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- What Is Creamed Spinach?
- What Does Creamed Spinach Taste Like?
- Is Creamed Spinach Keto? Healthy?
- How To Make Creamed Spinach with Cream Cheese (without Flour!)
- Do I Have To Use Baby Spinach?
- Can I Use Frozen Spinach?
- Can I Make Creamed Spinach in Advance?
- How Long Does Creamed Spinach Last?
- What Does Creamed Spinach Go With?
- Tools To Make Low Carb Creamed Spinach
- Easy Low Carb Keto Creamed Spinach Recipe
Creamed spinach is one of those love-it-or-hate-it foods. I actually always thought I fell into the latter category. But, with Thanksgiving around the corner (tomorrow!), I thought I’d sneak in one more low carb side dish for your holiday table. And, when I figured out how to make creamed spinach with cream cheese, I discovered it tastes absolutely delicious. If you or one of your family members is on the fence about it, I hope this low carb keto creamed spinach recipe will convert you, too!
What Is Creamed Spinach?
Creamed spinach is a classic side dish popular for the holidays and at steakhouses.
The basic ingredients to make easy creamed spinach are – not surprisingly! – spinach and either milk or cream. Other popular additions to creamed spinach include garlic, Parmesan or other cheeses, nutmeg and various herbs.
What Does Creamed Spinach Taste Like?
The best creamed spinach recipe should taste rich, creamy and cheesy! Even if you are not a huge fan of spinach, these aspects make it totally delicious.
Is Creamed Spinach Keto? Healthy?
Sometimes creamed spinach is thickened with flour, but this is actually unnecessary. It’s really easy to make naturally gluten-free, low carb creamed spinach.
My version of creamed spinach with cream cheese gets thick simply from simmering the heavy cream. The cream cheese also acts as a thickener.
So, this is a keto creamed spinach recipe without any specialty ingredients. And, the whole family will enjoy it whether they are following a special diet or not.
The natural ingredients make it a healthy dish in my book, though it’s definitely not low fat if that’s what you are looking for.
How To Make Creamed Spinach with Cream Cheese (without Flour!)
As a holiday dish, it may sound like the method for how to make creamed spinach should be complicated. That couldn’t be further from the truth!
It only takes 15 minutes to make this low carb creamed spinach recipe. And, it’s a great side dish to add to your table that won’t require turning on your oven.
To make this easy creamed spinach, simply saute the garlic, then the spinach. Add the cream, cream cheese, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Stir and cook for a few minutes to thicken. Sprinkle with Parmesan to serve and you’re done!
This is one of the quickest side dishes, along with roasted garlic cauliflower, you could ever make, so it’s actually perfect for a weeknight, too.
Do I Have To Use Baby Spinach?
No, any fresh spinach will work. But, baby spinach will have a more mild flavor and is less bitter than full grown spinach.
Can I Use Frozen Spinach?
Yes, you can! Feel free to substitute 10 oz fresh spinach with 10 oz chopped frozen spinach instead.
If you use frozen spinach, thaw and drain well first. Squeeze it to get rid of extra water.
After that, the saute time after adding the spinach will be shorter, but the time after adding cream will be the same.
Can I Make Creamed Spinach in Advance?
Yes, you can! Low carb creamed spinach does taste slightly better fresh, but making it ahead is doable.
The process for how to make creamed spinach in advance is super simple. Prepare it as directed and cool completely. After that, refrigerate for a day or two.
When you are ready to serve your keto creamed spinach, just reheat in a pan over low heat, stirring occasionally.
How Long Does Creamed Spinach Last?
The instructions for making this easy creamed spinach recipe ahead say to make it 1 to 2 days ahead. If you are serving it for guests, this is best.
However, if you just want to store leftovers for your family, you can get away with a bit longer.
In an airtight container, creamed spinach with cream cheese will last about 3 to 5 days. The reheating process is the same as above, but don’t be surprised if the color isn’t as bright as when it’s fresh.
What Does Creamed Spinach Go With?
The great thing about easy creamed spinach is it goes with just about anything! Here are a few ideas, both holiday and not:
- Garlic herb butter turkey for Thanksgiving
- Filet mignon for a special meal
- Crispy baked chicken thighs for weeknight dinners
- Slow cooker chicken wings for an effortless dinner
- Sirloin steak in the oven for a true steakhouse-style plate
- Slow cooker pot roast for a classic pairing
Easy Keto Creamed Spinach Recipe
Reader Favorite Recipes
The recipe card is below! Readers that made this also viewed these recipes:
Tools To Make Low Carb Creamed Spinach
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Wood saute spatula – So cute and perfect for creamed spinach!
- Large wok – Either a wok or saute pan will work, but a large wok will make it easier to fit all the spinach in there. This one also heats up evenly, which is a big plus.
Easy Low Carb Keto Creamed Spinach Recipe
How to make creamed spinach in 15 minutes! This easy, low carb keto creamed spinach recipe with cream cheese needs just a few common ingredients.
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Ingredients
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Heat butter in a large saute pan or wok over medium heat. Add minced garlic and saute until fragrant.
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Add spinach. Saute for 2 to 4 minutes, until wilted. If the pan is too full to stir at first, cover it for a minute or two, which will let the spinach at the bottom wilt. Then you can start to stir in a folding motion.
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Add heavy cream, cream cheese, sea salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir constantly until the cream cheese melts, then cook a few minutes until thickened.
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If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese for serving.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/2 cup
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138 Comments
Sara
So delicious! Even better than my regular recipe!
Brenda LaPrade
Loved this & I don’t usually like spinach.
Tim Metivier
Will this work well if made a head of time and then needs reheating? If so reheat on the stove or oven? It’s for part of a Christmas dinner that everyone brings parts of the whole meal so it will need to wait up to two hours before dinner. That would require re heating.
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Tim, Yes, you can make this in advance. There is a section in the post called ‘Can I Make Creamed Spinach in Advance’ that goes over the details of doing this. Enjoy!
Brian
Any way to lower the calories a little bit? Suggestions? I’ve tried reduced fat cream cheese but that doesn’t lower a whole lot
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Brian, You could omit the parmesan cheese and substitute the heavy cream with half and half.
Brian
How about almond milk instead of either of the creams?
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Brian, You could use almond milk in place of the heavy whipping cream.
Karen
This was fantastic!
Anne Rodkin
Do you think this would work with brie? I’ve got some that needs using up
Thanks
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Anne, I have not tested this recipe with brie, so I’m not sure it would work as well. It would likely be a lot thicker in texture. If you decide to try it I would consider using a combination of cream cheese and brie. Best wishes!
April Durbin
I made this to go along with the steak bites with chimichurri sauce. It was sooooo good! My favorite part of the meal actually. Ive never been a fan of creamed spinach growing up, but I loved it! Must try
Sam
This was delicious. I ate the entire thing myself lol!
Laura
This is so delicious AND easy to prepare!
Misty
SO delicious
Lynne Olsen
This is truly the best creamed spinach recipe I’ve tried. I’ve tried several and we both loved it. It’s easy to make and I followed the recipe to a tee. The only thing I did different was to remove the stems. I’m not a fan but love the baby spinach. I highly recommend this recipe.
Pat
Incredible! I used frozen spinach and nutmeg instead of Italian Seasoning. Rich, creamy and delicious! A double portion made a very filling dinner.
Anna
I’d like to try this recipe, is there anything I can substitute the heavy cream with?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Anna, You can use half and half, unsweetened alternative milk like almond milk, or water. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Cathy Robinson
I showed my 11 year old grandson the picture of this creamed spinach, we both said, that looks awful. But I made it because my husband wanted it and he is diabetic. It is soooo good, I will have to make it forever! My grandson loved it too. thank you so much for a great low carb creamed spinach.
Charity Atchison
I’ve made this I think 4 times now. I love it! So simple and great flavor.
Jordan
This was a huge hit! I substitute a 10 oz package of Frozen Spinach and it still tastes great!
Joyce Mourounas
This creamed spinach is amazingly delicious. It’s better then the creamed spinach I’ve had at top notch steak houses. This is a staple in my kitchen now. Thank you for all your wonderfully delicious recipes.
Sam
This was delicious. I ate the whole thing in one sitting. Lol
Julie Lane
Absolutely a terrific tasting and easy go to make recipe. Followed the recipe exactly with fresh spinach and let it rest and it thickened up no problem. It turned out exactly like what are accustomed at our fav steak house.
This recipe is a keeper !
Lydia Barber
Very good recipe. I agree with others. Tastes like an expensive steakhouse creamed spinach dish. I did use fresh spinach. I will say to use much more spinach than 10 oz. or better yet, use less heavy whipping cream and cream cheese. I did add grated cheese to thicken it up some. Phenomenal taste.
Audrey Harrington
Easy and good. I only had frozen spinach but I squeezed the water out and it was very good. Want to try with fresh next time.
Melissa
Can you use frozen spinach?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Melissa, Yes. Just let the spinach defrost and squeeze out the excess water first.
Dianna
Delicious!! One of the best recipes I have tried!
Ericka
This is absolutely delicious and easy to make. We’ll definitely be making this again. I had no problem with the sauce thickening, although I did use a little less than the indicated amount of cream. (I don’t know that it wouldn’t otherwise have thickened, though, as I’ve only made it once.)
Maureen Voll
Just made this for dinner. I should have made a double batch! I was counting on hubby not wanting it…so more for me, but he loved it as well! Looks like this is part of our menu going forward. Seriously, so good and so easy!
Melissa
I did it two times with and without the heavy cream. Taste 10 times better without it.
Amanda
Hi
Can you make this ahead and refrigerate overnight then reheat? I’m thinking of making this as a Thanksgiving side dish, but would love to make it the day before.
Thanks
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Amanda, Yes, you can make this in advance. There is a section in the post called ‘Can I Make Creamed Spinach in Advance’ that goes over the details of doing this. Enjoy!
Amanda
Oh my goodness, I don’t know how I missed that clearly labeled section! Thanks for pointing me to it!
Eileen
This creamed spinach was better than any I’ve had at expensive steakhouses!! It was so easy and it was excellent! Everybody loved it It I used fresh baby spinach and don’t think it would have been as good if I used frozen.
Terina R.
The taste of this dish was fabulous! I did use chive and onion cream cheese instead of regular. We all really liked it! The only unfortunate thing is I couldn’t get the sauce to thicken. We had to serve it in little bowls because it was so runny. Not sure if anyone else experienced this. Aside from the flavor of the cream cheese, I followed the recipe exactly.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Terina, Did you make this recipe with fresh or frozen spinach? If it was frozen it may have needed additional time to cook the excess water out and thicken the sauce.
Echo
This is a great recipe! I used a 12 oz. bag of frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed well), and left the remaining ingredient measurements as they were written. The result was quite literally the best creamed spinach I’ve ever had. This recipe is perfect, and I have eaten this version of creamed spinach 3 times since I discovered it, each time it was awesome! Thank you so much for sharing this.
Cindy
I thawed a bag of chopped spinach thinking I’d use it in smooties but couldn’t get in the mood for a smoothie. Decided I needed a vegetable with dinner tonight and found this recipe. It was really easy and really good. My son had his with tortilla chips, he loves spinach dip that’s heavy on the spinach with no artichokes so he used it for a dip. When it was done cooking I topped it with quite a bit of shredded parmesan cheese, then after it melted went ahead and stirred it in.
Alexis
I made this tonight since I had some spinach in the freezer and all the ingredients. It came up amazing!!! I didn’t change a thing, it is perfect to me!
Thank you so much for posting it!!
Carolyn Ekkert
Absolutely loved this recipe, a new go-to. It tastes like weekend but comes together like weeknight. I had mine last night with a greek marinated pork chop. Kids loved it, too. Only change I made was I stirred a little extra shredded Parmesan in during cooking and also sprinkled some on top at the end. Creamy and delicious.
Eric
Hi, I couldn’t see any video link to view, as there isn’t any image to tap to view it, can you check?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Eric, The video for this recipe is located in the recipe card. If you cannot see it, please make sure you aren’t viewing the page in ‘Reader Mode.’ You can verify this in your browser settings.
Robin
DELICIOUS! I squeezed the juice from one fresh lemon into it at the end and, in my opinion (and my daughter’s), that put this recipe over the top!
Mel
I made this tonight and followed the recipe exactly only subbing 10oz of frozen spinach for fresh. I measured 1/2 a cup and there’s no way I’m going to be able to get 4 servings out of this. Maybe 2.5. Is that correct?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Mel, Frozen spinach should give you the same yield (4 1/2 cup servings).
Candi
Very delicious!
Suzanne Musso
Just made this for dinner, truly delicious. I had to stop myself going back for more. I like mine with a little added nutmeg also I will cut back on the salt next time. But I will definitely make many more times again. Thank you.
Dawn
Amazing!!
Elizabeth Lampman
This was sooooo delicious. Definitely will be part of our regular rotation.
Danielle W.
Maya, this is an A+ recipe! I have loved creamed spinach for years but had no idea how easy it was to make on my own! I wanted to eat the whole recipe. Your blueberry muffins have been my favorite recipe of yours since I began the keto lifestyle in 2018, but this one may be my new favorite — or at least my new favorite savory recipe. Thank you!!
Julie
Can this be frozen? If so, at what point in the prep or cooking process? I have some fresh spinach that needs to be used but too much for me to eat in a couple of days. Thanks!!!
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Julie, I would freeze the spinach after the sauteeing/wilting process. When you want to prepare creamed spinach, you can take out the amount you need and add the dairy to it.
Pam
I don’t much care for spinach as just a vegetable, but I do like it in a smoothie or in a dip. That has changed! I made this recipe last night and we both loved it! And it is so quick and easy! My husband said to keep this recipe handy! Thanks so much for sharing it! I’ve tried several of your recipes and have liked every one of them so far.
Betsy
I found this recipe to be too watery unfortunately.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Betsy, It sounds like it needed to cook longer to reduce the liquid.
Amanda
Hi, I’m looking to make tonight. If I used this 8 ounce bag of spinach what would the measurements be for the rest of the ingredients? Thank You.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Amanda, Change the servings for the recipe from 4 to 3 and it will give you more accurate measurements for the amount of spinach you have on hand.
Stephanie
So delicious!! Everyone loved it 🙂 I added some onion powder and a little cayenne for an extra punch. Will definitely make this again, thank you!
Kurt
This was great! I have since tried this by substituting some (or all!) of the creme cheese with goat cheese, making it a bit more hearty.
Kristi
I ABSOLUTELY LLLOOOVVVEEE THIS RECIPE!! It was SO good! My mom had never had creamed spinach before, other than when she was a child and she loved it! So easy to make! Thanks for the recipes!!
Kristi
The only thing that I would change is the serving size. I ate an entire recipes worth of this and I still wanted more!!
Judy
We enjoyed this tonight with salmon. I used sour cream in place of the cream and cream cheese. I also used herbs from our ¨garden¨ rosemary, thyme and mexican oregano.
Debora
Outta HWC, ok to make without?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Debora, It would be too thick without it so you’d need something else to thin it out. Maybe almond milk or coconut milk? You’d need less of these than the HWC, since they are thinner.
Leah
This was delicious! I did put about 1/4 Cup of parm in the spinach and sprinkled some more on top. Made ahead and stuck in the oven to warm before serving. Thank you for sharing this!
Jeanne Wise
Trying to understand how 10 oz of baby spinach is 16 cups? Looking to try your recipe….
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Jeanne, This is a chopped, loose measurement. If you start with 10 ounces, it will be fine no matter what final measurement you get from chopping.