sharing too.

The Most Forgiving Spinach Balls Ever

Here’s the funny part.

The first time I made this recipe after getting it from her, I left out the butter! I took them out of the oven and they looked dry and that’s when it hit me – THE BUTTER! I sent my friend a text telling her what had happened and she responded,

That’s so funny! Mom just did the same thing on Thanksgiving!

She went on to say that one of the great things about this recipe is that you can totally forget ingredients and they still work – they’ve forgotten the cheese and the bread crumbs before ????

Sure, not quite as good, but still delicious.

Guys, I ate like five butter-free spinach balls.

Between someone's index and thumb, the Spinach Ball has a small bite mark out of it.

How to Make Spinach Balls

  1. Preheat the oven. Recipes always work better when they go into a fully hot oven.
  2. Combine all of the ingredients. This recipe is so simple and easy to make. You really do just toss everything together.
  3. Roll into balls. I like using a cookie scoop to make this recipe. It makes all the balls the same size so they bake evenly.
  4. Bake and enjoy!

Tips to Make this Recipe Turn Out Perfect

There are a few tips that help make this recipe turn out perfect.

  • Make sure that when you thaw your frozen spinach you squeeze out all of the water.
  • Be sure to dice your onions very small. The first time I made this, I didn’t dice them small enough and it makes it difficult to roll them, plus, big chunks of onions.
  • Using a cookie scoop helps make the balls more quickly and more uniform.
  • The original recipe called for stuffing mix (not the cubed kind), but I found that hard to find, so I used bread crumbs instead. Feel free to sub the stuffing mix back in if you find it!
  • This recipe makes 24 spinach balls. The original was double that. So definitely make double if you are only having one other appetizer. Your guests will be so happy you did.

If you make this these delicious Spinach Balls (or any of my other recipes), please leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

On a white plate and lined up are the Spinach Balls which is a golden brown color.
This Spinach Ball appetizer has been passed down from friend to friend! And now you get to make them too!
4.96 from 168 votes

Spinach Balls

Serves: 24 balls
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
These Spinach Balls are the perfect appetizer!  They are delicious, easy to make, and more healthy than your average appetizer.

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs beaten
  • 10 ounces package frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained well
  • 6 tablespoons butter melted
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs see note
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 yellow onion diced very small

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a baking sheet and set aside.
  • Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Using a medium cookie scoop, make 1 inch balls.  Place them on the baking sheet.  And bake for 30 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Notes

The original recipe called for stuffing mix crumbs (not cubes). Since those were difficult to find, I substituted bread crumbs. Feel free to substitute back in the stuffing mix if you are able to find it.
Serving: 1ball Calories: 90kcal (5%) Carbohydrates: 8g (3%) Protein: 4g (8%) Fat: 5g (8%) Saturated Fat: 3g (19%) Monounsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 34mg (11%) Sodium: 232mg (10%) Potassium: 98mg (3%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 1g (1%)
Author: Lisa Longley
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
This Spinach Ball appetizer has been passed down from friend to friend! And now you get to make them too!

did you make this

Spinach Balls

I’d love to see what you made! Tag me @lisasimplejoy and hashtag it #simplejoyrecipes!

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Hi! I'm Lisa Longley, and I am committed to giving you simple dinner ideas and recipes that are easy to make; recipes that will fill your home with joy. I am the owner and author of SimpleJoy.com and I'm so glad that you are here.

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  1. Barb says

    5 stars
    I would like a good dipping sauce for these. I have been making them for years but I use stove top stuffing mix.

    • Lisa Longley says

      I definitely need to add a dip for these to my to make list!

  2. Stacey says

    Should it be unsalted butter?

    • Lisa Longley says

      Yes, I used unsalted

  3. Terry says

    Can you use fresh spinach in this recipe?

    • Lisa Longley says

      I haven’t tried fresh spinach in these, but I think it would work fine! You would just need to make sure that you really got out all of the moisture and you cooked down enough to get 10 ounces. That said, this is one of the most forgiving recipes I have on my blog. Let me know how it goes!

  4. Wendy Genaros says

    Can you use feta cheese i this recipe?

    • Lisa Longley says

      I haven’t tried these with feta, but this is such a flexible recipe, I bet it would work.

  5. Shelley says

    I used the stove top stuffing mix as bread crumbs but I took a roller and crush them I guess you could also put them in a food processor. And make bread crumbs out of them.

  6. Renee says

    Can I use gluten free bread crumbs for this recipe, my daughter in law loves these but has Celiac now?

    • Lisa Longley says

      I don’t have experience with using gluten free bread crumbs, but I would imagine that they would be fine. This is a very flexible recipe.

  7. Amber says

    ONE ball is 133 calories? Is that correct?

    • Lisa Longley says

      Amber, thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. Our team definitely made a mistake here. It is 90 calories a ball.

  8. Cece says

    I’ve made these for years from my grandmas recipe. They freeze well.
    These are better with butter, as my recipe used shortening
    ( yuck )
    I always double those if you’re going to go to all the effort.
    We’ve had to use the spinach packages (12oz) can’t find the bricks anymore. Still was amazing and we always add minced garlic (out of the jar)
    Along with the powder.
    I’ve also added a tad of mustard before (standard yellow) just gives it a different bite!
    Enjoy!
    *Trying them next with cornbread stuffing and fennel.

  9. TJ says

    Absolutely love this recipe! I have never made them ahead of time though – how do you think they would do overnight in the fridge?

    • Lisa Longley says

      These are amazing as left overs!

  10. Angela says

    Can these be made ahead of time? Can they be frozen?

    • Lisa Longley says

      These can be rolled ahead of time, and then baked right before serving. That would be my preference for making ahead. They do make really good left overs though and yes they can be frozen.

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