Creamed Spinach
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This rich and creamy creamed spinach recipe is easy enough for a weeknight but special enough for the holiday table.
I learned to appreciate a good creamed spinach while working at Sam & Harry’s, a fine-dining steakhouse in Washington, DC, that was the place to be back in the ’90s—guess that dates me a bit, doesn’t it? This creamed spinach recipe is my take on that classic steakhouse side dish, with bright green spinach in a rich, cheesy cream sauce. It may be old-school, but it’s so good it never goes out of style.
I start frozen spinach, so no washing, blanching, or chopping pounds of fresh spinach. And instead of making a flour-thickened sauce, I simply simmer heavy cream until it reduces and thickens, then add Parmigiano-Reggiano, a touch of nutmeg, and the spinach. The whole thing takes about 30 minutes and can be made entirely ahead of time. Serve it alongside steak, beef tenderloin, roast chicken, or pan-seared salmon.
“Loved this…Tastes just like a good steakhouse side.”
What You’ll Need To Make Creamed Spinach
- Frozen cut-leaf spinach: A great shortcut here—look for cut-leaf rather than chopped spinach, which has a better texture. Be sure to squeeze it very dry so excess water doesn’t thin the cream sauce.
- Butter, shallots & garlic: Create the savory base of the dish. Shallots are milder and slightly sweeter than onions, which works especially well with the cream.
- Heavy cream & nutmeg: The cream is simmered until reduced and thickened, so there’s no need for flour. A touch of nutmeg is a classic pairing with spinach and cream.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano: Adds salty, nutty flavor and helps give the sauce a rich, silky consistency. For the best flavor, use freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano rather than pre-grated Parmesan cheese.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Creamed Spinach
Cook the aromatics: Melt the butter and cook the shallots until soft and translucent, then add the garlic and cook briefly. Keep the heat gentle so the garlic doesn’t brown.
Make the cream sauce: Add the cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and simmer until noticeably reduced and thickened. You’ll know it’s ready when the cream coats a wooden spoon. Reducing the cream this way creates a rich, velvety sauce without the need for flour. Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano until smooth.
Add the spinach: Stir in the well-drained spinach until evenly coated in the sauce and heated through. If the creamed spinach seems a little loose, let it cook briefly to evaporate any excess moisture. Serve right away, or let cool and refrigerate until ready to reheat and serve.
More Veggie Side Dishes You’ll Love
Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup finely chopped shallots, from 1 to 2 shallots
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch freshly grated nutmeg, or use ground nutmeg
- ½ cup finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 pounds frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed very dry (see note)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more. Do not brown.
- Add the heavy cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and bring to a gentle boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the cream is thick enough to coat a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted.
- Add the spinach and stir until evenly combined with the cream sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. (If the spinach seems a little watery, cook over medium-low heat until any excess liquid evaporates.) Serve warm.
Notes
- Cut leaf spinach is not the same as chopped spinach. If your market doesn’t carry cut leaf spinach, look for frozen whole leaf spinach. (Chopped spinach will work, but the texture won’t be as appealing.) Some markets carry 1-lb (454-g) bags, and some carry 10-oz (283-g) boxes; if you can only find the 10-oz boxes, you’ll need three of them. If you’d like to start with fresh spinach, you’ll need about 2 lbs (907 g) baby spinach leaves. Steam and drain the baby spinach, then roughly chop and measure out 2 packed cups.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: This dish can be made and refrigerated a day ahead of time. Reheat in the microwave, uncovered, stirring every 30 seconds or so, until hot, a few minutes. When reheated, the spinach won’t be quite as creamy-looking as it was originally (though the taste will be the same); you can add a bit of cream when reheating to get a creamier consistency, if you’d like.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I need to make this 2 nights ahead of time, is it ok in the fridge or should I freeze and defrost?
Hi Jackie, if possible, I’d make this no more than one day ahead. And I’d refrigerate it – I don’t think it would freeze very well with all the dairy. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Made this dish was delicious 😋
I have had the good fortune of eating in all of the best steakhouses in the United States and their creamed spinach while good is dwarfed by this recipe.
This recipe is perfection!
I’ve made a different variation of this recipe before and found the proportion of ingredients to be better in this recipe. I saw a British chef’s recipe for creamed spinach where he used Devonshire Double Cream instead. So I tried the double cream instead of the heavy cream. It was to die for! My guests could not stop eating it and raving about it. Thank you for posting such delicious recipes!
Amazing! I halved the cream sauce because I only had 6 ounces of fresh spinach, but roasted some mushrooms and baby potatoes (halved) and added that. This cream sauce will definitely be a go to for other veggies!
I’m almost ashamed to say that I’ve never had creamed spinach in my entire life and I’m almost 60! What a shame because this was so delicious. Alfredo spinach. Thanks for sharing your recipe, my husband and I enjoyed it so much with a marinated grilled Tri-tip.
Wow! Spinach has never tasted so good. Even my little ones scarfed this spinach down. Thank you once again for the 100th+ time for an amazing recipe. This recipe deserves 6 stars 🙂 All of your recipes are truly keepers- but this one might be my favorite. I’m thankful that you’ve shared all of these recipes as well as all of your expertise, especially during these rough times when going out to a restaurant may not be a possibility.
So glad you like the recipes! ❤️
Made this with a t bone steak delicious.will be make it for Christmas with prime rib thank you
Jen, I used to be able to eat spinach, and I loved it! But I am no longer able to eat this particular leafy green. I would love to try this recipe. Is there an acceptable substitute for the spinach?
Thank you!
Cathy
Hi Cathy, I think you could replace the spinach with Swiss chard or kale. Please LMK how it turns out if you use either one of these!
This is the way to make spinach! Made it second time today. So yummy!😋 I have discovered Jenn’s blog just recently, purchased her amazing cookbook right away and every single recipe I tried turned out perfectly. Recently my friend sent me a photo and said: I made Jenn’s apple cake! We love your blog Jenn. You are the best chef!
I also loved your chicken curry, creamed zucchini, buttermilk ranch dressing, cornbread muffins, blueberry muffins, french apple cake, rustic french apple tart, lemon bars, warm lemon pudding cakes, chocolate mousse, chocolate banana bread. It’s impossible to write a review for every recipe, they are all 5*.
Happy summer!
So glad you enjoyed this and all of the other recipes you’ve made from the blog — you’ve clearly been very busy in the kitchen!! 🙂
Wow! I followed the recipe exactly, and it was delicious. I will make this again for my family. Thank you so much.
I followed the recipe exactly as it says. I used fresh spinach. Sooo delicious. 5 stars!!