How to Make Sarikopites: Cretan Sweet & Savory Spiral Pies

Greece Is | July 22nd, 2025

Greece IsIn DepthGASTRONOMY

Discover Crete’s iconic sarikopites – delicate spiral pies filled with cheese or nuts, fried golden and drizzled with honey.

Chef: Argiro Christoforaki

Preparation & Cooking time: 1 hour & 30 minutes

Serves: 10 small pies

Crete’s “sarikopites” pies are named after the “sariki,” a scarf traditionally worn by men around their head. Like the scarf, they are “twisted” in that they are made up of a long roll of filo pastry filled with a mixture of soft cheeses that is then rolled up, snail-like. Once the pie is ready to serve, it is dressed in a drizzle of honey and, for a bit of extra pizzazz, a sprinkling of cinnamon or sesame, or both.

It can be made as a bite-sized nibble, a single snack-sized portion or a pie big enough to feed a family.

Here, we make small “sarikopites” with tyrozouli, the classic table cheese found in most households in the Rethymno region. Easy to make – chiefly with goat’s milk and occasionally with a blend of goat’s and sheep’s – it is a soft and fresh cheese that suits this pie’s sweet and savory profile. When eaten on its own, the Cretans serve it with a pinch of salt or a drizzle of honey.

It also requires nothing more than good, fresh milk to make, which is why it is found mostly in people’s homes and rarely in cheese shops or industrial dairies. If you can’t find any at your local Cretan deli, you can replace tyrozouli with soft xinomyzithra, which is much more common. You can also add beet leaves to the filling, though in this case, it’s best to skip the honey and cinnamon as a topping.

Method

Place the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Gradually add about 200 ml (a bit under 1 cup) water while mixing with the hook, until the ingredients come together into a rough dough. Continue kneading for another 3-5 minutes, until you have a smooth dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If needed, add a little more water or flour to adjust the texture. Let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes before using.

In the meantime, prepare the filling by crumbling the cheese in a big bowl with a fork and adding the mint, if you’re using it. Then use your hands to knead the filling mixture well and shape it into a ball.

To assemble the pies, split the dough into approximately 10 balls of roughly 80 gr each. On a floured surface, roll out each dough ball with a rolling pin into a long, rectangular sheet – about 8 cm (3 inches) wide, 25-30 cm (10-12 inches) long, and 2 mm (1/16 inch) thick. Along one long edge of the sheet, spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the filling in a line. Roll the dough tightly from the long edge, enclosing the filling to form a log. Pinch both ends with your fingers to seal the filling inside. Twist the log into a spiral shape, like a snail shell. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.

In a frying pan, heat 2-3 cm (about 1 inch) of olive oil over medium heat until it just begins to shimmer. Fry the sarikopites one or two at a time (depending on the size of your pan) for about 10 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place on a platter lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.

Serve warm, drizzled with honey and, if desired, sprinkled with cinnamon, sesame seeds, or both.

Originally published in Gastronomos magazine.