Creamed Spinach is spinach in its finest form—garlicky, creamy, and cheesy. This recipe is an easy side dish that gives steakhouse vibes at home. It’s fast enough for a weeknight and special enough for a holiday dinner. Ready in just 15 minutes!
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Why You’ll Love This Easy Creamed Spinach Recipe
- French Cooking Trick for LUSCIOUS Creamed Spinach. The first step of this recipe is mashing some of the butter and flour together to create a paste. This is called beurre manié and it helps the sauce become rich and velvety. (I use the same trick in Beef Bourguignon.)
- More Versatile Than You Might Think. Use it as a side dish, smother Baked Chicken Breast with it, spoon it on a Baked Potato—creamy spinach is one of those recipes that works as a condiment or topping in addition to being a side dish.
- Easy to Make. Just like my Creamed Corn, making creamed spinach is a breeze. This is a recipe that comes together with very little prep, a short list of ingredients, and not all that much cooking time either. Don’t you love those kinds of recipes?!
How to Make Creamed Spinach
The Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter and All-Purpose Flour. For the beurre manié. Gluten-free flour works for this too.
- Shallot and Garlic. To develop flavor in the sauce so it’s not one-note.
- Baby Spinach. Baby spinach wilts beautifully into the cream sauce and it doesn’t require as much prep as regular spinach. It also has a milder flavor.
- Cream Cheese. I used Neufchatel (reduced-fat), but regular cream cheese also works. Do not use fat-free cream cheese.
- Ground Nutmeg. Use freshly grated nutmeg if you can, especially if you’re making this creamed spinach recipe for a holiday. The flavor is far better than ground nutmeg from a jar!
- Parmesan Cheese. The nutty flavor of Parmesan is the perfect complement to the creamy sauce.
The Directions
- Make the Beurre Manié. Mash a tablespoon of softened butter with the flour to form a paste.
- Cook the Aromatics. Melt the rest of the butter in a deep pot over medium heat, then cook the shallot until it’s softened. Add the garlic and cook until it’s fragrant.
- Add the Spinach. Stir it in a few handfuls at a time.
- Let It Wilt. Keep adding and stirring the spinach until it’s all in the pot and the spinach wilts.
- Add the Butter and Flour. Stir it in until it’s incorporated.
- Make It Creamy. Dot the cream cheese over the top and stir until it melts.
- Season and Finish. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and Parmesan to the creamed spinach, then remove from heat and ENJOY!
Recipe Variations
- Use Roasted Garlic. Roasted garlic has a sweeter, mellower, more caramelized flavor than fresh. You can mash a whole small head of roasted garlic and stir it into the creamed spinach.
- Add Some Heat. Red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne can give this recipe a kick.
What to Serve with Creamed Spinach
- Steak. Creamed spinach is a classic pairing with steak at many steakhouses! Try it with my Air Fryer Steak Bites or Air Fryer Steak.
- Chicken. Classic Chicken Fricassée or Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast would be excellent pairings.
- Pork. Serve this easy creamed spinach recipe with Baked Pork Tenderloin and Breaded Pork Chops.
- Holiday Favorites. Creamed spinach is a popular side dish for holiday dinners alongside traditional mains like Thanksgiving Turkey, Baked Ham, or Standing Rib Roast.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Grate Your Own Parmesan. Store-bought grated Parmesan doesn’t melt very smoothly, so I recommend buying a block of Parm and grating it yourself for this creamed spinach recipe.
- Cut the Cream Cheese Into Pieces, Then Soften It. The cream cheese is much easier to cut before it’s softened.
- Use a Bigger Pot Than You Think You Need. A big pot will speed up the process because you’ll have room to add several handfuls of spinach at a time.
Creamed Spinach
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 -6 servings
This creamed spinach recipe has an irresistibly rich, and cheesy velvety sauce. So easy, it's done in just 15 minutes! Perfect side dish!
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Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided, soften 1 to room temperature
- ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 16 ounces baby spinach
- 2 ounces softened cream cheese diced into 8 pieces (I used Neufchatel); use up to 4 oz for an insanely decadent, “cheesier” version
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese about 1 ounce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, use a fork to mash the 1 tablespoon softened butter together with the flour until it forms a paste; set aside.
- In a Dutch oven or similar large, deep pot, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the shallot and cook until it is softened and turning translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add spinach by large handfuls, stirring it so that it cooks down and all fits in the pan—this whole process will take 3 or so minutes and the spinach will cook down to shockingly little.
- Stir in the butter flour mixture until incorporated.
- Dot the cream cheese over the top. Stir until the cream cheese is nicely blended.
- Stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and Parmesan. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. Enjoy hot.
Notes
- TO STORE: Creamed spinach can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Heat leftovers in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until warmed through. (Add a splash of milk if the sauce has thickened too much.) The microwave also works.
- TO FREEZE: Store leftovers in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 4)Calories: 194kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 9gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 41mgPotassium: 725mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 11084IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 253mgIron: 3mg
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This turned out even better than I hoped! I’m not usually the biggest fan of cooked spinach, but the creamy sauce flavor made it just irresistible. I cooked it for a small family gathering, and honestly, I wasn’t sure everyone would go for it. But it turned out to be the star of the dinner! Even the kids, who tend to steer clear of anything green, tried it and actually asked for seconds.
Glad to hear, Aubrey! Thank you!
I’m glad I tried it!
Thanks Brooke!
We had guests coming over and my husband wanted to make creamed spinach. We weren’t thrilled about the thought of making something new for guests but when I saw you had a recipe for it I knew we were good. It was amazing. Thank you.
So glad to hear, thank you Geneva!
This creamed spinach was amazing! I served it with a roast, and it really brought everything together. The creamy, cheesy sauce made the spinach so flavorful, and I added a little Parmesan on top for extra flavor. The family loved it—there wasn’t a single bite left!
Great to hear, thank you Maureen!