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This Creamed Spinach recipe is the perfect easy side dish to pair with your next special meal. Just like your favorite steakhouse side, the wilted greens are coated in a rich, smooth, garlic-infused white sauce that comes together in about 15 minutes!
It can be hard to find vegetables that my husband and boys will actually eat, so a simple creamed spinach recipe is a must in our house. With one skillet and just a few minutes of time, I can whip up a batch of the silky, flavorful greens to serve alongside grilled steak, fish, pork or just about any other entrée.
What is creamed spinach?
Creamed spinach is made of wilted greens coated in a creamy sauce and often flavored with garlic and onion. Some recipes are largely spinach with a splash of cream, while other recipes include a thicker, richer white sauce made with flour and butter. It’s purely a matter of preference, but since we don’t love a thin, runny sauce around here, my creamed spinach recipe yields a thicker, richer base.
How to make Creamed Spinach:
You only need one skillet and about 15 minutes to prepare this easy side dish recipe! Let’s get started…
Ingredients in Creamed Spinach:
- Butter
- Vidalia onion
- Flour
- Garlic
- Whole milk, half-and-half or cream
- Fresh baby spinach leaves
- Ground nutmeg, salt and pepper
First, grate a Vidalia onion (or other sweet onion). I like to grate it very fine so that the onion blends into the sauce, but you can use a more coarse side of the grater or even finely chop it with a knife.
Next, sauté the onion in butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven for about 3-5 minutes.
Add flour, garlic and milk, whisking constantly until the sauce comes to a simmer — be careful not to let it boil.
Once the sauce starts to gently bubble, reduce the heat to low and season the sauce with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
With your creamy white sauce ready, it’s time to add the spinach! You’ll need at least 1.5 large (10 ounce) containers of fresh baby spinach leaves, and you can gradually add more to get the creamed spinach to reach your desired consistency.
If the sauce starts to get too thick as you wilt the spinach, you can add extra milk or cream to thin the sauce until it’s just the way you like it!
What goes with this easy Creamed Spinach recipe:
This steakhouse creamed spinach is perfect when paired with any of the following entrées:
- Grilled Steak
- Ribeye Steak
- Salmon Patties, Grilled Salmon or Blackened Salmon
- Crispy Roast Chicken
- 4-Ingredient Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin or 4-Ingredient Pork Loin Roast
- Maple-Glazed Roasted Turkey Breast
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:
- You can use whole milk, half-and-half, or cream for this recipe.
- This looks like a lot of spinach when it’s raw, but the spinach wilts down considerably, so add it to your skillet slowly so that you can fit it all in there!
- If you prefer more spinach in your cream sauce, add up to 20 ounces (2 large containers) of baby spinach leaves to the pan. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add extra milk or cream to the pan. Adjust the amounts until it reaches your desired consistency!
- This spinach recipe is not gluten-free (since it includes all-purpose flour).
- How long does creamed spinach last? This recipe is best when enjoyed right away. That said, you can keep leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Allow the leftover spinach to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- To reheat creamed spinach: Place spinach in a skillet or saucepan over low heat. Warm just until heated through, adding extra milk or cream, as necessary to thin the sauce.
- This recipe is not low-carb or Keto-friendly, as it includes 8.8 grams of carbohydrates.
More easy spinach recipes that you might enjoy:
- Creamed Spinach Casserole {a baked creamed spinach recipe that uses frozen spinach}
- 5-Ingredient Spinach Dip
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
- Aunt Bee’s Cheesy Spinach Squares
Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup grated Vidalia onion
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 cup whole milk, half-and-half or cream, plus extra as necessary
- 15 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 1 ½ large containers), plus extra as necessary
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- Salt and pepper, to taste (I use about ½ teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper)
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and sauté for about 3-4 minutes.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Pour in the milk and whisk constantly until the mixture comes to a simmer, about 1-2 minutes (do not boil).
- Reduce heat to low; season sauce with nutmeg, salt and pepper; slowly add spinach, stirring until leaves wilt and sauce thickens (about 3-4 minutes). If you prefer more spinach with the sauce, you can add up to 20 ounces; if you like a thinner sauce, add a splash (or more) of milk or cream to reach desired consistency. Adjust the amounts to suit your tastes!
Notes
- You can use whole milk, half-and-half, or cream for this recipe.
- This looks like a lot of spinach when it’s raw, but the spinach wilts down considerably, so add it to your skillet slowly so that you can fit it all in there!
- If you prefer more spinach in your cream sauce, add up to 20 ounces (2 large containers) of baby spinach leaves to the pan. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add extra milk or cream to the pan. Adjust the amounts until it reaches your desired consistency!
- This creamed spinach recipe is not gluten-free (since it includes all-purpose flour).
- How long does creamed spinach last? This recipe is best when enjoyed right away. That said, you can keep leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Allow the leftover spinach to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- To reheat creamed spinach: Place spinach in a skillet or saucepan over low heat. Warm just until heated through, adding extra milk or cream, as necessary to thin the sauce.
- This recipe is not low-carb or Keto-friendly, as it includes 8.8 grams of carbohydrates.
Can you use canned spinach in stead of fresh.
Thank you. Elaine
Yes, Elaine, I’m sure that would work fine. I just can’t offer exact measurements with the canned spinach since I’ve never tried it that way. My advice would be to just slowly add the spinach to your sauce until it reaches the desired consistency that you like. For instance, more spinach for a thicker dish or less spinach for a creamier, saucier dish. Enjoy! 🙂
Not what I expected!! Not a great recipe. It was ok…. Not much flavor……
I like the copycat recipe of Boston market WAYYYYYY better.
This is delicious!! Used heavy cream and it turned out amazing!
Awesome. So glad that you liked it, Brittany! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Heavy cream is the best1
This is SO good! Made it just as written. Been making it for about a year. Added some chopped hard boiled eggs on top (Yum! saw it in another creamed spinach recipe). I’m going to try freezing the leftovers. (Might half the recipe next time as it’s a lot for two people)
Thank you, Margaret!!