Easy Creamed Spinach
This will be the only creamed spinach recipe you will ever need. So creamy, cheesy and EASY PEASY! 10000x better than store-bought!
This is my favorite part about the holidays.
All the dishes with the word “cream” is thrown around like no other.
Creamy mashed potatoes.
Creamy mashed sweet potatoes.
Creamy mushrooms.
Creamed corn.
And of course.
Creamed spinach.
So let’s just put our calorie count on the side for a few days.
And enjoy all that is “cream”.
Right?
But hey, this is a spinach-based dish.
So at least we’re getting our serving of veggies this holiday season.
Easy Creamed Spinach
This will be the only creamed spinach recipe you will ever need. So creamy, cheesy and EASY PEASY! 10000x better than store-bought!
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
Directions:
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, garlic and nutmeg. Cook, stirring frequently, until shallots have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in heavy cream and milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce has begun to thicken, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in cheeses until melted, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in spinach until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Serve immediately.
Did you Make This Recipe?
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As a San Francisco gal that lived in LA for 40 years, going to Lowry’s Prime Rib in Bev Hills and House of Prime Rib in SF were always my favorite special occasion restaurants to go to—and it didn’t even have to be a special occasion! I started making the identical meal at home for my standard Christmas Eve Dinner years ago…Spinning Salad Bowl—check! Prime rib—check! Mashed Potatoes—check. Yorkshire Pudding—check. Whipped Horseradish cream sauce—check! All Easy Peasy and Delicious. But damn it—why can’t I make a decent creamed spinach which is an important part of the meal! No idea but it was always CRAP! But today I found it! Damn delicious Creamed spinach and boy oh boy is it good! And easy! I followed the recipe to a T using a bit less flour (after reading reviews) and added the almost thawed spinach that still had enough moisture to thin out the dish a little more…but I can’t wait to serve it and make it again and again and again. I think this will be my favorite new dish when I start my keto diet on January 2! Thanks so much!
So good! Subbed dried onions for shallots and some sliced cheese for Gruyere. It still tasted amazing and was so creamy. A definite keeper for my recipe box.
This was delicious. I agree with previous comments that the 1/4 cup of flour made it too thick. Because I had read thee comments ahead of time, ended up putting the spinach in the mixture still frozen. As it dethawed it helped to thin it out a bit, plus saved time. Even still, needed to add a little extra 1/2 and 1/2 to thin it out a little bit more. Also, had to make some exceptions to use what I had in the house…1/2 and 1/2 instead of milk and heavy cream, mozzarella cheese instead of gruyere. Would definitely make again!
I made the recipe as written except that I used frozen cut leaf spinach instead of chopped, just because I prefer it. I wish I had read previous reviews because I also found 1/4 cup of flour thickened it up too much. I added about a cup more of milk to loosen it up. Next time I’ll try two Tablespoons or maybe even one! My husband and I both thought it was delicious!
Nice recipe. As some others have noted, I will be cutting back on the flour a bit next time. Other than that; very yummy!
Just finished following your recipe and my creamed spinach is delicious, a few things I had to substitute but it came out perfect. Wish there was an option to share a picture to show you, thank you!
Best creamed spinach ever!
This was my first time trying creamed spinach and it was a hit. I didn’t have the Gruyere so I used low fat mozzarella Also had to sub the heavy cream for 1/2 and 1/2. Didn’t have to add any additional salt at all. I will be saving and making this again. Definitely Damndelicious!!!!!!!
The best spinach recipe ever! Delicious!
I tried it with gouda cheese,it was awesome, thanks
This was delicious and so easy to make! I’ve never been able to make spinach without it coming out bitter.
I did have to increase the milk – about three cups, as the cream I had in the fridge was off ♀️, also substituted the parmesan and gruyere with Mozzarella (not at all the same, I know, but it came out deliciously creamy! And it’s what I had on hand.)
Added more pepper (white and black).
Everyone loved it, and this will now be part of my family tradition
Can not wait to try your other recipes as well! It was Damn Delicious!!
Thank you.a
OMG! My first time ever trying a creamed spinach recipe at home. It was awesome. You’re awesome for sharing this recipe.
It was quite tasty. I, like some others, found it too thick even when additional milk/cream was added. Next time will try 2 T. I also added some crunchy bacon bits (not the canned/ bottled stuff, but bacon I fried earlier and had in the freezer.) Thanks for posting. I needed something quick and creamy for an elderly lady.
Thank you for your feedback, Susan.
Your receipe are so amazing
You state that this recipe has six servings. How many or how much is one serving?
About 1/2 cup.
I still didn’t understand whether to cook frozen spinach first.
The spinach is cooked in step 4.
I am a huge fan of creamed spinach, and this recipe is absolutely delicious! I found that the spinach tightened up a bit when I put in the cheese, but became silky and smooth with a bit more milk/cream. Wonderful!
I absolutely love creamed spinach, my grandmother would make for me all of the time! Now it is time I do so for myself (I could eat the whole thing myself). For the heavy cream, are you using half and half or whipping cream?
Whipping cream but you can also substitute half and half if you prefer.
I made this tonight to go along with our traditional steak fondue Christmas Eve dinner. The flavor was good but it was incredibly thick. Creamed spinach should have a more fluid texture. I kept adding cream in hopes it would loosen up but it stayed thick.
Seems every time I am looking for a recipe I end up making one of yours! Thanks so much!!!!
Can I make this a day ahead? If so would I reheat on the stove, mixing in some more milk or covered in the oven?
Yes, you can reheat on the stovetop, adding more milk as needed.
If I can’t find gruyere cheese, what would a good substitute be? Can’t wait to try it, looks delicious!
Here is a list of possible substitutes:
https://www.reference.com/food/good-substitute-gruyere-cheese-a8a93609c53542cf.
Love the addition of gruyere. Spinach cooks so fast, I prefer fresh…just cook it down in a little oil until it wilts. Then squeeze out water, put it in blender or food processor. Continue with the rest of steps and your done!
This was a big hit for Thanksgiving! Easy, fast and delicious!!! All your recipes rock! I’m looking forward to getting your cookbook.
Your recipes are amazing and easy to do. I’ve just ordered your book to share with my daughters.
Exactly what I was looking for. My friends & I were just talking about making a dip for the upcoming holiday season, and this one seems to be the most popular. I hate buying the frozen dips to put in the oven, they don’t taste as good after a while.
Question – any difference in the end product between using table salt & kosher salt?
P.S. I absolutely love your cookbook, congrats & keep up the great work!!!
You should be fine using either kind of salt! 🙂
Thanksgiving menu, would this make for a good appetizer or do the mashed potatoes make it a bit to heavy(literally) to be a dip?
Mashed potatoes?
Cooked it tonight. Totally delicious !!
I made this today, and followed the directions as written. While it was tasty, I found the recommended amount of flour to be too much, and had to add quite a lot more milk because the creamed spinach was very, very thick. I wonder if there is a misprint in the quantity of flour called for?
Not a misprint! But you can certainly add as much milk as needed until the desired consistency is reached.
Can this be made ahead of time. Going to my sons for thanksgiving would like to make this delicious looking receipe
Yes, you can reheat as you see fit, adding milk as needed (1 TBS at a time) to help thin it out until the desired consistency is reached.
I have a ton of fresh spinach I need to use up, can I use fresh? Also, is it OK to omit the gruyere if we don’t have any? Trying to save a trip to the store!
Yes, you can certainly substitute fresh cooked spinach! But I highly recommend using gruyere if possible. 🙂
I’d never heard of creamed spinach until a couple days ago! We’re going to have to try this on our menu this week!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Wow, that’s a delicious way to cook spinach! I am sure even kids are gonna love spinach after eating this!
I’m looking for an appetizer to add to the Thanksgiving menu, would this make for a good appetizer or do the mashed potatoes make it a bit to heavy(literally) to be a dip?
Seth, are you referring to a different recipe than the creamed spinach here?
Wow this looks delicious!
Hi! I don’t have any frozen spinach, only the fresh ones, in your opinion can I use that ones? I should keep the same directions? Thanks! 🙂
Yes, you can certainly substitute fresh cooked spinach!
Seems totally delicious ! I have a question though : should you use cooked or raw spinach ?
Charlotte, the recipe calls for frozen chopped spinach.
Would using fresh spinach change the recipe at all?
I love your web site and have tried many recipes. I would like to pronounce your name correctly. Can you spell it phonically?
Yes, you can certainly substitute fresh cooked spinach!
Should I wring out the thawed spinach, or is the water contained necessary for the recipe? I’d hate to water it down or to have a dish that was thick and gloppy. Thanks so much! Also, my daughter is a huge fan of your blog — at least once a week she makes one of your recipes. I bought her your new cookbook for a wedding gift, and she LOVES it. Maybe I’ll get one for Christmas. 🙂
Yes! It is best to squeeze out all the excess water.
And thank you for buying my cookbook! 🙂