Creamed Spinach is a favorite side dish. Easy to make and better than any restaurant dish!

In this quick side dish, fresh spinach (or frozen) is cooked in a creamy sauce for the perfect side.

bowl of creamed spinach

Why We Love This Recipe

From Spinach Artichoke Dip to Quick & Creamy Spinach Pasta, I love the combination of sweet spinach and a creamy base.

Creamed spinach is a side dish often served with steaks or even Oven Baked Chicken Breasts (or even with stuffed chicken breasts). A delicious combination of tender sweet spinach in a creamy sauce, just like Spinach Gratin!

This dish is simple but has tons of flavor and best of all, it’s ready in just minutes.

Use Fresh or Frozen Spinach

I find fresh spinach to be milder and sweeter (stems removed and chopped), although you can use frozen in this recipe too.

For four servings of creamed spinach you will need 1lb of fresh spinach. It will look like a huge mountain of spinach but it cooks down to a very small amount!

While it may not be traditional, the addition of cream cheese makes the sauce rich and creamy and turns this into the go for seconds kind of creamed spinach!

spinach on pan

How To Make Creamed Spinach

What makes this creamed spinach recipe a stand-out? It’s easy to make, full of flavor and reheats well!

  1. Remove stems from spinach and chop.
  2. Cook spinach in a pan 3 minutes, drain.
  3. Heat sauce ingredients (per recipe below) and seasonings. Stir in spinach and serve.

You can replace fresh spinach with frozen, be sure to thaw and squeeze dry so your dish isn’t watery! Remove any tough stems before chopping.

creamed spinach in pan unmixed

We often serve this creamed spinach recipe with Pork Tenderloin or a juicy steak but to be honest, I love it spooned over Mashed Potatoes too!

More Veggie Sides You’ll Love

bowl of creamed spinach
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Creamed Spinach

This easy creamed spinach side is a wonderful addition to any elegant holiday meal, a neighborhood potluck or even a holiday work function. 
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients  

  • 1 pound fresh spinach or 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • ¼ cup onion minced
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • cup heavy cream
  • 2 ounces cream cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • teaspoon seasoning salt
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Wash and dry spinach if using fresh. Remove any tough stems and roughly chop.
  • Cook spinach in a pan with olive oil over medium heat until wilted and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and place in a strainer to drain.
  • Add onion and butter to the pan and cook on medium low heat until onion is softened. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer while stirring until smooth. Simmer 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
  • Squeeze any excess moisture out of the spinach. Add back to the pan and stir to combine. Heat through and serve.

Notes

Fresh spinach can be substituted with 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach
5 from 59 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 121 | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 160mg | Potassium: 454mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 7470IU | Vitamin C: 21.7mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 2.1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Appetizer
Cuisine American

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About the author

Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
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Comments

  1. I’d like to fill large cooked pasta shells with this delicious creamed spinach. Would a double recipe be too much for a 12 oz box of shells? (Of course any leftover creamed spinach would be for the cook!) This sounds amazing, thanks for another wonderful recipe!

    RB

    1. I haven’t tried using this recipe to stuff shells so I can’t say for sure R, but I think a double recipe should be about perfect. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!

  2. This truly is better than any steak house including Ruth’s Chris, Mortons, Malones, Buckhorn etc..5 stars

  3. Great recipe loved it delicioso next time I’m going to use baby spinach 2 8 oz bags it needed more spinach and I only use fresh spinach thank you for the recipe it was really easy and it was delicious5 stars

  4. I have made this recipe several times with great results. When I’m in a pinch with what to do with chicken, I have scored chicken breasts, cook partially, cover with the spinach mixture and continue to bake – creamy, cheesy, spinach topped yummy chicken! I do make the sauce a little thinner so as it bakes the liquid doesn’t evaporate leaving a paste of spinach. Rice on the side to soak up some juices. Delish!5 stars

    1. The stems on spinach tend to be a bit tough (unless it is baby spinach) so I recommend removing them. Let us know if you try it with the stems on!

  5. I’ve searched for a very long time for a delicious, from-scratch creamed spinach recipe that doesn’t involve a can of creamed soup and this fit the bill. I added a little more cream as mine thickened up too quickly but this is definitely a keeper!

    Thank you so much for sharing. :-)5 stars